“He took the living influence of Bob Dylan, and he turned that into a dragon in his hands”: Vernon Reid on why Jimi Hendrix is unsurpassed as a guitar hero
Living Colour’s Vernon Reid has revealed his ultimate guitar hero – and, unsurprisingly, it’s Jimi Hendrix.
In a new interview with Classic Rock, Reid asserts that nobody can surpass the genius of Hendrix. “There are many other heroic guitarists before him, but he went against all the odds and expectations,” he explains. “He took the living influence of Bob Dylan, and he turned that into a dragon in his hands.”
READ MORE: “Did you guys make a mistake?”: MGK admits he’s baffled as to why Bob Dylan is a fan of his
Reid picks out Hendrix’s red-hot performance in 1967 at Monterey Festival as his case in point. The show saw him dousing a 1965 Fender Stratocaster in lighter fuel, with the blaze leading to Hendrix burning both his hands and being sent to hospital following the performance.
“When he burnt his guitar at Monterey, it was a crypto critique of capitalism,” Reid reflects. “What a guitar meant for everyone, he changed it. And he did it with incredible songs.”
It’s not the first time Reid has voiced his respect for Hendrix. Last November, Reid picked out Manic Depression from Hendrix and The Experience’s 1967 debut, Are You Experienced, as one example of Hendrix’s “incredible” catalogue.
“Manic Depression doesn’t get nearly enough respect for what a groundbreaking song it STILL is,” he wrote on X. “It describes struggles with mental illness directly, not via metaphor. It was unprecedented in rock history. It laid a roadmap for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon to expand upon.”
He followed the post up with another shout out to another Are You Experienced cut, The Wind Cries Mary. “[It is one of] the greatest meditations on the nature of grief and loss ever written,” he reflected.
Reid’s upcoming record, Hoodoo Telemetry, is set to drop next month. The record promises to be an “eclectic” journey through his palette, with funk-infused The Haunting and the floating, gentle soulful touch of Beautiful Bastard serving as our first taste of what is yet to come.
Hoodoo Telemetry is due to drop on 3 October.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
