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Searching... Beale Memorial Library (Kern Co.) | Searching... Unknown | Adult Non-Fiction | 921 HENDRIX JIM Hen | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Fig Garden Branch (Fresno Co.) | Searching... Unknown | Non-fiction Area | 787.87166 HEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Sunnyside Branch Library (Fresno Co.) | Searching... Unknown | Non-fiction Area | 787.87166 HEN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Visalia Library (Tulare Co.) | Searching... Unknown | Biography | B HENDRIX | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
It took just four years in the spotlight for Jimi Hendrix to become an international cultural icon. The sheer impact and originality of his music and his unique mastery of the guitar placed him forever amongst musical giants. But what of the man behind the public image? Modest and intensely private by nature, Jimi was shrouded in intrigue from the moment he first came into the public eye, and the mystery has only grown with time.
Much has been written about him by experts, fans, and critics, some of it true and some of it not. He did, however, leave his own account of himself, locked away like a Chinese puzzle in his many interviews, lyrics, writings, poems, diaries, and even stage raps. Starting at Zero brings all these elements together in narrative form. The result is an intimate, funny, and poetic memoir-one that tells, for the first time, Jimi's own story as only he could tell it.
Author Notes
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was one of the most important musicians of the 20th century.
Alan Douglas was a record producer who produced many of Hendrix's posthumous releases, and a friend and adviser to the musician during his lifetime. He devoted many years to Starting At Zero , and brought it to publication before his death in 2014.
Peter Neal is a documentary film director, whose credits include the 1968 Hendrix short documentary Experience.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Jimi Hendrix's friend and producer Douglas and filmmaker Neal assemble a remarkable new memoir drawing from the musician's late public remarks, letters, and private writings. Intervening bits of explanation by the editors help effectively weave Hendrix's excerpts into a story that traces the iconic musician's life from childhood, to early struggles to make a living as a sideman, to his creative breakthroughs and worldwide fame with the Experience including his future musical ambitions that for obvious reasons went unrealized. It is a short book about a short life that ended long before its author, who died at age 27, had a chance to reflect on events with the benefit of hindsight. As a result, the reading experience feels intimate and immediate, written and spoken by a thoughtful and articulate artist. We see his thoughts during times of feast, famine, and fame-frozen at the original moment, and becoming palpably more abstract and ethereal as drug use took a larger and larger role in his life. This is an essential primary source for any devoted Hendrix fan, but will also appeal to those with a more casual interest. Color illus. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A posthumous "autobiography" of the rock god constructed from interviews, diaries, song lyrics, letters and other texts. Documentary filmmaker Neal, assisted by Alan Douglas, one of Hendrix's friends and associates, approached this project as a movie editor splicing together the disparate materials Hendrix left behind that spoke about his life, career and music. The basic outlines of the artist's life come through: He was born in Seattle in 1942 of African-American and Cherokee heritage. His mother died when he was 10. Shy and eccentric even as a child, Hendrix's difference and rebellious nature made for an awkward fit in school, and he dropped out at 16. After a brush with the law, he joined the U.S. 101st Airborne but was discharged early owing to an accident, the effects of which he played up, he claimed, since he'd had enough of the Army. His self-education in the blues as a guitarist in bands in the South and New York City led to a steady gig with Little Richard, but the flamboyant bandleader chafed at Hendrix's style, which threatened to outshine him on the stage. Never interested in stark borders or hard definitions, while living in Harlem, Hendrix was attracted to the folk scene in Greenwich Village, particularly to an off-key singing poet named Bob Dylan. With two dimes in his pocket, he accepted an invitation to try his luck in the blues and rock cauldron of London. The rest is fairly well-known history, though readers interested in the small details of Hendrix's life will want to supplement this book with an objective biography. The virtue of this book is its revelation of the restless, curious, creative, self-contradictory mind of a musical genius as he grappled with fame, fellow musicians, inspiration, doubt and life under the competing spotlights of adulation and criticism. A must-read for fans and scholars of classic rock.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Hendrix's revolutionary music remains potent and compelling more than four decades after his early death, and new material continues to surface, adding dimension to his profound legacy. Documentary filmmaker Neal and record producer Douglas have astutely and seamlessly assembled Hendrix's long-scattered writings into a confiding, funny, and wrenching memoir of a life lived on the edge and passionately devoted to music and freedom. Here is Hendrix unmediated in his caustic wit, anger over prejudice, and belief in the freeing power of the imagination. Hendrix remembers his lonely Seattle childhood and his Indian grandmother's poverty-stricken reservation. He hated school, the army, and as a self-taught, hungry, itinerant sideman, the militaristic rule of Little Richard. To his amazement, he found liberation in England. In thoughtful and expressive letters, lyrics, interviews, and reflections, Hendrix illuminates his dreams, love of science fiction and fairy tales, the stories behind his songs and now-legendary performances, and the surreal highs and lows of touring and stardom. Always ahead of the curve, Hendrix wryly pondered death: When I die, just keep on playing the records.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist