April 2009

Volume 1, Issue 4  

Clapton The Autobiography 

Eric Clapton 

Copyright 2007 

Broadway Books 

reviewed by Scott Lightfoote 

The book also chronicles the interesting dynamic between Clapton’s success in his career, and his ever spiraling love life. It seems that the more success he enjoys in his music, the more dysfunctional his love life becomes. This is no doubt, in part, due to the temptations that come along with traveling on the road in a rock band. At one point in his life, Clapton finds himself pursuing the wife of George Harrison, while he himself is a married man. He eventually is successful in stealing away his good friend Harrison’s wife. Oddly enough, Harrison and Clapton are able to remain friends. Ultimately Clapton comes to the conclusion that in order for him to find happiness in love, he must first find happiness and confidence in himself.

Although the book deals with many situations of the stereotypical “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” lifestyle, the personal tragedies are what I found most compelling. In one instance, Clapton narrowly escapes death in a helicopter accident by deciding to board a different chopper. His good friend and fellow guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn was not so lucky. Eric has a difficult time mourning the loss of his close friend and begins to consume more alcohol than he was already drinking. Nothing, however, could brace Eric for the biggest tragedy in his life. Less than a year after the death of Stevie Ray Vaughn in 1990, Clapton received the most heart wrenching call of his life. His ex-wife was hysterically screaming that Conor, their 4 year old son, was dead. Conor had accidentally fallen out of a 53rd story window in a friends New York City apartment. Eric was inconsolable. The grief he faced became the inspiration for the Grammy award winning song “Tears in Heaven”. This terrible heartbreak was an early test of his recently found sobriety. Eric managed to keep himself from reverting to drinking. Weeks later, at an AA meeting, Eric was approached by a woman who had just heard his tragic story. She informed him that he had taken away her last excuse to drink. “I’ve always had this little corner of my mind which held the excuse that, if anything were to happen to my kids, then I’d be justified in getting drunk. You’ve shown me that’s not true.”

Ultimately, Clapton: The Autobiography is an intimate look into the life of Eric Clapton. It addresses his personal shortcomings and struggles more than it shares a behind the scenes look at music industry. Although I didn’t know how personal the book would get when I began to read it; I was pleasantly surprised by the candidness with which Clapton speaks. I began to understand that writing this book was more therapeutic in nature for Clapton, than it was to generate money. It was a refreshingly novel way to approach an autobiography. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing more, not only about the music scene of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but about Eric Clapton the father, husband, and friend.

Hot Product | Water Bottles