# you don't like hendrix?



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

the thread where one of us admits he's not really a hendrix fan got me thinking. he's not the only person i've heard say this. admitting it among other guitarists must be what coming out is like. i remember when i first got turned on to him. 
i heard purple haze and i thought "meh - it's cool i guess" and then later hearing stuff like 3rd stone from the sun, or are you experienced, and it blew my mind up. from that moment everything changed for me. not metaphorically. 
because of that, i have a hard time getting my head around the idea that it's even possible for someone to not like hendrix. 

so i am hoping that for those of you out there who don't call themselves fans, can you articulate on it at all?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Okay Cheezy, I'll give you my take on Hendrix. Could he play guitar and was he one who took playing to another level. Anyone in their right mind would have to say yes. While I appreciate his skills on the guitar, I don't like his music. 

From what I have read about him he was a very nice young man, who turned ugly with the booze and the drugs. That doesn't make me very enamoured of him either. For me, the legacy artists leave and what they stand for has a lot to do whether I like their music for what they stand for often comes out in their music.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

I'll point out the obvious. He was an amazing guitar player to watch. It's a bit like watching Keith Moon play for me, what I hear doesn't seem to sync up with what I see. I'm left thinking, "How did he do that?!"

I'm a fan of songwriters though and not so much a fan of guitarists. If a song meanders longer than three minutes I get bored. With a couple of exceptions (Crosstown Traffic comes to mind) Hendrix's songs don't do much for me. 

I don't think his songs measure up to his contemporaries like Davies, Wilson, Mayfield or Drake but Hendrix sure could play that guitar.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I think there are lots of people who will be amazed by Hendrix as a guitarist but maybe not so much as a song writer.

I can see that. For me, the song is the most important thing, but to deny his abilities on the guitar is a bit hard to swallow.


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## surlybastard (Feb 20, 2011)

On a similar note I have a friend who doesn't like Zeppelin. This is very handy when we get into musical debates because I can shut him down with one line: "You're argument is invalid because you don't like Zeppelin, end of story"


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I think it has a lot to do with the who you were at the time the music came out. There would have been the impact of 'something new', something different, but fitting for the times - anyone who was able to get Eric Clapton to walk away shaking in upset and awe must have been undoubtedly amazing to see.

I came in far too late in the game. BUT, I actually like his music. The 'Are You Experienced" albums is one of my all time favs.

So, I suspect people who don't like him just aren't into the music.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

As musicians. I don't think that we can contemplate the simple fact that most people don't even listen to or care about what goes into the making of a song. They only hear the end result and choose to like it, dislike it or ignore it when they hear it played. At the time of my life when Hendrix was around. I wasn't into his music but I stripped down my 68 Triumph 650 TR6C and painted it purple (even the frame) and painted the words "Purple Haze" on the oil tank. I did this to be cool, not because I loved his music. As I matured in both age and musicianship, I realized what a great musician he was. Even to this day, his sound is distinct and no-one can ever take that away from him.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

There may be some fatigue involved. I like Hendrix, but I like Led Zeppelin much less than I did 25-30 years ago, mainly because I have grown tired of hearing them every time I come within earshot of a radio tuned to a "dinosaur rock" station.

My confession is that I don't care for Stevie Ray Vaughan. 

There. It's out there.


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## nonreverb (Sep 19, 2006)

I have to agree bw66. There is always the possibility of being overexposed to someone's music. That can definitely play a factor.
However, as for liking Hendrix's music in general? Yes, some of it. There are songs he did that I'll probably never tire of but there's portion of his work I haven't listened to in years and probably never will.



bw66 said:


> There may be some fatigue involved. I like Hendrix, but I like Led Zeppelin much less than I did 25-30 years ago, mainly because I have grown tired of hearing them every time I come within earshot of a radio tuned to a "dinosaur rock" station.
> 
> My confession is that I don't care for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
> 
> There. It's out there.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

nonreverb said:


> There are songs he did that I'll probably never tire of but there's portion of his work I haven't listened to in years and probably never will.


Be truthful now.. the real reason is because you have that Grant Green cd stuck in your player....


