Eric Clapton's SAD Final Act.

[CousinIT]

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/eric-clapton-s-covid-vaccine-conspiracies-mark-sad-final-act-ncna1281619

Bigotry and ignorance, in the age of the internet, have a way of catching up with you. And Clapton’s racism and conspiracy theories can no longer be ignored.

Clapton may have been branded Rolling Stone magazine’s second-greatest guitarist of all time, and is a three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has inspired legions to try to follow in his footsteps, but the shiny veneer papering over his belief systems has always been paper thin.

The shiny veneer papering over his belief systems has always been paper thin.

Clapton himself has admitted to being an arrogant, immature “blues purist” during his early career — a time when fans were scrawling “Clapton Is God” graffiti around London. And he left both John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and the Yardbirds in the lurch, before global superstardom with Cream and the career-defining magnificence of “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” sealed his legend status.

What came after that can now be seen as a long, slow decline, culminating in a series of self-inflicted wounds regarding Covid-19. Since last year, Clapton has repeatedly used his vast platform to do his utmost to undermine expert medical advice. He claimed that he was experiencing temporary adverse reactions to the Astrazeneca vaccine, but detailed symptoms he'd disclosed as early as 2013 and previously blamed on neurological problems. He has opposed lockdowns and made suspicious claims about the dangers of vaccines. This spring, he said in videos posted on a friend’s YouTube channel that scientific studies, expert opinions and public health recommendations extolling the importance of vaccines were “propaganda,” and most recently doubled down by vowing he wouldn’t perform to what he termed “discriminated audiences” in venues requiring proof of vaccination.

As some on Twitter noted, Clapton has never really hidden his true nature.

[marble falls]

1. Anything after Layla, except for "Riding with the King", in my mind was pretty average ...

... his racist "nationalism" put the nail in it for me. Covid only poured concrete over it.

[Captain Zero]

3. Yeah. I won't buy his stuff again.

Not really sure it's worth going to the library, borrowing the cd, and ripping it to mp3s. Maybe not worth the gas money to drive over there.

[SergeStorms]

34. And the inspiration for Layla...

was coveting his "best friend's" wife. That underhanded act alone led to his ruin, no matter how many times he claimed to "find himself" after that.
After Patti divorced George she came to Clapton, and he supposedly had everything he ever wanted, his "Layla". But his love of alcohol and heroin was greater than his alleged love for Patti, and after much abuse she left him.
He's always carried a chip on his shoulder because his biological Mum abandoned him. But he grew up in a very loving home with his Grandmum and her husband (he had no biological ties to him) so it wasn't as if he lacked for love and a good home.
He brought all of his demons upon himself, and now it appears as if they're eating him alive.

[marble falls]

48. Wasn't Mac Davis's wife involved, too?

[SergeStorms]

57. Not to my recollection....

perhaps after Patti? Of course my recollection is nowhere near what ot used to be. I'm a year younger than Clapton, and soaked myself with alcohol for quite some time too. That and just about every drug under the sun, but never heroin. Not even to snort it, because I KNEW I'd like it too much and it would destroy me.

I've been clean and sober for 22 years now, and quite honestly, I don't miss it one bit. And if I had all the money I wasted on alcohol and drugs I could buy Mar-ma-lardo and burn it to the ground, just for the fun of it.

[marble falls]

65. Mac's wife ran off with Glen Cambell at a round the same ...

All us boomers were lucky to make it out the other side.

Good for you, bubba!

[SergeStorms]

69. Thanks.

I was lucky, very lucky. Stupid too, for ever getting involved with all that stuff in the first place. The 60s were a definite mind-fuck though.

[marble falls]

73. I was so lucky in so many, many ways. I ducked more bullets than I ever had any reason to ...

... to get away with, G*d looked out for me 'cause I rushing with the fools. I enjoyed the sixties, but the memories are vague.

