Reading:
- Maureen Mahon (2004) “Jimi Hendrix Experiences,” from Right to Rock: The Black Rock Coalition and the Cultural Politics of Race
*Note: The BRC that Mahon mentions in the chapter refers to the Black Rock Coalition, a non-profit organization supporting black musicians working in rock genres. See link on the right hand site of this post under "Useful Links."
Listening:
- Jimi Hendrix, “If 6 Was 9”
- Living Colour, "Elvis Is Dead"
7 comments:
Question:
I wonder how Hendrix’s music and fan base would have changed as he aged (had he not died at 27). Would the perception of Jimi have changed throughout his career?
Artifact Discussion:
In the song “If 6 Was 9,” there is a notable theme. Hendrix portrays himself as very individualistic, as though he does not want to conform to society in the least. Jimi seems to reject the lifestyles of both the hippies and of the white-collared conservatives. He wants to live his own life and “wave his freak flag high.” Hendrix epitomizes the existentialist voice of the youth movement: "I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die/so let me live my life/the way I want to.” He wants the audience to know that he and the youth movement are individuals by asserting “I got my own world to live through/ And I ain’t gonna copy you.” The trills and wailing of the instruments, starting around 4:47, give a psychedelic feel to the music. They demonstrate the notion of independence and freedom, of rejecting the norm and going off in one’s own direction.
“Elvis is Dead” by Living Colour is not a song mourning Elvis’s death, but instead a song rejoicing in his death. After select chorus lines (“Elvis is dead”), Living Colour laughs a hearty “Ha ha!” The song has a fast tempo and a lively beat. The sampled voices speaking “Elvis is dead” never sound sad about the loss. The people are merely asserting the fact, and some even sound happy about it, probably due to the coupling of their voices with the exciting beats of the music. This was certainly an intentional effect to add to the message of the song. The saxophone solo starting around 2:48 is virtuous and jazzy, definitely not something you would expect to hear if the singers were mournful over Elvis’s death. The song then goes on to express anger in the lyrics, “'I’ve got a reason to believe/ we all won't be received at Graceland.” A falsetto, high-pitched scream follows the second time this phrase is sung, and a similar scream follows a bit later in the song when the chorus is repeated. This is a commentary on how although Elvis was a hero to most, black people were the ones who taught him how to sing and dance. However, because black people would not be welcome at Graceland, the race barrier still persists.
Discussion Question:
Although the music of Jimi Hendrix was not considered to be definitively black or white, as the Mahon article debates, what would it be considered today? With all the cultural and genre mixing in modern music, will it find itself in a different categorization than it did during Hendrix’s time?
Artifact Discussion
From listening to “If 6 was 9” by Jimi Hendrix, I thought that it was clear that the guitarist was “using R&B and blues” to define his music and indirectly himself. (Mahon 9) The R&B aspect of the song was its rhythm – a heavy but steady beat that made the song, in a hippie sense, “groovy”. The blues aspect was the singing and the virtuosic guitar solos: the soulful singing sounded like gospel, perhaps demonstrating the “blackness” of Hendrix’s music, and the often high-pitched solo passages with irregular rhythms made the music sound very emotional and from the heart.
Also, the lyrics of “If 6 was 9” are optimistic and confident; I definitely agree with Mahon’s statement that Hendrix “asserts his difference from the dull mainstream” through the lyrics. Lines such as “If the sun refuse to shine / I don’t mind, I don’t mind” and other lines with declarations of acceptance make Hendrix seem like a content, satisfied man – which boosts his sexual aura to women and his strength to men.
The interview with Hendrix on the Dick Cavett Show further emphasized Jimi Hendrix’s desire to be his own person, regardless of the conformity surrounding him. The version of the “Star Spangled Banner” of his that the video clip was concerned about clearly showed “Hendrix’s innovative approach to the guitar – his use of distortion, effects, feedback, and volume” (Mahon 4). Applying such “unorthodox” elements is “beautiful”, as Hendrix himself states in the video clip. Although most people do not think about electric guitars in conjunction with the national anthem, this creative rendition of the song reflects the individuality and genius for which Hendrix will be remembered.
