"A Real Jimi Hendrix Movie"
(Get out the Popcorn and spike the Purple Haze Punch Bowl)
By Glenn Peppers
Have you heard? Recording artist/actor, Andre 3000 is starring in the new Bio pic movie, about the life and times of rock legend, Jimi Hendrix!
Simply put. I think Andre (born André Lauren Benjamin) will make a really good Jimi Hendrix! I really do!!! He kinda even looks like him as well! I truly cannot wait to see this movie, as I also think that Andre will be much better at playing Hendrix than that guy HBO pick to play Jimi Hendrix for their made for TV Bio Pic a few years back!
Guitar pioneer, Jimi Hendrix was one of the guys we (me and the guys in our band) emulated coming along in my early days of funk, rock and soul in the 1970's... Yes it was that long ago! It was a time when we were young rock and roll wannabes; and our parents (God Bless them) suffered through our painful teenage era of bandanas around the knees, and our wild fizzy hair styles. They put up with all our crazy colored (ti-dyed) shirts, and bell bottom pants and jeans, and platform shoes, and those louder than loud amps and PA systems! As well as our bushy/curly, wrecked Hendrix Fro's!
I mean, com'on! Who needed one of those neatly trimmed Jackson 5 Afros when you can sport a salad headed, Jimi-Fro? Our bass player was the splitting image of Jimi. Yet we wore the english cut jackets and short frilly vest, and ruffled tuxedo shirts, and buttons down the side of our pants, just like Jimi did. And when I finally did get a real Fender Stratocaster (which was way later along in my guitar evolution than I wanted), I found out why Jimi loved playing Fender guitars so much. It's almost as if they are practically playing themselves! A Fender Stratocaster has a twang and a sound all its own! Hendrix of course loved the classic Strat with a maple neck. He also liked the Fender Telecaster guitar. Being in a black rock and soul band in the early to mid 1970's, we studied every nuance of the Jim Hendrix Experience, except for drugs! 
Drugs (to me) was Jimi's dangerous crossover into the dark side of things; and that's where the "Are You Experience" joyride through cross town traffic stopped for me and my friends. Being that there were many other heroes out here to emulate and learn from in the music world, I then started to venture out and learn from other musical, and vocal mentors in the business. From artist like EWF, The Ohio Players, Carlos Santana, Peabo Bryson, Edgar Winter, Larry Graham, Sly Stone, etc!
Fallen and taken away from us in a most common, yet tragic rock and roll fashion. The sad tale of rock and roll, and drugs and alcohol took its toll on Hendrix in 1971. Jimi left here way too soon! Though tortured and yet driven while alive, I had to respect Jimi's painful climb to rock guitar hero status; yet his belly flop into the dark abyss of Rock and Roll was his and his alone to take! Hendrix suffered for his art. And I image sadly, he'd probably do it all over again. Who can say actually? The truth of the matter is, as much as you love and admire anyone. You can walk only so far in their shoes!
Glenn Peppers July 26, 2013
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