An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.
It's no exaggeration to say this might be the most intense and groundbreaking 45-minute performance in the history of rock. Jimi Hendrix's debut American set at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival is generally considered one of the most radical and legendary live shows ever. Virtually unknown to American audiences at the time, even though he was already an established entity in the UK, Hendrix and his two-piece Experience explode on stage, ripping through blues classics "Rock Me Baby" and Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," interpreting and electrifying Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," debuting songs from his yet-to-be-released first album and closing with the now historic sacrificing/burning of his guitar during an unhinged version of "Wild Thing" that even its writer Chip Taylor would never have imagined. Hendrix uses feedback and distortion to enhance the songs in whisper-to-scream intensity, blazing territory that had not been previously explored with as much soul-frazzled power.
이 다큐멘터리는 지미 헨드릭스가 불시에 사망한 지 3년이 지난 후에 제작됐다. 영화는 1967년 런던 마키 클럽에서의 공연으로부터 1970년 잉글랜드 와이트 섬 축제에서의 마지막 공연 사이에 일어난 일들을 다루고 있다. 이 전기적 영화는 몬터레이, 우드스탁, 필모어 동부, 버클리 등 여러 곳에서의 고전적인 공연들을 담고 있으며, 특히 Hey Joe, Like a Rolling Stone, A Star Spangled Banner 등을 부른 우드스탁 공연은 빼놓을 수 없다. 아울러, 이 영화는 여러 차례에 걸친 지미의 멋진 공연을 비롯해 피트 타운센드, 믹 재거, 에릭 클랩튼, 버디 마일스 등 기라성 같은 음악가들과의 인터뷰를 담고 있다.
