Hendrix

I see miracles every day now.

I used to be aware of them maybe once a week,

but some are so drastic, you know,

that I couldn't explain them to a person or, uh...

I'd probably be locked in by this time, you know.

I'm no better than you in any sense.

It's just that maybe I'm not going to say it

until a wider range of people see it.

It's a universal thought.

It's not a black or a white thing

or a green and gold thing.

There are a few chosen people here to help get these people

out of this certain sleepiness that they're in.

Camera ready. - Okay, well, uh...

Let's wait for the siren. Okay, that's good enough. Ready?

Are we ready? - Roll camera and sound.

Are we rolling?

Okay, Jimi, thank you fo inviting us to your house.

Today is...

Uh, let me see.

Today is september the 12th, 1970,

and sir Richard Nixon is, of course, the president of the United States.

There's a lot going on. You know, the four kids got killed at Kent State.

They were shot by the national guard. I think that's terrible.

Of course, Nixon didn't come to the benefit we did

for Timothy Leary. Should have been there, you know.

Joe Frazier's the champ, you know, a lot of things.

Ali's fighting, you know, his way back, man.

And, of course, we know Ali was right about the war, and so, you know.

You were a paratrooper, weren't you?

Yeah, I, uh, I served as an army airborne,

you know, and then I broke my ankle,

so that's how I got out.

Is that where you learned to play guitar?

No, no, no, I've learned different places, many different ways,

but, uh, I learned, you know, in Seattle... Home.

Here.

It ain't new, but...

Oh, that's right, yo left-handed, ain't you?

Well, you're just going to have to learn how to play it backwards, huh?

Probably.

You got some big hands.

You ought to be able to choke that thing pretty good, huh?

Hey, you look like a guitar player.

It's too late to be coming around here, Lucille.

I need to see my son, Al.

But not like this.

Hold your horses, Earl!

Damn it, Lucille.

Hi, mama.

I miss you.

I miss you, too.

I never knew you played guitar.

Yeah.

It sounds good.

Thank you, mama.

Hey, I have to go away for a while.

I'll call you. I'll be back soon.

All right? Okay.

I love you.

I love you, too, mama.

Okay, I better go.

You take care.

Lucille, come on!

Coming, coming.

Don't come around here.

This boy got nothing to do with you.

Goodbye, Al - Get on out of the way.

Yeah, you'll be back.

Once a paratrooper, always a paratrooper. Yeah right, man.

Every time you see a plane, you're gonna feel something.

No, no, no. Kentucky ain't that warm and friendly to me, man

Man, there's rednecks everywhere.

Can't get away from that.

You got worse than me. You're going to civilian America.

That's where the real war is.

War? Exactly. War, man. But I'm going somewhere to find some love.

I ain't gonna be around you foolish dudes my whole time, man.

There will be a number of women in my world.

Could dig that.

Hope to join you some day.

Yeah, hope you do, too, man.

It'd be really good, if we could play together, though.

Oh, it'll happen.

It'll happen.

I'll be practicing.

So what you gonna do in the mean time, to make money?

I'm gonna play, man. You laugh. See, I knew you was gonna laugh.

You don't really expect to leave here and get paid to play the guitar.

I'm gonna try, man. I'm really gonna try.

Thank you. That was good.

'Cause I let go? Yes, you did,

But when I said to let your thunder fly,

I did not mean higher than mine.

I mean, look at you. You're dressed like me,

you even grew a little mustache like mine.

I know that emulation is the highest form of flattery,

And, believe me, I am flattered,

but now it's time for you to move on without me.

And later, I played with Lonnie Youngblood and gorgeous George Odell.

The Isley Brothers, Sam Cooke. I played with Chuck Jackson, um...

Jackie Wilson.

Ike and Tina, of course.

And with Joey Dee & the Starliters at the Peppermint Lounge.

I played with King Curtis.

I even played and won first place

at the Apollo amateur contest.

It was a whopping $25.

That's where I met Faye Pridgeon -

Sam cooke's ex.

She was my saving grace, though, man.

No matter what, she was always there for me.

You know, and when - When he started, like, talking to me,

honestly, I thought he was about to give me

a raise and all because I had played so well.

It was the first time that I really had let go, you know.

He told me to.

It's probably the best thing that could have happened.

You just got to move on. Something else will come up.

What's going to come up - More moldy bread to cut?

Look, why don't we go down to 126th street and celebrate, huh?

Are we going to celebrate the fact that I just got fired

or that we don't have money for rent?

No.

We're going to celebrate my baby getting hired.

I talked to a friend of Sam's.

Curtis Knight is looking for a guitar player, hmm?

Oh, baby, I just can't do it.

I don't think I can be background for these cats

who don't know what I'm about.

You know, the Isleys and Pickett

and Ike and Tina, and they're great and all,

but it's like I frighten them.

I know, I know, but for now...

Hmm? For now, huh? For now what?

It's you and me.

Did you see the faces on them old fools in the band

when you got to moving them hips?

That was something. Yeah.

What's wrong, Jimmy?

They don't like to listen to what I tell them,

and I don't need them - They need me.

But it's their guitar, ain't it?

Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt.

We just saw the show. You were great.

Thank you. Not the band - You.

Oh, this is Marc.

He runs a club - Cafe wha? In the Village.

He's interested in you.

Cafe wha?

Interested in what?

I'd love to have you play at my club, that's all.

I think you're... different.

Sounds good. Different - That sounds about right.

So think about it. Again, you were good. What's your name?

James Marshall Hendrix. You can call me Jimmy.

And this is Faye Pridgeon. What's your name?

Linda Keith.

Linda Keith.

It's nice to meet you both, and I hope you think about it.

Yeah, man.

That's a hustle, baby.

They're just uptown hunting.

Yeah, well, ain't nothing wrong with that shit.

This time you tell the band that you're quitting,

because I sure ain't.

Then I just got tired and couldn't stand it anymore,

so then I formed The Blue Flames in '66

with Randy California,

who later formed, um, Spirit,

and with on and off

guitar player friend, Jeff Baxter.

It was at the Village that I discovered the fuzz-tone box

through Ken Weaver of The Fugs, you know.

I can remember that June,

The Rolling Stones arrived in New York,

and with them was Linda Keith.

She was Keith Richards' girlfriend.

I had this dream that something was going to happen,

seeing the number 1966 in my sleep,

so I felt like I was just passing time until then, really.

I thought you were going to sing.

Oh, he wouldn't allow me. He will not.

No, don't blame me.

We had a deal.

My voice, it ain't no good. I can't be trying to sing.

It didn't stop Dylan.

That's true.

You have to sing. You hear me?

Okay.

I don't want to hit you if I hear "sing" again.

You understand?

Stop it. I can't breathe.

So all of a sudden, Faye don't understand, huh?

She understood when you needed a place to stay, didn't she?

She understood when your black ass came to town broke

And without a job, didn't she?

Look, this ain't about us.

This is about my music and the opportunity.

I have right now to keep on moving forward,