Episode #133 | 6.13.23
Jimi Hendrix: Tear Gas, a Kidnapping, Heroin Hostages, and the Great Escape
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In this episode
Jimi Hendrix spent much of his life pursuing a great escape. Escape from his abusive childhood home. Escape from his court-ordered time in the Army. Even an escape from his own band, the Experience, who he felt limited his groundbreaking sound. But when two wannabe mobsters lured Jimi into a hostage situation with the promise of heroin, Jimi came face to face with the most extreme – and rarely discussed – escape of his life.
Sources
Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross
Book Excerpt: The Man Who Saved Jimi Hendrix from the Mafia (Rolling Stone)
Taking a joy ride with Jimi (Los Angeles Times)
Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Victoria Wasylak.
Copy editing by James Sullivan.
Mixed and engineered by Matt Beaudoin.
Score by Jake Brennan.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
Additional music services by Bryce Kanzer.
Ad music composed by the late, great Ian Kennedy.
Disgraceland theme song, “Crenshaw Space Boogie” written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava, and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak