Anti-Vax Hypocrite Eric Clapton Breaks Own Vow, Plays Venue With Vaccine Mandate

[TheProle]

Source: Rolling Stone

On Saturday night, Eric Clapton took the stage at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. This event is notable not just because it alerted us to the fact that there is a music venue called “Smoothie King,” but because by doing do, the musician and public-health skeptic effectively undid the ridiculous stance he took on Covid vaccines earlier this year.

While the rest of the music industry has embraced vaccine mandates as the only way of ensuring safe concerts, Clapton has taken the opposite tack, vowing never to perform at a venue that requires proof of vaccination.

He broke that absurd promise by playing Smoothie King, which, according to its website, is following New Orleans regulations that require all ticketholders 12 and above, as well as staff and participants, to either prove they have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine or provide a negative test taken within 72 hours. Moreover, they must wear a mask while not eating or drinking.

Read more: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-clapton-vaccine-mandate-show-smoothie-king-1229285/

[kysrsoze]

1. If there's a paycheck, that fuck will be there to collect.

What an ass. But that’s Eric Clapton for you.

[AZLD4Candidate]

3. Greedy, narcissistic, and proud of the fact he stole George Harrison's wife from him

Does he have anything worthwhile in him? Guitar skill doesn't count.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

4. I had a friend who wrote a song about Clapton

The chorus was something about if I fucked my best friends wife, I’d never write a song about it

[AZLD4Candidate]

5. Maybe this one. Pardon me for the language

[3catwoman3]

7. Good harmony, toe-tapping rhythm, and a

…hum-along melody. That was fun. Thnx

And no apology needed.

[Orrex]

17. To be fair, one has to suppose that she had a say in the matter

She's not chattel, after all. Unless she was coerced, then it seems that she & ol' Eric were both tangoing.

[DFW]

24. That triangle is pretty well documented

Clapton was obsessed with Patty for a long time, but she remained faithful to George for quite a period. However, George was going through a difficult period of introspection, and Patty finally gave in to Clapton’s solicitations, and in the end, George didn’t put up much of a fight to keep her, if the two books I read are to be believed. Even so, Clapton’s struggles with booze and drug addiction proved too much for Patty, and she was gone by the time he finally got clean. At one point, he even set up a center for recovering addicts in the Caribbean somewhere. Maybe it’s still operational, I haven’t followed the story.

[Orrex]

26. I know about the triangle

My point is that she was a consenting party who made a choice, rather than a commodity to be stolen.

[relayerbob]

2. With any luck, he won't sell enough tix to break even

[IronLionZion]

6. Louisiana had a bad summer and has apparently wised up

Clapton is an ass for that ridiculous promise. He's probably vaccinated if he traveled here.

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. He complained about how awful the side effects of the vaccine were

Of course, had he not gotten vaxxed and got COVID-19, he might have been put on a vent and lost his voice. Addicts/former addicts aren't very tolerant of discomfort.

[John Ludi]

8. I got dragged

to a Lay Down Sally tour show as a kid in Detroit. I hated it...and I loved Cream and Layla and such...but it was about the most tepid listless glass of room-temperature tap water turned into music I was ever to experience live. If there was an edge in that entire arena, it was my fingernails as they skewered my palms while I pondered if I should steal the keys (and car) of the individual who drove me there and leave them there to bask in the musical Maalox without me.

Screw him. Entirely.

[TheProle]

9. I can recognize talent when I see/hear it

and he is a exceptional guitarist, but his songwriting has never impressed me, particularly his solo stuff.

Cream, however, was a fantastic band and that is more of a testament to the proficiency of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker than any of this "Clapton is God" bullshit.

[Hestia]

12. I have to agree with this - I made a comment below about his musical skills to a point

I can't remember -- what's the song he wrote with BB King? Or was it they just sang together. About the same time as when US came out with a song about BB, "When Loves Comes to Town."

[marble falls]

29. When Love Comes to Town is a monster song from the lyrics on up.

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

32. Have seen Eric Three times...

First with Cream at Massey Hall, no PA system, so basically an instrumental concert, then with Blind Faith, plus a short set of old rockers with the Plastic Ono Band, with Ono in the bag screaming. Both at Varsity Stadium, all in Toronto. Cream reunion concert at Albert Hall was most fine, especially Jack Bruce.

[Hestia]

10. Boy, it would be hard not to go - I've seen him live several times and in spite of his

disregard of the audience (absolutely no interaction with the audience, no "Hello, Cleveland!" or, anything, just comes out and starts playing) he is a mesmerizing guitarist and hellava vocalist. One of the few times you can truly say it was worth every penny.

Like a lot of grown-ass adults, he and Harrison's ex had an affair, she left that marriage and married Eric. As with most relationships that are fraught with chaos and start in a whirlwind or fever, as the song goes, their relationship didn't last long. He didn't do much until 461 Ocean Blvd album, which kicked off his career and he did gets lots of sympathy after the death of his son and he laid out his grief with "Tears in Heaven." But saying he "stole" her? Naw, unless she was Harrison's slave. She has/had (?) a mind of her own.

