Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36612 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-05-14
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Customer Reviews

Nice to see these interviews are finally released!
For decades I've read and heard about Hendrix' appearance on the long cancelled Dick Cavett Show. I vaguely remember the show when I was a child, and used to watch it in the early '70s. Later in life, when I rabidly embraced Jimi's guitar wizardry and began obsessively collecting anything and everything I could, I longed for this footage. I bumped into this DVD release in an FYE about a year ago and immediately snapped it up.

What impressed me first was the nostalgic value of the shows. They don't just give you Hendrix' appearances, they give you the entire show, minus the presence of other guests. I mean, the opening, Cavett's monolog, the interview and/or performance, and the show's close. It gives you a real feel for the times. For those that lived through that era and remember the show, it's a real flashback!

Also, the quality of the footage is spectacular! It's almost as though you're watching it aired live for the first time.

For any Hendrix fanatic, this is a must have. For the person who's curious about the man, you will catch a glimpse of the real Jimi, but only under the context of lights and cameras. Jimi was a shy man when interviewed for live broadcast. Get him on stage and it's a whole different story.

I would not suggest this disk for his performance, if you're new to Jimi or just a casual fan. Jimi appears with the show's big band, but only with a small amp and guitar, no pedals. He satisfies his spot on the show but doesn't perform anything that outstanding.

It's well put-together and an interesting watch. I would have loved to see bundled with this release his appearance on the Tonight Show, where he also played with the big band. Perhaps that'll be released separately at a later date.

Very surprising
Think all rock stars are full of themselves, media slick and savvy, arrogant, self-promoting, know-it-alls? Think again. Jimi Hendrix comes across in these interviews as a humble and gentle man, a surprisingly sweet person in the rough and tumble, hedonistic world of rock music. I was expecting the stereotypical, obnoxious rock star. Hendrix has the softspoken, peaceful demeanor of an earnest divinity student or shy artist. He is non-materialistic and quietly laments that there is way too much money in the music world. When Cavett tells Hendrix that he is one of the greatest guitarists in the world, Hendrix appears embarassed and sincerely qualifies that statement and seems to mean it. The great Jimi Hendrix exemplifying the virtues of modesty and humility? It is so unexpected. Would that today's rap thugs, pop tart bimbos, and spoilt rock acts learned a few things from him. He admits to making mistakes when he plays guitar. He is visibly exhausted in one interview and does his gentlemanly best to be gracious while anyone else would have cancelled the interview or been impatient. Where did all of that guitar genius come from? How could such a gentle and sensitive man be such a powerhouse of rock music? To listen to his music, one would expect someone very different. When Hendrix picks up his guitar and plays unaccompanied with a small amp on Cavett's show, he becomes a man transfixed. Clearly, playing guitar and singing was this man's spiritual and emotional outlet. Very interesting dvd.

Good for what it is....
First let me say I love Hendrix and I really did enjoy what's here....

BUT...

There's really not much content to this disc....it's basically his two cavett appearances, which aren't his two best live performances by a long shot and a "documentary" of which 80% is those two same appearances....

Let's be honest this disc might really be for hardcore Hendrix junkies only....I am one so I liked it, and I always love listening to him talk....but I think most folks would feel there's far too little actual content...

Why not put ALL of Hendrix's television appearances on a DVD ? I'm sure they'd all fit on one....let's hope Experience Hendrix does better then this in the future...Hendrix at Monterey, Hendrix at Berkley, Royal Albert Hall, the remastered Isle of Wight, the rest of Hendrix on TV...where is it?

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