In an interview with Classic Rock, Dave Davies, the guitarist of The Kinks, once appraised Hendrix’s personality: “In real life, Jimi Hendrix was nothing like the wild guy that he portrayed on stage. He was a quiet, introverted guy like Ray [Davies] was. He was explosive on stage but very softly spoken off it.”
In the public eye, Hendrix was cool as a cucumber. He dressed in the finest hippie chic, carrying himself with humble elegance and letting the guitar do all the talking. All the while, the guitarist’s dark, piercing eyes betrayed depths of introversion, wisdom and potential, the full extent of which we sadly never experienced.
Hendrix first caught wind of Stathakis in 1969 after seeing some of his work in an obscure indie film in London. The guitarist had his management seek the young screenwriter out to collaborate on his sci-fi movie script, Moondust. The two quickly hit it off, and within weeks, Stathakis found himself in the eye of the rampant rock ‘n’ roll storm, immersed in a throbbing culture of hard drugs and promiscuity.
In his new book, Stathakis remembers his wild ride with Hendrix and his entourage, with never-before-seen photographs and never-before-told stories. Following the icon’s story from the aftermath of Electric Ladyland, his final album with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stathakis’s memoirs take a fresh look at Hendrix’s iconic performance at Woodstock ‘69.
Below, we present a selection of Stathakis’ photographs from Jimi and Me: The Experience of a Lifetime. Most of them see the performer in action, in the studio and on stage at Woodstock.
Full gallery on FaroutMagazine
