Jimi Hendrix forever altered the world of music with his extraordinary talent and groundbreaking vision. He was more than a guitarist; he became an icon of the 1960s counterculture. As Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane aptly noted, Hendrix embodied the spirit of the era.”If you’re talking about rock, Jimi is probably the guy,” Slick remarked, emphasizing his style, music, and his transition from supporting to opposing the Vietnam War in a single transformational year. Hendrix’s defining moment came at Woodstock, where he cemented his place in history with a performance that symbolized the decade’s cultural revolution.
Hendrix was not just a product of the times but a visionary who saw beyond them. His inventive artistry drew comparisons to other trailblazers of the era. Jimmy Page, for example, once likened Hendrix’s creative approach to that of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd’s enigmatic founder. Speaking about Barrett’s impact, Page remarked, “Syd Barrett’s writing with the early Pink Floyd was inspirational. Nothing sounded like Barrett before Pink Floyd’s first album. You can really feel the genius there.”
Page saw parallels between Barrett and Hendrix, particularly in their experimental and forward-thinking approaches to music. However, Hendrix himself didn’t initially share this admiration. In 1967, as psychedelic music gained popularity, Hendrix was skeptical of many bands in the genre. He dismissed much of the scene as derivative, describing it as little more than a gimmick.
In an interview with Steve Barker, Hendrix expressed his disdain for what he saw as superficial imitations: “Here’s one thing I hate, man: When these cats say, ‘Look at the band—they’re playing psychedelic music!’ and all they’re really doing is flashing lights on them and playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’ with the wrong chords—it’s terrible.”
Although Hendrix included Pink Floyd among these acts, he admitted he hadn’t seen them perform live. “I’ve heard they have beautiful lights,” he acknowledged, but added dismissively, “They don’t sound like nothing.” For Hendrix, the spectacle of psychedelic shows often felt hollow compared to the raw authenticity of artists like Bob Dylan, whose music he considered “more earthy and live.”
Over time, however, Hendrix’s perspective on Pink Floyd evolved. He came to appreciate that they were not simply another band riding the psychedelic wave but were creating something genuinely distinct. Reflecting on the group’s progression, Hendrix eventually acknowledged their innovation: “They’re doing like a different type of music. Technically, they are getting electronics and all this. They do like a space kind of thing, like an inner space.”
Hendrix recognized that Pink Floyd’s explorations of sound and technology set them apart from their peers. He concluded with a nod of respect: “Sometimes you have to lay back by yourself and appreciate them.”
Although Hendrix and Pink Floyd were contemporaries, their approaches to music were vastly different. Hendrix’s evolution from skepticism to recognition of the band’s artistry reflects his own openness to growth and his ability to see beyond initial impressions. Both Hendrix and Pink Floyd pushed the boundaries of what music could be, leaving legacies that continue to inspire generations.
