how details of his early life in Seattle made their way into his lyrics.
The big question that never gets answered in this and other biopics is what creates genius. Jimi was a well mannered, shy poor kid from a supportive multi-racial, quiet community here in Seattle, a mostly white city. Thus he was always comfortable around whites, either in his band, with fans or women. He had no problem listening to whites such as Dylan for inspiration, as well as black music in all its forms. Otherwise pretty unremarkable. With little musical background, he nonetheless harbored an unbridled musical imagination and an unquenchable drive to express it. Where did that come from?
I still listen to his music quite a lot, and marvel at the ideas he spun out. His "water suite" from Electric Ladyland is still one of the most imaginative pieces of music of the modern age, IMO, and it really came out of nowhere. His intro refrain "Maybe I can groove on a rainy day" is a very Seattle-ish sentiment!
And as Neil Young said, when it comes to guitar playing, no one else is even in the same building.
How does that happen?