Purple Haze Deconstructed

Comments (0) By Keith Bowers Wednesday, Sep 29 2010

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Rock stars ooze confidence on stage. They have to. That’s part of what makes them rock stars. Think about Mick Jagger – even in his 60s the man looks like was born to strut. Jimi Hendrix also exuded his own brand of cool, going at his guitar with the type of accuracy and precision that would make an aerospace engineer throw his hands in the air and walk away. But how did Hendrix get to be who he was? Authors Brad Schreiber and Steve Roby can tell you, in their new book, Becoming Jimi Hendrix: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London. The book, based on more than 100 interviews, traces the path of a young, shy Hendrix leaving his broken Seattle home through various blues scenes, civil rights struggles – and even a stint in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne unit. (Bet you didn’t know that.) The authors’ appearance at Book Passage in Corte Madera is one of handful of Litquake events to take place outside San Francisco. They will answer questions and present a slide show. There will also be a raffle to give away an electric guitar and amplifier donated by the nonprofit group Guitars Not Guns. May the next young Jimi be there to walk away with it.
Oct. 8, 7 p.m., 2010