During an appearance on Matt Pinfield’s show New and Approved, Joe Satriani recalled his earliest times when he first met music. Satriani talked about a few songs that inspired him and mentioned how he felt when he listened to Jimi Hendrix for the first time.
Jimi Hendrix was an original icon who affected the generations coming after him, although he passed away very young. Many rock stars are still talking about how Hendrix impacted them since he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential instrumentalists in the history of rock music.
For instance, Freddie Mercury mentioned that he always admired Hendrix in an interview and how he influenced his songs and style. John Mayer was also one of the stars who said Jimi Hendrix was an icon who he wanted to be like regarding his guitar skills. In a previous conversation, Stephen Stills clarified Jimi Hendrix taught him how to play lead guitar.
In addition to these rockers, Joe Satriani explained his experience of playing Jimi Hendrix songs. Satriani indicated that Hendrix was so impressive and genuine while playing live that it was tough to sound like him on the stage. This previous conversation wasn’t the only time Satriani mentioned Hendrix as an inspirational musician.
In his new interview with Matt Pinfield, Joe Satriani recalled when Hendrix’s ‘Are You Experienced’ came out. Satriani explained the moment he heard the song ‘Third Stone from the Sun’ as a cathartic experience that he would break out in a sweat. Satriani also thought that the song had a humorous side with its lyrics. According to him, the jazz sounds in the song were bringing freshness to the rock and roll.
Regarding hearing Hendrix, Satriani said:
“When Hendrix came out with ‘Third Stone from the Sun,’ to me, every time I listened to that, it was like a cathartic experience. I would break out in a sweat. It was so rich with musical history. And it was so daring.
And it also had a little bit of humor in it that I must have picked up on, being a kid growing up watching those, you know, ‘Twilight Zone’ and that kind of stuff on TV. It resonated with me that Hendrix had a sense of humor. But I could hear their jazz influences, and they were breaking down the rock ‘n’ roll barriers with the sound that they were using. I love those things.”
You can watch the whole discussion below.