But we broke on through to the other side. Bubba, we survived.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. I think it was Marc Maron and Dean Delray who observed on their podcast

"Dark Fonzie" that Clapton cant really play anymore, his hands are gnarled as happens to so many rock guitarist, and the less he can play the more his hate comes out.

Or something like that, makes sense.

[hlthe2b]

4. Two musicians who both were influenced by black blues musicians and both played with Muddy Waters...

One, the late Levon Helm was a Southerner through and through and was the only such member of his largely Canadian group, The Band. That said, there was never a racist bone in Levon's body. He was just genuinely a good guy and appreciative of the legacy left for him.

Then there was Eric Clapton, who likewise was highly influenced by these early African American blues musicians and likewise performed with Muddy Waters in the late 70s. How damned tragic that that is where the similarity to Levon Helm ends.

Truth be told, If I had to list my top ten rock songs of all time, Layla would surely be high on the list. I can credit Clapton for his musical contributions and incredible guitar ability (albeit, Layla would be nothing without the late Duane Allman's guitar contributions), but fully appreciate that Clapton is no hero.

Sad... really.

[Straw Man]

46. Levon Helm is considered almost a saint where I live ...

... which is near Woodstock, NY. But there ain't no such thing in the real world. In his autobiography, he makes excuses for segregationist Orval Faubus, who was governor of Arkansas when Helm was growing up, claiming that Faubus was actually a progressive who had to oppose integration in order to be elected. Yeah, OK, whatever ... Best singing drummer in rock history, but maybe he could've/should've kept his mouth shut that time.

Then there's Clapton. Politics aside, all the best parts of "Layla" weren't his work. The trademark guitar riff was created and played by Duane Allman. The gorgeous extended fadeout was the work of co-writer Jim Gordon, and the exquisite playing therein was by Bobby Whitlock on piano and Duane on guitar. Without those things it's a pretty lackluster song, as evidenced by the solo acoustic version by Clapton.

Buh-bye, Eric. Nothing like ending your career with a whiny whimper.

[hlthe2b]

47. I've seen many a DUer take a defensive pragmatic political stance

that they later regretted. (support for Manchin comes to mind). Helm was not racist. Period. Ugly cheap shot.

And I had ALREADY made the point about Duane Allman being what made Layla.

[Straw Man]

66. Like condoning a politician's overtly racist acts?

I don't think so -- not on DU. Faubus used the Arkansas National Guard to block the integration of Little Rock's high schools. There's not a lot of nuance there.

I didn't say Helm was a racist -- I said that he condoned a racist politician. Maybe that doesn't damn him forever, but it doesn't make him the poster boy for anti-racism either. You call it a "cheap shot" -- I call it the truth.

And it wasn't just Allman that made "Layla" what it was. It was Allman and Jim Gordon and Bobby Whitlock -- in other words, everyone but Clapton.

[hlthe2b]

67. You did just that

and it is indefensible.

It seems as though you are upset that your fellow New Yorkers find Helm to have been a real icon and credit to the Woodstock community he embraced, while you only see him as a racist because he comes from the South--that was the very first thing you brought up, so it certainly seems to rankle you. I'm no Southerner either, but in the West, at least, we don't paint public figures for the crimes of their regions' ancestors nor do most DUers. And, yes, most Duers do not hold a single vote for a candidate, for which an individual expressed sufficient regret to try to explain in his own memoirs decades later, in a life filled with examples of honor and a creditable example on racial equality and respect.

[Straw Man]

72. Please show me where I called Helm a racist.

Last edited Mon Oct 18, 2021, 09:53 PM - Edit history (2)

You can't because I didn't. Your other accusation is laughable -- a racist because he's from the South? Where did I say anything remotely like that? Perhaps you are too blinded by rockstar hero-worship to see that Helm made a very bad judgement call in defending Faubus on the grounds of political expediency. When I read that in his autobiography, it hit me like a slap in the face.

