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Vida y muerte de Jimi Hendrix
Viajando por entre la neblina púrpura del idealismo y la paranoia de los años sesenta, Jimi Hendrix fue el hombre que hizo que Eric Clapton se planteara dejarlo, ante quien Bob Dylan se plegó en su canción «All Along the Watchtower», quien obligó a Miles Davis a replantearse su estilo convencional, y cuyo «Star Spangled Banner» marcó Woodstock. Y cuando su estrella, que con tanta fuerza brilló, se extinguió tan prematuramente, su leyenda perduró en la música y el misterio que rodeó a su muerte. Rompiendo con el tradicional formato de las biografías del rock, "Vida y muerte de Jimi Hendrix" es una exploración oportunamente psicodélica y caleidoscópica de su vida y su muerte, y un viaje al oscuro corazón de los años sesenta. Mientras las groupies hacían cola, las drogas se volvían cada vez más duras y el sueño de los sesenta ardía en el fuego y la sangre de la guerra de Vietnam, el asesinato de Martin Luther King y la elección del presidente Richard Nixon. El aclamado escritor Mick Wall, autor de "Led Zeppelin: Cuando los gigantes caminaban sobre la tierra", ha recurrido a sus entrevistas y a una exhaustiva investigación para hacer el inimitable y novelesco relato de esta historia, el retrato definitivo del «Dios de la Guitarra» ante cuyo altar acuden a rezar otros reyes de la guitarra. La historia de Jimi Hendrix se ha contado ya muchas veces, pero nunca como esta.
376 pages, Paperback
Published October 29, 2020
38 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Mick Wall
69 books177 followersMick Wall is an author, journalist, film, television and radio writer-producer, who’s worked inside the music industry for over 35 years. He began his career contributing to the music weekly Sounds in 1977, where he wrote about punk and the new wave, and then rockabilly, funk, New Romantic pop and, eventually, hard rock and heavy metal. By 1983, Wall become one of the main journalists in the early days of Kerrang! magazine, where he was their star cover story writer for the next nine years. He subsequently became the founding editor of Classic Rock magazine in 1998, and presented his own television and radio shows.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
March 27, 2021
"Saobraćajna gužva" (Crosstown Traffic - naziv jedne Hendriksove pesme), tako bi se u dve reči mogla opisati ova knjiga. Čitajući poglavlje za poglavljem, nametala mi se misao da je njihov redosled određen žrebom, jer u tom redosledu nema nikakvog smisla. Ako se haosom hteo dočarati uticaj droga na Hendriksov život, onda se uspelo u tome. Problem je samo to što čitalac vrlo teško prati radnju, posebno ako nije detaljno upoznat sa Hendriksovom karijerom. Čak i oni koji je vrlo dobro poznaju, poput mene, ostaju zbunjeni ogromnim brojem likova koji se pojavljuju u knjizi. Mislim da likova ima više nego u "Ratu i miru". Nisam siguran da moramo imenom i prezimenom da znamo svaku grupi devojku koju je Džimi povalio. Ono što mi je bilo interesantno je Džimijev odnos sa Crnim panterima i sa Majls Dejvisom jer su mi te dve stvari bile manje poznate. Knjigu mogu da preporučim samo pravim Hendriksovim fanovima koji su već pročitali neku od njegovih brojnih biografija. Ostali neće ništa razumeti.
February 4, 2022
Jimi died way before I was born, Jimi made his Mark way before I was born, Jimi became immortal way before I was born & after I managed to enter this miserable world, Jimi became one of my gods. And this fucking book pissed me off to the ends of the universe.
I love Mick Wall. He never disappointed me and I picked this with the same expectation and enthusiasm. Worked? No way. I hated the writing, I hated how things were all over the place, I hated how events were scattered around the countryside without proper connection. And why would he change the style? That annoyed the hell out of me. Also, what about all those endless interviews and this and that and the chicks he banged? I wanted something more about Jimi. This man made a generation and this book doesn't have any reason to exist.
Wikipedia could tell me more, in a better way for that matter.
Book #12 of 2022.
