A Film About Jimi Hendrix - DVD Review

Forget today's axe-botherers - Jimi Hendrix really kicked ass. And this rockumentary not only brings home his genius, but transports you right back to the late-'60s through interviews with his dad, superfly friends (Foxy Brown lookalikies) and hirsute hellraisers like Little Richard, Eric Clapton and Pete Townshend, the latter admitting him and Clapton became friends thanks to a shared fear that Jimi'd make them both obsolete.

All this is interspersed with some of the most flamboyant rock performances ever - from the burning Strat and tooth-picked solos to 'The Star Spangled Banner' at Woodstock. Hendrix himself - seen mostly in a 1969 interview - comes across as sweetly insecure, but deeply in love with music. And what you don't learn from the main feature is filled in by an hour of off-cuts. The revelation that Hendrix once had performing seals as a support act is a particular Tap-esque gem.