Helm admits to a childhood fondness for Governor Faubus, which is understandable: different people, different time, different place. But in hindsight, following decade after decade of the struggle for civil rights, the only possible conclusion is that at a critical moment in history -- following Brown vs. Board of Education -- Faubus came down squarely with both feet on the wrong side of the issue. I repeat: He used the Arkansas National Guard to block the integration of high schools in Little Rock. That was a choice, and one for which there is no excuse.

The pragmatism argument is crap. "He had to do it because ... politics." Bullshit. Faubus didn't have to be Governor of Arkansas; he wanted to be Governor of Arkansas, apparently more than he cared about social justice. At worst, he was a stone segregationist; at best, he was a craven hack who threw morality to the winds to win re-election. Regardless of his motivations, he made a terrible choice. Segregationist is as segregationist does.

Helm likewise had a choice: admit that your boy fucked up, or double down and own the consequences. He chose the latter. Better that he had never addressed the subject of Faubus at all. One wonders why, in 1993, he chose to do so.

I'm not judging Levon Helm for the crimes of his region's ancestors; I'm judging him for his defense of an indefensible action. Can you not see the difference?

For more on Orval Faubus, see Charles Mingus:

[ProfessorGAC]

68. Mostly Agree

But, I'm an outlier who thinks Duane's contributions to that song are largely overrated.
His impact is far greater on other songs on that album.
Songs like "Keep On Growing", "Why Does Love Have To Be So Bad", "Anyday", ”Key To The Highway", & " Little Wing" have way more of his influence showing. Particularly due to his rhythm work since his style is so different than Clapton's, and he was so good at counter rhythm.
The slide stuff on Layla is nice as sweetening, but I recommend against seeking out the isolated track. I think you'll be disappointed. It's off key a lot, which is why Tom Dowd lowered its profile in the mix, especially in the piano coda.
I'm a big fan of Duane's but I never thought what he did on that song was that stellar.
Other songs....hoo boy!!!

[Ferryboat]

5. While time will expose one true nature

this man opened my eyes to the blues. As a kid in the 70's it was the British invasion that exposed most Americans to what we ignored.

The blues is a genre that is at the heart of rock n roll.

Claptons racism was never overt. He did alot to help blues musicians through hard times.
No one is perfect.

[Voltaire2]

70. What? here: 1976. Racist Rant.

Eric Clapton was visibly intoxicated onstage at a concert in Birmingham on Aug. 5, 1976. But the message he spoke at the mike was clear. As he advocated his support for Enoch Powell, a controversial right-wing British politician well-known for his anti-immigration views, the guitarist took things even further, asking the audience if there were any foreigners present.

“I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country,” Clapton said. “Listen to me, man! I think we should vote for Enoch Powell. Enoch’s our man. I think Enoch’s right, I think we should send them all back."

His words echoed much of the sentiment Powell had espoused in his infamous 1968 Rivers of Blood speech, in which he staunchly criticized mass immigration and implied that the majority of immigrants arriving in the U.K. were doing so "with a view to the exercise of actual domination, first over fellow immigrants and then over the rest of the population."

Clapton, however, was much more blunt. "Stop Britain from becoming a black colony," he said. "Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white.

Read More: When Eric Clapton's Bigoted 1976 Rant Sparked Rock Against Racism | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-rant-rock-against-racism/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

[Spider Jerusalem]

74. Nearly 30 years later, given the opportunity to recant....

he instead described Enoch Powell as "outrageously brave".

[consider_this]

6. kinda sad that

loved his music, and resisted the urge to post "Let it Rain" (a fave) to a recent DU fun post about 'post a song about rain' (something like that) because I figured it might meet with scorn due to all this recent under the hood stuff.

[Lochloosa]

14. Use this one next time...one of Phil's rare songs he sings on

[SalviaBlue]

54. I love this video!

This is one of my favorite songs. I watch this video pretty regularly.