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

My grand daughter's name is 'Hendrix'. She is one year old. Now for those of you who really don't like him, don't get too nasty here.


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

I was 17 when Hendrix first hit the scene. I loved his music, his persona and the whole aura of psychedelic rock. I loved Led Zep too.

But I'm not 17 any more. 

My attitude to music has changed a lot in the ensuing decades. I listen to it differently, it serves a different purpose in my life and my temperament has changed.

I'm not disputing Jimi's talent, but many people, as they grow older, look for a more relaxing style of music to listen to. I still enjoy avante guard and innovative music, but favour the more lilting slower paced variety. Unfortunately the loud music I used to like often leaves me with a headache. I wish I could enjoy it as much now as I did then.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I actually used to like some of Hendrix's songs when I was a kid but as I've gotten older, my tastes have changed and he no longer fits in that category.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

there are definitely songs i would be ok with not hearing again for a long, long time. fire, foxy lady, purple haze, hey joe - all the stuff the radio has crammed down our throats for 40 yrs. but other stuff, like 1983, a merman i should urn to be, or 12 string blues, or house burnin down - i could listen to those forever. i listen to warren haynes or muddy waters alot more than jimi these days. it's true you mellow as you get older. hell, no one was ever a bigger fan of judas priest than i was. but it's good to read the responses and get a peek into everyone's head a little bit on this topic.


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## Bubb (Jan 16, 2008)

I still love Jimi,but as time goes on,I find I *really* have to be in a certain frame of mind to listen to him .
I too enjoy the deeper cuts ,and those are the ones I seek out when I want to hear him again .
The radio has indeed trimmed a number of his tunes off my playlist .


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

I find that among guitar players, it's very often one jimi or the other jimmy. 

The ones that like Jimi, don't care for Jimmy, and vise-versa. 

Myself I'm one of the ones that like Jimi Hendrix, but really don't care for Jimmy Page
I never liked his overall sound and his live playing was so horrible sloppy. But more recently with sobriety, his playing has improved compared to those early 70's live videos. 

Same thing happens with Satch vs Gilbert, or Vai or Hammett. 

then again, one of my favourite guitar players never gets much mention: Chris Hayes from "The News"


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Steadfastly said:


> I actually used to like some of Hendrix's songs when I was a kid but as I've gotten older, my tastes have changed and he no longer fits in that category.


This guy has gone over this before...he puts a JUDGEMENT on people based upon whether or not they meet a moral and/or ethical standard that he has determined, before he can even enjoy their music.? 

This could have been said in the music appreciation thread too. How can anyone who does that say that they appreciate music?Isn't the NORMAL thing to do more like: hear a song and see how it affects you. Are there things that draw you to it? Do you want to hear it again? Then, if you are intrigued enough to look into the person's life or personal details you can decide whether or not you like them on those merits as well or cut that part off and just enjoy the music

If George Strait killed a baby but didn't tell anyone, and it finally came out, ol' FlipFlopFly would have to take George off of his list of 2 people whose music he 'appreciates'.

If he ever has to be judged by someone as judgemental as he is when his ego is on the line he will be *completely shattered*.

This dude needs help.

Plus, I have started to doubt whether or not he even owns or plays a guitar.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

___________


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## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

Hendrix was born almost exactly 4 years before I was. So I am old enough to remember most of his career, and of course, the day he died. I remember that I considered him a genius on the guitar. He had incredible hands and fingers, the neck of his guitar always looked like a toothpick to me. I saw video of many of his live performances while he was still alive. If you want to be critical, his vocals were often only fair to my ear, and his guitar often sounded out of tune. But he is obviously one of the immortals in the history of rock. I still love most of his songs, to this day.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Milkman said:


> I think there are lots of people who will be amazed by Hendrix as a guitarist but maybe not so much as a song writer.
> 
> I can see that. For me, the song is the most important thing, but to deny his abilities on the guitar is a bit hard to swallow.


This is it for me. I think he's a great guitarist, in context, but I don't care for his tunes. My faves are Fire, which hardly has anything impressive guitar-wise on it, and All Along the Watchtower, which isn't his tune anyway.


