(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Fetchit

July 16 isn't just the date the British humor magazine "Punch" was first published in 1841 (in fact, it began when the British boxing magazine "Guffaw" folded). Nope, it's also the day that Jimi Hendrix gave up trying to convert the nubile young things of America. Yes, it's the day of his last spot opening for the Monkees on their 1967 U.S tour. Turns out he got tired of the crowd shouting "We want Davy!" in the middle of "Purple Haze," although the alternate reality where Hendrix goes to the prom with Marcia Brady is too rich not to ponder. So he gave the crowd the finger, stormed off the stage, didn't even bother to put out the fire on his guitar. America got the last laugh, of course, remaining resolutely uncool and very very white for a long time. Rumor has it there might still be places where the Hendrix lesson has never been learned.