Are his heroin days starting to catching up with him? He's been so apolitical all these decades, makes you wonder...heroin and other opioids do change the structure of your brain and he is in his 70's; or he is using the anti for publicity purposes, it's been awhile since he has been noticed. At least he isn't discussing his swollen testicles.

[TheProle]

11. He's not been so apolitical:

https://www.newsweek.com/clapton-morrison-lockdown-single-1550863

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/En11dCXVgAY5Gm_?format=jpg&name=900x900

[Hestia]

16. Had no idea he had said that

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/eric-clapton-racist-rant/

[SergeStorms]

21. His alcoholism and heroin addiction...

we're the reason he and Patti (Harrison's - ex) never lasted. After falling head over heels for her and professing his everlasting love, he found he liked heroin and alcohol better. No human being can compete against drug addiction. She split, and who can blame her.

[Lunabell]

14. Isn't he the scum that had an affair with his best friend's wife?

Tells me all I need to know about his character.

[PatrickforB]

15. Nice post. About time we had vaccine mandates across the board.

I'm sick as heck of people who are so profoundly selfish they are willing to allow others to get sick and die rather than be inconvenienced.

[kaotikross]

18. Makes me wonder

what Clapton thinks about safeties on high rise wondows so little kids can't fall out of them. After all, that hardly ever happens, except it did, to HIS kid. I'll bet he's all in favor of those.
Of course they're necessary, it's just another thing in a long line of stuff that the GQPers don't consider until it affects them directly.

[DoBotherMe]

19. What a prick

[Woodycall]

20. Now that you all have had your 2 minutes of hate..

I listened to an interview on the Nicole Sandler show on this subject recently where the interviewee, Howie Klein, a music industry mogul and insider told Nicole that the talk in the industry was that something was seriously "wrong" with Eric lately. The intimation was that he was "not the same" and seemed to be suffering from some sort of mental "decline" which was clearly conveyed by Howie to be "some form of age-related dementia". He's almost 80 you know. But hey, knock yourselves out...

[SergeStorms]

22. Eric has completely fucked over....

his share of people in his lifetime. What comes around, goes around. If he'd been a kind man who cared for others, maybe he'd be thought of differently.

[2Gingersnaps]

30. He lost me at racist rants on stage. England is for the English?

Yeah, a lot of countries they colonized felt the same way. And that was quite a while back. Being a lifelong self absorbed prick does catch up. He and Van Morrison's dulcet tones aren't worth dying for.

[argyl]

23. The last great guitar work he did was "Crossroads."

Layla was almost all Duane. Clapton was so fucked up most of the time he was walking on his knees in Miami.

He's just boring.

[DFW]

25. I have only seen Clapton live twice

Once here in Düsseldorf about 15 to 20 years ago, and then a couple of years later in New York in a subdued jazzy concert with Wynton Marsalis. I must admit, he was in top form both times, but he had kicked his addictions by then, too.

[Ziggysmom]

27. Stevie Ray Vaughan opened for Clapton the night he died in the helicopter crash 8/27/90.

I saw Clapton play with Vaughan and he looked liked a feeble old putz guitarist next to Stevie.

[Javaman]

28. "I will stand by my principles until someone pays me not to!!"

yeah, fucking clapton is a regular fucking hero to the right wing, until his greed takes over. LOL

[jcgoldie]

31. Clapton's a douchebag but

Those knocking his playing over the past 30-40 years are speaking from ignorance or bias. His performances throughout the 80s 90s and 2000s have been sizzling and he's released some really awesome blues albums over that period. I have dozens of bootlegs from those eras and he has been consistently one of the best guitarists in rock n roll both live and in the studio. I am as disappointed as anyone with his recent turn to right wing bullshit and consequently would not spend a dollar of my money to see him because I cannot separate the politics completely from appreciation for the art. But belittling his talent is ridiculous from a rock n roll fan perspective.

[BlueIdaho]

33. Let's face it...

His $16,000 a week smack and three fifths a day years just weren’t that great.

[jcgoldie]

34. those were the 70s and I agree he was a trainwreck

He cleaned himself up in the 80s and churned out a lot of consistently great performances and albums.

[OhioTim]

35. Clapton Said A year Ago

that he couldn't play anymore because his hands were screwed up.

[BlueIdaho]

37. Money...

Money changes everything…

[ForgoTheConsequence]

36. Eric "throw the non-whites out of England but keep their music" Clapton.

He's always been an overrated guitar player. You can see better blues at a dive bar with 10 people in attendance on any given Friday night.

[BlueIdaho]

38. No argument with your main point

Maybe it’s better to say he has always been an overrated human being, I just want to know what bars you’re going to.