Question:
The fact that Hendrix was getting paid so much for a show shocked me. Were American fans becoming more interested in complicated music and less hooked on the simple “She Loves You” tunes? Was the “hippy” population driving sales and how was that population growing? Did parents stop cracking down? Hendrix made it very high on the pop charts without a radio friendly hit (at least in my mind). The article suggests that Hendrix’s success was driven from England. Is that also suggesting American fans were less sophisticated?
Artifact Discussion:
On Tuesday in class I spoke a little about the idea of Jimi’s lyrics. I said his voice is not the focus, but it is all the more impressive that he can sing and play guitar with such precision. After reading the mahon article I noticed that his voice is also important and adds to the effect of his songs. He may not have the range and heartiness of Aretha Franklin, but “that singing/talking kind of vibe” still seemed cool to me. I listened more closely to “If 6 was 9” and found the line “I’m the one that has to die when it’s time for me to die.” The article calls this line a declaration. But I feel like it was more like cool, softly delivered poetry. He barely utters it into the microphone whereas he almost yells every other lyric. It is just plain cool, soft and suave. There is a light drum-beat in the background, but that is all. The effect is enormous.
With regards to the article, the discussion on White-Negros really interested me. I am not one hundred percent certain that I would call Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones “White – Negros” but there is definitely an argument to be made. The term made me curious about performers today. Is Eminem the Jimi Hendrix of our time? He is the only notable white rapper. Is this situation the reverse of Jimi and will it undo Eminem like it unraveled Jimi? I suppose the whole idea of black music infiltrating white culture has been completed. The article struggles to name Jimi Hendrix as a crucial step in this movement, but how could it not be.
If Jimi Hendrix’s music does appeal to a black audience, as Mahon claims, then why did his producers choose to promote the artist overseas in Britain?
I really like the song “If 6 was 9” because it showcases Jimi Hendrix’s vocals. His guitar skills are undeniably incredible, but his voice gives off blues-y tones that Mahon discusses in her article. I see traces of Hendrix’s style in the contemporary rocker Lenny Kravitz in the way that they both switch from singing into talking in the middle of their songs. His zealous singing style also resembles contemporary singers of his time such as Little Richard.
The drumming in the background sounds like footsteps in the middle of the song, highlighting the assortment of non-musical sounds that the band incorporated into their songs in addition to the parachute and wind noises that Hendrix created with his guitar. Is the high-pitched instrument featured toward the end of the song a flute or a guitar?
I had never listened to Living Colour prior to this week. They definitely embody the repetitive, loud style of much of 80s rock, and I see little resemblance between their music and that of Hendrix. In my opinion, Hendrix’s lyrics have much more depth and less pop-culture appeal. The voices in the background repeating “Elvis is Dead” are a bit redundant. However, I like their incorporation of a saxaphone, which places them in the jazz/funk genre as well as within rock.
Question:
Mahon asserted that Hendrix’s “white fans could comfortably assert that he ‘wasn’t really black’ because he fit so seamlessly into the predominant white milieu” (Mahon 249). In what ways specifically did Hendrix fit into the predominant white milieu? Which white artists would he have been considered similar to?
Artifact Discussion:
I love the lines “Got my own world to live through/And I ain’t gonna copy you” from “If 6 was 9.” It’s essentially the same thing he’s trying to convey in the Star-Spangled Banner interview. “It’s not unorthodox…I think it’s beautiful,” he says. I think what saying is that though others may perceive the music as unorthodox, he’s not necessarily setting out to be unorthodox. He’s just trying to be true to his voice. And if, in doing so, he breaks conventions, then so be it.