Around The Year in 52 Books: A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list (A biography or biographical fiction)
I love Mick Wall. He never disappointed me and I picked this with the same expectation and enthusiasm. Worked? No way. I hated the writing, I hated how things were all over the place, I hated how events were scattered around the countryside without proper connection. And why would he change the style? That annoyed the hell out of me. Also, what about all those endless interviews and this and that and the chicks he banged? I wanted something more about Jimi. This man made a generation and this book doesn't have any reason to exist.
Wikipedia could tell me more, in a better way for that matter.
Book #12 of 2022.
Around The Year in 52 Books: A book that fits your favorite prompt that did not make the list (A biography or biographical fiction)
April 17, 2022
Sa ovom biografijom, gitarski genije Džimi Hendriks je ispao (ne)obična nadrogirana halucinogena hulja sa usiljeno izvikanim talentom svojih mafijaških menadžera... koji hiperseksualno skače na svaki švedski tip ribe... Ipak, za pohvalu je piščev istraživački rad na delu.
January 12, 2020
In presenting a non-linear retelling of the story of Jimi Hendrix with a near impenetrable freeform creative non-fiction aesthetic, Mick Wall predictably misses the mark by a long way. The narrative momentum is repeatedly derailed by the jarring shifts of time and place, and there is no sense in the the random interpolation of three chapters that are rambling interviews between the author and bit-players Kathy Etchingham, Robert Wyatt and Eddie Kramer. Wall’s subpar skills as an interviewer are exposed when he asks Kramer the exact same question twice, the feeble “Where would Jimi have gone next with his music had he lived?” The thumbnail sketch of manager Mike Jeffery told in episodes totalling thirty pages is barely readable, as are the sections on Jimi Hendrix’s upbringing and early years as a struggling musician.
It’s hard for a Hendrix biography not to be interesting but Mick Wall very nearly succeeds. If you are looking for a definitive bio, this isn’t it.
It’s hard for a Hendrix biography not to be interesting but Mick Wall very nearly succeeds. If you are looking for a definitive bio, this isn’t it.
February 22, 2022
In my opinion, this is the best-written story about Jimi Hendrix I've ever read!
Mick Wall did a fantastic job in approaching what was going on at that time using a language that is also well known for that period. Jive talking, slang, and far out man!
This book is highly recommended!
Mick Wall did a fantastic job in approaching what was going on at that time using a language that is also well known for that period. Jive talking, slang, and far out man!
This book is highly recommended!
February 23, 2022
I've read a few other music biogs by Mick Wall (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Doors) but have never been irritated so much by his flamboyant style before. Maybe he only adopted it because of the subject matter this time. Hendrix was certainly 1 of a kind & managed to achieve a lot in his 27 years. But I doubt I would have enjoyed his company, hoovering up whatever drug was available. It did get me thinking about how his life may have turned out if he hadn't burnt it to a crisp.
August 25, 2025
JIMI HENDRIX.
Jimi Hendrix pasó por una infancia muy triste, con una madre drogadicta y un padre borracho, claro, con una familia disfuncional, nada sería fácil.
Aprendió a tocar la guitarra vieja, pero esta no tenía todas sus cuerdas, lo cual él terminaba haciendo los sonidos de las demás, aquí me percate que Jimi realmente era un genio.
Fue creciendo y se fue adentrando en la música, estuvo en varios grupos, uno de ellos el dueño era un mafioso, por lo tanto, el pago de cada tocada jamás le dieron lo que le correspondía y muchas veces no le pagaban.
Pero entre tanta gente, conoce a la novia del manager de los The Rolling Stones, ella lo conecta con toda esta gente y así empieza a crecer en el ámbito de los contactos musicalmente hablando.
Jimi Hendrix no era ese chico que todo mundo ve en sus videos de conciertos, era todo lo contrario, tímido, casi no hablaba y cuando platicaba con las personas siempre miraba al suelo. Nos platican en esta biografía que cuando estabas con él, el ambiente se sentía diferente, como una vibra tranquila, mucha luz. Que con solo dos personas se podía sentir esta vibra era él y la otra era Björk.
