Rational, particularly Hyper, makes you wonder…
All rock music is Blues – at high volume. Full Stop. If you are Hyper Rational, that is what you would say. It all started with 3 chords, in the Mississippi Delta literally at the Crossroads of Highways 1 and 8 in Rosedale, Mississippi. It was where Robert Johnson, the father of the Blues, made a deal with the devil to learn how to play “his” music, and set the foundation for everything we currently listen to in the rock genre. All that came after it is just copyright infringement. You could try and debate it with me, but I would back you into a corner and beat you senseless with your lack of knowledge, understanding, and frankly intelligence. And frankly, I would not care that I would seem cold, distant, and calculating… in fact, being arrogant, and skeptical, I would simply watch you melt. Oh yeah – this one I can write about… you don’t have to wonder…
Rational is the land of logic… Hyper Rational takes it to the level of abuse. It doesn’t tolerate sloppy thinking, irrational thoughts, and only values knowledge, understanding, and insights. It comes across as cold, distant, intellectually arrogant – and is pretty hard to break through that shell. It can keep that aloof stance up while observing the craziness – while feeling alone, isolated, different, and misunderstood. Couple this with Hyper Achiever, and you mostly have me (with one final ingredient). I can show you where it came from, how it benefited me, and like all Saboteurs, it is still there just under the surface, and when triggered, it is an Assassin with its veracity and tenacious abilities.
… if logic really is that helpful.
I was always the shortest in my class – aided by being put up a grade, and raised knowing that “different” was better, I assumed that role with ease. I also had chronic allergies, particularly Asthma which makes it hard to breathe… and also discovered that I literally “felt” better when I had my adrenaline up. So depending, it was either Hyper this or Hyper that, but hyper something made me feel better. In High School, of course, the big dumb bully (imagine the one in Back to the Future… ) cornered me in the locker room – and I didn’t have to wonder what was coming… And – rather than take it, I belittled him, and made him feel stupid for picking on a kid 1/3 of his size… and he backed down… and the story circulated, which reinforced my ‘success’.
Until it takes you to your own Crossroad…
Clapton by the time of this recording was really getting tired of the whole rock star persona. He was able to keep it together for the tours by drinking and drugs, but really just wanted to be a “simple” blues guitarist. He would return again and again to that theme through the next 30 years, with many great “blues” songs that we will come to. Today’s was written by Robert Johnson about his “Crossroad” event… but honestly, this is the seminal recording – with Eric literally tearing it up on his lead breaks. From their Farewell tour, at the Fillmore West, you can almost hear the anger and frustration coming through in every note. As an aside, there is literally a “Crossroads” guitar pedal – something you can plug into to simulate those sounds – and still sound like… you 😉
… do you wonder what you will find?
High School debate brought the Hyper Rational Saboteur into his own, and I literally have trophies from this quality. Sure, I know there is more to it than that, but really, this is the issue with these Saboteurs – there are good parts of each of them. It is when they take over – and you feel the negative emotions that you are turning into someone else. As I went through my career, people LOVED this part of me – when it was focused on someone ELSE. 😉 As you consider your own road ahead, wonder which of your strengths need to be seen through a different lens? I don’t have to wonder – I remember exactly where I was standing – Pho IV of Freddie Mac – 4th Floor in a stairwell – when my Hyper Rational Saboteur faced his own Crossroads…