Mahon asserts, “Hendrix was whitened as his popularity with white audiences increased…his fit with the white rock scene became more important than his blackness…” (Mahon 248). In the article we read for last class, Waksman suggested that white audiences were drawn to Hendrix because of his display of black male sexuality. Waksman suggested that Hendrix completely embodied “blackness;” this is counter to Mahon’s argument that his “blackness” was erased. I’m not sure I buy into Mahon’s claim. Her argument hinges on the fact that Hendrix was not part of the popular Black Power Movement. Mahon says that because of this, Hendrix’s “blackness” had an “idiosyncratic nature” (Mahon 249). I guess I would have to do historical research to find out if being black during that time period meant being part of the Black Power Movement, but this probably isn’t entirely correct. I think it would have been hard for any of his fans to exclude his race as a lens through which they understood him.
Question:
Mahon bring up the interesting point of how Hendrix’s black audience faced the unique situation of both indentifying with him due to his race, but also feeling separate from him due to his “white” sound. Was this inability to connect to Hendrix’s music due to a simple difference in the audience’s musical tastes, or was it because it was seen as belonging to the oppressive group? Are people of certain races and ethnicities just more prone to liking specific musical genres or do they choose to listen to certain genres because societal definitions dictate that they should (i.e.: you’re not really “black” if you have dark skin but prefer to listen to Dave Matthews Band over Jay-Z)?
Artifact Discussion:
I really like the tune “If 6 Was 9.” It’s a fun song that makes you want to be okay with the world, and keep living and enjoying your life. It’s easy to see why it would be appealing to anyone, as the sentiment it speaks of and evokes in the listener is a very positive one. However, it’s also easy to see why the black community of the 1960s might not appreciate it as much (or many of Hendrix’s other songs, for that matter). This was a time when blacks were fighting for their civil rights and freedoms. They were most certainly not fine with the world nor were they indifferent to whether change came about or not. The entire black community was struggling to achieve full equality, and yet here’s this very influential and popular black man within the white community who is promoting the idea of accepting the world as it is. It’s almost silly, when you think about it, and it makes it much clearer why so few Hendrix fans were black: not only was his music “white,” but he also wasn’t doing much to help his people. The same reasons may also explain why so few of Hendrix’s fans were female during the 60s as well.
Hendrix’s lack of desire to be politically involved is also exemplified in the short clip from his interview with Dick Cavett. When asked about the controversy around his rendition of the national anthem, he responds with “I don’t know. All I did was play it. I’m American so I played it.” The same sentiment is echoed in his response to Cavett calling Hendrix’s rendition “unorthodox.” To Hendrix, his song wasn’t an unorthodox, rebellious statement, but rather a beautiful work of art. His intent doesn’t seem to have been politically charged; he had no agenda nor viewpoint he was necessarily trying to promote. He was just playing his guitar, creating powerful music, and portraying an important song the way he heard it in his head.
Question:
After reading the piece by Mahon I feel like the what is said about Hendrix being source of music for the black community is contradicted by what someone like me see in his videos with most of his fans being white. Most of my white friend are Jimi Hendrix fan while my black friends only know of him simply because he's was well known as an artist. Do you think that if Hendrix didn't have to two sides to his music (Hendrix being himself in the studio & Hendrix in the public eye)he would be more appealing to the black community at least at a level that is more noticeable?
Discussion:
The Hendrix track if 6 was 9 was something that i really enjoyed. Like I said in earlier posts I've heard of his music and have even listened with friends before but this specific song really made me appreciate how talented he was as a guitar player. The sounds he makes with the guitar in my opinion are some of the most difficult things to play but it seems like he does it effortlessly in this track.
On the other hand i found the "Elvis is Dead" song enjoyable but not like the Hendrix track. To me once you listen to the lyrics I think that the song is something that is praising how good of a artist Elvis has. They a giving compliments to how he changed fans. But essentially i think the song is reassuring Elvis' death to the people that believe he is alive. It's kind of like saying "get over it the King is gone".
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