Henry Rollins Pays Tribute to Jimi Hendrix on Saturday’s Show

KCRW DJ Henry Rollins is dedicating this week’s show to Jimi Hendrix, 40 years from the day he passed away. He writes in from the airport in Ulaan Bataar, Mongolia. Hear the show live on Saturday, September 18 from 6 to 8pm. It will be up later in the archives here.

“Sadly, it was on this day, forty years ago, that Jimi Hendrix passed away. We thought it would be the right and Fanatic thing to do by spending the entire show hanging out in the glow of Jimi’s great work, if even just a small fraction of it. If it’s all great, then even a small portion is completely worthwhile.

You Fanatics don’t need me to tell you that there’s really no way to do justice to the mighty Hendrix catalog in a mere two hours. So, what we are going to try and do is have a good time and listen to some good jams. You will notice, we are utilizing the mono versions where possible.

The show jumps around a little chronologically. To be honest, I really didn’t want to be tethered to that, I just wanted to put together two hours of goodness.

Many of you, I am sure, find listening to Jimi Hendrix as frustrating as you do you uplifting. As with the great John Coltrane, they both passed away at very young ages, Hendrix younger than Coltrane but all the same, we will never know what could have been. Thankfully, Jimi Hendrix was one hard working genius and was a good way into finishing what was going to be his next album, so we get songs like Freedom, Astro Man and In From The Storm. What we don’t get is the result of a possible meeting of Hendrix and Miles Davis in the studio and what that could have been. Also, it was obvious that Hendrix was moving on and the next five years of his output would have been no doubt, quite something. But, the facts are the facts and we have what we have.

Thankfully, the Hendrix estate has seen fit to release morsels to us now and then. You Fanatics who are familiar with the universe of Hendrix bootleg recordings, know that there is a lot more to hear. Little by little, Fanatics, we will get further down the road with Mr. Hendrix.

For now, dig the jams, pursue this music, listen, listen again and again. It’s worth it. Like many of you Fanatics, Hendrix put the hook in my ear early and immediately. I have been listening to the man since I was about eight and I’m just getting warmed up. Speaking of getting warmed up, I think that any of you who are reading these notes and know what’s in store, should start listening to Jimi earlier in the day and make it an all day and into the evening thang. Whatever you do, listen loud and STAY FANATIC!!!

—Henry Rollins

Track List

01. Radio One / BBC Sessions

02. Purple Haze / Hendrix Live In Paris

03. The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam’s Dice / South Saturn Delta

04. In From The Storm / Voodoo Soup

05. Love Or Confusion (mono) / Are You Experienced?

06. Freedom / First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

07. Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? / BBC Sessions

08. Hey Baby / First Rays Of The New Rising Sun

09. Third Stone From The Sun / Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set

10. I Don’t Live Today (live) / Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set

11. Red House (live) / Jimi Hendrix Experience Box Set

12. May This Be Love (mono) / Are You Experienced?

13. Spanish Castle Magic (mono) / Axis

14. Manic Depression / BBC Sessions

15. Remember (mono) / Are You Experienced?

16. 1983…(A Merman I Should Turn To Be) / The Jimi Hendrix Story

17. Peter Gunn Catastrophe / War Heroes

18. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Live At Woodstock