Given that Jimi Hendrix is an undisputed rock king, not getting his stamp of approval must have stung. He wasn’t afraid to share his opinion on his fellow musicians–good and bad. Find three artist that Hendrix notably disliked, below.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: 3 Classic Rock Songs by Jimi Hendrix that Will Inspire You to Play Guitar]
1. Pink Floyd
Hendrix was known for being a frontrunner in psychedelia. When thinking of trippy, summer-of-love music, Hendrix often comes to mind. Pink Floyd was also known for their foray into the weirder, more experimental sides of music. Some might call their brand of music a form of psychedelia as well. Hendrix did not agree.
Hendrix had a problem with bands branding themselves as psychedelics but were really only adding flashing light elements to their set and playing classic rock. Hendrix categorized Pink Floyd as one such band.
“I’ve heard they have beautiful lights but they don’t sound like nothing,” he once said.
2. Led Zeppelin
While Hendrix did submit to saying that Jimmy Page was a good guitarist (which is high praise coming from him), he didn’t think much of the other members of Led Zeppelin. His main commentary on the band was that they rarely crossed his mind. Somehow that feels like a harder hit than dragging their artistry with specifics.
“But Zeppelin did borrow from others,” renowned drummer Carmine Appice once said. “Jimi Hendrix personally told me that he didn’t like Zeppelin because they were like excess baggage and that they stole from everybody.”
3. Jim Morrison/The Doors
While the first two bands might have received flack from Hendrix because of their musicianship, his dislike of Jim Morrison was more personal. As the story goes, Morrison and Hendrix played together in a packed club. Morrison, deeply inebriated, made some vulgar gestures and generally made a mockery of Hendrix. The guitar legend didn’t take kindly to that.
When Morrison tried to perform with Hendrix again, he reportedly said, “That’s okay, fella, I can handle it myself.”
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
