RE: Monterey Festival

[Mike Westbrook <mwest@atc-1s.HAC.COM>]

}
}>I heard a rumor once that Pete was
}>determined to make their finale at Monterey a memorable one
}>especially because Jimmi Hendrix was playing Monterey as well
}>and he was determined that the Who were not going to be up-
}>staged by Hendrix with his flaming guitar.  Can anyone confirm
}>this?
}>
}
}Kreg:
}
}You're very close to the truth, but not quite. Hendrix played after The Who
}(with The Grateful Dead between), so it was HE who was determined to not be
}upstaged. But actually, Pete and Jimi had a backstage argument about who
}would play first/last. Pete lost, and they went on first. He had every right
}to be upset, considering how much Hendrix stole from The Who. During the
}show, someone asked Townshend what he thought about Hendrix stealing his
}act. Pete replied: "Stealing our act? He's DOING our act!"

A great quote, and one of the great rock stories.  Mark's comments about "who"
would play first or last are "dead" on, especially about the point that the
*loser* had to go on first.  In fact, one of the reasons that these two
performances were just so damned *rockin'* was that the Who went out and made
a "then top this, buddy!" kind of statement, and Hendrix sort of, um, did.
Sure wish I'd have been there...  One of those things where you want to get
out the old time machine, then lean over to your neighbour and say, "Watch
this, it's going to be great."


}And so the Hendrix fans here don't get upset, Jimi was an excellent
}guitarist (better than Pete)

Well, the best ever would *have* to be better than Pete, no?  ;-)


}                             but obviously took his method of controlled
}feedback (not to mention the drumming) from The Who.

But Mark and I have a[nother] little difference of opinion here.  Regarding
feedback, in one of Pete's interviews (Rolling Stone, I think, but he did say
it, you can trust me, honest), he talked about how he and Dave Davies (Kinks)
used to have "screaming matches" about which of them had invented feedback.
All in good fun, is my impression, but Pete went on to say that Jeff Beck's
claims in that regard were pathetic.  (He actually said [this I do remember],
"The man's pathetic."  One of Beck's more irritating qualities was his ego
and his claims to be the first to do anything interesting in the rock guitar
sphere.)

So I'd say that use of controlled feedback was something that more than one
creative guitarist did, or could have, figured out on their own, without
having gone to this or that concert and thinking, "Hey, I can copy that!"
It was probably somewhat of a mutual, evolutionary process, anyway, like lots
of neat rock guitar style stuff.  But then, I don't tend to use words like
"obviously" much, so maybe I'm just nit-picking, eh, Mark?!  :-)

And regarding the drumming, without direct confirmation from Mitch Mitchell
(who would have been the one who "took the method", not Jimi), I wouldn't
say that Mitch modelled his drumming style after Keith's, certainly not when
you consider that there were some famous "wild man" drummers (in the jazz
world, at least) before Keith.  (I mean, didn't Moonie have influences too?)


}                                                     Pete did admire him,
}which made the situation that much more upsetting to him.
}You might want to check out the movie Jimi Hendrix, which apart from being
}an great movie on its own, opens with an interview with PT (and has others).

Yep, a great movie, a must-see for rock fans.


}
}For those who might be interested in the Monterey tracks:
}Substitute/Summertime Blues/Pictures Of Lily (the only released live
}version)/A Quick One While He's Away/Happy Jack/My Generation
}I have the Rhino set, and can confirm its excellence.
}
}       Cheers                              ML
}

> Mike <