Jimi era una persona que siempre estaba al pendiente de todo lo nuevo que salía, tanto tecnológicamente hasta musicalmente, por eso muchos piensan que si él siguiera vivo, fuera un magnate, que se hubiera codeado con Steve Jobs o tal vez estuviera en el mundo de la música en las películas.
Aunque parezca increíble Hendrix no estaba metido en el mundo de la política como muchos artistas de color lo hacían, a él ni siquiera le interesaba ese mundo, pues su mundo solo era componer y grabar, eso si nos cuentan que a este chico le encantaban las mujeres sin importarle si eran blancas o de color.
Este guitarrista era de Estados Unidos, por eso cuando se fue a Inglaterra y enamora a todo ese país con su guitarra, Paul McCartney, los The Beatles y la mayoría de los músicos londinenses estaban bastante sorprendidos.
No quise hablar de su muerte, pero sí de su vida, de cómo fue él, como persona y como músico. Que fue una tristeza que su brillo se apagara tan rápido.
FRASE DEL LIBRO: EL MUNDO COTIDIANO DE BARRO EN EL QUE VIVIMOS HOY EN DÍA, COMPARADO CON EL MUNDO ESPIRITUAL, ES COMO UN PARÁSITO COMPARADO CON EL OCÉANO. Y EL OCÉANO ES EL SER VIVO MÁS GRANDE QUE CONOCEMOS.
Jimi Hendrix pasó por una infancia muy triste, con una madre drogadicta y un padre borracho, claro, con una familia disfuncional, nada sería fácil.
Aprendió a tocar la guitarra vieja, pero esta no tenía todas sus cuerdas, lo cual él terminaba haciendo los sonidos de las demás, aquí me percate que Jimi realmente era un genio.
Fue creciendo y se fue adentrando en la música, estuvo en varios grupos, uno de ellos el dueño era un mafioso, por lo tanto, el pago de cada tocada jamás le dieron lo que le correspondía y muchas veces no le pagaban.
Pero entre tanta gente, conoce a la novia del manager de los The Rolling Stones, ella lo conecta con toda esta gente y así empieza a crecer en el ámbito de los contactos musicalmente hablando.
Jimi Hendrix no era ese chico que todo mundo ve en sus videos de conciertos, era todo lo contrario, tímido, casi no hablaba y cuando platicaba con las personas siempre miraba al suelo. Nos platican en esta biografía que cuando estabas con él, el ambiente se sentía diferente, como una vibra tranquila, mucha luz. Que con solo dos personas se podía sentir esta vibra era él y la otra era Björk.
Jimi era una persona que siempre estaba al pendiente de todo lo nuevo que salía, tanto tecnológicamente hasta musicalmente, por eso muchos piensan que si él siguiera vivo, fuera un magnate, que se hubiera codeado con Steve Jobs o tal vez estuviera en el mundo de la música en las películas.
Aunque parezca increíble Hendrix no estaba metido en el mundo de la política como muchos artistas de color lo hacían, a él ni siquiera le interesaba ese mundo, pues su mundo solo era componer y grabar, eso si nos cuentan que a este chico le encantaban las mujeres sin importarle si eran blancas o de color.
Este guitarrista era de Estados Unidos, por eso cuando se fue a Inglaterra y enamora a todo ese país con su guitarra, Paul McCartney, los The Beatles y la mayoría de los músicos londinenses estaban bastante sorprendidos.
No quise hablar de su muerte, pero sí de su vida, de cómo fue él, como persona y como músico. Que fue una tristeza que su brillo se apagara tan rápido.
FRASE DEL LIBRO: EL MUNDO COTIDIANO DE BARRO EN EL QUE VIVIMOS HOY EN DÍA, COMPARADO CON EL MUNDO ESPIRITUAL, ES COMO UN PARÁSITO COMPARADO CON EL OCÉANO. Y EL OCÉANO ES EL SER VIVO MÁS GRANDE QUE CONOCEMOS.
November 3, 2023
Long-overdue, tirelessly researched and meticulously haphazard to a degree Jimi would have been proud, like, yeah, I dig it man...
From a time when agents, managers, promoters, record companies et al considered it a badge of honour to fleece to the hilt every act they got their filthy hands on, this book illuminates the stark, black corners in which the real snakes of the business reside.
