So, who knew Eric Clapton was a giant racist? I didn't.

[harmonicon]

I don't know if I should post this in the lounge, but I know I'll find more music fans here than in GD.

I was reading about him, for whatever reason, and apparently he said this:

"I used to be into dope, now I’m into racism. It’s much heavier, man. Fucking wogs, man. Fucking Saudis taking over London. Bastard wogs. Britain is becoming overcrowded and Enoch will stop it and send them all back. The black wogs and coons and Arabs and fucking Jamaicans and fucking [indecipherable] don’t belong here, we don’t want them here. This is England, this is a white country, we don’t want any black wogs and coons living here. We need to make clear to them they are not welcome. England is for white people, man. We are a white country. I don’t want fucking wogs living next to me with their standards. This is Great Britain, a white country, what is happening to us, for fuck's sake? We need to vote for Enoch Powell, he’s a great man, speaking truth. Vote for Enoch, he’s our man, he’s on our side, he’ll look after us. I want all of you here to vote for Enoch, support him, he’s on our side. Enoch for Prime Minister! Throw the wogs out! Keep Britain white!"

He's never taken it back, and never even really said that he's not a racist, just that he's surprised that people think he is, and that he's learnt to keep his opinions to himself.

I've long thought that there's a big racist bent to a lot of those culturally imperialist English musicians from that time, but I was surprised that one of them had ever been this vocal about it without it still regularly being brought up.

[KamaAina]

1. Eurghh. I wish I hadn't followed up on this. Guess who else? David Bowie.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-ten-worst-rocknroll-career-moves-1774270.html?action=gallery&ino=3

David Bowie was one of the first rock and roll stars to fall into this trap when, in the early 1970s he suggested Britain could benefit from a fascist government and that, in his opinion, Adolf Hitler was 'the first superstar'.

[harmonicon]

5. What I know about the Bowie stuff, it wasn't as explicit.

I mean, he might advocate fascism (which is crazy, but people do it all the time with more gentle language) but not racism. Didn't he marry an African woman, or am I thinking of some other famous white rock star? As The Clash sang, "If Adolf Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway," so Bowie wasn't the only one to see him as a "star," though I don't know if he meant it positively - The Clash meant it very negatively.

Oh, man... now I know I'll read more about it and probably be disappointed. I'm not a huge Bowie fan anyway, but more-so than I am of Clapton. *sigh*

[Flaxbee]

11. he married Iman, a gorgeous Somali supermodel

they've been married since 1992; together for many years before that, I think.

But many people have very selective prejudices. They might be fine with an exotic, beautiful African woman but hate Jews. Makes absolutely no sense, none of it, but then again, people are stupid.

That rant by Clapton sounds like it had to be tongue-in-cheek. Could someone really be so vile, and so stupid as to say it out loud?

[riderinthestorm]

12. Bowie married Iman, a very famous African model from Somalia so presumably a Muslim? nt

[Honeycombe8]

19. And he lived with an Asian "My China Girl." nt

[Tom Ripley]

21. That was Bowie dabbling in the Nazi-chic that was fashionable for awhile in the 70s...

he was also doing LOTS of cocaine and believed witches were following him.

[Boomerproud]

2. Self-deleted by poster.

n/t

[rocktivity]

3. "I'm into racisim"? I pray that he is also into sarcasm.

Last edited Wed Apr 16, 2014, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

rocktivity

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. Strange - Clapton owes his entire professional existence to black blues musicians

who influenced every lick he's ever played. If America had sent them all back to Africa and the blues had never been recorded, Clapton might have played Dowland on the classical guitar or Bach on the violin instead of Crossroads or maybe would never have accomplished anything in life.

[harmonicon]

6. I think that's part of the cultural imperialist.

They take from other cultures in an exploitative manner. Somehow the cultural imperialist creates a cognitive dissonance whereby the individual member of another culture can have no value while the material production of them is greatly valued.

This was absolutely clear with the likes of Led Zeppelin who went so far as to copyright songs composed by African Americans under their own names, but they did the same to other English musicians - with them it was just a general imperialist/capitalist drive which happened to hurt African Americans the most. Clapton, on the other hand, did always credit the originators of the material he appropriated... he just also called them "wogs" and "coons."

