Starting At Zero: His Own Story

by Jimi Hendrix

Overview

It took just four years in the spotlight for Jimi Hendrix to become an international cultural icon. The sheer impact and originality of his music and his unique mastery of the guitar placed him forever amongst musical giants. But what of the man behind the public image? Modest and intensely private by nature, Jimi was shrouded in intrigue from the moment he first came into the public eye, and the mystery has only grown with time.

Much has been written about him by experts, fans, and critics-some of it true and some of it not. He did, however, leave his own account of himself, locked away like a Chinese puzzle in his many interviews, lyrics, writings, poems, diaries, and even stage raps. Starting At Zero brings all these elements together in narrative form. The result is an intimate, funny, and poetic memoir-one that tells, for the first time, Jimi's own story as only he could tell it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620403327
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	680,975
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Jimi Hendrix (1942–70) was one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century.

Alan Douglas is a record, book, and film producer. He was a friend to Hendrix and produced many of is posthumous releases.

Peter Neal is a documentary filmmaker. In 1967–68 he made a film portrait of Hendrix called Experience, the only film of the artist to be completed and the only one screened in his lifetime. Together with Alan Douglas, Peter Neal spent years collecting and editing Hendrix's words.

Table of Contents

Introduction Peter Neal 7

Chapter 1 Voodoo Child (November 1942-July 1962) 13

Chapter 2 Highway Chile (July 1962-September 1966) 29

Chapter 3 Are You Experienced? (September 1966-June 1967) 41

Chapter 4 Bold As Love (June 1967-August 1967) 67

Chapter 5 Ezy Rider (August 1967-January 1968) 81

Chapter 6 Stone Free (February 1968-December 1968) 105

Chapter 7 All Along The Watchtower (January 1969-June 1969) 127

Chapter 8 Earth Blues (July 1969-January 1970) 151

Chapter 9 Nine To The Universe (February 1970-September 1970) 169

Afterword: Recording Artist and Performer Jimi Hendrix 195

Editorial Reviews

What pervades every page [is] a man thoroughly alive.” —Mojo

“A confiding, funny, and wrenching memoir of a life lived on the edge and passionately devoted to music and freedom. Here is Hendrix unmediated . . . [Illuminates] the stories behind his songs and now-legendary performances, and the surreal highs and lows of touring and stardom.” —Booklist

“[A] revelation of the restless, curious, creative, self-contradictory mind of a musical genius as he grappled with fame, fellow musicians, inspiration, doubt and life under the competing spotlights of adulation and criticism. A must-read for fans and scholars of classic rock.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Remarkable . . . The reading experience feels intimate and immediate . . . This is an essential primary source.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

11/04/2013
Jimi Hendrix's friend and producer Douglas and filmmaker Neal assemble a remarkable new memoir drawing from the musician's late public remarks, letters, and private writings. Intervening bits of explanation by the editors help effectively weave Hendrix's excerpts into a story that traces the iconic musician's life from childhood, to early struggles to make a living as a sideman, to his creative breakthroughs and worldwide fame with the Experience including his future musical ambitions that for obvious reasons went unrealized. It is a short book about a short life that ended long before its author, who died at age 27, had a chance to reflect on events with the benefit of hindsight. As a result, the reading experience feels intimate and immediate, written and spoken by a thoughtful and articulate artist. We see his thoughts during times of feast, famine, and fame—frozen at the original moment, and becoming palpably more abstract and ethereal as drug use took a larger and larger role in his life. This is an essential primary source for any devoted Hendrix fan, but will also appeal to those with a more casual interest. Color illus. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

2013-10-01
A posthumous "autobiography" of the rock god constructed from interviews, diaries, song lyrics, letters and other texts. Documentary filmmaker Neal, assisted by Alan Douglas, one of Hendrix's friends and associates, approached this project as a movie editor splicing together the disparate materials Hendrix left behind that spoke about his life, career and music. The basic outlines of the artist's life come through: He was born in Seattle in 1942 of African-American and Cherokee heritage. His mother died when he was 10. Shy and eccentric even as a child, Hendrix's difference and rebellious nature made for an awkward fit in school, and he dropped out at 16. After a brush with the law, he joined the U.S. 101st Airborne but was discharged early owing to an accident, the effects of which he played up, he claimed, since he'd had enough of the Army. His self-education in the blues as a guitarist in bands in the South and New York City led to a steady gig with Little Richard, but the flamboyant bandleader chafed at Hendrix's style, which threatened to outshine him on the stage. Never interested in stark borders or hard definitions, while living in Harlem, Hendrix was attracted to the folk scene in Greenwich Village, particularly to an off-key singing poet named Bob Dylan. With two dimes in his pocket, he accepted an invitation to try his luck in the blues and rock cauldron of London. The rest is fairly well-known history, though readers interested in the small details of Hendrix's life will want to supplement this book with an objective biography. The virtue of this book is its revelation of the restless, curious, creative, self-contradictory mind of a musical genius as he grappled with fame, fellow musicians, inspiration, doubt and life under the competing spotlights of adulation and criticism. A must-read for fans and scholars of classic rock.

Kirkus Reviews