60's topic

Armani Martinez

English

Mr. Lewenstein

9/27/17

Jimi Hendrix “Star Spangled Banner”

James Marshall also known as Jimi Hendrix” was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his career only lasted four years, he is a widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarist in history. In August 18, 1969 Jimi Hendrix performed “ The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock Music and Art Fair. One day, a young black man at the top of his game stood on a field in front of hundreds and thousands of people. He was protesting against America and the  national anthem. Hendrix began to slyly use the music’s own bombast to reflect the violence carried out under his nation’s flag. Hendrix played for twice that long, enumerating the ugliness behind the American glory that the song is meant to represent. Nearly fifty years ago, Jimi Hendrix openly condemned that American soldiers were deploying napalm against civilians in Vietnam. As boomers grew up and began tellings stories of the 60s Hendrix  ‘Banner” performance. Like much of the era’s anti- war activism, was both lionized and neutered in the American imagination. Hendrix’s landmark “ Banner” performance was every bit protest; every bit as anti American. For example, Colin Kaepernick's refused to stand during the national anthem at every San Francisco 49ers games since preseason of the 26 of August.  Kaepernick’s criticism of law enforcement is more pointe. “ I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Trying to protest the war was a bold and often a dangerous decision physically or politically. During his tour stop in Dallas Hendrix’s band were threatened by violence. Hendrix performance was vulnerable to the sanding of it’s uncomfortable edges in part because of the slippery nature. Music without words can always be heard as pure abstraction.