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The Straight Ahead Years
1989-1996
1989-1996
In 1989, I started a fanzine called Straight Ahead. The idea was to report about Hendrix releases, official or bootleg, interview those that new Jimi, and allow a forum where Hendrix fans could communicate.This all happened years before the Internet and blogs kicked in. Straight Ahead started out as an 11 x 17 piece of purple paper folded in half and mailed out monthly. I realized it was more feasible to do a bi-monthly. That blossomed to 56 pages in no time.
Through the zine, I was able to interview many wonderful people like Carlos Santana, Eric Burdon (left), Randy California, Mickey Dolenez and band members like Billy Cox and Noel Redding. I would meet Buddy and Mitch later on.
(Eric Burdon then)
On the right is a photo of former Monkee Mickey Dolenz holding up a Straight Ahead T-shirt. Thomas Yeates did our masthead and designed the artwork on this shirt. Photographer Seth Affoumado took this photo. Seth did a great interview with Allison Steele, the DJ who inspired Hendrix's song "Night Bird Flying."
Jimi would amble out onto the stage, fire up the amps, and break into "Purple Haze." The kids would instantly drown him out with, 'We want Daaa-vy!' God it was embarrsing.
Mickey Dolenz (Straight Ahead, April 1994)
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Are You Experieced? LTD. 
While Straight Ahead was in publication, Are You Experienced Ltd. was in charge of releasing all Hendrix audio and visual material. Producer Alan Douglas headed the corporation with assistance from former Knack drummer Bruce Gary.
Since Los Angles was not that far away, I would often visit them and
put in my opinion when it came to a release. Alan and I didn't always
agree. He always wanted to use photos that didn't correspond with a
certain release or would use an unfavorable mix. One of the fun
projects I did work on for them was answering fan mail. There would
always be an unusual letter from a teenager: "I heard that Jimi was
also in the 1968 Olympics, but had his medal taken away because of drug
use." It was nice to set the record straight -- that was Jimi Claude
Keely NOT Jimi Hendrix by the way.
Above photo: L-R Alan Douglas, Sharee, and Bruce Gary
The Jimi Hendrix Eletric Guitar Festival 1995
In 1995, I
helped organize a massive tribute concert and festival in cooperation
with Seattle's annual Bumbershoot event. I suggested musicians who
should appear on the bill, supplied them with Hendrix recordings so they had
a reference, and coached them on some technical aspects. The event was
also part of a celebration for Al Hendrix 's regaining the rights to his
son's music.Left: Mike McCready of Pearl Jam sets his guitar on fire.
The concert was amazing. We had the 101st Divison parachute over the stadium into the crowd as the concert began. Although we tried to stick to a schedule, performers like Mike McCready decided to perform Neal Schon's designated number: "So we put our little project together, which is kind of three-fourths of Mad Season in a way, that band. And we got together and just started, wanted to originally do “Voodoo Child.” And I was told by certain parties, that a famous seventies band called Journey, one of their guitar players said that he wanted to do that song. So I said, 'Okay, that’d be great, whatever.' You know. And it really wasn’t great, because I was bummed about that."
"So what we did is we did “Third Stone From the Stone,” but we did it right into “Voodoo Child,” because I really wanted to play that song, and it pissed off that subsequent party, which I was honestly very happy to do, because it was, I don’t know, he was wearing a lot of makeup and it was annoying me, in a way. So we did that, and it was really cool."
"And I figured, okay, we’re part of this tribute. I don’t know if this is me being completely pretentious but, you know, why not light the guitar on fire and smash the shit out of it. Because that’s really fun to do and, you know, that’s what he’s known for. So I figured, well, what the hell, Al Hendrixs is sitting there, I’m going to light this fucker on fire."
"And so we did, and we did the song, and towards the end we had a huge, you know, a little breakdown at the end, lit the fucker on fire, smashed it and threw it out in the audience. It was just kind of…I wanted to do it more low-key, if that makes sense, or just do something really quick and then get out of there. This is what Hendrix meant to me and so I’m going to do it this way."(left: McCready's broken and burnt guitar)
This "stunt" also upset Eric Burdon. Burdon was supposed to recite Jimi's final poem "The Story of Life" over the melody to "Third Stone From The Sun." Burdon: "Then a jam band slid into the "Third Stone From The Sun" riff, the tune I planned to recite Jimi's final words over. As if to prove to myself that it would have worked, I leaned over to Donovan and his wife and sang Jimi's parting words. Nobody heard me sing it except those two."
You can see more festival photos on the Gallery 1 page.
Experience Hendrix LLC
1996-1997
1996-1997
The following year I went to work for Experience Hendrix LLC. as editor of their fan magazine Experience Hendrix. What a treat, I thought, to work for the family of the world's greatest guitarist. Things moved rather slowly. My former subscribers were getting antsy that they hadn't received an issue of the new magazine. Also at that time it seemed the company wanted to commercialize Jimi and reach a new audience... golfers?! Yep, Jimi golf bags, golf balls, and tees. I had no idea these were the true fans. Then came Hendrix furniture... "put your butt on Jimi's face." Not me, mate. Above: Janie Hendrix demonstrates a new CD-ROM program - 1996.
Red flags were popping up all over. I finally left the left company when they put out Hendrix red
wine (1997). I guess they didn't realize this was the liquid that Jimi choked on. According to one report, when the body was discovered, his hair was matted with red wine. I had to ask, "why would you want to put this out?" My response was, "Well, it's not really wine. Most of the alcohol has been removed." I said my goodbyes. Ten years later, I see that there are two new Hendrix beverages out... Liquid Experience, an energy drink, and Electric Hendrix Vodka. Some things never change.
wine (1997). I guess they didn't realize this was the liquid that Jimi choked on. According to one report, when the body was discovered, his hair was matted with red wine. I had to ask, "why would you want to put this out?" My response was, "Well, it's not really wine. Most of the alcohol has been removed." I said my goodbyes. Ten years later, I see that there are two new Hendrix beverages out... Liquid Experience, an energy drink, and Electric Hendrix Vodka. Some things never change.Right: Jimi Hendrix red "un-wine" vintage 1997.
From 1997 through 2000, I organized my archives and conducted new interviews for what turned out to be my first book, Black Gold The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix.
(left: Eric Burdon now)I remember Jimi telling me about his idea for Black Gold... an autobiographical, multi-song fantasy piece he had been working on. Jimi intended it to accompany an animated feature about a black rock star - himself on the road... forty minutes of fresh new material that clearly demonstrated the direction Jimi was headed in. He talked excitedly about the cartoon character he'd envisoned for it. I know he did at least some work on the suite before he died.
Eric Burdon
View a sample cover of Straight Ahead
