# Jimi Hendrix postage stamp is being issued. Good idea or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700 "2014-03-14T16:44:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/81 "2014-04-05T20:29:19Z")
I know what the OP said because I argued with him about it. If you have anything else to say about this, say it in ATMB or private messages or else you will start getting official warnings. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/82 "2014-04-05T21:35:59Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Hendrix sometimes played “Sunshine of Your Love” in concert. Here’s him segueing from _Hey Joe_ into \*Sunshine of Your Love - on a BBC show, with a great dedication to Cream. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/83 "2014-04-05T22:17:27Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Here’s him segueing from _Hey Joe_ into \*Sunshine of Your Love > > - on a BBC show, with a great dedication to Cream. A link would be handy I suppose [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A5aZOfNH28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A5aZOfNH28) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/84 "2014-04-05T23:44:40Z")
When you look at whom have been portrayed on US postage stamps, Hendrix is not all that big a deal. I mean, we know Edgar Allan Poe was a big fan of cocaine, but that is not what we remember him for, and such will no doubt also be the case for Jimi in a generation or two. There have been stamps honoring Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, so good old American Values are not necessarily a requirement. Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, it looks like enemies are OK too. Even mythical characters like Jesus of Nazareth get the nod. curiously, no J. Edgar Hoover – _sorry [COLOR=“Gray”]Marley23, had to_[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/85 "2014-04-05T23:53:09Z")
Again, that doesn’t seem to be the point of the OP, which I read as “this guy had such a short career — how influential could he have possibly been?” Which has been answered in other posts. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/86 "2014-04-06T01:42:42Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Again, that doesn’t seem to be the point of the OP, which I read as “this guy had such a short career — how influential could he have possibly been?” > > Which has been answered in other posts. And if anyone wants to talk short careers, look at James Dean. Only three films, and yet he warranted his own postage stamp. ---
**Author:** ![Jetblast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@Jetblast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jetblast)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/87 "2014-04-06T04:51:33Z")
Ah huh. If the OP were more knowledgeable he would know Jimi did more in the 4 short years of his career than most do in a lifetime. The point of his OP was very clear. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/88 "2014-04-06T05:25:38Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > OK, so you’re not personally that familiar with his music and his career was short. Why does that mean he can’t be on a stamp again? > > Edit: Oh, you think volume is really important. Would you like to see the inventor of Muzak on a postage stamp? Factoid: The people who play Muzak are often moonlighting symphony orchestra performers. Some of them make a LOT of money doing this. p.s. The two best Muzak versions I’ve ever heard were “More Than A Feeling”, which conjured up visions of angels playing trumpets (and this was long before Bradley Delp died) and Jethro Tull’s “Living In The Past”. That song’s melody was played on a trombone, and I liked it more than the original. I used to work at a place that had Muzak, and in this case, GOOD Muzak. Strangest song? Probably the strangest song ever sung on the “Lawrence Welk Show”. It was “One Toke Over The Line”. Check it out on You Tube. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/89 "2014-04-06T05:31:13Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Any word on whether the stamps come encased in plaster? ROTFLMAO! Yes, I do know what you’re talking about. 😛 As for whether an addict deserves posthumous accolades, I live in an area where we have an annual festival honoring jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, who narrowly missed being the very first celebrity member of “Club 27” when he died in 1931 at the age of 28. Officially, his cause of death was pneumonia, but he was a really bad alcoholic and probably wouldn’t have lived much longer anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/90 "2014-04-06T06:04:09Z")
That is one butt-ugly stamp. Ugh! (This thread has also made me realize that Kurt Cobain will likely get a stamp someday) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/91 "2014-04-06T12:37:35Z")
He was a defining influence on a major aspect of American culture. Major cultural figures are exactly who we should have on postage stamps. Frankly, I’m amazed he wasn’t on a stamp already. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/92 "2014-04-06T17:57:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He was a defining influence on a major aspect of American culture. Major cultural figures are exactly who we should have on postage stamps. Frankly, I’m amazed he wasn’t on a stamp already. Yep – you’d think he’d have gotten one a long time ago. RIP, Jimi. (And while he may have been mocking it, I still think that Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was one of the best around. Certainly a lot better than some wannabes who sing it at public events nowadays) ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/93 "2014-04-07T04:24:43Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Well in Canada both [Paul Anka](http://i.colnect.net/images/f/767/236/Paul-Anka.jpg) and [Bryan Adams](http://www.robertlpeters.com/news2013/wp-content/uploads/bryan_adams_stamp_pc.jpg) have been the subject of stamps. I think it’s safe to say Hendrix had way more impact on popular music than either of these guys. _Bryan Adams?_ Jesus, get it together, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/94 "2014-04-07T20:38:03Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And while he may have been mocking it, I still think that Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” was one of the best around. Certainly a lot better than some wannabes who sing it at public events nowadays I don’t think he was mocking it at all. He was reinterpreting it and updating it in a way that spoke to him and his audience. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/95 "2014-04-07T23:04:14Z")
Jimi Hendrix is the second greatest musician of all time. Putting him on a postage stamp is way overdue. He also left quite a large body of work: _Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland, Band of Gypsys, Live at the Monterey Pop Festival, Soundrack from the Film Jimi Hendix, Jimi Hendrix Blues, Voodoo Soup, Valleys of Neptune_. Hell, there is more great stuff on \*Electric Ladyland \*than most rock bands manage in a career. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/96 "2014-04-08T00:08:37Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think he was mocking it at all. He was reinterpreting it and updating it in a way that spoke to him and his audience. I’d agree. > [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](#): > > Jimi Hendrix is the second greatest musician of all time… OK, so I have to ask… ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/97 "2014-04-08T02:59:04Z")
Huddie Ledbetter? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/98 "2014-04-08T04:03:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think he was mocking it at all. He was reinterpreting it and updating it in a way that spoke to him and his audience. He certainly wasn’t mocking it. His performance was almost reverent. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/99 "2014-04-08T04:11:08Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > _Bryan Adams?_ Jesus, get it together, Canada. Canada did a series on hockey greats – and left out Mario Lemieux. It was a huge WTF? Someone told me he was trying to make it sound like bombs, sort of like a protest against Vietnam. Whether he was or wasn’t who cares – it still kicked ass. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700/100 "2014-04-08T04:31:34Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Someone told me he was trying to make it sound like bombs, sort of like a protest against Vietnam. Whether he was or wasn’t who cares – it still kicked ass. He did do that - there’s an even better example in Machine Gun from the Band of Gypsys album. But it’s not a parody of the anthem or anything, it’s a wonderful example of using a national symbol as cultural commentary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimi-hendrix-postage-stamp-is-being-issued-good-idea-or-not/683700.md?page=6)