Eric Clapton: The Autobiography [Book Review]

The name Eric ‘Slowhand’ Clapton needs little introduction. The legendary guitarist, singer and songwriter has bequeathed upon the world some of the finest blues, rock and roll and jazz music and has contributed to the growth of music as heavily as The Beatles, if not more.

His songs will transcend time and will live on. They will persevere and survive any or all musical changes happening around the globe. If anything, Clapton’s music will continually keep revolutionizing music in every possible genre. This is his legacy to the world.

However, his journey, which he has jotted in his own hand (with the help of Christopher Simon Sykes) is one filled with success yet remorse, pain yet pleasure, sorrow yet happiness and regret. A whole lot of regret. Well, I believe those are the necessary ingredients to bring out the creative genius of any artist.

Born in 1945 in a small English countryside town called Ripley, he was an illegitimate son raised by his grandparents Rose and Jack Clapp. Upon the discovery of this fact, late into his teenage, Eric was devastated and developed a tendency to isolate himself from people, a problem which later affected his professional and personal life.

He bought his first guitar for about £2 and carved the words Lord Eric on the fretboard. Little did he know, it was not a lord he was meant to be, but a guitar god!

At the age of 18, he joined a band called The Yardbirds which instantly became popular by playing in local pubs of England. Though, The Yardbirds weren’t in the big money league, they released some hits such as ‘For Your Love’.  This was the time when the infamous graffiti bearing the words ‘Clapton is God’ started surfacing.

He then went on to play in a band called Bluesbreaker with the likes of John Mayall, but he tasted real success, fame and was at his peak while playing in Cream alongside other legends like Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Cream produced some of the best blues music of their times. Songs like ‘White Room’ and ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ became anthems. Everybody knew the words to them and everybody was singing them.

This was the time around which Clapton’s friendship developed with The Beatles. He was particularly good friends with George Harrison, who even asked Clapton to play guitar for his song ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’.

Clapton had also fallen madly and irretrievably in love with Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd. They had an ongoing affair for a while and when Pattie left Harrison, Clapton married her. The relationship between him and Harrison still remained civil and they continued to be good friends.

Pattie was his muse for some his greatest hits, such as ‘Layla’ (which he wrote while courting her) and ‘Wonderful Tonight’. Clapton confesses to having written ‘Wonderful Tonight’ in a fit of anger. Apparently, Pattie was taking too long to get ready for a party and Clapton said to her, “Look, you look wonderful. Can we go?”. She snubbed him away and as he strummed on his guitar while waiting for her, he wrote the words to that song within ten minutes. Talk about expressing love, right? However, his relationship with Pattie didn’t last long and they separated.

Not only was Clapton’s life filled with failed relationships, he also suffered from alcoholism and severe drug addiction. His finest years were lost to drugs and he writes that he barely has any memory of that period of his life. Clapton had two near death experiences due to his drug abuse. On the bright side, this led to the creation of another hit song, ‘Cocaine’.

At a time when he had just gotten out of rehab and was finally starting to get his life together, he lost his four year old son, Connor, and hit a new low in his life.

However, this time rather than turning to drugs and alcohol for relief, he used music to give vent to his pain and wrote his single greatest song ever, ‘Tears in Heaven’. Clapton never wanted it to be released to public, but he did it hoping it would help someone going through a troubled period of life. This was a truly magnanimous and brave act on his part.

Fortunately, the last few decades of his life have been kind to him. He is happily married to a sweet woman called Melia and has three daughters. Clapton places his endeavor to maintain sobriety as his top priority in life, so much so that he has a rehabilitation center called “Crossroads” to help other people battling alcoholism and drugs.

There is a lot to learn from the life of Eric Clapton and I would strongly recommend this book to not just fans of Clapton but to the public at large. There’s something for everyone in it. It will make you laugh, smile, maybe even shed a few tears. But, most of all, Clapton’s story will acquaint you with the power of passion and the strength it gives to a defeated soul, which otherwise would have no way back.

In conclusion, dear Mr. Eric Clapton, I would like to tell you, I would know your name, if I saw you in heaven.

(Article submitted by Sarthak Bhardwaj.)