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Into the Vault: Questions For 'The Dick Cavett Show' Handwritten by Jimi Hendrix (1969)
Did you know just a small percentage of our collection is actually on display inside the Museum of Pop Culture? With more than 100,000 objects in our permanent collection, it becomes a little easier to understand why there can't be a place to publicly display each one of our artifacts at the same time. But just because a piece isn't currently on view at our nonprofit museum, doesn't mean it's not important to popular culture. *cue ominous music*
To offer visitors a peek behind the curtain at our museum, we're taking fans Into the Vault here on the MoPOP blog, highlighting artifacts from our broad collection and showcasing their place in popular culture. This month, we take a closer look at some personal notes put together by legendary Seattle musician Jimi Hendrix.
What is it?
Questions for The Dick Cavett Show, handwritten by Jimi Hendrix, 1969. Part of the Museum of Pop Culture permanent collection.
Why's it important to popular culture?
Jimi Hendrix's last appearance on U.S. television was with The Dick Cavett Show on September 9, 1969. Hendrix wrote down these question topics, assumedly prior to his appearance, in order to prepare for the interview with Dick Cavett.
What did The Dick Cavett Show interview look like?
Jimi Hendrix's interview question preparation paid off. On a couple occasions during Hendrix's sit-down with Cavett, questions from Hendrix's handwritten list came up, including No. 1 on why "super groups" break up, and No. 7 on women and marriage.
"Do you see yourself as married ever?" Cavett asks.
"No, I hope not," Hendrix calmly replies.
Another interview excerpt worth noting is Hendrix's response to Cavett's question on "Electric Church."
Dick Cavett: “I heard the expression, an ‘Electric Church’ as an ambition you had. Was this speaking metaphorically or poetically?”
Jimi Hendrix: “That’s just a belief that I have. We use electric guitars, everything is electrified nowadays. The belief comes through electricity to the people. That’s why we play so loud. Because it doesn’t actually hit through the eardrums like most groups do nowadays. They say, ‘Well, we’re going to play loud too because they’re playing loud.’ And they’ve got this real shrill sound, and it’s really hard. We plan for our sound to go inside the soul of the person, and see if they can awaken some kind of thing in their minds, because there’s so many sleeping people."
In the videos embedded below, check out more from Hendrix's final appearance on U.S. television.
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