Jimi Hendrix - the last interview, September 1970

Jimi in London the day before he died

"I'm happy - it's gonna be good."   That is how Jimi Hendrix signed off his interview with Roy Hollingworth that appeared in the September 5th 1970 edition of UK weekly Melody Maker.

With hindsight, the optimism he expressed about his future is hugely poignant given that only a few days later, aged just 27, Hendrix would be dead.

Whichever way you look at it, Jimi's death from an overdose of sleeping pills on September 18th was a sad and tragically sudden end to his story.

As the MM article said back then, Hendrix was rock's most influential guitarist. Then as now, he remains the guitarist considered by many as the greatest of all time.

But he was a troubled soul and by 1970 he had lost much of the creative momentum built up during the making of his masterpiece 1968 album Electric Ladyland.

The MM interview, click to enlarge

In this interview with Melody Maker, he acknowledged he had taken his music as far as he could in its present form and how he hoped to make more mind-expanding and spiritually uplifting music in the future.

On the 50th anniversary of his passing, there will be plenty of speculation about what might have been - whether he would have gone in a more jazzy direction; the rumoured collaborations with Gil Evans and Miles Davis. In the same way that Jeff Beck reinvented himself as a jazz fusion player, Hendrix could easily have moved away from his blues roots - and he planned to.

In his own words, Jimi saw his return to the UK in the summer of 1970 as a new beginning. It was widely acknowledged that he had lost his way creatively and his life seemed to be increasingly a tale of drug busts and legal issues of one sort or another. Jimi himself said as much. "It's all turned full circle. I'm back to where I started. I still sound the same, my music's the same and I can't think of anything new to add to it in its current state."

Jimi in his pomp, 1967

As a new decade was beginning, he saw it as a cut-off point for the revolutionary 1960's music culture. "This era of music sparked off by The Beatles has come to an end. Something new has got to come and Jimi Hendrix will be there."

Jimi wanted a big band, he said: "full of competent musicians I can conduct and write for. It's going to be something that will open up a new sense in people's minds. They are getting their minds ready now. Like me, they are going back home, getting fat and making themselves ready for the next trip."

Jimi looked increasingly unwell in 1970

That Hendrix needed to get himself together physically is clear. In his last photos, he looks tired. The Who's Pete Townshend was most vocal about his shock at the state Hendrix was in, thin and withdrawn, the effects of the drugs and alcohol, the travel and constant hassles having aged him.

As Charles Shaar Murray wrote in his excellent Hendrix book 'Crosstown Traffic', "Hendrix's dope consumption, which was fairly monstrous even at the best of times, was escalating dramatically."

Jimi's perspective on it was that, in his utopian vision of "a new form of classical music", you didn't necessarily need drugs.

"You know the drug scene came to a big head. It was opening up things in people's minds, giving them things they just couldn't handle. Well music can do that you know, and you don't need any drugs.

"It's going to be a complete form of music," he said of his ideas for a musical reinvention. "It could be something along similar lines to what Pink Floyd are tackling. They don't know it, but people like Pink Floyd are the mad scientists of this day and age."

Hollingworth asked Hendrix when he would start to form this big band. He said people wouldn't have too long to wait and that his Isle of Wight performance might be the last of that type with the three-piece format.

The MM's review of Hendrix's performance late on the Sunday night at the IOW concluded: "We're convinced that Jimi's trouble stems from internal conflict between his blues roots and a desire to progress. He has the technique to play a mass of different sounds, but his confidence seems to ebb and he gets confused when he wanders into the freestyle freaky effects, so revolutionary back in 1967.

"All it needs is some nice new songs, some rehearsal and bingo. As it happened, the miracle and magic worked towards the end of his two-hour set, with the air of a medley of hits. The magic was there all the time with the talent of Hendrix, Mitchell and Cox. They just need a little time...and they'll get it all together."

Jimi's hair was a little tamer now, observed the interviewer, Hollingworth. Did he feel he was a tamer person? He said no, maybe now and then he got a spark of maturity, but he reckoned he was a better guitarist than he used to be. "I've learnt a lot, but I've got to learn more about music. With the big band, I don't want to be playing as much guitar. I want other musicians to play my stuff."

He said he would not be doing so many live gigs. "I'm going to develop the sound and then I'm going to put a film out.

"It's so exciting - it's going to be an audio visual thing that you sit down and plug into - and really take in through your eyes and ears.

