A Film About Jimi Hendrix

I'm not even a Hendrix fan. I'm probably a cloth-eared nincompoop but his records always sounded like jam-session guitar paired up with atonal screeching.

But when a musical documentary cold opens with Pete Townshend, I'm hooked. What follows are interviews with Hendrix himself, other musicians, a roadie or two, a former girlfriend, various hangers-on, and countless others. This is the 70s so most of them are higher than a kite, of course. We also get some tender reminiscing from his dad.

Hendrix was basically a mild-mannered busker with other-worldly guitar-playing talent and a sharp sense of giving the audience a show. The concert footage captures just how dynamic a performer he was. Even as a non-fan I always enjoy this documentary. What a waste to have lost him so soon.

Have been watching this movie since the mid-1980's on home video. For quite a long time this and Rainbow Bridge were really the only selections a Hendrix fan could purchase in terms of home viewing until the 1990's when the full-length performances of Monterey Pop, the Isle of Wight, Woodstock and Berkeley were made available.

Unlike the original Rainbow Bridge theatrical release, where Hendrix is a featured performer for 20 or so minutes, the 1973 film Jimi Hendrix focuses entirely on Hendrix. Mostly on Hendrix as a musician and a performer, and mostly on the period of his life between late 1966 to his death in 1970.

Since the film was made within a few years of Hendrix passing, recollections of him are fresh. The interview subjects are a selection of groupies, fellow musicians - some famous, some not - who either played with him or saw him play, roadies, journalists, hangers on and the like. Virtually all of whom personally knew Hendrix and were speaking about their interactions with him from recent memory. There is an equal amount of performance footage as there is interview footage. Hendrix at Monterey in 1967. Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969. Hendrix at Berkeley in 1970. Hendrix at the Isle of Wight in 1970.

All of which amounts to a balanced documentary of what made Hendrix memorable, which was his songwriting/performing. There are some references made via the interviews about the groupie scene and the drug scene, but nothing approaching a tabloid tell-all. No blathering conspiracy babble about Hendrix being murdered as opposed to how he reportedly died. No urban legends about Hendrix taking LSD a million times a day. The focus throughout by and large remains on the music Hendrix made.

My only criticism would be actually wanting more performance footage than was included in the initial theatrical release, rather than the one or two tunes from each of the concerts mentioned above. However, this is small potatoes.

Jimi Hendrix chronicles the story of the man, the myth, the legend, the left-handed dude with a love of the blues and Bob Dylan, and who took rock and roll almost to another planet (just listen to some of the tracks off Electric Ladyland and see how he goes into music like the equivalent of a crazy science fiction writer). He was also, as described by Eric Clapton, "guillible", and susceptible to the leeches that lay around him that, by way of the drugs, led to his very sudden downfall. Had he lived there's no doubt he could have had an output that for his genre would be the equivalent of one of those great 18th century European composers or even 20th century Jazzmen. There's been so much written about him that he's been elevated to the status he's at today, so it's a welcome thing to see this documentary so soon after his death.

Welcome, though also one can see the pain in some of the interviewees under the surface. Many on screen, his fellow ex-band-mates like Billy Cox and Mitch Mitchell, and some of his own family and close friends, still have the memory of Jimi fresh in their minds, and so their recollections, both loving and even critical, comes at a time when there's still a lot to ponder. Through this and various concert clips (some well known like Woodstock and Monterey Pop clips, some more obscure like Band of Gypsies and Isle of Wight), and a superb interview conducted by Dick Cavett, portray Hendrix as a smart guy who could play a guitar like, as Townsend describes, "an instrument." In truth- and even for those who may just admire him as opposed to outright love and cherish his music- he was reaching into territory that was far surpassing anything done in the late 60s.

He had the basics down for the best in blues (maybe my favorite scene in the film, maybe exclusive just to this documentary, has him in a white room playing a 'Train' type of blues song that is so invigorating to see what he comes up with, begging the cameras to keep rolling). He also was a kind of wild man about his imagination, and so didn't hold back with an audience. He appealed to white and black, rock and blues, soul and (as might be the case years later) heavy metal, and without ever making himself into a commodity - that was done after he was dead and buried. What A Film About Jimi Hendrix portrays is a confident man, at peace with himself, but as is described by those around him someone who had such extraordinary things about him that his few flaws made his undoing. And it is a near perfect treat for die-hard fans.

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.

....About arguably the greatest guitarist of all time. The interviews of contemporaries like Peter Townshend, Eric Clapton, and Mick Jagger, reveal that, when Hendrix arrived in Swinging London, in 1966, he was viewed as somewhat of a sideshow, playing the guitar with his teeth, and behind his back. Townshend admits they were in awe, and perhaps threatened by him. As Hendrix's brilliance spread, being in his company conferred credibility, attracting devotees and posers.

I loved Little Richard reminiscing about their early days playing together. The Jimi Hendrix that emerges is that of a decent human being thoroughly enjoying the fame, aware of, and in love with his talent. The concert clips and performances are awesome. Hendrix died in 1970, we can only imagine what he would have accomplished as the music scene transitioned into disco, punk rock, synth pop, rap.