Where would they be now?

[peacock1987]

Hi guys, just thought this one up. If Hendrix had not of died, what could we of expected from him and where would he be now?? Still making music??? Still have same legendary status?? Another example, Randy Rhodes??? Cliff Burton???? Kurt Cobain?? So what do you think? Feel free to throw up your own examples and try to ascertain how their musical influence and career may have gone.

[Guitar_Slinger]

I did a Hendrix workshop a few years ago taught by Phil Hilborne. IIRC he said Hendrix's popularity was dropping off around the time of his death and you could buy his music in the bargain bin at record shops. Maybe this was because he was a bit messed up by drugs and people may have growm bored by his stage tricks and wild man image.

Difficult one to call, but I think that if he lived, he'd be another Peter Green.

[BlindLemonAde]

I reckon this is the Paul McCartney / John Lennon syndrome :

Lennon's still cool, 'coz he's dead, and anyone can project whatever they want onto his image.

Paul McCartney's not cool, 'coz he's an old giffer who keeps making a tit of himself.

Every living legend is destined to turn into Macca at some stage...





(The Small Print: I have enormous respect for both of the above as musicians and songwriters, and anyone is entitled to live their life as they see fit.)

[fretmeister]

Originally Posted by peacock1987

Hi guys, just thought this one up. If Hendrix had not of died, what could we of expected from him and where would he be now?? Still making music??? Still have same legendary status?? Another example, Randy Rhodes??? Cliff Burton???? Kurt Cobain?? So what do you think? Feel free to throw up your own examples and try to ascertain how their musical influence and career may have gone.

Hendrix - selling vibrators made from the cast of his tackle.

Randy Rhodes - in the bargin bin next to Malmsteen and Joe Stump and the discount vouchers for pukka pies

Cliff Burton - still going (easier for a 'less-visible' artist like a bass player) but The Black Album would only sell 3 copies because of the 14 bass harmony solo in the middle of Enter Sandman. Despite that the album would be a lot better, and St Anger would never have happened.

Kurt Cobain - probably would be in prison for finally shooting Courtney Love, allowing the Foo Fighters to start, albeit a bit later than expected.

[Whammyman]

I think Hendrix, pissed off with playing his "hits" and being restricted musically by what was expected of him, would of disapeard into the studio for a few years. He was a true innovator, loved to experiment and probably would of gone on to do even better stuff and maybe even might of moved away from the guitar.

[evilmags]

Hendrix - Playing Jazz. He was due to make a fusion record with Miles Davis before his death. He would also be sponsored by Ibanez and Floyd Rose. .

Randy Rhodes - Playing classical guitar and teaching

Cliff Burton - Still in Mettalica

Kurt Cobain - Not with Courtney. Advertising Prozac...

[MattANJH]

In terms of Hendrix, I think he'd have probably given up. I've been told before now that he said in an interview before he died that he was doing the exact same thing as when he first started out, so logically if that continued his popularity would diminish alot.

Randy Rhoads, well, if he were still here I wouldn't be. He died very nearly an exact 9 months before I was born. I'm a classical guitarist who plays rock and metal. Co-incidence??

[Guitar_Slinger]

Why couldn't Jim Davidson have pegged it after winning New Faces in 1975, leaving us Chalky in Hello der mon! as his legacy.

We would also have been spared the shite that was Up The Elephant and Round The Castle, Big Break and the dead horse that was Generation Game. Although fair play to him for reverting to his heyday in Series 3 of Hell's Kitchen, where he was ejected for homophobic comments.

Tosser.

[thereformant]

They'd all be playing in the same band, fronted by Elvis who obviously isnt dead either.

[boogie man]

Charles Shaar Murray did the "What If Hendrix Hadn't Died?" conjecture thing in an article for Guitarist a fair while back. He seemed to think Jimi would have gone down the jazz route too...as one of Hendrix's biographers I guess he'd think he knows more than most. He also thought Hendrix would be playing a Parker, as he was always embracing new and alternate musical trends.

Personally I think Jimi would have explored many musical paths, a la Miles Davis. He just loved music, ful stop, and didn't want to be limited by boundaries. I could see him exploring soul, r'n'b, jazz, fusion, world music, rootsy blues,electronica, all sorts.

Hendrix hated the wild man image by late '69 and had retreated into Electric Ladyland to get away from all that....most of the shows he was doing before he died were to fulfill contracts and/or pay off the enormous debts he'd incurred in the building of Electric Ladyland.