Star Spangled Hendrix
BBC Radio 4
When Jimi Hendrix returned to his native America as a star,
the country he knew had changed.
This programme, presented by Tom Robinson
to tie in with the 40th anniversary of the guitarist's death,
explores the pressure Jimi was under to make an explicit political declaration.
Tom explores Hendrix's 14 months
in the Screaming Eagles 101 Airborne Division
that saw him parachute a total of 26 times
before he was invalided out with a broken ankle.
Brother Leon Hendrix discusses his elder bother's time in the military,
along with comments from author Charles Sharr Murray.
Singer and friend Eric Burdon explains how, after the riots in Grosvenor Square,
Jimi trotted out the American government's party line on Vietnam
- the so-called "Domino Theory".
The Soft Machine supported Hendrix as they travelled across America.
Drummer Robert Wyatt recalls how Jimi responded to media questions
about the war and the emergence of the Black Power movement.
Hendrix was receptive to the Black Panther Party
and found the Seattle Chapter of the organisation
run by two former high school friends.
Panthers, Aaron and Elmer Dixon talk
about how receptive Hendrix was to the cause.
The programme culminates with Jimi's Woodstock Festival performance
of 'The Star Spangled Banner',
an eloquent (and wordless) statement against the Vietnam war.
In retrospect, it can also be read as a swan song for the era of peace and love
and for Hendrix himself, who died in his sleep the following year.
Jimi Hendrix is more than a blues guitarist who got lucky in the 60s.
He did the best he could to be his own man without openly taking sides,
and we are still trying to get to know him 40 years after his death.
Now 55 years
regards
Titus
