Porn producers Vivid Entertainment have revealed that they plan to release a video, which they claim shows Jimi Hendrix having sex with two women, reports the New York Times. The film, which has no sound, apparently features a naked man who resembles Hendrix in a dimly lit room with two brunettes, although he only faces the camera briefly with his eyes closed.
Vivid, who have also released various celebrity sex tapes, including the infamous Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee film, will release a DVD later this year, entitled 'Jimi Hendrix: The Sex Tape', which features the 11 minutes of sex footage and a brief retrospective of the guitarist's career. The DVD will cost $39.95 and will also be available as a download.
The tape has apparently been circulated around Hendrix fans for many years. However, experts and former associates of the guitarist have disputed its authenticity. Vivid claim that they have conducted an extensive inquiry with the help of private detective agencies and say they are certain it is the real thing. The company's co-chairman Steven Hirsh said: "I believe that we did our due diligence, and as a result of that clearly believe that it's him. If they said that it wasn't him, I would never have put it out". He also said that they had spoken to the man who shot the film who vouched for its authenticity, but that no one was able to identify the women who appear in it.
The film features commentary from Pamela Des Barres, author of 'I'm With the Band: Confessions Of A Groupie', and Cynthia Albritton, aka Cynthia Plaster Caster, who is known for making plaster casts of rock stars' genitals (including Hendrix's). Arbitton said: "I'm 100 percent sure it's him. The facial bone structure is the same. The eyebrows and the moustache are true to the style he was wearing in 1970".
However, others who have seen the tape are not convinced. Kathy Etchingham, a former girlfriend of Hendrix's said: "It is not him. His face is too broad and nose and nostrils too wide for Jimi. Also, the hair is too low on the forehead. He would never have allowed anyone to see that. In private he was very shy and would cover up". Biographer Charles R. Cross added: "It doesn't add up to Jimi" and said that the film was "horrible to watch" as the man in it appears to be heavily intoxicated. "I don't want that to be what I think about when I think about Jimi Hendrix," he said.
The film was apparently discovered in a tin marked 'Black Man' amongst other items of rock memorabilia bought at an auction in London. Recognising Hendrix, the owner attempted to sell the tape on eBay unsuccessfully before it was sold to distributor Howie Klein, who in turn sold it to Vivid Entertainment.