The artistic choice that Jimi Hendrix grew to regret
Many of us have taken respite in the comforting words and warmth of Joni Mitchell. By pairing unflinchingly vulnerable lyrics with sparkling strums and jazz influences, she endeared herself to generations of listeners, many of whom saw themselves reflected and represented in her work. From depression to wanderlust, her catalogue contains a huge range of human experiences — no matter what you’re going through, there’s almost always a suitable Mitchell song to turn to.
But Mitchell’s placating presence wasn’t restricted to the recording booth. Outside of her music, too, it seemed that Mitchell was happy to lend an ear to the experiences and admissions of others, including Jimi Hendrix. Though they existed in markedly different sonic spheres — Mitchell in the folk scene and Hendrix amidst crowds of psych-rockers — they met one night in Ottawa, Canada.
After performing in the city, Hendrix opted to spend the rest of his night delving into the folk scene, where he stumbled upon Mitchell. The rocker requested to record her set, and though it was the first time they had crossed paths, the two clearly became quick friends as Hendrix found himself making stark confessions about his changing artistic interests.
Hendrix had become well-known for his destructive guitar antics. He had first set fire to his instrument in the spring of 1967 in Los Angeles, a sacrificial moment that he performed again at the iconic Monterey Pop Festival a couple of years later. It was a bold move and an image he quickly became tied to, against his wishes.
While spending time with Mitchell that night in Ottawa, he spoke candidly about his feelings towards the stint and the discomfort it caused him. “He didn’t like beating up his guitar and setting fire to it,” Mitchell explained during an interview with Mojo, “He felt it humiliating after a while and degrading because he felt people thought he beat up women and he didn’t.”
The destructive act may have looked stunning on stage and was a truly show-stopping moment, but Hendrix didn’t want people to think that the violent act represented him as a person. “He had presented an image that was shocking,” Mitchell explained, “A violent act and people assumed that he was dangerous. But Jimi was a sweet guy.” Mitchell concluded that Hendrix had become “uncomfortable” with the image he had created.
Though Hendrix’s guitar-burning stunt is certainly one of the most iconic moments from his career, it isn’t the only image that defines him half a century after his death. His legacy extends far beyond that fiery performance at Monterey Pop Festival, into lists of the greatest guitarists of all time and ongoing use of effects and feedback, inspired by his sound.
While Hendrix may have felt that it tarnished his reputation at the time, the image also certainly hasn’t come to reflect memories of his personality off-stage. His worries about being seen as violent or dangerous as a result were misplaced. Rather, people see him as an epic guitarist and performer whose potential was sadly cut short at the age of 27.
As Mitchell asserted, he was a sweet guy and a truly talented, innovative instrumentalist and performer. The decision to set his guitar on fire was just one example of the latter and a stint that did not reflect on who he was as a person off-stage.