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

I do have one lingering memory of Jimi's death. My father was a member of a barbershop chorus and they had been touring England with a British chorus from Crawley. They were all travelling on a bus at the time and one of them had a radio to his ear and heard the news of Jimi's death. He announced it and everyone on the bus cheered and clapped their hands. 

When my father recounted that story I resented barbershop music for the rest of my life.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

______________


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

nkjanssen said:


> With the Stones, I think it was the attitude in the music that carried them past some of their contemporaries in my eyes.


Yes...attitude still drips out of even their most overplayed hits. Mick was the first person I ever heard say "kick ass" and he said it right in the song! About 15 or 20 years ago "kick ass" was one of the most common phrases used in the English language and it still is.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

I would count myself as a fan... but primarily, as someone else mentioned, of the 'deeper cuts' and not the overplayed radio tunes... I wouldn't be unhappy to never hear Purple Haze again. Put on a pair of headphones and listen to Electric Ladyland and keep in mind the state of recording technology at the time. Not only is it great music (in my opinion) but amazing sounding considering what was available to work with at the time. Jimi and Eddie Kramer were pushing the limits of the studio technology of the time.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

Like most older artists, Classic Rock Radio killed tons of his work BUT . . .

To me it has always been his rhythm playing and song writing, NOT his solos. Axis Bold as Love and Band of Gypsies are incredible examples of funky, rhythm playing, with amazing groove and ingenuity. Nobody of his generation played like that (at least in 'rock' music) but people always go on about his fuzzed out solos. His solos have always kind of bored me because they go on and on and on . . . (argh, how many different live versions of Machine Gun do I have to hear!!!!).

Interestingly, I could write the same paragraph about Eddie Van Halen.

TG


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

I think that musical history is a very different thing when viewed in retrospect than when you are living the experience.

In the 50s, 60s and even the 70s, you could wake up in the morning, turn on the radio and you would hear music like you have never heard it anywhere or any time previously, with new and mixed genres and sounds no one had ever thought of before. Everything was new. The birth of the counter-culture, struggles for human rights and miraculous advances in technology were all just taking off and we were imagining the perfection of ourselves and our world in a way that could never have been done before.

Jimi, Eric, Jeff, among many others, made new music the likes of which was technically not possible in the past and culturally would not be possible now or in the forseeable future.

So taken in the context of the unique times, the music of the day seems very different in retrospect, especially combined with maturity and experience. But without it, the musical landscape would be a very different place today.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Yes, very different indeed.


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## Guest (Mar 29, 2014)

Some lyrics are definitely made up on the fly, I'm sure.

[video=youtube;AH8-DZ2W17c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH8-DZ2W17c[/video]


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

smorgdonkey said:


> If George Strait killed a baby but didn't tell anyone


it's 6:30 in the morning, and there is imaginary milk running out of my nose from trying to laugh quietly. sorry, but the mental pic was just too funny :smiley-faces-75:







Krelf said:


> I do have one lingering memory of Jimi's death. My father was a member of a barbershop chorus and they had been touring England with a British chorus from Crawley. They were all travelling on a bus at the time and one of them had a radio to his ear and heard the news of Jimi's death. He announced it and everyone on the bus cheered and clapped their hands.
> 
> When my father recounted that story I resented barbershop music for the rest of my life.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

myself, I am a Hendrix fan, but I couldn't care less about whether anyone else likes him or not. has no effect on my life. 

you can't deny the guy was, still is, massively influencial though


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## wintle (Mar 25, 2008)

I think you need to listen to Hendrix on vinyl on a kick-ass stereo. Or better yet, headphones.

The music doesn't translate well to MP3, etc. unlike, say, Dave Grohl's new band. Too rich and dense. Kind of like good lasagne.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Put me down as a fan. He contributed a lot to music and the guitar.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

bw66 said:


> My confession is that I don't care for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
> 
> There. It's out there.


Oh, you didn't......


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## parkhead (Aug 14, 2009)

My confession is that I don't care for Stevie Ray Vaughan. 

There. It's out there.


Scotty said:


> Oh, you didn't......



