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Jimi and Me: The Experience of a Lifetime
A young screenwriter is invited to collaborate with Jimi Hendrix on a film, resulting in the wildest eighteen months of his life and coinciding with the tumultuous final months of Hendrix’s life.
In 1969, a twenty-something screenwriter with one movie credit to his name is approached by Jimi’s management after the legendary guitarist saw the obscure indie film in London and had the idea to collaborate on a project of his own. Jonathan Stathakis had no idea how thrilling the next eighteen months would be, as he and Hendrix formed not just a working partnership but a unique friendship. Hendrix ushered Jonathan into his world, where plenty of sex and drugs surrounded the rock ’n’ roll. From Woodstock to Electric Ladyland, Jonathan leads readers inside one of the craziest trips ever taken in music history.
While writing their script, Jonathan and Hendrix talked about life and where their roads were leading. Hendrix the performer was a flamboyant unpredictable force of nature. But Hendrix the friend was a thoughtful, frustrated, dedicated artist who oftentimes just needed somebody to talk to. Sadly, Hendrix’s journey ended far too soon, and his last phone call to Jonathan—just two days before his death in London—almost seemed to foretell his fate.
With many never-before-told stories and never-before-seen photographs, Jimi Hendrix comes back to life as you’ve never experienced him before. Backstage, on stage, and everyplace in between, get ready to ride through the purple haze and experience one of the most creative and powerful cultural eras in history. It’s Almost Famous with a Hendrix twist.
In 1969, a twenty-something screenwriter with one movie credit to his name is approached by Jimi’s management after the legendary guitarist saw the obscure indie film in London and had the idea to collaborate on a project of his own. Jonathan Stathakis had no idea how thrilling the next eighteen months would be, as he and Hendrix formed not just a working partnership but a unique friendship. Hendrix ushered Jonathan into his world, where plenty of sex and drugs surrounded the rock ’n’ roll. From Woodstock to Electric Ladyland, Jonathan leads readers inside one of the craziest trips ever taken in music history.
While writing their script, Jonathan and Hendrix talked about life and where their roads were leading. Hendrix the performer was a flamboyant unpredictable force of nature. But Hendrix the friend was a thoughtful, frustrated, dedicated artist who oftentimes just needed somebody to talk to. Sadly, Hendrix’s journey ended far too soon, and his last phone call to Jonathan—just two days before his death in London—almost seemed to foretell his fate.
With many never-before-told stories and never-before-seen photographs, Jimi Hendrix comes back to life as you’ve never experienced him before. Backstage, on stage, and everyplace in between, get ready to ride through the purple haze and experience one of the most creative and powerful cultural eras in history. It’s Almost Famous with a Hendrix twist.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published December 5, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 5, 2023
cheduled for release in December 2023, Jimi and Me (review from an advance reader’s copy) is a book about the late great Jimi Hendrix, but not like the biography you might be expecting. It is a close intimate look from one point of view, that of, a photographer/movie producer with almost no experience who Hendrix, after seeing a movie by this man in an art house movie theater in London, decided he wanted to make a movie with. At the time, Hendrix’s star was rising fast and he was one of the biggest stars in the world. The movie, which never got made, was thought perhaps to be a silent or wordless movie with a soundtrack by Hendrix. Stathikis became one of Hendrix’s buddies for an 18-month period until Hendrix’s death. Though the movie they discussed was never completed, this book gives us a fairly interesting look at a short period in a rock star’s life and some insights into Hendrix’s experiences in dealing with his manager, with competing communities, and the event that was Woodstock. These are, truth be told, Stathakis’ experiences, particularly going up to Woodstock at Hendrix’s request, dealing with the turmoil there and the amazing music and getting backstage in all the mayhem. While we do not get much examination of Hendrix’ musicianship and how it developed other than that he initially strung his guitar based on using a magnifying glass on an album cover and strung it upside down and played it backwards. Nevertheless, this short-period portrait of Hendrix tells us a bit about the person which we would not otherwise hear. It is well-written, captivating, and easy-to-read. It felt like a special privilege to walk through Stathakis’ shoes during this brief exciting period in his life.
August 29, 2024
I thought, at first, that this book would be somewhat biographical, but it is not. While it does discuss, in great detail, a lot of the life of Jimi Hendrix, it is more of a memoir of the author's involvement with the legendary guitar player.
