The roadie version of Hendrix's death is plagiarized from my own book, The Covert War Against Rock. It has nothing at all new to add to my own reporting on Hendrix (but leaves out a great deal) and repeats allegations that I, specifically, published nearly a decade ago.
The new book is receiving gobs of press. No mention of Michael Jeffrey's MI5, CIA and Mafia ties, though. ... It's sanitized, supposedly one man's word against history, turns political motive (Jimi advocated armed revolution in a magazine interview and supported the Black Panthers) into money, provides a few debatable details so the press can talk about it, conduct interviews and write columns and book reviews without delving uncomfortably into political murders and other covert ops that expose America as a land of self-serving lies and sick delusions. So we'll just ignore the fact that Alex Constantine already published the truth, pretend that Tappy Wright did it, and we'll never have to face reality.
It's plagiarism. Why else would Wright wait 40 years to make this particular set of allegations complete with conclusions that I'd already drawn? (In England, my investigation was the subject of a documentary re-enactment from Waterfall Productions that aired on television, The Last 24 Hourse of Jimi Hendrix. That documentary is available on DVD.)
Wright claims that Jeffrey "confessed" to him, and that's how he came to understand that it was murder. Bull. Hendrix's manager confessed to a roadie ... plausible? If so, why wait all these decades to tell the truth - especially since I'd already documented it in a book, and the documentary was televised across the UK?
He didn't have to fear a reprisal from Jeffrey, who'd long been dead. Wright invented Jeffrey's uncomfirmable confession because he had to cite a source to (flimsily) conceal the fact that he was boosting his material ... Jeffrey did indirectly confess to one person, a close mutual friend of Hendrix, an established producer, and Wright takes credit for this, as well. (The actual "confession" was intimated, rendered deniable by indirection and not expressed in plain langauge - but Wright has Jeffrey opening up completely, "I did it," providing concrete details of the drowning - dubious, at best. It didn't happen.)
I've been co-opted. The London Observer rated Covert War against Rock "one of the best books on music ever written." But my book has never been reviewed by a "mainstream" newspaper in the United States, or even mentioned. Why? It is stuffed full of damning revelations - and Wright helped himself to some of them without being too specific, put his name on them, created a source, and is out there making a small fortune - with stolen and "sanitized" goods.
- AC
Jimi Hendrix possibly murdered, new book claims
July 31, 2009
Jimi Hendrix’ one time road manager, James “Tappy” Wright, has written a book, out now, called “Rock Roadie,” in which he claims that Hendrix’ manager at the time, Michael Jeffrey, murdered the rock guitar legend. According to Wright, Jeffrey was heavily in debt and had taken a two million dollar insurance policy out on Hendrix. Wright claims that Jeffrey confessed to him - “I had to do it. Jimi was worth much more to me dead than alive. That son of a bitch was going to leave me.”
Large amounts of red wine were found in Hendrix’ stomach and lungs, and this coincides with Wright's story of Jeffrey’s confession, in which he allegedly admitted that he and accomplices forced wine down a drugged Hendrix’ throat, effectively drowning him. John Bannister, one of the medical team who attended to Hendrix at the hospital, said that Hendrix’ blood alcohol levels were low, though his stomach and lungs were full of wine. This points to the theory of wine being forced down his throat, causing his death before it could be absorbed by the body. ...
http://www.examiner.com/x-14721-Boston-Music-Examiner~y2009m7d31-Jimi-Hendrix-possibly-murdered-new-book-claims
Too true Alex, there was no one who brought this to the light of day before you did and when I read of this Wright character's "revelation" I too had my crap-o-meter redline. The fact that he conveniently left out all of the critical facts that lead to this COINTELPRO Executive Action, points to your work hitting solid target. The timing of this "confession" is too convenient to dismiss as is the re-write that throws it all on Jeffreys. The man too dead to speak for himself who expired quite conveniently. The methodology of COINTELPRO is to attack, undermine, besmirch or severely mitigate the power of the extraordinary individual whose charisma and potential leadership could compel others to emulate or follow outside the well constructed confines of social management from on high. John Lennon, Bruce Lee, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, Bob Marley and many others define this type of hero who have shone as influential beacons to others. That was what could not be tolerated from the cowardly vipers that planned and executed these selfless heroes.
ReplyDeleteThose in the know there way in the dark can find their way to your work Alex. I did and so many others have as well. When your expose on the Hendrix murder is placed up against this contracted? charlatan, it is glaringly apparent who is obfuscating the truth.
Thanks for your dedication and keep on firing.
Cheers and respect.