... a nice sentiment about Hendrix.http://cchronicle.com/2010/07/jimi-hendrix-was-not-godJimi closes his eyes with raised eyebrows that arch with heaven and steeples. His left arm reaching for breath and guidance from the angel; a purpled wing. My eyes now close with the aromas of someplace, of exploration and eruptions. From sleepy dreams and wisps of smoke that curl my hands, Purple Haze finds its way back. A piece of life in my corner of memories and favorites; my mantra of home to my heart.By the time of his Band of Gypsys, the sound that exhaled my Star Spangled Banner disappeared. Anthem maker and Bold as Love warrior, Jimi slipped under. He died September 18, 1970 from massive amounts of wine, vomit and suspicion. James Marshall Hendrix lay in London deceased and I accepted another, just like the ones before and the ones in line... and so on.

Made several years after the death of Jimi Hendrix, this film looks back at his career through the eyes of his family, peers, friends and fans. Recollections and anecdotes are broken up by various live performances and interviews with Hendrix himself.I have never taken the time to find out whether I am a fan of Hendrix or not; sure I like everything I have heard but that is different from being a fan. However watching this film made me more interested in hearing more from him because of how well put together it is. Ignoring the subject for a minute, the strength of the film is in the structure and delivery. The film is not trying to factually capture Hendrix from cradle to grave but rather look at him as an entertainer and a man. To do this we get live footage of him mixed with plenty of contributions from others who knew him. To make the point that these contributions are good, the edit overlaps several people telling the same stories and I liked the way this worked.The film also manages to keep focused while also allowing the contributors to speak personally and from their own experiences of him – not in glib sound bites but mostly in natural chatting and recollections. These are worked well to produce a narrative flow, building on what we know about the man and his music. Structure wise it is an impressive biography and you could nearly watch the film for this alone. Of course the film itself is not about the way it is put together but rather about the title character. Here the film is also strong as we see him on stage and instantly get what it was that people like/liked about him. He has a great stage presence and is recognisable as being a creative force. However the use of interviews etc also shows him to be quite a quiet and shy type and I liked this aspect of his character and the way the way the film brought it out.For fans then, it is a given that you will enjoy this but it will also work for the casual viewer with a passing interest in his music; this is what I was and the film drew me into the man more than I had been. I think it is unlikely anyone would watch it for structure alone, but I must comment that it is this that is another reason why the film works as well as it does.

Watched this docu again last night on DVD. Saw it some 30+ years ago on film. I was class of '69 (Jimi's cousin, Nona Hendrix, was in my grade 12 class) and remember when Jimi and his band came through my town(East Van rules). Jimi was from Seattle, some 145 miles south) I always rue the day I DIDN't go to the concert. I went to all the biggies EXCEPT this one, and I have never forgiven myself. WHY? I worked that night. I had every vinyl, worn the grooves off Electric Ladyland twice. The 60's re visited...This '73 docu captures the mood VERy well. Comments from impossibly young Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton (who I saw perform last week in NZ..even BETTER than he was in '69 the last time I saw him)... Jimmy Page, Eric, and JIMI were our holy trinity of guitar gods way back when...this was a T R I P down memory lane for me...the talk of drugs and race issues....subjects which never go away..we're still dealing with it today...but back to the music.....Jimi's fusion of blues/rock/jazz....wondrous to us so long ago, and still sounding 'fresh as a daisy' to this alumnus of the class of '69 see this DVD.... I give it an 8.8

The channel surfing gods must have been watching over me last night, as I came across this documentary on VH1 Classics under their 'RockDocs' format. As I tuned in, Hendrix was into his amazing "Wild Thing" version from 1967's Monterey Pop Festival and it had me hooked for the entire run. Jimi Hendrix was always a favorite of mine back in the Sixties, and when he died in 1970, I became fixated on his 'Electric Ladyland' album, seeming to find comfort in the ethereal strains of 'Moon, Turn The Tides...Gently, Gently', as if he were floating away to a far off better place.Besides the awesome live footage, the blast in watching this biopic has to be seeing rock gods speaking in reverenced tones of the guitar master. Were Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton and Little Richard ever really that young? It was revealing to hear Townshend describe how he and Clapton talked about Hendrix and his music, and how they 'decided' that they liked him - as if it had to be a conscious choice. Other revealing insights came from some of the women in Hendrix' life who I didn't know about at the time, like Fayne Pridgon and Pat Hartley. Even feminist Germaine Greer got into the act, with observations on how his music impacted male audiences of the era.An interesting element that worked for the documentary was interspersing scenes of live music and interviews with televised segments from a Dick Cavett TV appearance, where Hendrix' low key manner seemed to belie his vulnerability. I never realized how insecure he felt about himself, and how malleable he was to the pressures of agents and hangers on, eventually leading to his tragic end. One of the Allen Brothers had an interesting twist on Hendrix' passing, stating that the singer might have been experiencing an alpha state in which he consciously decided to experience death, resulting in an 'alpha jerk'.A curious aside to the Dick Cavett appearance - sitting next to Hendrix on the guest couch was Robert Young. I wonder if Hendrix ever watched "Father Knows Best"? Above all though, it's the man and the music that make this rockumentary special. My personal favorites - "Wild Thing" and the amazing Dylan tribute "Like a Rolling Stone". Of course the Woodstock "Star Spangled Banner" version is on display in it's entirety, as are all of the song performances presented, making this picture a unique tribute to the rock legend. Had he lived, Hendrix would be sixty years old today, and oh, what music might have been.