Cryptic Writings …

I recently came across a rancorous article by Ted Nugent on wsj.com in which he talks about  the negative effects of the 60’s and 70’s hippie culture which spawned the great era of rock and  metal in music. Nugent’s narrow mindedness in this regard is surprising, considering the fact  that he himself is a product of that time. I am unable to post a link to that article, however in  essence he talks about the denigration of moral values brought about that culture – the wonder  years of rock n roll decadence. But what angered me was the repeated criticism of the great Jimi  Hendrix and his manner of death, by Nugent. The pschye of someone like Ted Nugent writing  this (and many more such similar articles) can be explained simply as a case of ’sour grapes’. He  can be, in fact is, a great exponent of rock n roll music from the 60’s era and is known as a guitar  virtuoso with a penchant for touring. He has toured extensively from his early days with the  Amboy Dukes and then solo later on. There is no doubt about his talent but the fact is that he is  known more for his political views and some stuff he said in the support of hunting in general.

Ted Nugent can however never be spoken of in the same breath as a certain James Marshall Hendrix (whom he constantly berates by talking about suffocating in his own vomit in this article). Both were stars rising at the same time during the 60’s, both were exponents of the guitar and both played the classic bluesy rock which preceded modern day heavy metal. The similarities end rather prematurely here. The heights attained by Hendrix in the four years (1967-1970) before his untimely death at the age of 27 has been unsurpassed and will remain for the next century or so. Jimi revolutionized the rock n roll industry (largely comprising of The Beatles, Rolling stones, The Who etc) with his unique brand of blues guitaring – aptly termed as ‘electric blues’. He was the first guitarist to dare start playing blues on his electric guitar and the arrival of his volcanic, bottomlessly sensual guitar playing was one of the seismic events of rock in that era. No one ever played the guitar like him. No one will ever play the guitar like him anymore.

Jimi Hendrix influenced a whole generation of musicians following him, and even more. He is still termed as the ‘God of the guitar’. His extraordinary prowess with the instrument is proven by the fact that even after more than three decades after his death, every top guitarist list made out still has him as the undisputed number one. His influence on the genre cannot be quantified, nor measured. There wouldn’t be metal without Hendrix. There would be no Black Sabbath and the awesome Iommi riffs. There would probably be no Judas Priest, Van Halen nor the modern day legends like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Music would still be as in the old jazz and blues bands – evoking little passion and excitement from the youth of today. This is the extent of Jimi’s contribution to music. If Jimi had to do drugs to attain this level of musical enlightenment, then we should be thankful he did all the drugs he needed. We should be thankful he was caught with cocaine in Montreal airport in 68, the LSD he would be on and the marijuana he would smoke regularly. Without these stimulants, his mind would have stagnated (like Nugent’s) and we would never ever heard of Purple Haze, Voodoo Chile or Electric Ladyland. Jimi needed these to survive the pressures of touring, recording and producing the high quality records he constantly churned out with diverse bands such as The Experience or the Band of Gypsys. Hendrix’s troubled childhood; his depraved, degenerate mother died when he was 15 while his harsh, remote father who failed to look back at him ever; was something he could never come to terms with. The young Jimi, enduring squalid homes and a chronically empty stomach, dreamed of outer space and strummed air guitar on a broom, leaving a trail of straws. This ‘emotional malnutrition’ as a child followed by his inadequacy to cope with fame as an adult lead to a constant feeling of longing and despair which would only be assuaged by the drug-induced ecstasies and hallucinations. His LSD fueled jam sessions are famous for his creative output where he almost single-handedly would compose music, write lyrics, come up with the bass lines and drum rolls all together. Not to mention the distinctive lead guitar solos he would compose on the spot. If drugs helped him attain this, then thank god the right drugs where available at the right time.

And where is Ted Nugent among these? Nowhere. To see a contemporary attain such heights of stardom has to rankle Nugent somewhere inside. He may be on the verge of performing his 6000^th clean show, but how many people are really cared? Just a bunch of now old grandmas who were probably groupies in Nugent’s era. The record sales and popularity attained by Hendrix with his 6 albums are far far more than what Nugent would be knocking up with the release of his 35^th studio album this summer. Nugent does not even come close. Hell, he’s not even in the picture. No two persons in the world are alike. I am not advocating the use of drugs by one and all to gain ‘freedom’ or ‘enlightenment’. However, those who take to drugs with a genuine reason should not be looked down upon as lowly, filth-infested scum of the earth whose sole purpose in life seems to be causing pain and suffering to himself. An addict does not cause pain on others. He leaves the ’sane’ people alone. Why can’t the others do the same to him?

This was what Jimi Hendrix and ‘The Summer of Drugs’ brought to the world. Nugent may see them as stoned, chemical-infested braindead liberal deniers, but the fact that some of these guys proved to be the inspiration behind a generation of people cannot be denied. And if it can be proved that Jimi was capable of inspiring at least one individual to take up the guitar and dedicate his life to music – then all the drugs andexcesses are justified. And going by the head count at any metal gig in town, the number is not a few but runs into millions. Its with what Ted Nugent has survived to sing in his 6000^th show. Its with what he’s sold all these records and made his money. And write that blasphemous article.

PS: This post is from my earlier blog – i thought i lost it, but it was still alive in Google’s cache.