Even Hendrix plays Guitar Hero

Sadly, we'll never know if Jimi Hendrix would have been any good at Guitar Hero, but thanks to Activision, the game's developers, we now have a reasonable idea of what he'd have looked like wielding its dedicated controller.

To celebrate the fact that there will be two Guitar Hero performances on the main stage at this year's Isle of Wight Festival, Activision has re-branded the bronze statue of Hendrix that sits in the grounds of the island's Dimbola Lodge, turning Jimi's guitar into the aforementioned video game peripheral.

Hendrix played the festival in 1970. His performance was plagued by technical problems - at one point, he told the crowd to go and buy hot dogs rather than listen to him - but has become legendary because it turned out to be one of his last.

Of course, Hendrix purists might argue that associating him with the Guitar Hero franchise borders on the sacrilegious, but given how popular the game has become, they'd possibly be in the minority.

By Ben Rogerson