[The Dev]

Just watching a documentary while mixing...

I guess you had to be there?

...I dunno.

I guess you had to be there?

Ask Duris, maybe? I saw an interview in which he said that Hendrix had asked Maxwell to drum for him, anyway.

Crazy life, in any event.

Interesting, great showman, doubtless - one particular video of the neat ol' setting-the-guitar-alight trick did kind of put his influence into perspective for me - but yeah, I'm never gonna get the same enjoyment as someone who saw him in the flesh.

[The Dev]

No doubt he was brilliant and connected, but for me, it just seems meandering...

I don't know, maybe my 'goal orientation' is actually my downfall.

Maybe I haven't done acid for 15 years and have forgotten?

Maybe I just don't instinctively relate to the blues.

Regardless, yeah he's amazing but as background music while I'm bouncing files, some of it was highly irritating.

I have this really cool Hendrix book called ' The Lost Writings', all his own hand written notes. Workings of songs, some that never got to exist, ideas for tripped out movies, illustrations, mostly all on various hotel note paper. (I've seen a similar book of Kurt Cobain).

I guess you do have to like the blues to dig Jimi. To some he may be an acquired taste. I remember I didn't like him when I was a kid. Now he is one, if not my favorite artist. I don't do or never did acid but I bet it would be one hell of a trip listening to him. He was way before his time. To me, his live performances and how he improvised was would sold me. I have about 60 bootleg recordings of him and each one is unique in its own way. You can tell sometimes he wasn't having a good day, while others he really shines. I would have loved to see him live.

Unfortunately he is way before his time.

So Devy, your all-star dream band line up so far would be:

Guitar - Jimi Hendrix

Vocals - Robert Plant

I always thought he was pretty cool, how he improvised and messed around on stage. These days, now that I've discovered, say, Zappa and jazz in general, Jimi isn't that interesting. Historically important, but he certainly has not aged as well as other early innovators such as The Beatles. At this point, the only blues stuff I dig is Clapton-related, but that's mostly a throwback to my childhood and growing up singing Cream and Derek and the Dominoes and so forth.

Hendrix wrote and performed some neat things. Just not my deal. Not as impressive as everyone makes him out to be.

I've never really liked Hendrix. I recognize what he did for guitar as a whole and all, but his music is just boring as shit. Especially the star spangled banner thing, "WOW THATS COOL BECAUSE HE IS MAKING IT SOUND LIKE WAR DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WHAT A STATEMENT SO DEEP" and I hate how everyone endlessly praises every little thing he did. If he didn't die young no one would have cared about him. The same thing with Kurt Cobian, I hate him more than any other dead musician. I was watching this documentary on the making of Nevermind, and it sucked his cock in every sentence. "Now here we see that Cobain double tracked his vocals for the chorus, what a genius. He was always so good at that he just hit the record and sung it and then sung it again. Oh, and here the drummer had lots of trouble keeping up with Kurt's rhythm, because Kurt is a genius." I guess I just hate all of the super popular guitarists that everyone claims is the best ever and get endless recording their farts while other hard working guitarists that bother at least trying to sound like something new get shunned because people are too close minded to accept anything new. Good god I need to stop rambling. Sorry!

I've never really liked Hendrix. I recognize what he did for guitar as a whole and all, but his music is just boring as shit. Especially the star spangled banner thing, "WOW THATS COOL BECAUSE HE IS MAKING IT SOUND LIKE WAR DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WHAT A STATEMENT SO DEEP" and I hate how everyone endlessly praises every little thing he did. If he didn't die young no one would have cared about him. The same thing with Kurt Cobian, I hate him more than any other dead musician. I was watching this documentary on the making of Nevermind, and it sucked his cock in every sentence. "Now here we see that Cobain double tracked his vocals for the chorus, what a genius. He was always so good at that he just hit the record and sung it and then sung it again. Oh, and here the drummer had lots of trouble keeping up with Kurt's rhythm, because Kurt is a genius." I guess I just hate all of the super popular guitarists that everyone claims is the best ever and get endless recording their farts while other hard working guitarists that bother at least trying to sound like something new get shunned because people are too close minded to accept anything new. Good god I need to stop rambling. Sorry!

