Interesting ( )

I found this honest—sometimes confusing and frustrating—self-analysis fascinating. Eric Clapton, who is a self-taught blues guitarist that never learned to read music, played with all the greats from Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, and Little Walter (and many others). Unfortunately, Eric was under the spell of heroin and alcohol for most of his early years, but unlike many of his friends, he finally managed to get sober and survive. Most of the book is unflattering and honest. It also represents Eric Clapton’s dedication to his craft—playing the blues. This autobiography is a must-read for anyone interested in the music scene, especially blues. ( )

Super light, fun to read while drinking. Saved from banality by EC's brutal honesty. ( )

I would listen to my father's copy of Slowhand over and over growing up. I still love listening to it today. Recently I read an article about Eric Clapton's surprising to me anti-vax stance, even though he's reportedly had the vaccine, and his history of racist rants. This all came as a bit of a shock ... Clapton is a racist anti-vaxxer? Remembering I had his autobiography on the shelf upstairs I pulled it down and dove in.

The writing, well, let's just say you can feel the different parts of the book which were written in the same period. And of course he barely touched on his 1976 racist rant. Coupled with his current defense of Enoch Powell and his anti-vax stance ... today Clapton is God might read Clapton is a bigoted anti-vaxxer ... ( )

Portrait of a purist, restless and easily disenchanted throughout the sixties, always moving on--from the Yardbirds, the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, etc.--searching for fulfillment beyond money and fame in the heart of the music, which he feels is religious experience. A who's who of the music business. Frank about his substance-abuse problems. ( )

I've never been a fan of blues music but I once read that Clapton was the best guitarist ever. That's questionable. His memoir is little more than a resume, a list of bands he played with, guitars he bought, albums he made, money he made, women he shagged. It's honest, as far as can be remembered through an alcoholic haze, but reveals him as shallow and selfish. If you are looking for a book about just how drunk a person can get, or how stoned, destructive, arrogant, abusive they can be, then this is for you.

It's difficult to rate this, Clapton was such an insufferable person making the vacuous content of little value, but the unremarkable writing (co-written by Clapton's friend Christopher Sykes) pushes it up to 2.5 stars. ( )

As candid and honest he is in this book, i wish i had not read it, wish i coulda kept my head stuck in the sand. Clapton is a magical musician, yes, and i idolized him, yes, AND this book popped my bubble of making a human into a god...... Not only is he not nearly god-like but he openly admits his faults and talks about just how human he is!
Take away his guitar and who do you have? Even he does not know. I give the book 5 stars for its writing and its honesty about who he was and is. Self-absorbed and closed off only Clapton knows his own truths. ( )

One of my earliest and fondest memories as a child is listening to the song, "Layla" on cassette with my brother over and over again. We would play it and rewind it so many times until we finally busted the cassette. It was our Dad's and he was really mad, but it was one of the first songs that introduced me to Eric Clapton. My love of his guitar playing was born then, and has never ceased since. Clapton is brutally honest in this memoir and leaves no stone unturned. Even though many consider him a music god (me included), it is safe to say that Clapton is a very troubled and controversial figure. There were many times during the book where I couldn't contain my anger towards him, especially when he discussed his various addictions and the way he treated the women in his life. Nevertheless, the music is what I keep coming back to, and what ultimately save his life in the end as well. This is definitely and eye-opening read and a true treasure for all rock fans. I am thankful that this man instilled within me a love of blues rock and made my childhood music experience as great as it was. Now excuse me while I listen to his nasty guitar solos on "Crossroads" yet again! ( )

I have rather mixed feelings about this book.

I picked it up out of mix of necessity and curiosity. Seeing how Clapton was contemporary to the fellow I'm writing about, I thought the book might offer some insight into the rock star life throughout the sixties and beyond. In this book, I did get what I came for. Clapton did a good job of explaining what it was like growing up poor in post-war Britain and what sort of life was lead. Similarly, Clapton did a good job of explaining just how extravagant the rockstar lifestyle could be.

Unfortunately, I'm not entirely certain the book ever flowed. The prose was wooden, hints of personality coming through rather scathing insight. The book came off feeling more like part of the twelve-step programs Clapton went through than an actual reminiscence about life itself. Only at the very beginning and the ending prior to the epilogue did I feel I got insight into his personality.

