Saturday, April 04, 2009

You want music?

Try listening to Jimmie Hendrix’s Star Spangled Banner – not as an anthem of Woodstock, but for it’s avant-garde innovations in texture, timbre, and instrumental technique. Very cool.


9 comments:

midnight rider said...

You either hate this as a desecration of our National Anthem or you love it for all the reasons Christine mentions as well as it's symbolism and signifigence to The American Spirit itself, raw rugged individualistic everyone free to do what they want as they want without restraint beyond no one gets hurt defiance rebellion youth energy Patriotism FREE TO CRITICIZE YOUR GOVERNMENT as you see fit whether I agree or not Woodstock itself was all symbolic of this. . .

Guess you figgered out I'm not with the hate it crowd.

"The distrust of wit is the beginning of tyranny"

"A Patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government"

"I am my brother's keeper says the chickenshit liberal. Perhaps he does not realize that he now has more than 2 1/2 billion brothers?"

-- all Quotes Ed Abbey

Christine said...

Hey, the man could play a mean ass fucking guitar. He could have made Twinkle twinkle little star, rock!

Pastorius separates religion and politics. I separate music and politics.

midnight rider said...

Oh I'm not saying Jimi put that in there. But hat he did the song at all is the signifigance. Couldn't have pulled that off in Russia t the time. Not without a quick judgement from a Makarov.

I agree with separating music from politics. Precisely why I won't listen to Springsteen anymore (formerly one of my favorite artists) because he always maintained the same until John Kerry in '04 and Obama in '08.

Just Cause said...

IMO Hendrix was at his best when he played live at Woodstock. Regardless of the amassed collection of hippy peaceniks watching him his total mastery of the guitar and sound is second to none.

I taught myself guitar when I was 12 and Hendrix was a huge inspiration. It took me 5 years of solid practise to even venture anywhere near improvising one of his solos but the most important lesson I learnt is that what makes Hendrix's ability so breathtaking is that it's not perfect. Satriani et al show complete mastery of appregios and note perfect scales but its the missed notes compensated by extraordinary string bends followed by tremolo diving that makes Hendrix a true guitar genius. I have often been told that I have extraordinary ability on the guitar but I know that I am still a novice compared to Hendrix and am counting on some lessons when I eventually get to the big amp in the sky!

Just Cause said...

Christine/MR - I agree totally, music and politics should be separate. I loved the Foo Fighters until they appeared at Live 8 and declared their admiration for Al Gore. I can't bear to listen to them anymore.

Also, I used to love Rage Against the Machine but only because it rocked. When I actually read the lyrics they lost all credibility to me.

Christine said...

My son can play a mean ass guitar. Self taught. Jimi Hendrix is one of his inspirational roll models.

IMO, Jimi Hendrix was a man within himself. He played the guitar, the way he wanted, because he wanted. Because of that, his music was of his own making. And that in part, is why he was great.

I grew up with the Jimi Hendrix's soul in my backyard. I was born in Seattle.

Pastorius said...

I hear Jimi's version of the Star Spangled Banner as being a sincere, yet despairing version.

Honestly, I think we should get rid of the Star Spangled Banner, because I think it's a piece of shit song, and an embarrassment to our nation on the international stage.

I think we should replace it with Ray Charles version of America the Beautiful.

That's it.

Don't let Miley Cyrus, Joe Cocker, Christina Aguilera, Roseanne Barr, Whitney Houston, or any of the fucking American Idols foolshitheads EVER sing our anthem.

Just Ray Charles.

That's it.

Ray Charles version of America the Beautiful is filled with all the longing, beauty, hope and despair that is America and it's history.

Pastorius said...

Just Cause,
I still think Rage Against the Machine rocks. I don't care about how dumb they are. Their music is intense.

Christine said...

Oh yes, Ray Charles. They just don't make them, like they use to. We have some pretty good musicians these days, but they just don't compare.