[Lochloosa]

58. Saw them do it in St Pete, Fl 86

[Cha]

7. That is sad.. Clapton is the one who

is spouting "propaganda" and dangerously.

This made me think of Ben Carson.. who is a gifted pediatric surgeon but a sociopathic POS in life.

[OAITW r.2.0]

8. Liked him when he played in Wynton Marsalis's Band. Corrine, Corrine...with Taj Maha;/////

https://music.

&list=PLdL1qsDExcuNw4GCLZ8T2tpkagz-FHZe-

[OAITW r.2.0]

11. A closer walk with thee,,,,,

https://music.

&list=PLdL1qsDExcuNw4GCLZ8T2tpkagz-FHZe-

[Walleye]

64. Wow!Thought the stage might fall down under the weight of all that talent

Never heard banjo playing like that

[Turbineguy]

9. It is sad.

In management books they say to stick to your knitting. He does music well.

[Mr.Bill]

10. Over the years, the more I have read

about the biographies of the old British Invasion musicians, the more I have come to realize most of them are not the people I though they were. Some of them were/became despicable humann beings. Oh, well, it doesn't chenge the enjoyment I have gotten from the music.

[Walleye]

13. Correct. I still love van Morrison records

[vanlassie]

25. Long time Van fan. As per my screen name.

But I can call him an asshole and believe he is a fucking musical genius.

[themaguffin]

59. I have every Van album and a lot of Clapton's too. I still listen, though Van's latest is the

first new CD that I haven't bought of his since I became a fan 30 years ago.

McCartney and others used the lockdown to have fun creating new music. Not Van though. Even the song titles were cringey.

I hate that this is where we are. In particular, I felt like I was traveling through Van's journey. It looks like for me, that journey ended with his 2019 release.

[rpannier]

17. Roger Daltrey is one of those

Love the Who and saw them three times years ago -- they were fantastic and Daltrey was very pleasant to everyone
Several years ago, in an interview, he said he'd vote for Farage's party if he thought they could win

[tavernier]

28. And then there are the exceptions.

Freddie Mercury, exceedingly generous and kind. He was known to be Father Christmas to everyone who knew him and many who didn’t. He made oodles of money and loved sharing it.

[stopdiggin]

31. UK has always been fully as racist

as the U.S. (both working and upper class) - just never got the same attention and coverage this side of the 'pond.'

[Walleye]

12. Didn't Cream record a song written by Skip James to give him the royalt

royalties? “I’m So Glad”. Those pioneering blues musicians never had made much money. Now Clapton has turned into a bitter old man. Sad is the word

[Mr.Bill]

18. The Rolling Stones did that for a number of old Blues musicians.

Led Zeppelin did just the opposite, stealing the music without accrediting the original artists. Then they fought it in the courts for so long, when they finally lost it was the old musician's heirs who got the money.

[shrike3]

61. I actually heard just the opposite. That the Stones were wont to crib blues songs without paying.

It's true about Clapton and Skip James.

[Mr.Bill]

63. The Stones were influenced by the early Blues musicians

and may have lifted a riff or two, like any musician, but on their early albums you will find complete songs with a writing credit to the original musicians.

Much of Led Zeppelin's first album is a medley of old blues classics with no credit given to the original writers.

[shrike3]

71. A music historian I heard interviewed said the bluesmen were credited by the Stones but never paid.

Did some research, can't find anything that verifies it either way.

[shrike3]

62. Yes, as a young musician Clapton was paying old bluesmen royalties.

While others didn't, I had been told the Stones did not.

I share your disappointment. What an angry, bitter old man he turned into.

The "I'm so glad" royalties lifted Skip James out of poverty.

[ismnotwasm]

15. Him and Van Morrison really make me sad.

So gifted. Such assholes

[MustLoveBeagles]

16. That's it in a nutshell

I still like their music but will never see them in a positive light again.

