Clapton's Shameful Slide

[WillyW]

I could finally read the article without it wanting me to subscribe.

What's the big deal?

Plenty of other artists are political-tards, and depending on how annoying they are about it I may or may not listen to their music anymore....

 

[rockabilly69]

I don't care for his political views, but I also don't care to read about them either. I was given the "Clapton" book many years ago, and half way into it I realized that he was absolute asshole. Why George Harrison kept him as a friend I will never know!

But, there so many great musicians that are the same, jerkoffs, although they make great music. It's not my job to judge them. I just listen to the music. I really liked Cream, Blind Faith, and a lot of Derek and The Dominoes. I even like some of his guest appearances playing bottleneck guitar on other people's records like he did on these...

 

[J.D.]

Agreed. One thing I loathe is an artist pushing their own political agendas during a music performance. I won't support it. CSN and Roger Waters come to mind.

 

[rockabilly69]

Plenty of other artists are political-tards, and depending on how annoying they are about it I may or may not listen to their music anymore....

Political-Tards! That made me laugh out loud!

 

[rockabilly69]

Agreed. One thing I loathe is an artist pushing their own political agendas during a music performance. I won't support it. CSN and Roger Waters come to mind.

Rogers Water's last tour blew me away, the musicianship, vocals, songs, stage presentation, and THE SOUND, was as good as anything as I've seen/heard in my lifetime, and I've seen most of the greats. Although it may have helped that I agree with his political views. Now CSN, I'll pass, Steven Still's voice is BLOWN!

 

[MojoJones]

Just because someone is great at doing something like playing the guitar, he is supposed to know something about the science of vaccines? He only has a platform because of his celebrity in a completely different area... the real problem here is he's doubling and tripling down on something he knows very little about except from personal experience. This is what happens when celebrities get political and their work becomes preachy and didactic rather than reflecting the universals of the human condition, singing about national health policy rather than "my baby done left me," or "I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long!" Bad art and dubious politics are sad ending for someone whose early work anyway is worthy of our highest regard. I miss the guy who played the blues as if his life depended on it because in an important sense it really did!

 

[MojoJones]

Agreed. One thing I loathe is an artist pushing their own political agendas during a music performance. I won't support it. CSN and Roger Waters come to mind.

It's rumored that Pete Townshend wacked Abbie Hoffman hard with his SG when he tried to commandeer the mike during The Who's set at Woodstock!

 

[NYCBURST]

Just because someone is great at doing something like playing the guitar, he is supposed to know something about the science of vaccines? He only has a platform because of his celebrity in a completely different area... the real problem here is he's doubling and tripling down on something he knows very little about except from personal experience. This is what happens when celebrities get political and their work becomes preachy and didactic rather than reflecting the universals of the human condition, singing about national health policy rather than "my baby done left me," or "I rolled and I tumbled, I cried the whole night long!" Bad art and dubious politics are sad ending for someone whose early work anyway is worthy of our highest regard. I miss the guy who played the blues as if his life depended on it because in an important sense it really did!

He did indeed have a personal experience and it was bad. We are now living in a world where people are not allowed to talk about their OWN personal experience because it doesn't fit your narrative. That's insane. He took the vaccine, the outcome was bad for him, he's allowed to talk about that! He has every right and he earned that right the minute he took the needle in his arm! It seems to me that people who say they don't like when artists get political really mean to say they don't like when artists get political with an opinion that is different than theirs.. Sad...

 

[ADP]

He did indeed have a personal experience and it was bad. We are now living in a world where people are not allowed to talk about their OWN personal experience because it doesn't fit your narrative. That's insane. He took the vaccine, the outcome was bad for him, he's allowed to talk about that! He has every right and he earned that right the minute he took the needle in his arm! It seems to me that people who say they don't like when artists get political really mean to say they don't like when artists get political with an opinion that is different than theirs.. Sad...

Say it again for the people in the back!

 

[Ed Driscoll]

It's rumored that Pete Townshend wacked Abbie Hoffman hard with his SG when he tried to commandeer the mike during The Who's set at Woodstock!

