Update: You can now read all my Hendrix Posts in one article, click "Check Out My Lens" to see the whole thing 
My research into the death of Hendrix yesterday led me to a very interesting site called “The Centre For An Informed America” written by David McGowan and Chapter 3 of the part called “Inside LC - The Strange And Mostly True Story Of Laurel Canyon And The Birth Of The Hippie Generation” is where I found much of the information I’ll be sharing today.
In 1961 Hendrix got into trouble for riding in stolen cars, he was given a choice between serving 2 years in prison or joining the army, not surprisingly he chose the Army and enlisted on 31st May that year. He was assigned to 101st Airborne division stationed at Fort Cambell in Kentucky, it’s been suggested this is an unusually elite division for a young car thief to be sent to on a court order, but it apparently happened.
All reports suggest he was a poor soldier and that’s putting it lightly, 3 days before he was booted out of the army a scathing report was written about him by his commanding officers Captain Gilbert Batchman and Sergeant Louis Hoekstra, Batchman claimed he slept on the job had little regard for regulations and was once caught masturbating in the latrine while he was supposed to be helping other soldiers wash a ceiling!
Hoekstra noted he was habitual offender when it came to missing midnight bed checks, said he was unable to carry out intelligent conversation and was suspected of taking dope. They also criticised him for playing a musical instrument while off duty saying he could not concentrate on his work when he was on duty as he thought of his guitar constantly. Read more about Jimi's time in the army at the smoking gun website it makes amusing reading I can tell you.
Whether Hendrix was deliberately messing up to get out of the army or really did just suck as soldier I’m not sure but he certainly was awful. One thing that is unusual is that he wasn’t given disciplinary measures, he only served a year and had signed up for three, though he was apparently just given a free pass to go which seems slightly odd. Though it does say they ordered a psychiatric assessment of him and it was decided his problems couldn’t be corrected with counselling or hospitalisation so maybe they just decided it was pointless trying to mould that one into a soldier.
I found out something else that might be of interest too, in 1968 Hendrix Briefly occupied a mansion in Laurel Canyon just north of the renowned Log Cabin Frank Zappa famously Occupied until that year when he moved out and Eric Burdon (lead singer of the Animals also managed by Michael Jeffery) moved in. Eric Burdon incidentally didn’t like Hendrix much as he is supposed to have had an affair with his wife, Burdon is also one of the main people who insists Hendrix committed suicide and stated in the days after his death that there had been a suicide note and everything, which was bull, or at least evidence of it no longer exists now. Strangely enough Burdon was also the first person Hendrix’s “girlfriend” Monika Danneman phoned upon discovering Hendrix’s body, though she always claimed Hendrix was not dead when she found him (see post below for more detail on this).
Another strange death shortly after Hendrix’s was that of “super groupie” Devon Wilson (who apparently was run away who became prostitute at 15) she “fell” 8 stories from the window of the Chelsea Hotel in New York. On the night of his death Hendrix is supposed to have visited her in London before going to Monica Danneman’s flat, but Danneman claimed in her book that she drove him to Devon Wilson's after he visited her place and he only stayed a few minutes before going back to Danneman's. He apparently later said to Danneman he thought Wilson had “slipped him and OD”, though many sources state you can't believe anything Danneman says as she was deluded (or just plain lying).
Devon Wilson is also reported to have dated Eric Clapton and Miles Davis amongst others, and she is also rumoured to have had a baby boy by Mick Jagger though what happened to him I haven't been able to ascertain yet. She was also apparently the subject of the song “Dolly Dagger” and was in the control room when it was recorded.
My research into the death of Hendrix yesterday led me to a very interesting site called “The Centre For An Informed America” written by David McGowan and Chapter 3 of the part called “Inside LC - The Strange And Mostly True Story Of Laurel Canyon And The Birth Of The Hippie Generation” is where I found much of the information I’ll be sharing today.
In 1961 Hendrix got into trouble for riding in stolen cars, he was given a choice between serving 2 years in prison or joining the army, not surprisingly he chose the Army and enlisted on 31st May that year. He was assigned to 101st Airborne division stationed at Fort Cambell in Kentucky, it’s been suggested this is an unusually elite division for a young car thief to be sent to on a court order, but it apparently happened.
All reports suggest he was a poor soldier and that’s putting it lightly, 3 days before he was booted out of the army a scathing report was written about him by his commanding officers Captain Gilbert Batchman and Sergeant Louis Hoekstra, Batchman claimed he slept on the job had little regard for regulations and was once caught masturbating in the latrine while he was supposed to be helping other soldiers wash a ceiling!
Hoekstra noted he was habitual offender when it came to missing midnight bed checks, said he was unable to carry out intelligent conversation and was suspected of taking dope. They also criticised him for playing a musical instrument while off duty saying he could not concentrate on his work when he was on duty as he thought of his guitar constantly. Read more about Jimi's time in the army at the smoking gun website it makes amusing reading I can tell you.
Whether Hendrix was deliberately messing up to get out of the army or really did just suck as soldier I’m not sure but he certainly was awful. One thing that is unusual is that he wasn’t given disciplinary measures, he only served a year and had signed up for three, though he was apparently just given a free pass to go which seems slightly odd. Though it does say they ordered a psychiatric assessment of him and it was decided his problems couldn’t be corrected with counselling or hospitalisation so maybe they just decided it was pointless trying to mould that one into a soldier.
I found out something else that might be of interest too, in 1968 Hendrix Briefly occupied a mansion in Laurel Canyon just north of the renowned Log Cabin Frank Zappa famously Occupied until that year when he moved out and Eric Burdon (lead singer of the Animals also managed by Michael Jeffery) moved in. Eric Burdon incidentally didn’t like Hendrix much as he is supposed to have had an affair with his wife, Burdon is also one of the main people who insists Hendrix committed suicide and stated in the days after his death that there had been a suicide note and everything, which was bull, or at least evidence of it no longer exists now. Strangely enough Burdon was also the first person Hendrix’s “girlfriend” Monika Danneman phoned upon discovering Hendrix’s body, though she always claimed Hendrix was not dead when she found him (see post below for more detail on this).
Another strange death shortly after Hendrix’s was that of “super groupie” Devon Wilson (who apparently was run away who became prostitute at 15) she “fell” 8 stories from the window of the Chelsea Hotel in New York. On the night of his death Hendrix is supposed to have visited her in London before going to Monica Danneman’s flat, but Danneman claimed in her book that she drove him to Devon Wilson's after he visited her place and he only stayed a few minutes before going back to Danneman's. He apparently later said to Danneman he thought Wilson had “slipped him and OD”, though many sources state you can't believe anything Danneman says as she was deluded (or just plain lying).Devon Wilson is also reported to have dated Eric Clapton and Miles Davis amongst others, and she is also rumoured to have had a baby boy by Mick Jagger though what happened to him I haven't been able to ascertain yet. She was also apparently the subject of the song “Dolly Dagger” and was in the control room when it was recorded.
