Clapton: The Autobiography

Eric Clapton chronicles his journey from a child, utterly rejected by his mother, to a man who struggles to give his daughters a good father. Trying to find out where he fit in, he taught his fingers to express his emotions the only way he knew how... by playing his guitar. Falling in love with the blues is a life-long love affair. It truly is soul music... it permeates the soul and refuses to compromise, either you get it, or you don't, and Eric definitely got it quite early.The 60's were a time of great upheaval in the states. The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, revolution of the American family from the 50's, free love... the precursor to the sexual revolution to come in the next decade, and the explosion of rock 'n roll. His story is rich in rock history, and it includes the temptations of the 60's which provided a core element for most musicians from that time (in England as well as the U.S.)... abundant drugs, sexual promiscuity, musicians (pre-rock legends) working together learning to make good music, new music in which financial success was the icing on the cake, not a driving force. His angst, combined with the excessive flow of drugs and alcohol, proved to be his undoing time and time again.From his earliest band success with Cream, he showcased his talent as a guitarist, but every time success was at his fingertips, he ran from it, pushing it away before he had to face the self-induced stigma of failure. He knew he was rich in musical talent, but it seems he could only accept success when utterly numb from drink or drugs. Drink and drugs never refused him, never judged him, and in the world of addiction, never let him down.He is quite gracious in his book by refusing to bad mouth others from his relationships, and in his sober hindsight, recognizes his self-destructive nature as one of the fundamental forces which ruled, and ruined, many friendships, love affairs, and business partnerships.After taking a second stab at rehab, by his own authority, he got sober. During his past two decades of continued sobriety, he has seen great and much deserved success in the music industry, found true love and established a successful intimate relationshipwith his wife, become a family man, established a way to give back and help others find sobriety through his Crossroads Centre, established a real home, maintained life-long friendships, is involved in charity work, and appreciates all he has been given.Personally, I know all of the details of one's life cannot be included in a work of literature. Rejection by your mother, early in life, is crippling. I sincerely hope Eric has come to understand that his mother's rejection was not his fault, he didn't deserve it. He was not the problem, the problem belonged to the adults. He is good enough. Good enough to receive God's blessings, good enough to receive the love of a good woman, good enough to delight his children, good enough to have true friends who value his company... and yes, Eric, you do deserve it. At the end of your book my soul celebrated your successful metamorphosis into a human being. The journey wasn't easy, wasn't always pretty, and many do not survive it, but thank God above, you did. Thank for the gift of music you have so generously shared with me through the years, and thank you for inviting me into your life through your autobiography. May God keep you and yours....

