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TL;DR:

  • The Monkees’ songwriter watched Jimi Hendrix perform “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze.”
  • The songwriter felt Hendrix dressed in a “subversive” way.
  • The songwriter said the audience was in shock after watching Hendrix’s stage antics.
Jimi Hendrix looking at a camera during the "Foxy Lady" and "Purple Haze" era
Jimi Hendrix | Avalon / Contributor

Many of The Monkees‘ songs were co-written by the same songwriter. The songwriter watched Jimi Hendrix perform “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze” at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967. Subsequently, he said Hendrix appeared to be provoking the audience while playing the songs.

The Monkees’ songwriter said Jimi Hendrix dressed in a ‘subversive’ way

Bobby Hart co-wrote many songs for The Monkees. Those songs include “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I Wanna Be Free,” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart recalled watching Hendrix perform at the Monterey International Pop Festival. He said he’d never seen anyone perform like Hendrix before.

“Even his look was subversive,” Hart wrote. “His English Renaissance-style outfit was topped with a light red feather boa around his neck, and his unruly hair could not be contained by the matching headband.”

Bobby Hart felt Jimi Hendrix was ‘provoking’ the audience while performing ‘Foxy Lady’ and ‘Purple Haze’

Hart felt Hendrix’s performances were striking. “Hendrix’s rabble-rousing renditions of ‘Foxy Lady’ and ‘Purple Haze’ were nothing short of sedition,” Hart opined. “He seemed to be deliberately agitating and provoking the crowd.

“After an hour of psychedelic insanity, he brought out the lighter fluid, poured it on his Fender Stratocaster and set it ablaze,” Hart added. “Grabbing it by the neck, he then began repeatedly beating it against the stage floor until the beautiful instrument collapsed into small pieces and gave up the ghost!”

Hart remembered how Hendrix’s performance ended. “Then, leaving the small smoldering bonfire behind, he turned and exited the stage,” Hart wrote. “I was unsure of what to make of the performance. Like much of the audience, I was in shock by the time Jimi Hendrix had left the stage.”

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How ‘Foxy Lady,’ ‘Purple Haze,’ and their parent album performed on the charts in the United States

“Foxy Lady” became a modest hit for Hendrix. The track reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for four weeks. “Purple Haze” became more popular. The song reached No. 65 on the Billboard Hot 100, lasting on the chart for eight weeks. 

Both of the songs appeared on the North American edition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s debut album Are You Experienced. The album hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 106 weeks.

Hendrix gave the world many classic songs — and he even shocked The Monkees’ songwriter.

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