"I'm happy - it's gonna be good."

Remembering Jimi - friends and associates talk about him

Kathy Etchingham talking about her time with Jimi

Planet Rock broadcasts live from Jimi Hendrix's restored old flat at 23 Brook Street

Also on this blog: 

Five Days of Drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970
https://bangnzdrum.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-verdict-on-5-days-of-high-drama-at.html

Jimi Hendrix releases Band of Gypsys
https://bangnzdrum.blogspot.com/2019/02/june-1970-hendrixs-band-of-gypsys-album.html

Five days of high drama at the Isle of Wight, 1970

Melody Maker's extensive coverage of the festival

There are many stories and legends that grew out of the aftermath of the 1970 Isle of Wight music festival. 

There was the invasion by French anarchists; the stage meltdown by promoter Rikki Farr ("you go to hell!"); the way Joni Mitchell won over a restless crowd; the remarkable performance of Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix's last UK show, The Who playing on until dawn, ELP's breakthrough and many others. 

It was five days of high drama. The festival was undoubtedly a triumph musically, but the bad vibes on the fringes were such that they curtailed the development of commercial festivals for several years afterwards. The free festival agitators were a powerful lobby and at the IOW they made life hell for the promoters even before the event began.

MM's verdict

In the UK music paper Melody Maker, the week after the IOW, the central editorial reflection (seen here >, click to read it) was that the festival "may well be the last occasion for a long time on which more than a quarter of a million kids come together to hear some rock and roll."

"There can be little doubt that the events of last weekend will have a chastening effect on any other promoter considering putting on a similar event.

"What kind of lunatic will want to risk having to deal with the French, Algerian and American revolutionaries who raised such hell?"

And yet even with all of that to contend with, the festival was a musical triumph, attended by many of the top performers from Europe and America at the time. Clicking on the links below will take you to clips of some of them.

Saturday's highlights included a more than two-hour set by John Sebastian, joined by his Lovin' Spoonful colleague Zal Yanofsky. Once again it seemed, as at Woodstock, Sebastian was on stage because no one else was ready to go on. 

"With that unique mixture of whimsy and open-hearted fun, John first shouted, "Just holler 'em up and I'll play whatever you want to hear!" 

Shawn Phillips followed on before Rikki Farr announced "a lovely surprise" and the arrival of Joni Mitchell.

the acts reviewed - click to view

An audience member was having a bad acid trip near the stage. Someone yelled, "Help!... we need a doctor" and as the MM noted, "suddenly, with terrifying swiftness, the good vibes turned right around."

Joni dealt with this and an attempted stage invasion with admirable poise. She brought the audience back onside by the sheer beauty of her songs - not to mention the genuine frustration she expressed at the bad vibes. You can read more about this in a separate piece I wrote.

A particular treat for the audience was the appearance of jazz giant Miles Davis, with a new electric band that included Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette.

"Miles took the stage in a red leather jacket and silver-studded jeans and boots - at 44 years old as hip as anyone there."

The response to this new style of jazz must have been very encouraging for Miles, who took a lot of criticism from traditional jazz fans back in America for his radical change of style. Makes you wonder what music would have resulted if Miles and Jimi Hendrix had got together, as it was suggested they might. 

"The group's use of rock rhythms was far more evident than before, but they proved beyond any doubt that they are capable of making it as subtle, as complex and as rewarding as any conventional jazz rhythm," said the reviewer. The word fusion had yet to be coined in the context of rock and jazz, but you only have to listen to Dave Holland's bass playing during the 36 minute set by Miles to know that he had an intimate knowledge of rock and soul bass lines. 

Another of the artists destined to divide opinion was keyboard wizard Keith Emerson, with his new band Emerson Lake & Palmer, who made their debut at the IOW festival.

The MM said, "It's quite likely there are some of the rock fraternity who don't approve of Keith adapting classical themes, his displays of virtuosity and touches of showbiz. 

"ELP let off two cannons in the penultimate number. The arrangements were long and adventurous. There were no long blues guitar solos. In fact, they were wide open to criticism.

"But they didn't half play good," said the reviewer.

"The applause was almost as deafening as the cannonade which blew the spectacles off a man sitting in the firing line."

The stage lights dimmed just after midnight on Saturday and The Doors wandered on and proceeded to play a rather more muted set than the previous band. The reviewer noted, though, that they sounded better than when they played London's Roundhouse in 1968. 