I recall being into SRV when he was around ... I clearly recall people 
A: not having a clue who he was 
B: stating that he was boring 
C: thinking he was totally uncool compared to hair metal

The point is those same folks would now swear... they were huge fans and that SRV was the man 
I was at all the Toronto shows except the el-mo 
and while he did become popular in his lifetime the guitar community was slow to jump on the bandwagon 

I enjoy SRV a lot less now simply because he gets a little predictable 
at the time and to this day there has been no one so supercharged and non stop in his approach to the Blues 
in fact the Blues was all but dead ... most of the greats were putting out tepid disco albums 
withing 4 years they were all out touring and making blues albums again 

in fact SRV is more responsible for the current craze of white guys playing stratocaster's and jam blues than you would ever imagine 

FWIW 
I remember thinking Hendrix couldn't play on my first listen... except 1/2 way through my first listen of are you experienced 
the light bulb went on "Holy Crap he is in control of that noise" ... by the second play I was hooked 

My son just headed over to a buddies house to help set up a turntable...
tucked under his arm was a copy of axis bold as love... 

He looked at me and said ... he's only ever heard MP3's of newer crap 
this will blow his mind 


BTW it's ok to not like SRV ... I wish more people 
would say so ... then about 1/2 the people on the SRV bandwagon could jump back off 
and stop playing little wing in bars 

p


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> the thread where one of us admits he's not really a hendrix fan got me thinking. he's not the only person i've heard say this. admitting it among other guitarists must be what coming out is like. i remember when i first got turned on to him.
> i heard purple haze and i thought "meh - it's cool i guess" and then later hearing stuff like 3rd stone from the sun, or are you experienced, and it blew my mind up. from that moment everything changed for me. not metaphorically.
> because of that, i have a hard time getting my head around the idea that it's even possible for someone to not like hendrix.
> 
> so i am hoping that for those of you out there who don't call themselves fans, can you articulate on it at all?


I honestly never cared for Hendrix...he was before my time, and TBH, I have a hard time with a lot of the production values of that era, including led zeppelin. It sounds like Im missing something by not being stoned while listening to it. The Who are one of the exceptions for me. Big fan. Im in the middle of the road with The Stones... so many great tunes, but I hate almost everything about Mick J.
Back to Hendrix, fans always point out his national anthem as some great work. while I think it was "creative", it sounds terrible to me....noisy, sloppy, dissonant etc.
A lot of his other stuff, I just never dug the hooks in his riffs. Purple haze sounds goofy to me.
That said, Little Wing is, IMO, pure genius, and a song I can never aspire to do half-way justice to.


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## NGroeneveld (Jan 23, 2011)

Like a lot of classic tunes, I love to play Hendrix stuff, but I never listen to it.


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## stringer (Jun 17, 2009)

I was having this conversation with a co worker the other day. I understand that he was a ground breaking artist in his day and had a large influence on popular music that still resonates to this day. But he was gone by the time I started to listen to music and I confess that Hendrix isn't my favorite by far. I don't care for his vocals too much and to me he had some pretty rocking tunes that sounded like a lot of other hard rock bands. My conclusion was that I lacked context to truly appreciate what Jimi meant to the world or music. I liken Jimi to the movie Citizen Kane. When I first saw the movie it looked like any other movie to me but it was in black and white. Then I saw some movies form the era before Kane and that's when I realized what a breakthrough that movie really was. Someone mentioned earlier that he was a nasty drunk and that affected their opinion of his music ( paraphrase ) for whatever reason that's not the case with me, same as when I heard that Wagner was anti semetic. I still enjoy Ride of the Valkyries.


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

Diablo said:


> I honestly never cared for Hendrix...he was before my time, and TBH, I have a hard time with a lot of the production values of that era, including led zeppelin. It sounds like Im missing something by not being stoned while listening to it. The Who are one of the exceptions for me. Big fan. Im in the middle of the road with The Stones... so many great tunes, but I hate almost everything about Mick J.
> Back to Hendrix, fans always point out his national anthem as some great work. while I think it was "creative", it sounds terrible to me....noisy, sloppy, dissonant etc.
> A lot of his other stuff, I just never dug the hooks in his riffs. Purple haze sounds goofy to me.
> That said, Little Wing is, IMO, pure genius, and a song I can never aspire to do half-way justice to.


