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Had no idea there was a Jimi Hendrix biopic that came before the soporific Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013), starring André 3000.
Hendrix (2000), which I watched for the very first time this week, is only a fraction better than the above. Wood Harris looks absolutely hilarious while wearing a bunch of party wigs. He earns points for getting some of Hendrix's mannerisms right, however. The rest of the film is both flat, one note and let down by a poor supporting cast (Billy Zane is really bad and equally comedic in a Chop Top toupee), so you're mostly spending your time shaking off the immersion breaking sight of Avon Barksdale with a rubbish looking afro.
Being the anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death today, I fear we'll never get a quality film about the rock god, as we'll probably get the utterly insipid Justice Smith miscast as the eponymous music legend. What feels like a lifetime ago, my personal choices were Laurence Fishburne or former England defender Des Walker (he was a dead ringer during Italia '90).
No idea who would fit the role today, but I do know what I want in another biopic. Here are five scenes I want to see in a Hendrix biopic:
- On the day of Cream disbanding, the BBC news being delayed while Hendrix paid tribute to them during his live set on the Happening for Lulu TV show.
- Hendrix covering for sixties crooner Engelbert Humperdinck's guitarist not showing up and performing behind a stage curtain. Hence, the photo of the pair backstage, along with Cat Stevens holding a gun.
- A young Ian Kilmister AKA Lemmy working as Hendrix's roadie and doing LSD with him.
- Gered Mankowitz's photo shoot where Hendrix posed for his most iconic photograph.
- Denny Dent's incredible speed painting of Hendrix, from my old Jimi Plays Monterey VHS tape, being incorporated in the end credits of the film.
It's an absolute insult that the only thing that's Jimi Hendrix related during his anniversary is a rubbish episode of The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan which pretends to investigate whether foul play was the cause of his death. Alternatively, you can just watch that old The South Bank Show episode about him featuring actual people who knew Hendrix (most of them long dead now).
4 comments:
At least he wasn't played by Andre 3000 who absolutely sucks as an actor. HBO should have done a Hendrix biooic in the 90s when they were killing it with the biopic movies of Don King, Mike Tyson, John Gotti etc.
I watched the Nancy Spungen episode of The Misinvestigations Of Romesh Ranganathan and cursed him & the bird for not investigating the Rockets Redglare theory more thoroughly.
The one thing I liked about the film starring Andre 3000, was the scene where Clapton stormed off the stage by Hendrix's godly playing while jamming with Cream, which was accurate. Should have obtained the rights to use Hendrix's music, though,
There's nothing thoroughly investigated about the Ranganathan's Hendrix episode either, other than a different forensic opinion over the coroner's report. Not bothering with the rest of series.
Ideally this hypothetical Hendrix biopic would end with him in Heaven looking down on Hulk Hogan playing air guitar on his WCW belt to Voodoo Child (Slight Return).
Always liked how Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) and All Along the Watchtower were always used in film scenes with a 60s setting to the point of becoming a cliche.
Loved its use in Under Siege, however.
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