First Clips of Andre 3000 as Jimi Henrix in 'All Is By My Side'

It's only fitting that a biopic on Hall of Fame rocker Jimi Hendrix would debut at SXSW, but in truth there has been zero advance buzz on All Is By My Side. It's a little odd considering Outkast's Andre Benjamin is playing the axeman, with Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley directing. Maybe all of that will change now that a pair of clips have been released, giving us our first look at Benjamin in the lead role.

Imogen Poots (seen next week in Need for Speed) co-stars as Linda Keith, and the first clip shows a flirtatious moment shared between them. Keith was also the ex-girlfriend of Keith Richards and she was a major influence on both men, and she helped Hendrix get one of his first big breaks.  The story mostly focuses on the years 1966-67 just as he was recording his seminal album, Are You Experienced. The second clip shows Hendrix talking to his future manager about joining a London tour.

Benjamin has struggled to find his niche as an actor (his awful performance in Idlewild is the stuff of legend), and he doesn't seem quite right as Hendrix. Note that none of Hendrix's signature music is in either clip, and that's because none of it was cleared by the Hendrix estate. That's a huge hurdle to overcome, and we'll find out if Ridley pulls it off when All Is By My Side hits SXSW.


First Look At Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix in All is By My Side clip by Nics Leone