Just Let Me Believe, for Frank’s Sake

The way it was told to me, Frank Marino believed that, upon its carrier’s untimely demise, Jimi Hendrix’s soul (or spirit, or life-force) had merged with Frank’s to create a new combined being, thereby ensuring that Hendrix’s talent would not be lost to the world. The proof presented for this bit of hard rock lore was Frank’s spoken introduction to the final song on the B-side of the 1978 album ‘Live!‘ by Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush. There, Frank says to the crowd,

For all of you, uh, who dug us before, a long time ago, and for those of you who dig it now, Jimi Hendrix…

after which the band delivers a scorching performance of “Purple Haze” that, save for the vocals, any listener would be forgiven for thinking was a live recording of Hendrix himself.

In my early teens, I took as gospel such things put forth by 20-year-old Rick, my then mentor on all things sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Rick presented the anecdote not as news of an actual transmogrification but rather as an indicator of Marino’s peculiarity. Knowing that Frank thought himself the keeper of Jimi’s essence only added to my exhilaration at listening to his music. Thankfully, there was no internet or Google at the time to lure me into fact-checking Rick’s tale.  Back then, I was allowed to simply believe.

Fast forward four decades and one global pandemic and I was able to buy a ticket to see Frank Marino on stage for the first time. I was stoked.  Sure, I needed to refresh my connection with Frank’s music some, but that was easily done via the LPs and CDs aplenty in my stacks.  The revisiting brought real joy and, boding well for the show, I enjoyed most of all ‘RealLIVE!’, a disc from the current century (2004).  I found myself really looking forward to witnessing in person Frank’s incredible guitar tone and special way with a funky blues.

While waiting for the big day, I decided to take a quick look at Frank’s official website, an act that inadvertently led to the unravelling of the story told me by Rick all those years ago. One of the five paragraphs under the ‘Band History’ tab – and the longest one at that – was dedicated to quashing falsehoods suggesting Frank had claimed any kind of visitation by, reincarnation as, or magical endowment from Jimi Hendrix.  Apparently, “sensationalists” had embellished the true story of an “overwhelming” LSD trip that put a young Frank in the hospital and would subsequently become “the basis of everything” he would do musically. The implicit message was that I could keep the music, but I would have to cast the tale of FrankenJimi into the recesses where now gather so many prior convictions that cold truth and hard fact have conspired to rob from me.  I could no longer simply believe.

Harsh reality chose to impose itself once again a few days later when I received an email advising that the Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush show scheduled for September 13, 2021, at The Birchmere in Arlington, Virginia, had been cancelled.  The explanation for this bad news was provided in a message “From Frank Marino”:

With sorrow I am forced to announce my immediate retirement from touring, and possibly all things related to continuing my career, due to an unexpected and debilitating medical condition which makes it impossible for me to tour. I want to thank all the people who supported me all of the last half-century.  I know that many were looking forward to seeing us play this fall and I was looking forward to getting out again and doing more shows, but it now appears that in the absence of a miraculous recovery, my Concert DVD (Live at the Agora) will constitute the last show I will ever have played.

Perspective matters.  I lose a good story and a much-anticipated night of rocking out, but it seems that Frank is in the process of losing much more.  He ends his message with the following plea:

I ask any that are believers to include me in their prayers.

It seems I have another reason to miss the days when I was able to simply believe.