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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Book: Hendrix Used Gay Claim to Duck Vietnam |
| 2005-08-02 |
| EFL. Todays Revelation in Rock History... SEATTLE — Jimi Hendrix might have stayed in the Army. He might have been sent to Vietnam. Instead, he pretended he was gay. And with that, he was discharged from the 101st Airborne in 1962, launching a musical career that would redefine the guitar, leave other rock heroes of the day speechless and culminate with his headlining performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Woodstock in 1969. Hendrix's subterfuge, contained in his military medical records, is revealed for the first time in Charles R. Cross' new biography, "Room Full of Mirrors." Publicly, Hendrix always claimed he was discharged after breaking his ankle on a parachute jump, but his medical records do not mention such an injury. In regular visits to the base psychiatrist at Fort Campbell, Ky., in spring 1962, Hendrix complained that he was in love with one of his squad mates and that he had become addicted to masturbating, Cross writes. Finally, Capt. John Halbert recommended him for discharge, citing his "homosexual tendencies." Hendrix's legendary appetite for women negates the notion that he might have been gay, Cross writes. Nor, Cross says, was his stunt politically motivated: Contrary to his later image, Hendrix was an avowed anti-communist who exhibited little unease about the escalating U.S. role in Vietnam. He just wanted to escape the Army to play music — he had enlisted to avoid jail time after being repeatedly arrested in stolen cars in Seattle, his hometown. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #5 Wow! It gives a whole new meaning for his song FHITA. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-08-02 16:53 |
| #4 Whatevere else has been said about him: AFAIK, Jimi never publicly spoke out against the war. His only references to the war were to offer sympathy to the guys over there. (See: banter before Machine Gun on Band of Gypsys). |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2005-08-02 14:33 |
| #3 Room Full of Mirrors The title is apropos... |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-08-02 14:31 |
| #2 maybe he was telling the truth? |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-08-02 14:00 |
| #1 dont be caller jimy no homo bro! |
| Posted by: muck4doo 2005-08-02 13:52 |