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Are You Experienced?

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On a recent trip to London, I visited the Handel & Hendrix House, a most unusual tribute to musical maestros from entirely different centuries.  The Handel House was first dedicated back in 1969, the year Kathy Etchingham was hunting for a place for Jimi to stay in the city.  She saw the plaque for Handel being put up on 23 Brook St. and knew Jimi would love it.  Later, the plaque was moved to the facade of the row house next door, which diminished the flat a little in Jimi's mind but for the better part of a year he and Kathy called this place home.

According to the grey-haired volunteer sitting in the corner of the bedroom regaling us in these stories, Jimi loved Handel.  He had a well-played copy of the Messiah, and incorporated some of the music into Electric Ladyland, a trippy album that is arguably Jimi's greatest work.  The curators of the museum went out of their way to faithfully recreate both homes, forming a very unique juxtaposition to each other.  Tribute concerts to both Handel and Hendrix are often held in the small rooms.  You can see three replicas of Handel's harpsichords, and one of Hendrix's famous telecasters on display.

Hendrix proved more elusive to the curators, as there was very little original left from Jimi's London days, except for an oval mirror on the fireplace mantel of his bedroom.  The rest they had to piece together from Kathy's photographs and memories, right down to copy of Jimi's plush toy Dogbear, who guards the room.  Since this was Kathy's choice from the beginning and she picked out virtually all the furniture, fabrics and rugs in the flat, they were able to bypass the greedy hands of the Hendrix estate, which wanted a cut in the action.  The few actual possessions of Hendrix they have are on loan from the Seattle Art Museum.

There's a nice entry room where you get a brief glimpse into Jimi's all-too-short life and times.  One of his biggest moments was playing at the Royal Albert Hall in February, 1969, which was described as "an ectoplasm of sound."  The party went on all night.  Little would anyone know that this would be Jimi's last time in the famous hall.  He was at the peak of his powers, but a combination of drugs and alcohol brought down the final curtain the following year - a sad member of the 27 club.  He and Kathy had moved to Notting Hill by this point, no longer able to cope with their angry neighbors.

Hendrix felt more comfortable in London than he ever did in the US.  The volunteer said Jimi got along with pretty much everyone except his neighbors.  He would give his telephone number to anyone who asked for it, the result being it was constantly ringing.  Kathy had a second line installed for private calls, but Jimi could never remember which number was which and often gave this number out too.  He could be seen walking the streets of Soho everyday, happy to engage with anyone around him.

There were a couple of record shops where Jimi bought his vinyls, many of them just for the covers.  He loved the artwork as much as the music.  The curators meticulously hunted down copies of the albums to put on display.  Unfortunately, the record shops no longer exist.  Today a lavish Victoria's Secret is next door, along with a fancy bistro in the rear courtyard, and a narrow mews that leads to other restaurants and shops.  VS is a fine irony to Jimi's love for women, featured on the UK gatefold cover of Electric Ladyland.

The museum could be more lively for my taste, capturing more the vibe of the place rather than a faithful recreation, but then they do have house parties to try to recreate the energy that once existed at 23 Brook St.  I'll have to keep a look out for events so that the next time I visit my daughter in London we can go to one of these experiences.

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