Jimi got a lot of what he wanted but along with that, a whole lottta trouble from a whole lotta people who wanted a piece, most notably among these, Mike Jeffreys his 'manager' who, it is.... hypothesised.. shall we say...had a great deal to do with the life and untimely death of Jimi Hendrix.
This book left me shocked and rather shattered. Poor Jimi, who, at heart was a purely artistic soul, never stood a chance, and the hapless Noel and Mitch too, playing along, hoping it would be alright, just like their managers, and agents, and promoters told them..... They may have died in relative poverty, but their one crumb of comfort is they escaped Jimi's fate. Bless you Jimi Hendrix. And bless you Mick Wall.
From a time when agents, managers, promoters, record companies et al considered it a badge of honour to fleece to the hilt every act they got their filthy hands on, this book illuminates the stark, black corners in which the real snakes of the business reside.
Jimi got a lot of what he wanted but along with that, a whole lottta trouble from a whole lotta people who wanted a piece, most notably among these, Mike Jeffreys his 'manager' who, it is.... hypothesised.. shall we say...had a great deal to do with the life and untimely death of Jimi Hendrix.
This book left me shocked and rather shattered. Poor Jimi, who, at heart was a purely artistic soul, never stood a chance, and the hapless Noel and Mitch too, playing along, hoping it would be alright, just like their managers, and agents, and promoters told them..... They may have died in relative poverty, but their one crumb of comfort is they escaped Jimi's fate. Bless you Jimi Hendrix. And bless you Mick Wall.
November 6, 2020
As an experienced guitarist living long fantastical days of dreaming of hitting it big, Jimi Hendrix was a real influence.
I find it very difficult to dislike anything on the subject of Hendrix but this book just kind of annoyed me. Mick Wall is always changing setting and time with every third sentence, and gives more often than not gives no context behind the small sub-stories that chip in at random times, and when he does, (don't get me wrong, he writes them well,) but they just fail to impress me.
It's a constant ping-pong game with the writing, one minute he's writing about Jimi in London, next he's talking about Jimi's parents, and next there is a random interview between some dinosaurs from the Middle Ages. Don't get me wrong, I love the book and stories, but there are some really out of context chapters, stories, interviews and sentences that confuse all hell out of me.
The book is jumbled and can be confusing, but for more experienced readers, (unlike myself) this could be a great book.
I find it very difficult to dislike anything on the subject of Hendrix but this book just kind of annoyed me. Mick Wall is always changing setting and time with every third sentence, and gives more often than not gives no context behind the small sub-stories that chip in at random times, and when he does, (don't get me wrong, he writes them well,) but they just fail to impress me.
It's a constant ping-pong game with the writing, one minute he's writing about Jimi in London, next he's talking about Jimi's parents, and next there is a random interview between some dinosaurs from the Middle Ages. Don't get me wrong, I love the book and stories, but there are some really out of context chapters, stories, interviews and sentences that confuse all hell out of me.
The book is jumbled and can be confusing, but for more experienced readers, (unlike myself) this could be a great book.
August 31, 2023
I made a HUGE mistake when I decided to read this book: I did so without reading a definitive biography of Hendrix beforehand. Because this piece most definitely isn't a biography; for starters, the chapters were not chronological and so we would jump back and forth between his childhood, and then the key events during his musical career. There were also some random interview chapters thrown in, and a fair amount of info about Jimi's scumbag manager. But there was some key information that was missing, such as what I was interested in learning from the very beginning: how he learned to play the guitar in the first place! I found out WHERE he got his first few guitars from, but how he became a legend is still a mystery to me.
However, if you are already familiar with Jimi's life story, and if you've ever suspected that there might be some foul play surrounding his death, then you might want to give this one a read. But only if you have nothing else to read.
However, if you are already familiar with Jimi's life story, and if you've ever suspected that there might be some foul play surrounding his death, then you might want to give this one a read. But only if you have nothing else to read.
May 3, 2023
I’m glad I had already bought this book before seeing the negative reviews as I may have not read it otherwise.