So young.

Cobain should never be hailed as a great guitarist. Just a great song-writer. Jimi was both, and he could space out and jam like no other super tall hippie black man. I think Hendrix's main allure was simply all the things that made him unique at the time bundled together.

Before I space out, I should mention that many famous people would never have gotten there had it not been for all the variables in play around them. The decade... societal views and stances on particular issues... taboos of the period. Fashion. Politics. Where would System of a Down have found a niche in the late 80's? Would they have been as famous as they became now because they are phenomenal musicians? Well they wouldn't, and they aren't, but look at what they've done. There are just so many things that affect the outcome of a stars life to sit back so many years later and talk so harshly about people from a time you can't even remember.

For the record, they were both gigantic icons for an entire generation and still getting bigger when they died. Sure it would have fluffed out sooner or later, but they probably would have gone a lot further on down the line and accomplished a whole lot more had they lived. It's what we call a tragedy.

I guess this is as good a time as any for: RIP Dimebag

[JuZ]

Regardless, yeah he's amazing but as background music while I'm bouncing files, some of it was highly irritating.

This.

Plenty of respect for what Jimi did within the context of rock n roll... he changed the way people played and even thought about guitars, and what could be done with them. Some of his songs are great, and he had a pretty cool, bluesy singing voice that people don't talk about too often. But I also find myself skipping to something else after listening to a few of the old faves. Just find myself getting bored, more than irritated.

That said, I've listened to and read a bit about him... seemed like a really nice guy who was very driven and gifted. Can't complain about that I s'pose, and the old hippies worship him. To each their own, eh?

[JuZ]

For the record, they were both gigantic icons for an entire generation and still getting bigger when they died. Sure it would have fluffed out sooner or later, but they probably would have gone a lot further on down the line and accomplished a whole lot more had they lived. It's what we call a tragedy.

I guess this is as good a time as any for: RIP Dimebag

Indeed it is. And RIP Jeff Buckley. Can't imagine what sort of stuff the four of them would be making in Rock Valhalla. Actually, Dimebag would probably be making Jeff cry while Kurt and Jimi sat in a corner getting stoned whilst writing a concept album.

to me hendrix's soloing is annoying in general.
all it is to me is pentatonics, legato, and feedback.
i dont see how any of that makes anyone an amazing guitarist.
he had the feel and rythm though...

Kurt Cobain = Good/ borderline brilliant songwriter at times. Mediocre guitarist, mediocre vocalist.
Zappa is on a realm all his own much like Jimi.
Jazz is a natural progression for blues enthusiast who get tired of the same old chord progressions.

I think Jimi Hendrix would still be relevant if he didn't die at such an early age. I can imagine that he would have been all over the place music wise if he indeed lived longer than he did. This was apparent near the end when he was experimenting with tribal/funk beats. He would not be as celebrated though if he were still alive. The same goes with Dimebag. He was an innovator in what he did, but most people (i.e. those who never heard of Pantera or listen to metal in general) would never know who he was if he were still alive today.

Timing is everything in life.

When he hit the scene, nobody had ever heard or seen anything like Hendrix (at least nobody in White suburban neighborhoods). He was just so different... he was a happening.

I like Hendrix because he played his guts out for the audience. Sure, a lot of his stuff was just a wank-fest, but he played with genuine emotion and passion. That's one of the reasons why I love Devin's music; there is genuine emotional content that resonates beyond the initial listening. Compare that to most of the homogenized bullshit being forced down our throats in all artistic outlets... music, film, literature, etc...

I honestly believe that modern audiences are afraid of genuine emotion. Everything must be laced with irony or it's simply not relevant. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe people have just lost the ability to discriminate between fact and fiction, and settle for the easily digestible.

Whoa, what a load of self-important drivel! I need some sleep before I harm myself or others.