Personally, I would view the autobiography as more of a primer than a true biography. While it was from the horse's mouth, I feel it wasn't the most engaging or informative read possible. Use it for the bullet points, but to get the true image of Clapton, seek elsewhere.

And if you want a view of post-war Britain, just read the first chapter. ( )

https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/166875778683/clapton-the-autobiography-by-eric-cl...

Eric Clapton takes no shortcuts in his debunking of any possible popular myth that he was in any way special or of good character. His deftness on the guitar came from countless hours of practice and his talent was revered by many involved in the music business. Fans such as myself considered Clapton a better man than he was simply based on the quality of the music he produced and the rock god he portrayed so elegantly on the stage. In page after page Clapton proves how despicable he truly was while in the throes of decades of drug and alcohol addiction. Several hard years laboring to acquire a quality sobriety insisted Clapton make an honest assessment of himself and to make appropriate amends. It helps the reader of this autobiography to be himself a recovering drug addict or alcoholic to fully appreciate the brutal and unrelenting exposure of the truth behind the life of Eric Clapton, and the countless and perhaps tiresome confessions he employs in this revealing book. I would imagine it might be too much for those who have no understanding of addiction and recovery, and thus perhaps it becomes a negative reading experience. For me, as disturbing as it is to read my guitar hero confess his often deplorable sins, it is also an instructive and mesmerizing read, as well as joyful to engage in this experience.

Old bandmate Carl Radle, one of rock’s greatest base payers of all time, was another struggling addict who died through substance abuse. Clapton still feels responsible for Radle’s death. It was Carl Radle who first helped Eric Clapton when he needed it most, and when Radle needed someone to lean on Clapton was not available. Same thing happened to me, and you never recover from this guilt. I was early into my own recovery when my cousin John called long distance from Michigan for help. He asked to come to Louisville and learn firsthand how I was staying sober. I was barely hanging on, and particularly selfish to the degree I believed would insure my own survival. It was, for me at least, every man for himself. Soon after that call for help my thirty-two year old lifetime friend died in a tragic auto accident due to his purported inebriation as he fell into a relapsed use of alcohol and cocaine.

Clapton’s tale is quite ugly. It seems as if he felt he had to confess every wrong he ever committed. His list of sins is unimaginable. All the adulteries reported and the mean and awful pranks he played on loved ones portrays him as a very lost soul with an extremely flawed character. The book for me was often painful to read. But he was not bragging about his numerous dalliances as others are wont to do. Clapton judiciously proves again and again how human he is, but he never asks for our forgiveness. He comes clean for himself, knowing he can never make up for what he has missed or the harm he has caused others. In light of the many wasted days and nights in the throes of his active addiction and initial fitful recovery, Clapton still managed to produce some of the greatest music rock and blues aficionados have ever heard. And for this we should be grateful.

In Clapton’s later years he has obviously become extremely appreciative of his friends and family. Perhaps misconstrued as being a bit sentimental at times, he refrains from becoming sanctimonious. Expressed and ebullient gratitude is often too much to bear for the more somber ones among us. But addicts who have regained a strong foothold in life seem to be overwhelmingly relieved and satisfied that their misery is behind them. And the wake never ends. ( )

It reads like he really wrote it. Honest, sometimes very honest. My favorite part is his time at Hazelton.

★ ★ 1/2

************************************SPOILERS INCLUDED (But most likely nothing that you don't already know)****************************

This is a great read for music/jazz enthusiasts as it details Clapton's music experiences from the very beginning when he taught himself to play guitar by listening to Blues/Jazz records and copying what he heard... then he'd record it on his reel-to-reel until in his own mind he got it right.

He's not a braggart, he is not self-aggrandizing. In fact he comes off as rather low key & reserved. Throughout the book he's honest and doesn't hide. I found it to be interesting that at the point in time when he found out that the slogan "Clapton Is God" was written in the Islington Underground Station, he wasn't at all sure of himself nor of his worth as a guitar player. All he knew was that he wasn't interested in commercial rock n' roll, or pop rhythm & blues.... he was into the purity of Muddy Waters & Little Walter.

