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“I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.”
With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys.
Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of Londons Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.”
During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for Georges wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1979. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage.
In the eighties he would battle and begin his recovery from alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.”
Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.
Review:
"Readers hoping for sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll won't be disappointed by the legendary guitarist's autobiography. As he retraces every step of his career, from the early stints with the Yardbirds and Cream to his solo successes, Clapton also devotes copious detail to his drug and alcohol addictions, particularly how they intersected with his romantic obsession with Pattie Boyd. His relationship with the woman for whom he wrote 'Layla' culminated in a turbulent marriage he describes as 'drunken forays into the unknown.' But he genuinely warms to the subject of his recovery, stressing its spiritual elements and eagerly discussing the fund-raising efforts for his Crossroads clinic in Antigua. His self-reckoning is filled with modesty, especially in the form of dissatisfaction with his early successes. He professes ambivalence about the famous 'Clapton is God' graffiti, although he admits he was grateful for the recognition from fans. At times, he sounds more like landed gentry than a rock star: bragging about his collection of contemporary art, vigorously defending his hunting and fishing as leisure activities, and extolling the virtues of his quiet country living. But both the youthful excesses and the current calm state are narrated with an engaging tone that nudges Clapton's story ahead of other rock 'n' roll memoirs." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Review:
"The articulate, thoughtful rock-and-roller faces a dilemma when he sits down to write his autobiography. Does he give fans what they've come to expect by wallowing in the excesses of sex and drugs? Or does he write an intelligent, reflective book that actually assesses his life in the spotlight? Eric Clapton's autobiography leaves little doubt that he lived the rock-and-roll lifestyle, but there's... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) hardly a trashed hotel room or sordid tryst to be found here. Chastened by his experience as a recovering alcoholic, Clapton writes in a restrained, self-critical, even humble mode. The early chapters, in which Clapton discusses his childhood in rural England in the late 1940s and through the '50s, are the richest. From whispered conversations among relatives, young Eric pieced together that his mother and father were actually his grandparents. His mother had given birth out of wedlock and left him in their care. She told him when he was 9 that he couldn't call her Mummy and that she didn't want to be part of his life. His mother's rejection compounded Clapton's feelings of isolation and impelled him toward music, a healing force in which he lost himself. His first guitar was so wondrous it was 'like a piece of equipment from another universe.' He practiced alone in his room, taping himself over and over as he tried to approximate the players he heard on records. Clapton's enthrallment with the blues began when he heard early-20th-century guitarist Robert Johnson. The intensity of songs like 'Hellhound on My Trail' repelled Clapton at first, but he came to find the music 'primitively soothing' and, as a teenager, realized he would devote the rest of his life to playing the blues. As Clapton recounts being seduced by the blues, his story brims with the excitement of discovery. His descriptions of his first years on his own in London have a loose-jointed energy that captures the welter of creativity around him. He sought out other blues enthusiasts in Beatles-mad England, read Kerouac, attended Pinter plays, watched Japanese movies, dated a 'Top of the Pops' dancer and started bands. After he was kicked out of his first real band, the Yardbirds, the graffito 'Clapton is God' began to pop up all over London. Oddly, just as Clapton's musical career gets into high gear, with the seminal blues-rock bands Cream and Derek and the Dominos, his narrative starts to sputter. At times the book becomes a blur of session men, albums, producers, concert halls and tours that may test the patience of even ardent fans. Clapton has played with dozens of gifted musicians in blues, rock and pop, including his guitar heroes Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy. He is plainly awed by his good fortune and wants to pay tribute to his collaborators and friends. When Clapton says offhandedly that he was sitting next to George Harrison when the Beatle wrote 'Here Comes the Sun,' readers may want to linger at that scene, but Clapton has an anecdote about Steve Winwood waiting in the wings, so off we go. If the blues helped shape and sustain Clapton, sobriety became the driving force of his later life. He kicked heroin in his 30s, turning to alcohol instead, and was soon drinking two bottles of liquor a day. The second time through treatment, Clapton had a spiritual awakening. He had always found God in the blues; now he kneels and prays daily for sobriety. The culture of recovery also becomes the touchstone of the latter part of his autobiography. This turns out to be a double-edged sword. The unsparing self-examination required in 12-step programs doubtless prompts Clapton to reveal details that a less forthcoming author would have suppressed, but it also occasionally swamps the narrative with therapy-speak. Readers may grit their teeth through Clapton's grating tendency to interpret all relationships with women through his absent mother. But the payoff comes in frank episodes such as Clapton's tale of his bizarre relationship with a spiritualist who persuaded him to bathe in herbs, cut himself and sleep with her — all in the hopes of saving his first marriage. Clapton's portrayal of his music and his recovery is ultimately most trenchant when he discusses the accidental death of his 4-year-old son, Conor. Only three years sober, Clapton had to identify the body of his son after the child fell from the 53rd floor of a New York apartment building. In the months that followed, Clapton holed up by himself, playing his guitar with newfound purpose. That his fragile recovery survived such heart-rending loss is a miracle. Clapton wrote this autobiography from a place of contentment. A world tour has just concluded, he is surrounded by his second wife and three young daughters and he hasn't had a drink in decades. His son's death can never be far from him, though. One of the songs he wrote in the wake of the tragedy, 'Tears in Heaven,' was a worldwide hit, his most popular song ever." Reviewed by Elliott Vanskike, who is a writer living in Silver Spring, Md., Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group) (hide most of this review)
Synopsis:
With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life. Poignant and honest, "Clapton" is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.