[Bobstandard]

19. Clapton relied on high register sustain way too much

A nice run, a break, another run, then up the register to a high pitched sustain. That only works for so long, then it becomes a boring trope for a player who doesnt’ have much more to say musically. I like to contrast Clapton with Robbie Robertson. Both technically gifted, but Robertson had many more original chops. Note how when he gets into a high pitched sustain, he gets off it right away and goes on to other commentary. So that’s one thing. Here’s another:

It’s fair to separate the artist and his works from the artists ethics and politics. Otherwise, you’d have to kill me for liking Wagner and ee Cummings.

[relayerbob]

21. An even better comparison is his fellow Yardbird alum Jeff Beck

Beck's had consistent growth and innovation and an important impact on the music world. Beck's commentary on Clapton (and Page) is quite entertaining.

[plimsoll]

24. Right where I'm at.

For reasons that remain completely mystifying to me some really vile human beings can create astonishingly beautiful things. I find that I can enjoy the art and still say, "It's a shame they were such a piece of sh*t otherwise."

Conversely, it should tell us that beauty and good are not synonymous. I think too many people make very superficial judgements based solely on appearance.

[thucythucy]

50. OMG ee cummings!

"i sing of olaf" was huge for me!

Now I'll have to Google him to see where and how he went astray.

Jack Kerouac is another literary figure whose personal life and politics were disappointing, to say the least.

And then there's William Burroughs, who literally killed his wife and got away with it. He's even touted by some as a spokesperson for "gun rights." Nothing says responsible gun owner like shooting your wife in the head while playing a drunken game of "William Tell," then relying on the family fortune to skip out on any legal responsibility.

[relayerbob]

20. Clapton peaked in 1969-70

His stupidity is now starting to come off as the early symptoms of the dementia of one sort or another. Considering all the drugs and "neurological" problems, it seems he would be better served by retiring and saving whats left of his reputation.

Despite being a huge music fan and sometime musician, EC has never much impressed me, and everything he has done in recent past has simply reinforced my lack of interest and support for his career.

[stopdiggin]

36. except that he's on record for saying

really toxic things - way back when.

[relayerbob]

39. Of course

one of the reasons I stopped caring about him decades ago. He needs to go away, his 15 minutes of fame are way over

[StocktonNative]

22. Safety wasn't Claptons priority in life.

Non Masker who also didn't prevent his own kid from a 49 story fall. Clapton is pure negligence.

?ssl=1


In real life, most rockers don't subscribe to his ideology and showed it in mid to late 70's! Fight Fascism!
?crop=2250%2C1500%2C0%2C0{/i]

One UK Gig started it all!

https://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.4355601.1600185749!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg

[vanlassie]

26. This is not fair.

He was not there when it happened. FFS.

[stopdiggin]

37. yes. hateful. and nothing whatever to do with

the topic at hand.

[StocktonNative]

38. Clapton could afford safety guards

And chose not to for his son at that residence.

In real life, accidents are preventable. Clapton learned nothing.

Enuff Said.

[radical noodle]

40. The housekeeper left the window open

Clapton had nothing to do with the child falling. He may be a jerk about many things, but he was in no way at fault for his son's death. Connor was living with his mother, not Clapton.

[vanlassie]

41. No, not "enuff said." The parents were divorced. Clapton didn't live there.

Are you trying to imply that he declined to do something in his ex’s home out of a lack of caring??
…Rubbish.
“Clapton, who didn't live with Del Santo and Conor, happened to be in New York at the time. In fact, the night before tragedy struck, he'd taken Conor to the circus for an outing later memorialized in the song "Circus." As he later told Ed Bradley during a 1999 interview with 60 Minutes, wanting to be a good father to his son was what ultimately prompted Clapton to get sober.”

Read More: The Day Eric Clapton's Son Was Killed in 49-Story Fall | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/eric-clapton-son-killed/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

[StocktonNative]

43. Get real...Clapton could have ensured his child or anyone was safe.

It was required in apartment. No in condos.