I liked the story telling format and it made a change from the usual biography style. It reminded at times of Coming Through Slaughter or Bird Lives. I certainly learned a lot about Hendrix and felt that I had experienced a first person perspective.
“You could feel the crackle and burn as opening track ‘Foxey Lady’ came quivering on a wave of distortion out of the mono speaker. Here in one hot blast was Jimi in his absolute youthful essence. Feedback, distortion, bent notes, dirty sex (the only good sex there is), tail-swishing funk corporeal, night-ravaged rock elemental, Jimi bearing down on his target like a snake with its tongue out, sizzling.”
Yes, better than a dry old encyclopaedia of facts and figures.
I liked the story telling format and it made a change from the usual biography style. It reminded at times of Coming Through Slaughter or Bird Lives. I certainly learned a lot about Hendrix and felt that I had experienced a first person perspective.
“You could feel the crackle and burn as opening track ‘Foxey Lady’ came quivering on a wave of distortion out of the mono speaker. Here in one hot blast was Jimi in his absolute youthful essence. Feedback, distortion, bent notes, dirty sex (the only good sex there is), tail-swishing funk corporeal, night-ravaged rock elemental, Jimi bearing down on his target like a snake with its tongue out, sizzling.”
Yes, better than a dry old encyclopaedia of facts and figures.
April 25, 2020
Jimi Hendrix is a legend. He is arguably the best guitarist the world has ever seen. I didn’t know much about Jimi’s life or death before this book so thought it with be worth a read.
I didn’t enjoy this book. For me, the structure was difficult to follow at the beginning and I found it hard to get into. The story’s perspective also changes by chapter and there are so many people introduced and then not spoken about for a while so it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.
If you know a lot about Jimi Hendrix and the rock scene around that time it will be much easier for you to follow. As a novice, I found it difficult.
I didn’t enjoy this book. For me, the structure was difficult to follow at the beginning and I found it hard to get into. The story’s perspective also changes by chapter and there are so many people introduced and then not spoken about for a while so it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.
If you know a lot about Jimi Hendrix and the rock scene around that time it will be much easier for you to follow. As a novice, I found it difficult.
February 10, 2024
4 stars, but only just.
I wasn’t a fan of the time jumping in the book, I definitely prefer biographies to be chronological.
I did like how the book painted a picture of Jimi’s life and world almost from the perspective of the people surrounding him at the various times.
But I just don’t feel as though I have learnt as much about Jimi himself as I’d like so I’ll definitely be looking to read another book about him.
Admittedly, the author of this book does give recommendations for other books at the back.
A quick whistle-stop book of Jimi’s life, if that’s what you’re after, this book is for you.
I wasn’t a fan of the time jumping in the book, I definitely prefer biographies to be chronological.
I did like how the book painted a picture of Jimi’s life and world almost from the perspective of the people surrounding him at the various times.
But I just don’t feel as though I have learnt as much about Jimi himself as I’d like so I’ll definitely be looking to read another book about him.
Admittedly, the author of this book does give recommendations for other books at the back.
A quick whistle-stop book of Jimi’s life, if that’s what you’re after, this book is for you.
September 16, 2021
To be honest, I expected much more from this biography -take a note, this was JIMI HENDRIX, THE GREATEST guitar player of all time and to be sure, TILL THE END of time! Instead of coherent biography, we got some messed collections of fiction and old interviews of some important persons in his life... From the beginning, I had a problem with catching up with the first years of Jimmi's life and I couldn't understand his heritage, etc. I don't want to spoil but the book was really disappointing to me.
September 25, 2022
An appalling failure at journalism, biography and literature.
The pretentious scrawling of someone who idolised Hunter S Thompson, and the whole gonzo genre and demonstrated how easy it is to pastiche, yet how difficult to replicate.
Just as Hemingway inspired a generation of imitators, all of whom failed to reach the master's heights - as indeed the master did after a few short years - Wall is no Thompson.
Sadly, Hendrix merits a proper biography which, even after all these years, is yet to appear.
The pretentious scrawling of someone who idolised Hunter S Thompson, and the whole gonzo genre and demonstrated how easy it is to pastiche, yet how difficult to replicate.