Reflecting upon his 21st birthday, Clapton says: "Looking back, it felt like I had closed the door on my past.......... It was if I was starting a brand-new life, where there was no room for any excess baggage. I was very confident of my capabilities and very aware that this was the key to my future. Hence I was extremely protective of my craft and ruthless in cutting away anything that stood in my path. It was not a path of ambition; I had no desire for fame or recognition. I just needed to be able to make the best music I could, with the tools that I had."

In looking back on the beginning, to his childhood he was pretty isolated and never formed any close bonds with anyone which is why most all of his relationships seem to have been short lived. He didn't talk much about his relationships in much detail or in a personal manner.... He played with & for most all the well known British groups, but didn't really seem to like being in a famous touring band or taking the lead. He especially did not like singing, he felt his voice was too high and never matured deeply enough. When things with his bands got too rough, he'd walk away and eventually start up again with a different group of musicians and form a new band.

I got the distinct impression that until he met Pattie Harrison, he really wasn't interested in any woman for having a long term relationship. The way he described his "love" relationships was that he'd meet a woman that he liked and she'd take him home & he'd move in with her until it was time for him to leave. After finally marrying Pattie, he began drinking & drugging for a second time and in so doing so caused Pattie to divorce him. He later had a son, who died in a tragic accident....

To many he may be a guitar-playing "God", but as a person I didn't find him to be very interesting. In fact, I found him to be a downer. ( )

If you want to read a book about rock stars behaving badly in the 60's and 70's do yourself a favor and read Keith Richard's book instead of this one. It lacks the humor and self-deprecation of Richards, and I ultimately got sick of the "yeah, I was an a-hole but it wasn't me it was the drugs/booze" shtick. ( )

If you want to read a book about rock stars behaving badly in the 60's and 70's do yourself a favor and read Keith Richard's book instead of this one. It lacks the humor and self-deprecation of Richards, and I ultimately got sick of the "yeah, I was an a-hole but it wasn't me it was the drugs/booze" shtick. ( )

If you want to read a book about rock stars behaving badly in the 60's and 70's do yourself a favor and read Keith Richard's book instead of this one. It lacks the humor and self-deprecation of Richards, and I ultimately got sick of the "yeah, I was an a-hole but it wasn't me it was the drugs/booze" shtick. ( )

I never belonged to the "Clapton is God" cult but I have always respected him as one of the best blues musicians alive, which is actually saying quite a bit given the folks whose careers overlap with Clapton's. He doesn't write elegant prose, but I found myself learning to like the man behind the guitar as I read his autobiography. His single-minded devotion to playing music as well as he can comes through very clearly. As does the basically good human being behind the guitar. ( )

The guy is a fantastic guitar palayer but sucks as a person...

A really great musical autobiography. Eric CLapton aruably one of the greatest guitar players of all time pulls no punches in telling his life story so far. He is brutally honest in telling of his drug and alcohol additions and his womanizing. It was very interesting reading about his earliest influences with blues ledgends like Muddy Waters and jamming and hanging out with Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison. I could go on about specifics from his early days with the Yardbirds, Cream, John Mayhall and the Bluesbreakers and so much more. A really fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of rock and roll and the story of a man who had to overcome a life of addition and the horrible accidental death of his young son. ( )

While I liked Clapton's music, I was never a diehard fan. Don't think I ever bought a CD, come to think of it. But his autobiography sounded intriguing. Clapton opens the doors to his life and gives great insight into his childhood and development. His struggles with drugs and alcohol are astounding and makes you wonder how the human body can survive that sort of abuse. He chronicles his recovery well and makes a sound argument for living clean, from his relationships to his music. I was amazed at his attention to names and dates. While the hardcore Clapton fan would appreciate the details of his musical evolution, the bands and bandmates and dates, I sometimes felt it slowed things down, but I understand the book would be more for the fans than a casual observer like me. Still, I enjoyed it. ( )

Sometimes its a bit hard to follow since so much information is thrown at you but Clapton holds nothing back and is not afraid to talk about things that paint him as a bad person, at times. A good read even tho I am not much of a fan of bio's. ( )

Eric Clapton was born on 30 March 1945 and has been playing guitar for the past 47 years. Like most children in post-war Britain, Clapton’s early musical ‘education’ came from BBC radio, folk clubs and occasional imported folk, jazz and blues records. Initially, he played the growing network of blues and folk clubs in South-East England, then between 1963 and 1965 he was a member of The Yardbirds (1963-65).