"We want the world and we want it now! screamed Jim Morrison at one point, but it was not evident what he would do if circumstances arose which would make this possible," said the MM.

The Who played all night

"And now, a nice rock band from Shepherds Bush - the 'OO," announced DJ Jeff Dexter. 

Pete Townshend cheered up the English contingent, saying "We come home and find ourselves playing to a load of bloody foreigners causing trouble."

The Who played on well after 4am and as they reached the climax of Tommy, they turned huge spotlights on the crowd. It was a euphoric moment, to judge from the film.

The Raver gloating about his luxurious experience at the festival...

Keith Moon had arrived at the IOW with Viv Stanshall the night before the Who's appearance, to apparently "dig the acts and drop egg yolks into reporters' hard won cups of tea."

Peter Frampton was also backstage with his girlfriend Mary, as were George and Patti Harrison. 

'The Raver' columnist in Melody Maker had a rather more comfortable festival experience than his colleague Michael Watts (see article below) who drew the short straw and was given the assignment of spending the weekend on 'Desolation Hill' with the great unwashed.

..while Mike Watts was slumming it on Desolation Hill

The Raver meanwhile, was roughing it at the former home of Alfred Lord Tennyson, now a three star hotel at Freshwater. 

Ian Anderson is said to have given one of the finest individual performance of the entire five days at the festival. "Jethro Tull emerged triumphant as one of the most entertaining of all the bands," said MM.

"Cocking his knee, grimacing, leaping, screaming, muttering, gibbering, sneezing, he looked like a brilliant but demented 18th century German music master.

Ian Anderson: brilliant but demented

"When Ian wasn't amazing us all with his flute, which leapt from the explosive to the beautiful, there was also the fine guitar of Martin Barre and some brilliant drumming by Clive Bunker to enjoy. One of the greatest assets of Tull proved to be the gifted piano playing of John Evan."

"Yes - it has been a long time, hasn't it?" said a cool, casual, but seemingly happy Jimi Hendrix. He was probably referring to the last time we saw him play in Britain, rather than the one-hour plus delay while one drum kit, a guitar and bass were set in working order.

"But it was nice to see him again, even if the sound was terrible - somehow there is always something wrong with the machinery of rock when Hendrix plugs in. Noel Redding's replacement, Billy Cox, proved a good bassman, but Mitch Mitchell, long a favourite drummer, was disappointing. He was hampered by a distorted PA and his playing seemed somewhat stiff."

One last look at the genius of Jimi Hendrix

The audience response was muted, probably because many were asleep, but slowly things started to improve. Jimi's guitar picked up. 

"They may be having an off-night but he is still incredibly good," said Peter Frampton, one of the crush in the VIP and press enclosure.

"Okay, we'll start all over again," said Jimi. "Hello England."

"Suddenly there was life on stage and Jimi showed why he is one of the all-time greats by some superb blues playing and singing on Red House."

As it turned out, this was Jimi's last show in the UK. A friend of mine attended the festival specifically to see Hendrix, but was asleep when he came on. Sadly, there would be no next time. September 18th 2020 will be the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death, at just 27 years of age. 

Rory Gallagher and Taste

Earlier in the weekend, there were two stand-out performances, from Taste and Chicago. Taste were already popular, and starting with What's Going On they ran through their repertoire "with undiminished adulation from the crowd".  

Rory Gallagher, it was noted, "is technically excellent with the ability to play long passages at high speed." They were called back for four encores.

Chicago's set began at dusk on Friday. Guitarist Terry Kath made a big impression. "His guitar was fast and fluent. He looked like the kind of guy who would go down among the audience and personally sort out anyone who messed with his music. A girl actually screamed during one electrifying high speed guitar solo."

No such thing as a Free lunch

Free's set mid-afternoon on Sunday was well received: "Paul Rodger's tough, hairy voice and the obvious sensuality of Paul Kossoff's guitar were the outstanding points." 

But the reviewer said the time of day wasn't ideal for them: "It was a little too close to lunchtime to feel that funky."

"Their number one hit All Right Now really got the crowd moving, although the few who stood up to dance were soon on the ground again after a volley of Coke cans."

For a run-down of all the others artists appearing at the festival, check out the cuttings accompanying this piece. 

 

On this blog, see also:
Joni Mitchell Tames The Tiger at the Isle of Wight

Jimi Hendrix - The Last Interview

Who's Next - Lightning In A Bottle