Assuming it is all legit, I learned an awful lot about Jimi, his life, and his personality. The reason I say "assuming it is all legit" is because I have to question the reliability of memories of conversations that took place in 1969. The author writes about these conversations as though they took place last week. Heck, I can't ever remember conversations from two weeks ago, and I most certainly don't remember conversations from 1969.
Of course, I never talked to Jimi Hendrix, either. Perhaps if I had, I might remember those conversations.
All that being said, this book is remarkable. The author received a call out of the blue, saying that someone wanted to meet with him. He was never told who it was, but was directed to come to a certain location. When he finally arrived in the room, there was Jimi Hendrix, noodling away on an acoustic guitar.
Jimi wanted to work on a movie with Stathakis. The rest of the book recounts experiences that the author had with Hendrix over the course of the next year and a half. Sadly, the movie never happened. But a lot of other stuff did.
Hendrix is shown to be a very soft-spoken, at times shy, person, who always seemed to be pleasant and, for the most part, happy and chill. He experienced a lot of frustration with Michael Jeffery, his manager, who, according to this author, was all about the money. There were a lot of bad feelings in that relationship, but the times being what they were, artists often got fleeced by their managers.
For me, the best part of the book was the part about Woodstock, what is was supposed to be, and what it wound up being. Hendrix took the stage as the last act at this monstrosity of a festival, and many people had already gone home. It was way into the wee hours of Monday morning, and the festival was supposed to have been over hours before that. Nevertheless, that set, highlighted by Hendrix's jarring rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, is legendary. Woodstock, itself, changed the musical climate of America, if not the world, forever, and Hendrix had a big part in that.
Stathakis also writes about many other people who were associated with Jimi (and himself) during that time. These accounts are almost equally fascinating. But fittingly, the book closes out with a soul-stirring account of Jimi's death in September of 1970. What I never knew was that the death was entirely accidental. Jimi was never a user of hard drugs, having only smoked weed and hash. There was an occasional acid trip, one of those purported to have been secretly dosed on him by his manger, Jeffery.
But the circumstances around his death are shrouded in mystery and will never be known for certain. He was with a lady named Monika Dannemann, a twenty-five year old German figure skater, who was, by all accounts obsessive and somewhat psychotic. She had invented tales of their relationship, saying that they were going to get married, when they had actually only known each other for a few days. The night he died, she allegedly gave him nine heavy-duty barbiturate pills (Vesparax?), that were prescribed to her for some reason. He likely thought they were just sleeping pills.
But the thing is, Monika's story has changed every time she related it to whoever was asking. When she found him unresponsive mid-morning on September 18, instead of calling an ambulance, she called Alvenia Bridges, who was staying with Eric Burdon that night. They finally convinced her to call an ambulance. No one knows if he was already dead or if that delay contributed to his death. In truth, no one but Monika knew the truth, and that truth died when she committed suicide in 1996.
This is an eye-opening account of a life cut short by tragedy. There are so many "what-ifs" in this tale. For example, Hendrix really wanted to collaborate with Miles Davis and make music that wasn't rock and roll. Unfortunately, Michael Jeffery kept thwarting those efforts.
Jonathan Stathakis's claims seem to be legit. He has a lot of successes to his name. I tried to find some information about him, even to see how old he is, but I can find virtually nothing about him, outside of some movie credits on IMDB. But this book is well worth reading and really shines, at least for me, a new light on the person of Jimi Hendrix.
There are a few edit mistakes/typos that I noticed. The most glaring is a chapter title, "Fillmore East, New Year's Eve 1970." That's impossible, and even in the chapter, the date is listed as 1969. Hendrix died in September of 1970, there's no way he played a New Year's Eve show in 1970. It may have been 1970 by the time it was finished, but that would have been New Year's Day, wouldn't it?
I recommend this book for fans of Hendrix's music, as well as music fans of the sixties and seventies.
Assuming it is all legit, I learned an awful lot about Jimi, his life, and his personality. The reason I say "assuming it is all legit" is because I have to question the reliability of memories of conversations that took place in 1969. The author writes about these conversations as though they took place last week. Heck, I can't ever remember conversations from two weeks ago, and I most certainly don't remember conversations from 1969.
Of course, I never talked to Jimi Hendrix, either. Perhaps if I had, I might remember those conversations.