Just as Hemingway inspired a generation of imitators, all of whom failed to reach the master's heights - as indeed the master did after a few short years - Wall is no Thompson.
Sadly, Hendrix merits a proper biography which, even after all these years, is yet to appear.
October 21, 2022
Al contrario del resto de los comentarios negativos, me pareció un libro estupendo. El género narrativo lo convierte en una lectura atrapante y de rápida finalización. No es necesario ser muy dan de Hendrix para disfrutar de este libro, aunque obviamente, alguien que conoce la obra se sentirá agradecido.
July 18, 2023
No soy fan de Jimi Hendrix, no sabía nada de su vida antes de haber leído este libro, e igualmente lo he disfrutado. Queda claro la bestia musical drogada y sexual que era y que fue durante poco tiempo, porque tremendo live fast/die young de manual, aunque después de tantas putadas y tantos trapicheos no me extraña nada.
November 5, 2024
Could say it's another tragic story. Could say it's another beautiful expression of life.
The wind always howls. Death is but a trip. Remember it's what you leave behind, the lives you've touched, that truly counts for something. And everything else is absolute bullshit 😌 don't sweat the changes too much, do your best to keep feeling the music for the sake of it
The wind always howls. Death is but a trip. Remember it's what you leave behind, the lives you've touched, that truly counts for something. And everything else is absolute bullshit 😌 don't sweat the changes too much, do your best to keep feeling the music for the sake of it
November 21, 2021
At a sentence-by-sentence level, the writing is colorful and evocative. At a chapter level, it read jumbled and random. Jimi always and forever is content I’m here for, so it wasn’t unenjoyable, just a little chaotic.
March 15, 2022
I got halfway through the book (which I liked up until then as it makes you feel as if you're part of Hendrix's world) until I realised this book was written by a white man...
Wasn't a fan of the constant racial slurs especially as the book is written by a white dude.
Wasn't a fan of the constant racial slurs especially as the book is written by a white dude.
May 15, 2025
Well done Mick
Not quiet my favorite Mick Wall read, he has produced some great stuff over the years , but still interesting and still leaving you with plenty of questions still to be answere
Not quiet my favorite Mick Wall read, he has produced some great stuff over the years , but still interesting and still leaving you with plenty of questions still to be answere
November 16, 2020
I appreciate the non-linear structure. The showy prose wears thin a few chapters in. The interviews—largely devoid of such—are highlights.
June 10, 2021
Terrible. So hard to keep track of what is going on. The writing is all over the place. It's just bad.
February 4, 2024
No es la típica biografía monótona
November 15, 2024
Utter garbage.
December 22, 2024
Absolutely awful.
January 13, 2023
I had a bad feeling when the first chapter read like a childish Kerouac imitation…
Why would I want to read the thoughts which Mick Wall has projected onto Jimi Hendrix? Why are the sentences not fully formed? Is this a biography, or an incomprehensible notebook of a bizarre fiction-posing-as-stylish-non-fiction idea, where this guy Mick Wall gets to dictate the most intimate thoughts and convictions of Jimi and his family?
I didn’t want Hendrix to be novelised anyway. But certainly not like this:
‘Jimi the only black face, the only cat in the room really grooving on it’
‘But the only gals who seemed the right size for five-foot-six Al were the whiteys, and they only spelt danger for a black boy like him’
‘His showy American blackness going against him, he sensed it’
I don’t even know what to say.
This is offensive to literature and to Jimi’s legacy.
Why would I want to read the thoughts which Mick Wall has projected onto Jimi Hendrix? Why are the sentences not fully formed? Is this a biography, or an incomprehensible notebook of a bizarre fiction-posing-as-stylish-non-fiction idea, where this guy Mick Wall gets to dictate the most intimate thoughts and convictions of Jimi and his family?
I didn’t want Hendrix to be novelised anyway. But certainly not like this:
‘Jimi the only black face, the only cat in the room really grooving on it’
‘But the only gals who seemed the right size for five-foot-six Al were the whiteys, and they only spelt danger for a black boy like him’
‘His showy American blackness going against him, he sensed it’
I don’t even know what to say.
This is offensive to literature and to Jimi’s legacy.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews