Did we find the worst rock biopic? Pop Screen 163

The Jimi Hendrix estate have been notably controlling of the film rights to his life story since his death at the totemic age of 27. Hollywood, though, cannot stand for a classic rock star to go un-biopicised (it's a word now), which is why in 2013 John Ridley got Andre Benjamin - yes, Andre 3000 from OutKast - to play the legendary guitarist in Jimi: All is By My Side, a film tackling Hendrix's rise to success that breaks off conveniently before he wrote any of the classic songs the film doesn't have the rights to.

Our 27 Club correspondent Aidan rejoins Graham to discuss Hendrix's musical and cinematic legacies, his famous covers of everything from Bob Dylan to the American national anthem, the perils of watching films from a location manager's perspective, and the complaints levelled against the film by Hendrix's ex Kathy Etchingham. We also discuss the fractious screenwriting career and awful op-ed writing career of John Ridley, and the research process that led to him apparently deciding a book where Hendrix shoots purple lasers from his eyes was a reliable source. No, really.

If you want to hear us tackle an even more baffling film about Hendrix, you're in luck, because this month's Patreon bonus episode of Pop Screen is all about Larry Buchanan's Down On Us. We're also gearing up to launch another Patreon-only podcast, They'll Love Us When We're Dead, looking at overlooked and dormant film franchises, as well as producing weekly articles on The Twilight Zone and Doctor Who. All of these are only available at Patreon - follow us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook to find out more.