No film, alas:

 

[au_rick]

I think the slide for him and many others started when they all did duets with Tina Turner ?

 

[au_rick]

No film, alas:

According to Pete's account, he "kicked him in the balls and sent him off"

 

[E.M.]

I just read the article you posted and it seems like a fair assessment of the situation Clapton has found himself in and what led up to it, and the range of reactions many musicians who've known him quite well over the years have had to it.

Clapton has always been a touchstone for me. My first rock show was Cream's final U.S. performance which I watched essentially from a vantage point just beneath him. It's what made me want to play electric guitar. He was magnificent! His unplugged show is what made me want to play acoustic country blues. I may be disappointed in him as a human being, but we all have moral failures in some aspects of our lives. And I can't say that I have the moral authority to judge him.

I do think we often hold those famous and accomplished on too lofty a pedestal. Just because you're righteous and or accomplished in one aspect of your life doesn't mean your whole life, warts and all would hold up under close examination. This is the thing about the awful moment we find ourselves in. The internet has become a mob of angry Pharisees judging others for their perceived wickedness and transgressions and casting stones. But would your own life, seen in its entirety, hold up to such scrutiny? Clapton is a flawed human being, like all of us. Someone who's said and done a lot of stupid things that show poor judgement, and also someone who's done some really wonderful things that show true heart and soul. I may not be actively religious but Jesus words come to mind. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." And in the immortal words of Frank Zappa may Clapton do himself some good and hopefully "shut up and play yer guitar!"

Spot on MojoJones. Our current culture loves to throw stones while pretending we have no demons of our own. I'd say the good that Clapton has brought to this world far outweighs a stumble or two here and there.

 

[MojoJones]

He did indeed have a personal experience and it was bad. We are now living in a world where people are not allowed to talk about their OWN personal experience because it doesn't fit your narrative. That's insane. He took the vaccine, the outcome was bad for him, he's allowed to talk about that! He has every right and he earned that right the minute he took the needle in his arm! It seems to me that people who say they don't like when artists get political really mean to say they don't like when artists get political with an opinion that is different than theirs.. Sad...

I certainly respect Eric's right to talk about his own personal experience, and also in a sense turn it into art if he so chooses (Tears in Heaven, Layla etc.) But he's chosen to turn his personal experience into a political crusade and his political crusade into songs, which makes for bad art. Polemical, didactic, preachy art almost always sucks (Guernica by Pablo Picasso would be a notable exception). Preachiness is downright off-putting.

Clapton has always been a touchstone for me. I've loved his playing and his passion for the blues, his commitment to the art of it. He's entitled to his opinion, but it's sad he went all polemical with it because it makes a once-great man seem diminished. It's not so much that I disagree with him on this and I do, it's that IMHO his anti-vax crusade has turned the public's perception of E.C., who was once my youthful hero, into that of a curmudgeonly old man, a squirrelly uncle ranting at Thanksgiving. And I still to this day have love in my heart for him, as he was once a great inspiration to me. And of course, his music endures!

 

[Wilko]

His personal experience absolutely nothing to with the greater good. Period. He's a selfish old bastard like so many others who can't see past their own needs/wants.

 

[Arnold M.]

Clapton is what, 76 now? sometimes people become old and bitter late in life, what's left for him? facing your own mortality is a major issue at his age, don't believe it ? are you 76 ?? he can say or do as he pleases it makes no difference to me, the virus is a contentious issue and if the media can combine this with pitting old Eric against the 20 something crowd then they consider this a major score $$$$$ money makes the world go round

 

[NYCBURST]

His personal experience absolutely nothing to with the greater good. Period. He's a selfish old bastard like so many others who can't see past their own needs/wants.

I would put a question mark on your thinking....

 

[Resdoge]

Don"t meet your idols. Don't read about your idols talking about politic. Unless your idols are politicians and not guitarists.

 

[Bob Womack]

Whatever happened to...

Bob

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

Whatever happened to...

Bob

I think that died it's death around about the time people stopped thinking for themselves.