All that being said, this book is remarkable. The author received a call out of the blue, saying that someone wanted to meet with him. He was never told who it was, but was directed to come to a certain location. When he finally arrived in the room, there was Jimi Hendrix, noodling away on an acoustic guitar.
Jimi wanted to work on a movie with Stathakis. The rest of the book recounts experiences that the author had with Hendrix over the course of the next year and a half. Sadly, the movie never happened. But a lot of other stuff did.
Hendrix is shown to be a very soft-spoken, at times shy, person, who always seemed to be pleasant and, for the most part, happy and chill. He experienced a lot of frustration with Michael Jeffery, his manager, who, according to this author, was all about the money. There were a lot of bad feelings in that relationship, but the times being what they were, artists often got fleeced by their managers.
For me, the best part of the book was the part about Woodstock, what is was supposed to be, and what it wound up being. Hendrix took the stage as the last act at this monstrosity of a festival, and many people had already gone home. It was way into the wee hours of Monday morning, and the festival was supposed to have been over hours before that. Nevertheless, that set, highlighted by Hendrix's jarring rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, is legendary. Woodstock, itself, changed the musical climate of America, if not the world, forever, and Hendrix had a big part in that.
Stathakis also writes about many other people who were associated with Jimi (and himself) during that time. These accounts are almost equally fascinating. But fittingly, the book closes out with a soul-stirring account of Jimi's death in September of 1970. What I never knew was that the death was entirely accidental. Jimi was never a user of hard drugs, having only smoked weed and hash. There was an occasional acid trip, one of those purported to have been secretly dosed on him by his manger, Jeffery.
But the circumstances around his death are shrouded in mystery and will never be known for certain. He was with a lady named Monika Dannemann, a twenty-five year old German figure skater, who was, by all accounts obsessive and somewhat psychotic. She had invented tales of their relationship, saying that they were going to get married, when they had actually only known each other for a few days. The night he died, she allegedly gave him nine heavy-duty barbiturate pills (Vesparax?), that were prescribed to her for some reason. He likely thought they were just sleeping pills.
But the thing is, Monika's story has changed every time she related it to whoever was asking. When she found him unresponsive mid-morning on September 18, instead of calling an ambulance, she called Alvenia Bridges, who was staying with Eric Burdon that night. They finally convinced her to call an ambulance. No one knows if he was already dead or if that delay contributed to his death. In truth, no one but Monika knew the truth, and that truth died when she committed suicide in 1996.
This is an eye-opening account of a life cut short by tragedy. There are so many "what-ifs" in this tale. For example, Hendrix really wanted to collaborate with Miles Davis and make music that wasn't rock and roll. Unfortunately, Michael Jeffery kept thwarting those efforts.
Jonathan Stathakis's claims seem to be legit. He has a lot of successes to his name. I tried to find some information about him, even to see how old he is, but I can find virtually nothing about him, outside of some movie credits on IMDB. But this book is well worth reading and really shines, at least for me, a new light on the person of Jimi Hendrix.
There are a few edit mistakes/typos that I noticed. The most glaring is a chapter title, "Fillmore East, New Year's Eve 1970." That's impossible, and even in the chapter, the date is listed as 1969. Hendrix died in September of 1970, there's no way he played a New Year's Eve show in 1970. It may have been 1970 by the time it was finished, but that would have been New Year's Day, wouldn't it?
I recommend this book for fans of Hendrix's music, as well as music fans of the sixties and seventies.
January 6, 2024
Jimi Hendrix is more than the greatest guitarist that ever lived. And to call him an innovator is a near miss when it comes to his musical contributions. He didn't just push the boundaries of composition, songwriting, and multi-track recording. He literally changed the way people play the guitar.
When Pete Townshend first saw him perform, he left the club resigned to focusing on songwriting rather than musicianship (even though Pete is a great guitarist). When Clapton first heard him play, he thought he was "out of a job." Jimi worshiped Cream and jammed with them immediately upon his arrival in London, September 1966.
However, Hendrix goes infinitely deeper than his talent, and that's where Jonathan enters the picture. Hendrix was a son, a brother, a member of the legendary 101st Airborne, and a damned good friend.
In summary, James Marshall Hendrix was a human being. Jonathan saw this side of Jimi firsthand. And that's why this book is a treasure and an asset to Hendrix fans and scholars alike.