Synopsis:
“I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.”
With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys.
Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of London’s Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.”
During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1977. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage.
In the eighties he would battle and beat alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.”
Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.
Craig Norton, January 10, 2008 (view all comments by Craig Norton)
Over the years, I've read several Clapton biographies so I was looking forward to finally hearing from the man himself. Assuming that Eric completed this without the aid of a ghostwriter, it is very well written and he should be proud of his accomplishment. As for the content, it was like reading three separate books.
Book 1: Eric's description of his confused childhood was very moving. For a fan of Eric's 60's work, the tales of the Yardbirds, Mayall, and Cream were fascinating. Eric revolutionized rock guitar playing during the 60's and his influence reverberates to this day. He has been a dominant force in bringing respect to the blues. Well done!
Book 2: Eric's addictions to heroin and alcohol were troubling, but they explain the unevenness of his recordings during the 70's and 80's. Eric dismisses many of these recordings himself. He frankly describes his role in the failed marriage to Pattie Boyd and his relationships with many other women.
Book 3: Sobriety, marital and family bliss. Lifestyles of the rich and famous. Very tedious reading and it felt rushed, as if Eric wanted to get the book completed. Eric acknowledges his many friends and musical influences. A warm and fuzzy thank you to all!
"Clapton" as a book mirrors Eric's career. The brilliant stuff is up front and you can almost leave it there. The book becomes more dispensable the closer that you get to the finish.
Eric's biography and Pattie Boyd's biography were released almost simultaneously. Is this a coincidence?
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (9 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
Geoff Amor, January 6, 2008 (view all comments by Geoff Amor)
Athough Eric`s book attempts to be sincere and no doubt is probably truthful , his arrogance and anger simmers away under his writing.
He talks about his 150 foot "Floating Palace",his very expensive clothes , Art Colletions , watches etc..
and lots more about his material gains.
A long way from Robert Johnsons life style ,( I expect he is spinning around in his grave like a propellor )
Great you have stopped drinking Eric ..now get sober!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (9 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
kathy.robson, December 15, 2007 (view all comments by kathy.robson)
goes to show that sometimes there really is a very interesting story behind the makings of a musician that shows though their music even if you never hear the real story...
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No (9 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
"Publishers Weekly Review"
by Publishers Weekly,
"Readers hoping for sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll won't be disappointed by the legendary guitarist's autobiography. As he retraces every step of his career, from the early stints with the Yardbirds and Cream to his solo successes, Clapton also devotes copious detail to his drug and alcohol addictions, particularly how they intersected with his romantic obsession with Pattie Boyd. His relationship with the woman for whom he wrote 'Layla' culminated in a turbulent marriage he describes as 'drunken forays into the unknown.' But he genuinely warms to the subject of his recovery, stressing its spiritual elements and eagerly discussing the fund-raising efforts for his Crossroads clinic in Antigua. His self-reckoning is filled with modesty, especially in the form of dissatisfaction with his early successes. He professes ambivalence about the famous 'Clapton is God' graffiti, although he admits he was grateful for the recognition from fans. At times, he sounds more like landed gentry than a rock star: bragging about his collection of contemporary art, vigorously defending his hunting and fishing as leisure activities, and extolling the virtues of his quiet country living. But both the youthful excesses and the current calm state are narrated with an engaging tone that nudges Clapton's story ahead of other rock 'n' roll memoirs." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life. Poignant and honest, "Clapton" is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.
"Synopsis"
by Random House,
“I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.”
With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys.
Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of London’s Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.”
During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1977. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage.
In the eighties he would battle and beat alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.”
Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.
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