My Visit to Jimi’s Grave

It took three years and two trips to Seattle, but I finally made it to the grave of Jimi Hendrix.Jimi is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton (a Seattle suburb) just around the corner from Boeing’s airplane factory (you can see the new 737’s covered in green sticky plastic as you drive by).  A massive marble tent (similar to the Ohel of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodonsky, l’havdil) is constructed over his grave.  The walls are covered with large images of Jimi, his lyrics, and other Jimi iconography.  It looks like the site will eventually be used for the entire Hendrix family, though today there are only a few other people buried there.

I didn’t pray or recite any chapters from Psalms.  I did hum the words to Voodoo Child, however, and I played air guitar too.

I have now been to Jimi’s grave in Seattle, Elvis in Memphis, and Jim Morrison in Paris.  Jack Kerouac is buried in Lowell, MA – not far from where I live – maybe that should be my next trip.

May 13th, 2009 Heavy Metal