With each turn of the page, we learn more about a man we already thought we knew everything about.
And Stathakis's relationship with Hendrix was quite extraordinary, from the manner in which they met to how they interacted. I'm a rock journalist and Hendrix scholar, and I walked away all the more knowledgeable. Indeed, I feel like I knew Jimi as well. I feel like I knew Jonathan in 1969.
In short, this is a must-read if you're a Hendrix fan, a rock fan, or just someone who loves a fantastic story.
Get it, enjoy it, and learn from it.
When Pete Townshend first saw him perform, he left the club resigned to focusing on songwriting rather than musicianship (even though Pete is a great guitarist). When Clapton first heard him play, he thought he was "out of a job." Jimi worshiped Cream and jammed with them immediately upon his arrival in London, September 1966.
However, Hendrix goes infinitely deeper than his talent, and that's where Jonathan enters the picture. Hendrix was a son, a brother, a member of the legendary 101st Airborne, and a damned good friend.
In summary, James Marshall Hendrix was a human being. Jonathan saw this side of Jimi firsthand. And that's why this book is a treasure and an asset to Hendrix fans and scholars alike.
With each turn of the page, we learn more about a man we already thought we knew everything about.
And Stathakis's relationship with Hendrix was quite extraordinary, from the manner in which they met to how they interacted. I'm a rock journalist and Hendrix scholar, and I walked away all the more knowledgeable. Indeed, I feel like I knew Jimi as well. I feel like I knew Jonathan in 1969.
In short, this is a must-read if you're a Hendrix fan, a rock fan, or just someone who loves a fantastic story.
Get it, enjoy it, and learn from it.
December 31, 2023
This is a unique book which gives us more glimpses into Jimi Hendrix's short but impactful life and legacy. The author is a photographer and filmmaker who first met with Jimi to discuss collaborating on a film. The author ends up getting to know Jimi as well as others in his inner circle (those who had good intentions and those who did not). At first, I was put off by the recreation of conversations he had with Jimi and others because unless he recorded them, there is no way he would have recalled these in such detail. But I did not let that get in the way of my enjoyment of the book. Overall, I felt like the author (and his collaborator writer) did a great job putting us into the situations (for example, Woodstock and Electric Lady Studio's grand opening) that I felt I was there with them because the writing was very descriptive. The author has great memories of Jimi and his love and friendship shine through.
Thank you to Netgalley and Post Hill Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
Thank you to Netgalley and Post Hill Press for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.
January 7, 2024
This attention-grabbing novel is a refreshingly easy read and is a captivating & delightfully refreshing account of a well-known but contrastingly diffident rock legend & the man tasked with, but, likely more importantly, hand-picked to lead, envision, coordinate, organize, facilitate, & engineer the former’s dream of creating a western movie equipped with emotion-conveying music created by the musician which would replace the movie’s dialogue and the completely unexpected chain of events that lead the maestro to befriend the author and, in the process, perhaps, allowing the author to become a close confidant of the musical virtuoso.
The novel’s flow from word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page, and chapter to chapter is seamless all while simultaneously enticing the reader to continue further on a journey together towards the revelation of the life and character of a rock legend and one likely previously unseen and unknown to the reader.
A very enjoyable read, indeed, and well worth exploring and delving into further.
The novel’s flow from word to word, sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, page to page, and chapter to chapter is seamless all while simultaneously enticing the reader to continue further on a journey together towards the revelation of the life and character of a rock legend and one likely previously unseen and unknown to the reader.
A very enjoyable read, indeed, and well worth exploring and delving into further.
December 19, 2023
A surprisingly interesting book with many descriptions by the author of his meetings and conversations with Jimi Hendrix and of course Michael Jeffreys, the notorious manager. There are some mistakes here and there, but after five decades that is forgiven. This is highly recommended for every Jimi Hendrix fan. Recommended.It's just a shame, therefore one star less, that there are no photos in the kindle edition.
April 15, 2024
Besides having a few too many typos (did no one proofread or edit this?) this was really fun to read. The author’s connection to Hendrix starts with a meeting about a possible film project that you pretty much know will never get made, so without him admitting it, he was really more of a Hendrix hanger-on than a business associate. But there are great stories here, from Hendrix’s trouble with his manager to Woodstock to pressure from the Black Panthers and more.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews