I never liked him. Any who went to his "concerts" wasted their money. He'd often show up so out of it on heroin that he had to be helped to the stage. Why people find that endearing is beyond me.
Wow, I wonder who it was I saw twice that put on such a masterful performance each time, it sure looked a lot like Hendrix and sounded like him. Funny I saw no one helping him on or off the stage. His repartee with the audience was funny and bright and sly in a very controlled fashion.
I think I spent a total of $20 for both concerts and I never spent a more worthwhile $20. Sorry if your experience was different, I treasure mine.
He used heroin, he probably was stoned at some, maybe many of his concerts. But even stoned he was extraordinary.
Even Eric Clapton conceded that Hendrix was better then he.
And it was his guitar skills that people found enduring or endearing. Not the fact that he used drugs. At least for reasonable people.
Same thing with the great genius of geniuses Charlie Parker. People didn't find it endearing -- they just wanted a chance to hear him play. If he was too out of it to perform, that was a disappointment. But for the audience it wasn't about the heroin. It was about the music.
Ooh-bop-shebam, baby!
seriously though, his mastery as a guitar player was really impressive, not so much from his precision with the guitar, rather from his creative use of it.
the sad part is that he died from exhaustion rather than because of drugs, worked to death by unscrupulous agents that scheduled event after event after event without giving hendrix a chance to rest -- and in the process kept most of the money so hendrix died penniless. like him or not, hendrix was clearly a musical genius regardless of his character flaws. besides, he was AIRBORNE.