Here comes Jimi, there goes the neighborhood

[RonJonSurfer]

New Hendrix Statue Offends British Town

Some residents object to the life size replica intruding on a Victorian view.

The folks living in the Dimbola Lodge estate on the U.K.’s Isle Of Wight don’t mind that a life-sized statue of rock legend Jimi Hendrix was built in his honor; they just don’t want it in their neighborhood.

Residents on the island, located off the south coast of England, are protesting last week’s placement of the statue in their town to commemorate his Isle Of Wight performance there in 1970. They argue that the figure disrupts the town’s picturesque landscape of Victorian surroundings that overlooks Freshwater Bay.

David Lewis, secretary of Freshwater Bay Residents' Association, says according to Contact Music: "I do not object to a Hendrix statue but have always had reservations about it being at Dimbola. Freshwater is very much a Victorian town. To some extent it has lost its identity and I do not think that a statue of Hendrix will help it find it."

Another resident, Jean Boulton, takes issue with Hendrix’ reputation: "By all accounts he was a drug user and not the sort of person we should be celebrating here."

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