First let me say I really enjoyed the book. It was not the most slickly written autobiography, but for the most part, it was interesting and showed an amazing side of the author that most in the same shoes would dare not reveal. Lets face it, Clapton had some serious problems and hang ups. Drug addict, alcoholic, womanizer, unreliable, at times very fickle and moody. He never really seemed to get over his early childhood and the revelation that his mother was really not his mother but rather his grandmother. I think that set the tone for his life and the feelings of worthlessness and insecurity that followed him throughout his career and even still lingers today. I got the feeling that perhaps he didn't get the strongest moral upbringing. That he was more ignored than abused.Clapton's crazy life was combination of massive insecurity, amazing talent, and huge success at an early age. I don't think he ever felt like he was truly deserving. At least not as a person. He comes off like a spoiled brat quite often. As a teenager with the Yardbirds, unhappy despite plenty of accolades. The pattern followed him most of his career. Constantly being fickle about bands he was in, and letting down people who trusted and relied on him. It was never enough for Clapton. He was always wanting more.Even as a grown man, Clapton had a childish attitude about women and romance. And like with the bands, once he got what he wanted, he was ready to move on to greener pastures. I found myself disgusted at times with his behavior, not just towards women, but towards everyone he came in contact with. He admittedly was a shallow, self-centered jerk. A hopeless substance abuser, it was both his demon and his savior. His savior, because until he learned to help others with their abuse, he never really developed as a person. Only later in the book did he redeem himself at all in my eyes, with his efforts at rehabilitation and as a father. But his insecurity still shows in the need he feels to tell you about all the "stuff" he has purchased. And the last chapters really don't seem to fit the rest of the book. As if the publisher told him to make it longer. Reads like a diary. A diary of boring stuff.At times the book has a lot of name dropping, with little real meat actually discussing the music, or fleshing out the people behind the names he was dropping. But that's simply a reflection on Clapton as a person. He collected acquaintances like he collects expensive watches. His relationships were really quite shallow. He claims almost everyone he meets was a best friend, when in reality most were nothing more than drinking buddies at best. Not that an unusual a circumstance for celebrities, surrounded by suck ups. But he seemed to relish counting off the names of celebrity friends as much as he likes telling you about his luxury yacht, his watch collection, or any of his other expensive hobbies. He really wants you do know he's made it! As if we didn't know!At times I almost found myself feeling sorry for him. Not because of his self inflicted pain, but because he was missing out on appreciating his success, fame, and wealth. He was so stoned and feeling sorry for himself most of the time, that he missed out on enjoying what could have been some of the best times of his life. Only by the end of the book was the realization upon him that wealth can buy you not just things, but rather the ability to not to have to work so much. Even late in his career he would set off on long extended tours, despite going on about how much he missed his family. I can only guess it was because of his fear that he would no longer be on top, no longer relevant in music. There are still some demons there in Clapton, I'm sure of it. He has come a long way, but you can't help but get the feeling that he still doesn't quite get it. That his depth is never more than just below the surface. But he's trying, and I have to give him credit for that.The book reads very honest to me. I don't think Clapton held much back. It must have been hard to admit to the world what a jerk he was. Even if at times I don't think he realizes how big a jerk. I was shocked at what kind of person he was. I had a much different image about him before reading his book. I always liked Clapton but have never been a gushing fan. I always considered him somewhat of a "commercial" artist, And there's some truth to the Rolling Stone article about him becoming a "Blues cliche". A great guitarist yes. Great artist? Hmm, well yes. If only on the basis of his longevity and multiple hit records. I counted at least 25-30 hit songs in his career. Not many Artists can match that.

Eric's memoir is a fascinating read that is written in first person narrative and has a very easy and understandable flow. He seemingly leaves no blemish or wart covered up and is brutally frank in his discussion of his addictions and feelings. Will eventually read Patty's memoir to get her side of the story. I'm glad that he took the time to put all of this down in writing before it was too late. Recommended!

Eric Clapton ha escrito una maravillosa autobiografía sin tapujos y sin adornos. Un honesto autocrítica y repaso de la vida de uno de los mejores músicos del mundo. Absolutamente imprescindible para los fans de Clapton y para cualquiera que interesa los músicos de blues y rock.

Pocas veces se accede a los recuerdos de aquellos que consideramos nuestros héroes. Eric Clapton ha sido desde hace más de 25 años ese tipo de figura emblemática. Me complace mucho descubrir su lado humano, sus errores y sus enmiendas. Asimismo sus grandes pasiones (la música, la pesca, la familia y la amistad). Todo esto va acompañado de su forma de hacer su rock blues. Leer a Clapton es otra forma de escucharlo y al igual que su música, su historia resuena en mi propio camino.

Clapton is Human, he truly is. If you don't believe it, just read this book. What we, the 90s generation who warmed up to his music in the 2000s saw was a guitar God who was delivering the chops and we were going batshit crazy. But, truly speaking I was never that crazy about his guitar playing. I was much more into Santana, Allman stuff. But, today after I finish this gem of a memoir, its safe to tell that this person has seen his more than fair share of downs. This book is a revelation, and in a way it can provide a ray of light to anybody who is going through a phase where nothing seems to be right.

La grande forza e onestà necessarie per raccontarsi in una vita dipanata tra grandi successi come artista, difficoltà nelle relazioni, depressione e lutto. Ci si stupisce, in varie fasi del racconto, che Clapton sia sopravvissuto ai suoi stravizi.Sono le sue grandi passioni, la pesca e la musica, che gli hanno permesso di trovare la forza di proseguire e di giungerefino ad oggi trovando lucidità ed equilibrio. Uno spaccato di un'epoca.

Very satisfied