― de, Friday, 30 April 2004 23:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― thesplooge (thesplooge), Saturday, 1 May 2004 11:36 (nineteen years ago) link
I would advise everyone who has been defending Clapton's comments on the grounds that he was drunk to check out my thread over on ILE on the subject of drunken utterances:
It Must've Come from Somewhere!
I think I only like one thing by Clapton - Blind Faith "Can't Find My Way Home"...did he write that, or was it written by S. Winwood?
Hated Cream, hated his solo career, hated his boring guitar playing style, hated the way he's been bankrolled by his cover versions whilst all the time somehow taking the credit- Marley, Dylan, Greg Philinganes (sp.)....
Losing a child is always tragic; cashing in on the fact that you've lost one through a record is unforgiveable. It doesn't help that the song is totally dire, of course, but Clapton prolly doesn't care - he's laughing all the way to the bank, people are buying the record because of their sympathy, their empathy. Ker-ching!
― MarkH (MarkH), Saturday, 1 May 2004 11:52 (nineteen years ago) link
(thanks fer the link tho, MarkH, will check it out)
― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Saturday, 1 May 2004 22:28 (nineteen years ago) link
Hey, for the non-anglophile, could someone give me a hint as to what Enoch Powell stood for/did in the 70s and what Clapton said to align himself with him? While Marcello summed up the Uncut comments, no one's really said what he did in the first place. Was it just a dumb, disingenuous "the blacks will be better off if they don't come here at all" comment?
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Sunday, 2 May 2004 04:20 (nineteen years ago) link
There was an episode of "Mr. Show" where they made fun of this. It was great.
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 2 May 2004 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― ENRQ (Enrique), Thursday, 6 May 2004 05:42 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:01 (nineteen years ago) link
Everything else OTM.
― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:20 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:25 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 6 May 2004 09:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― Paul O. Wright, Monday, 2 January 2006 15:39 (eighteen years ago) link
I know this is a thread about Eric Clapton and what kind of racist he might be, but what was the purpose of qualifying 'cleaning lady' with 'Puerto Rican' in that statement? Does it mean that the fact that she is Puerto Rican contributes to her being dumb?
If so, isn't this whole thread a case of the pot calling the kettle... err... black?
Back on the Eric Clapton-racist issue, I'm a darkie and a fan of some of his music. He is a deeply flawed and stubborn person, which makes him a good bluesman.
I think some of the following facts are of interest when considering his Enoch Powell remarks:
1. In 1967 in an interview with Rolling Stone, he stated that he's uncomfortable with the idea that people concern themselves with his views on anything other than music as that is all he knows anything about.
2. He lives in Antigua in the Caribbean for most of the year (surrounded by darkies), where he founded and still runs the Crossroads drug & alcohol rehabilitation centre - and offers heavily subsidised treatment for local Antiguans.
3. One of his best friends was George Harrison, possibly the least racist person ever born.
4. He once made the following remark when asked about Hendrix in the late 60s: "everyone and his brother knows that spades have big dicks". Does that reveal some kind of insecurity not only about his playing (which was widely publicized) but in sexual matters too? His early goal as a guitarist, he has revealed on many occasions, was to sound like a black guitar player - and until Hendrix's arrival in London, Clapton did the best impersonation of one. Then with Hendrix on the scene, he though 'who needs an impersonation now that they have the real thing?'. The stupid thing about this was that Hendrix came to London specifically to meet Clapton, a hero of his. Clapton soon overcame his insecurity enough for the two of them to become great friends.
5. Clapton loves black music (obviously), and not just the blues, but rock n' roll, rhythm n' blues, soul, reggae and some jazz.
6. He's been out with black women, including Naomi Campbell - as people above have pointed out.
7. For the past 20 years, most of his band has been black.
8. When he first arrived in America, touring with Cream, he spent the entire trip speaking in a faux Southern cotton-picker accent.
9. He was a junkie.
10. He was an alcoholic.
11. He quit every band he was ever in as they were getting big or bigger (even Cream).
12. The best music he did was pre-heroin.
12. He was best friends with George Harrison but that didn't stop him from 'stealing' his wife.
13. He married George Harrison's mrs only when his manager informed him that was what he was doing as it would be good for his image at the time.
14. He treated Patti Boyd (Harrison's ex) like crap the whole time they were married, and only began to regret it after they were divorced.
15. I think the most interesting thing about his Enoch Powell comments is that he's done a complete turn-around to explain what he meant by his comments. I think that's better than an apology in a way because it shows how wrong he thinks 'the keep Britain white' mentality is.
― Syd Knee, Friday, 10 February 2006 10:56 (eighteen years ago) link
you've never met ethan trife.
― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Friday, 10 February 2006 11:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― Richard Armstrong, Friday, 26 May 2006 22:01 (seventeen years ago) link
http://dangerousminds.net/comments/eric_claptons_disgusting_racist_tirade
― pssstttt, Hey you (dog latin), Thursday, 11 April 2013 00:03 (eleven years ago) link
refers to this thread in the article.
were those quotes in that article reported at the time?
― ۩, Saturday, 3 May 2014 00:31 (nine years ago) link
Looks that way, as Rock Against Racism was formed, at least in part, in response to them:
Originally conceived as a one-off concert with a message against racism, Rock Against Racism was founded in 1976 by Red Saunders, Roger Huddle and others. According to Huddle, "it remained just an idea until August 1976" when Eric Clapton made a drunken declaration of support for former Conservative minister Enoch Powell (known for his anti-immigration Rivers of Blood speech) at a concert in Birmingham.[2] Clapton told the crowd that England had "become overcrowded" and that they should vote for Powell to stop Britain from becoming "a black colony". He also told the audience that Britain should "get the foreigners out, get the wogs out, get the coons out", and then he repeatedly shouted the National Front slogan "Keep Britain White".[3][4]Huddle, Saunders and two members of Kartoon Klowns responded by writing a letter to NME expressing their opposition to Clapton's comments, which they claimed were "all the more disgusting because he had his first hit with a cover of reggae star Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" ... Come on Eric... Own up. Half your music is black. Who shot the Sheriff, Eric? It sure as hell wasn't you!". At the end of the letter, they called for people to help form a movement called Rock Against Racism, and they report that they received hundreds of replies.[2]
Huddle, Saunders and two members of Kartoon Klowns responded by writing a letter to NME expressing their opposition to Clapton's comments, which they claimed were "all the more disgusting because he had his first hit with a cover of reggae star Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" ... Come on Eric... Own up. Half your music is black. Who shot the Sheriff, Eric? It sure as hell wasn't you!". At the end of the letter, they called for people to help form a movement called Rock Against Racism, and they report that they received hundreds of replies.[2]
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Saturday, 3 May 2014 00:44 (nine years ago) link