PBS had a great documentry on Hendrix, even if you don't care for the music, his story very interesting. 
Example: His sidemen were two white guys from Great Britain, many blacks could not understand this but thats the way he was. Also got his start in Great Britain, although start may not be the proper word for Hendrix.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

im a big hendrix fan.
but like others here, i dont care if i ever hear purple haze, or fire,
or any of the commonly played stuff again.
i kind of have to laugh at how somebody doesnt like jimi cause he was a nasty drunk-
that just seems silly. 
awful lot of nasty drunks out there.

i was just starting out on guitar,
inspired by hendrix and blackmore,
when srv's texas flood came out.
i loved it. still do at times.
but at some point i tired of his stuff.
dont know why.
every once in a while ill watch that el macombo show,
and itll start me listening to more, but my interest fades pretty quick.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i gotta be honest and +1 you on that. stevie is cool, no doubt, but he doesn't "do it" for me, like hendrix does


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2014)

When you have the chance, watch SRV's Montreux shows.

from wiki

In early 1982, Double Trouble played a show at the Continental Club in Austin, TX. 
Impressed by the show, legendary producer Jerry Wexler recommended the band 
play the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Booked to play at Montreux International 
Festival XVI on July 17, 1982, the band's appearance marked the first time that an 
unsigned act would appear at the prestigious event. Booked on an acoustic night, 
Double Trouble's performance was met by boos. Vaughan's high volume electric blues 
was not popular with the European crowd, who preferred a quieter, folk blues style.

Fortunately for the band, the first Montreux trip was not a bust. In a last-ditch effort 
to save the trip, the band's manager, Chelsey Millikin, booked the band to play the 
casino's after hours bar for two nights running. On the first night, Vaughan was approached 
by David Bowie, who had seen the Montreux performance, and was interested in having 
Vaughan play on one of his albums. This would lead to Vaughan's guitar work on Bowie's 
album, _Let's Dance_. On the second night, Millikin introduced Vaughan to Jackson Browne, 
who was impressed by the band's sound. Browne and his band joined Double Trouble on 
stage, where they jammed until seven the next morning. Browne was so moved by 
Double Trouble's music that he offered them use of his private recording studio, free of charge. 
Vaughan and Double Trouble would take Browne up on his offer, and the ensuing recordings 
would become _Texas Flood_, which would bring the band into the national spotlight.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble returned to the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1985 
as headliners and were well received by the audience


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

Nothing new and revolutionary can be appreciated unless you totally understand the environment from which it arose. Sure, there were great guitarists around when Jimi emerged. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck were heard everywhere.

But because everything was so special and unique about Hendrix, the rock world immediately sat up and took notice. It was a super-packed combination of his talent, style, special effects and persona. Just looking at the “Are You Experienced” album cover made you want to rip it open and play it, just to see what kind of ground breaking sound those three wild guys with dandelion hair and far-out clothes could produce. It was almost like uncovering a musical mystery.

The reason many people don’t think he was so special today is because the music he brought to us has become so mainstream that it appears like it was always there.

Well it certainly wasn't!


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Bastille day said:


> PBS had a great documentry on Hendrix, even if you don't care for the music, his story very interesting.
> Example: His sidemen were two white guys from Great Britain, many blacks could not understand this but thats the way he was. Also got his start in Great Britain, although start may not be the proper word for Hendrix.


Im sure he was a very interesting guy. My comments were limited to my perception of his music alone.
Its funny how the backstories can surprise you. When I watched "It might get loud" I was surprised at how much less interesting Jimmy P. was than I expected and how much more interesting Jack White was than I expected.
Also saw a show a month ago on CNN about Jon Bonjovi, that even if you don't care for his music, was certainly worth watching as it focused on his business smarts and ventures and significant charity work that eclipses his '80s bubblegum rock repertoire.


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## Frank Fargon (Apr 11, 2013)

The only thing i like about Hendrix is the obsession he had with root beer...


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