Jimi Hendrix may have been alien

[darkstar]

(No obligatory youtube this time)

He had to come from somewhere else, right?

I mean, what a freaky quantum leap in playing/performance. Footage of him playing still astounds to this day. The whole man/guitar/amp interface is so unhinged at times (and not just when turned around humping his rig). And yet he controls it all--strings and bends and mutes and volume knobs and body position--like some shaman that's been doing it for several lifetimes.

I don't know what I'm trying to say exactly except that it's staggering for a talent to appear so far ahead of the curve, so seemingly fully formed.




P.S.: Re: the thread title, I've always kind of thought the Neil Young Rust-era line about "I met a man from Mars/He picked up all my guitars"--while sporting that Jimi button on his guitar strap--was about Hendrix. Anyone know?

[Droopy]

1. I agree

I think the only person who comes remotely close to him from that era in music is Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath. Not necessarily for his chops, which were advanced for the time, but for his originality. But Hendrix is the king of the guitar. It's too bad he left us so soon. No telling what kind of new stuff he could have come up with as the technology got better.

[Initech]

2. It's no coincidence that the first track on Axis is about aliens, right?

:evilgrin:

[Catshrink]

3. He had to be -- imagine playing left handed!

He restrung the guitar so it was upside down, thus right side up for his left hand playing. That's higher order thinking, abstract thinking, and dang, he played like it.

BTW, I visited his grave about 3 weeks ago. It's in the same cemetary as my mom and dad. I'll try to get the photos posted.