Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Jimi Hendrix (1973)



          “I knew Jimi could take more of anything than we could,” remarks Jimi Hendrix’s onetime girlfriend, Fayne Pridgon, “because he was already abnormal, so whatever he took just brought him back around to normal.” Making light of the legendary guitarist’s tolerance for controlled substances might seem crass given that drug abuse contributed to his demise, but unguarded remarks like this one make Jimi Hendrix consistently interesting. Released just three years after Hendrix’s death, and more importantly made at a time before corporations and spin doctors trapped rock music within a cocoon of political correctness and revisionism, this ramshackle documentary conveys not only key points of its subject’s unique life experience, but also the prevailing attitudes of an important era. Instead of deifying or vilifying Hendrix, the movie simply collects observations from those who knew, loved, and respected him, putting across the picture of a gifted individual whose gradual separation from reality led, almost inevitably, to tragedy.
          Although most of the screen time in Jimi Hendrix comprises archival footage of performances (including clips from the acclaimed documentaries Monterey Pop and Woodstock), filmmakers Joe Boyd, John Head, and Gary Weis integrate freshly filmed interviews with family members, friends, and musicians. Pridgon provides most of the tastiest quotes, since she seems utterly unconcerned with how she’s perceived. Conversely, some comments (notably the remarks made by eccentric rock-music icon Little Richard) fall into the trap of self-aggrandizement. Nonetheless, most of the film’s speakers are insightful and ruminative. Guitar heroes Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend recall their early encounters with Hendrix, who was accused of borrowing from Clapton’s and Townshend’s styles, and they both express their boundless admiration for Hendrix’s talent while acknowledging the ways that fame creates expectations that are impossible (and unwise) to fulfill. Similarly, Lou Reed intelligently describes the post-Woodstock period during which Hendrix tried to veer away from the onstage antics that made him famous in order to get listeners to focus solely on his music.
          Eventually, a complex portrait emerges of a man who was obsessed with his art, prone to self-destructive choices, and susceptible to poor counsel. (Chances are subsequent biographers have corrected certain understandings about Hendrix, so this movie should be considered more impressionistic than definitive.) Throughout Jimi Hendrix, the filmmakers return again and again to vignettes of the guitarist performing, from the familiar (reinterpreting “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock) to the unfamiliar (a solo acoustic performance in a dreamlike, all-white studio space). Beyond simply entertaining viewers, these scenes reinforce why Hendrix merits such close investigation. If he was indeed “abnormal,” to use Pridgon’s word, it was at least in part because Hendrix heard aural textures and sonic possibilities that were inaudible to others.

Jimi Hendrix: GROOVY

6 comments:

Richard said...

I'm the last person who would ever make a statement in defense of heroin use, but a correction needs to be made in the interests of historical accuracy: Jimi Hendrix' death had nothing to do with heroin and there's no evidence he was a heroin addict. Hendrix died from taking nine Vesparax -- a highly dangerous compound sleeping pill -- which his then-girlfriend had been prescribed, washing them down with a bottle of wine. Nine pills plus alcohol! He was clearly a self-destructive fool when it came to pills. He may also have believed -- as many people do -- that if a drug comes from a doctor it must be safe, no matter how many over the correct dose a person takes, even if they've been prescribed to someone else. Clearly this is a self-destructive attitude; it's also not heroin.

By Peter Hanson said...

Thanks for the remarks... I stand corrected.

Richard said...

I should have added, a great review and I agree with it wholeheartedly. But, you know, "Someone's Wrong On The Internet" Syndrome kicked in and made me focus all my attention on that.

By Peter Hanson said...

No worries -- always grateful when errors are brought to my attention. And thanks for the kind words.

G-8 said...

I had no idea this movie existed! Thanks for letting me know.

LB3 said...

Excellent, excellent movie blog! Have you seen Rainbow Bridge, from 1971? The hippie vibe is really far out and the film has a documentary feel. Even though it seems maybe too experimental overall, certain scenes - like the drill leader's commands being overdubbed with attack-dog barks - I found totally nutty and awesome. The (shortened) footage of one of Hendrix's last concerts, on the side of a Hawaiian volcano, is appropriately mystical. Though it's certainly open to withering critique from many angles, watching Rainbow Bridge without worrying about the sketchy narrative, etc. felt for me at times like finding home video of a little-known event - lost treasure for Hendrix fans and anyone interested in the era.