[ohiosmith]

7. The original lyrics to Get Back. I have a bootleg of the rehearsal.

No Pakistanis (Get Back)
------------------------

Spoken b4 song - "Who what that black man? Don't dig no Pakistanis, taking all the peoples jobs."

Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.

Ronan Relimun, was a Puatarican, working in another world.
Want it thrown around, Se patiha mohican, livin' in the USA.

Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.

(Instrumental)

Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.

Pretty Ado Lamb, was a pakistani, living in another world,
Want it thrown around, don't dig no pakistanis, taking all the people jobs.

So get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.
Get back, get back, get back to where you once belonged.

(Instrumental)

Get back, get back, get back, get back.
Get back, get back, get back, get back.

Get back!
Yeah,
get back!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Get back!

------------------

[harmonicon]

9. ... written to mock Enoch Powell.

It was meant as parody of his speech, not praise.

[ohiosmith]

13. Right you are. I should've made that clear.

[Grantuspeace]

8. I think you should post a link to help validate your sources.

That is a pretty serious claim.

[harmonicon]

10. Use google, or just check the wikipedia page on Clapton - it's there.

It's not an obscure quote, and it's not new news. I'm just surprised that I hadn't heard it before. It's not even an "allegation." Clapton did say that, AT A CONCERT, no less, and has never denied it.

[baldguy]

14. 1976

You don't think that maybe he's grown up in the last 35 yrs?

[harmonicon]

15. As that video also states...

he never apologized for those comments or took them back, and still maintains that he thinks Enoch Powell was right about immigration and not a racist (from the very little I know about Powell, I think he may have been such an all-around nut that racism may not even be the start of it).

So, I don't know if he's grown up in the past 35 years or not. All he's said about it is that he's learnt to keep his opinions to himself.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

16. The same Eric Clapton that was a noted friend of Jimmy Hendrix?n/t

[Bucky]

18. My debate partner in high school was a nazi and an early follower of David Duke

Yet one of his best friends was a black kid and we'd hang out with this Osage lesbian friend of ours.

Racists hate in wholesale groups and are more than capable of compartmentalizing their hatreds. People hate because they lack love and acceptance in their lives and when they find it, sometimes they don't scruple what color it comes in.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

23. Hendrix greatly admired Clapton's playing

Supposedly, when ex Animals bassist Chas Chandler got Hendrix to move to England and be his managed performer, Hendrix agreed on condition that Chandler would introduce him to Eric Clapton and set up a jam session. Clapton was very resistant to the idea but eventually agreed, and Hendrix nearly blew him off the stage. Although Hendrix was a big fan of Clapton and admired him and The Cream greatly, I'm not sure the feeling was mutual.

[Bucky]

17. It's so over the top. I see in Wiki he was quite drunk

But on reading further, all that "I've learned to keep my opinions to myself" stuff makes it seem pretty clear. The man's a neanderthal.

[Tom Ripley]

20. Derek the Babyman never got over having Jimi Hendrix come along and smoke his lame ass...

Clapton is not only incredibly overrated, he is also a whiny and petulant self-absorbed prick.
Fuck him and the Giorgio Gomelsky graffiti he rode in on.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

27. well now I don't feel bad for never having been into his music

Even though I thought everyone was supposed to cuz he's so great....

But I never knew any of this stuff about him. I'm floored. Wasn't expecting it.

[UTUSN]

22. I'm UNhip and Unsurprised n/t

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

24. What is your source for this?

[oberliner]

25. Also a violently abusive misogynist

Cheated on his wife with numerous young women and abused her physically and emotionally.

Really a vile man in all respects.

[fishwax]

26. Yep -- that's the incident that prompted the Rock Against Racism movement

Pretty shameful. I've read that he claimed he was drunk and/or that it was a joke. He also tried to half-assed justify it by claiming he was angry because a member of the Saudi Royal family had made a pass at Pattie Boyd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Against_Racism

Rock Against Racism (RAR) was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock, punk and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order to discourage young people from embracing racism. The campaign was founded, in part, as a response to statements and activities by well-known rock musicians that were widely regarded as racist.[1]