Have You Ever Been Experienced?

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Music is one of my passions and I don't disregard any genre, I believe that the genre of a song is irrelevant to it's quality. In other words, every song should be judged on it's own merit. That being said, I have an appreciation for many bands and artists, but the one artist that I never get tired of listening to is the one and only Jimi Hendrix. 

Hendrix couldn't make it big early on in America, playing in the backing bands of The Isley Brothers and Little Richard, and following their conventional rock and roll, soul and R&B style. It was when he made the move to England that he made his mark. He put together his own band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and finally had some creative control of his music and style. He wrote almost all of the tracks and produced many that he made with the band. In only four years that the band were together, their only three albums were all ranked among the 100 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Had he not passed away at the tender age of 27, who knows where his career might have gone. He was one of the most well known artists in the world at the time of his death, especially after headlining the legendary Woodstock Festival where he performed an iconic instrumental rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Favourite Album

Axis: Bold As Love - In my opinion, one of the greatest psychedelic albums ever made and one of my all time favourites.

Favourite Songs 

All Along The Watchtower - A total re-invention of the Bob Dylan classic and possibly the greatest cover song of all time.

Bold As Love - Creative perfection.

Purple Haze - Rock classic. Psychedelic classic. Metal classic. Guitar virtuosity. Contains one of the most well known lyrics in music history, "excuse me while I kiss the sky."

Funny People - George Carlin

George Carlin

Unconventional, fearless, energetic and pure genius. There was no subject he couldn't tackle and he did so with thought and reason. His career in entertainment began as a conventional comedian, eventuating to an unconventional and unique persona and a routine called "Seven Dirty Words" which led to a Supreme Court decision over broadcasting indecent material. Carlin left a legacy for future comedians and the freedom of political in-correctness as Lenny Bruce had begun before him. He was an author of three bestsellers, a four-time Grammy winner, was nominated for five Emmys and wrote and performed 14 HBO specials as well as 23 comedy albums. One of the most insightful minds of his generation and one of the hardest working comedians of all time.

Memorable jokes / quotes

"Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure."

"Here's something you don't hear too often. Honey let's sell the children, move to Zanzibar and start taking Opium rectally."

Funny People - Don Rickles

Don Rickles

Mr. Warmth, the greatest insult comic of all time, began his career in the early 1950's. His career has included movie roles (Casino, Kelly's Heroes), regular guest appearances on late night television (most notably Carson and Letterman), TV show appearances and has been a headline act in Las Vegas since the 1960's. He is also remembered for his appearances at the New York Friars Club and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and for publicly poking fun at "authority" figures such as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson and Ronald Reagan (as Governor and President). Rickles is one of the quickest (impeccable timing and wit) and beloved comedians of all time and has had one of the longest careers in his profession. He continues to work to this day at age 88. 

Memorable jokes / quotes

Once when he was performing a show in Las Vegas, he noticed that someone had come in late. As they were finding their seat, he called out to them, "Trouble with the luggage?"

Recounting one of his many stories about his friend Frank Sinatra on the Late Show with David Letterman. "I travelled with him to Europe, we wound up in The Riviera on one of the trips, my wife, his wife and so forth. He said to the wives go to bed, you gotta go to bed...and you got to sit with him and drink the vodka you know which I didn't mind. But..but on the third barrel... I used to sit there and think I was on the Titanic."