Seen it all before…
Last night I spent a couple of hours watching the most recent “official” documentary about the life and career of Jimi Hendrix, the 2013 film Hear My Train A-Comin’. The Experience Hendrix entity often seems anxious to polish Jimi’s image, and this film came just three years after the documentary Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child, notable for the presence of Bootsy Collins’ first-person reciting of Jimi’s own words.
The need for this newer project was an opportunity to provide a chapter to the PBS series American Masters, which the network describes as illuminating “the lives and creative journeys of those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape—through compelling, unvarnished stories. Setting the standard for documentary film profiles, the series has earned widespread critical acclaim.”
And this film largely hits its target, that of explaining to the uninitiated why Jimi Hendrix matters and how his creativity and musical skills are so enduring to this day.
Hot on the heels of 2010’s Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child came Hear My Train A-Comin’ – premiering less than three years later.
What it did not do is reveal anything that any fan of Jimi Hendrix’s music didn’t already know. Seattle, the 101st, the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” New York, England, Monterey, the Monkees, ascending stardom, heavy roadwork, Woodstock, Band of Gypsys, Isle of Wight, Jimi’s demise (curiously glossed over here). It’s a well-worn arc that is also well-known, pausing at all the expected and familiar stops. There are few moments of surprise other the occasional glimpse of intriguing film footage still largely squirreled away in the Experience Hendrix archives.
Most moving was the realization that this was the last time a number of Jimi’s friends and associates were able to tell their tales. In the decade since Hear My Train A-Comin’ was assembled, many have come to the end of their journey, including Fayne Pridgon, Paul Caruso, Jim Ladd, and Michael Lang, all interviewed for this project.
Of course, the real treat in the commercial release of this film is the bonus material added to the DVD and Blu Ray, essential footage from Miami Pop in 1968, New York Pop in 1970, and the bitter end of Fehmarn, Germany just a handful of days before Jimi’s passing.
Nyack International Film Festival promotional photo of Jimi Hendrix at Newport Pop Festival 1969, advertising a partial screening of David Kramer’s much anticipated Hendrix documentary.
This all comes to mind as at least a portion of filmmaker David Kramer’s planned 12-hour Jimi Hendrix documentary will premier at the Nyack International Film Festival in New York early in April. As promotional material notes, this two-hour excerpt is extracted from the overall project, which includes “over 400 on-camera interviews featuring legendary musicians, cultural icons, family members, friends, attorneys, record executives, girlfriends, managers, etc. Along with never before seen film footage and photos.”
It sounds great, yet one wonders what constraints the lack of an Experience Hendrix blessing will put on this effort. The obvious solution would, of course, be an alliance between Kramer and Experience Hendrix in the creation of a documentary masterpiece. But that would require Experience Hendrix to loosen the reins of image control, something they are likely loathe to do. Still, this mass of material – with added content and rights currently out of Kramer’s reach – could be packaged for a dedicated target audience that really cares about Jimi. It’s not too far-fetched to think of an available-online-only box set, as we’ve seen done in the past with ambitious releases like Pete Townshend’s Lifehouse Chronicles.
Caution: the holding of your breath is not advised, as Experience Hendrix has demonstrated that bold and daring commercial ventures are not necessarily their forte.
Nyack International Film Festival website: https://nyackinternationalfilmfestival.com/
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