Clapton left The Yardbirds, whom he thought were becoming too commercial and joined John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers (1965-66). Then came Cream (1966-68), which established Clapton as an international star; the short-lived Blind Faith (1968-69), then time as a ‘sideman’ with Delaney and Bonnie (1969-70), which spawned Derek and the Dominoes (1970). In between time, Clapton played on various albums, notably the Beatles’ White album and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass; and was a member of John Lennon’s one-off Plastic Ono Band.

Then came three years as a heroin addict, during which Clapton retreated from the music business and the world at large. He ‘came back’ as a solo artist, recording a series of albums starting with 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), each featuring a mix of styles including reggae, gospel, pop and rock. However, Clapton retained his affection for the blues and has released several blues albums: From the Cradle (1994), a CD of Chicago blues; Riding with the King (2000), a collaboration with B. B. King; and Me and Mr. Johnson (2004), his tribute to Robert Johnson. Clapton’s Unplugged (1992) remains his best-selling album and mixes blues standards with his own compositions.

My comments
The Autobiography chronicles all those events well enough, but it adds very little to the various biographies of Clapton, dating back as far as Ray Coleman’s Clapton! The authorised biography (1985). I had hoped to find out more about the guitars and the music, but while Clapton gives detailed descriptions of his first two guitars, how he chose them and what they were like to play, he writes virtually nothing more about his guitars and barely mentions most of his music. Indeed, Wikipedia’s current entry for Eric Clapton is a better source – it carries quite a good discussion of some of his better-known guitars and has an extensive discography and a list of artists with whom Clapton has played (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton).

In contrast to the superficial treatment of the music, The Autobiography reveals a lot about Clapton’s addictions to drugs and alcohol. However, he presents these harrowing events in such bland terms that he could have been writing about fishing – of which he does a lot. Towards the end of the book, Clapton writes warmly of his wife and children and about his work to establish a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Antigua. This begins to colour-in what had, until then, been a very two-dimensional and formulaic picture of the man.

Eric Clapton continues to be a major figure in the world of the blues, but if you’re looking to learn about his relationship with blues music, then you’re probably better off listening to his records than reading The Autobiography. ( )

Clapton writes such an honest almost detached look at his own life. One gets a true sense of humility reading his book. Fascinating ( )

For those who love EC, and are of that generation, this is a must. And it's actually very well written... ( )

Not bad. While I'm an enormous admirer of his music -- especially of his commitment to old school blues -- I didn't know much about Clapton going into this. So if there were stories that have been rehashed time and time again, they were all new to me.

That said, my complaint echoes that of several other reviewers: Clapton moves so quickly through some major events that you hardly realize they've passed without some more explanation. The demise of the Yardbirds? Clapton was an admitted elitist/purist. The demise of Cream? They didn't get along. The Dominos? Ego. It gets right to the point, I admit, but not always enlightening. Other times, he seems to contradict himself (one of his times in rehab, he says, was incredibly useful, but then he admits he did little more than the bare minimum of what was required of him -- a sort of huh, wha? moment), when what was likely needed was simply a bit more explanation. (Arriving at the last chapter, however -- titled "A Year on the Road" -- you'll be presented with an almost mind-numbing amount of information on what Clapton watched on television, shot during hunting trips, gave as Christmas gifts, and so on.)

I was also hoping to learn a bit more about his relationships with some of the icons of rock and roll, especially his hot-somewhat warm friendship with George Harrison. Clapton, however, was more interested in exploring his own inner demons, and the shrapnel he often splattered on friends and family as he worked to overcome his addictions (the saddest story is, perhaps, that of Alice Ormsby-Gore, who seemed to gamble her future and happiness on Clapton). Still, it's admirable when a major star can write such a warts-and-all portrayal of himself. While Clapton eventually becomes the hero of his own story, it's a long time -- and large body count -- in the coming.

To Clapton's credit, it's definitely not ghostwritten, as it jumps around a bit, loses track of "characters" and resorts to some clunky phrasing -- just as one would telling their story aloud. As a result, Clapton comes across as an honest storyteller, if not an entertaining one.

Recommended for its honest story -- though not necessarily the complete one. ( )

An interesting read and interseting life HOWEVER, the book might have been better (especially towards the end) if he wrote about how he composed his songs, and in the current time frame everything is rosy NOW.