You would think that Clapton from this experience would be more conscience of health and safety. He's willing to let other people suffer and die?

He learned nothing...absolutely nothing.

Enuff said.

[vanlassie]

44. You are saying he should have known about the laws in his ex's city.

That he should have had HER place inspected? For what, precisely? What about every other potential hazard? Asbestos? Lead? Don’t be ridiculous. I think the guy is a jerk. I read Patty’s biography. But pinning the child’s freak accident on him is wrong and stupid. There’s plenty to show he’s an asshole without this nonsense. It’s heartless. Knock it off.

[mopinko]

49. you sound like you have some unresolved daddy issues.

i dont know how you reached these conclusions, but it isnt from facts or common sense.

[bringthePaine]

27. fuck him - toxic ego is no excuse; we have the music - plenty - so cut his stupid ass loose

[catbyte]

29. I haven't thought much of him since he spewed this in 1976:

I was 21 when he launched this bullshit. He later blamed it on "alcohol" when the blow back started, but alcohol doesn't change you--it just greases your jaw. I remember how disappointed and disillusioned I was because I had recently attended an awesome Carlos Santana concert where he was a surprise guest, and it was incredible.

Edited to add this link that I forgot to include:

https://stillwerise.uk/2020/11/28/eric-claptons-racist-rant/

[Joinfortmill]

35. Jeez that's horrible.

[argyl]

45. A couple of slurred n***** words would be bad enough.

But, drunk or not , this is a full blown diatribe that shows his racism quite clearly.

And Layla would not have been the LP it was without
"Skydog" Duane Allman. Clapton was stumbling around Miami Beach drunk and/or fucked up on smack.

Duane made Layla the song and LP it came to be. At age 20 he was a session guitarist in Nashville. By age 22 he was a full fledged Muscle Shoals Swamper, playing on tracks by artists such as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Laura Nyro, Delaney and Bonnie, Herbie Mann, and others as well.

Duane never even got close to the vaunted "27" club.
He was killed in a motorcycle crash in Macon, Georgia in October of 1971. He was only 24 years old. Who knows what he'd have done if he'd lived longer.

[dawg]

52. In the flesh?

[JoeOtterbein]

30. Cream was Cool...

...after that Nirvana ruled.

[Joinfortmill]

32. A great artist is not always a great person.

[StocktonNative]

33. In real life...People reacted to Eric Fascist Rants

[unblock]

42. Oh and speaking of Layla, the piano coda was stolen from Rita Coolidge

https://www.postindependent.com/entertainment/music-the-tragedy-of-the-layla-coda/

[Wounded Bear]

51. I guess I should have realized when you consider how many different bands he played with

just in his first few years on the music scene, that he was the kind of asshole that couldn't get along with anybody. Some obvious personality disorders on display there.

[Tommymac]

53. Stevie Ray Vaughn pawns Clapton's Blues Guitar.

Musically Clapton was above average, but not the guitar god he thinks he is in his mind.

Just my opinion.

I rarely listen to him at all anymore, he is in the same category as Batshit Crazy Teddy Nugent - liked the music when I was young and dumb...not anymore.

[shrike3]

55. Back in the day, Clapton didn't just revere the bluesmen he covered, like other artists did.

He paid them. Cream recorded "I'm so Glad," using an arrangement by Skip James, and paid James royalties. Not everybody did that. Lifted James out of poverty. Why this saddens me so much, what he has been revealed to be.

[Dukkha]

56. He stopped being influential long ago

Like so many other 60's era rockers, Clapton disappeared into the beige veneer of bland adult contemporary. His music was more fitting for a dentist reception room than the Royal Albert Hall.

[pecosbob]

60. FWIW Layla was a masterpiece because of Duane Allman's spectacular guitar work...not Clapton's.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

75. Eric Clapton was more than happy to have his photo taken with Greg Abbott.

Link to tweet