Hendrix and Hunger

The problem with being passionate is that when I’m not in those moments of intensity, I fall into longing. Nothing is ever enough. It means that necessary activities such as standing in line at the bank are quite challenging due to the sheer boredom.

There’s a line in the album version of Pearl Jam’s difficult to decipher song, Yellow Ledbetter, just before the sensual guitar riff; Vedder calls out: “Make me cry.”

Make me cry, make me laugh, make me love, make me feel. It’s as though I can’t believe I’m alive unless the fire of inner experience is burning.

So, I’ve been listening to Yellow Ledbetter over and over again this afternoon. The guitar solo, a tribute to Hendrix, evokes a feeling that I cannot name. The closest I come to describing it is arousal—it makes me want to rise and meet the world in full openness with the hope of transcending it all, flying to new heights, or reaching invisible depths. Hungry for something, though I’m not sure what.