This is a sad story of high hopes and lame reality. We have been following news of a Jimi Hendrix biopic forever now. Mr Andre 3000 as the guitar God seemed a good enough fit. Add some scantily clad dames and hell its the psychedelic dream come true.
Well after a whole lot of back and forth with financiers and hot shots it was determined that this film would never be made- well it was but the harsh reality is this beauty is getting the ‘straight to DVD’ status. Sorta sad isn’t it. Ol’ Jimmy on the discount rack before he even had a shot. But hey they couldn’t even use authentic music. Legal snags made it impossible for the music of Jimi Hendrix to be featured in his own biography. My opinion is that entire deal should have been scrapped at that finding. What the hell is the point?
The DVD releases on January 15th and covers one year… yes ONE YEAR of Hendrix life. Are you with me so far? This film was directed by John Ridley who also directed 12 Years A Slave…this was a career blunder for sure. 1966-1967 was the year Hendrix went from an unknown guitarist at the Cheetah Club in London to fame and the Monterrey Pop Festival.
This film is not endorsed nor supported by the family run estate. They’re the ones that refused to allow original music to be used. They actually ended up doing covers, which only cheapens the entire project. This is a sad waste of music and an nearly disrespectful ‘tribute’ to a legendary musician. Why didnt Andre bail on this project?
