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Jan 18, 2008

Donald rated it:

Eric Clapton, guitar god, has written his autobiography, aptly titled Clapton, The Autobiography. It covers his entire life, from his poor upbringing, to the present day as happy family man. He addresses every phase of his personal and professional life, which is amazing in the fact that the book clocks in at only 328 pages. Maybe this is why, as honest as Clapton is, it left me wanting a bit more. For instance, during his drunk periods he admits to being "chauvinistic" to his then-wif More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Max rated it:

I see all these four stars and I can't help but ask whether I read the same book. We are, of course, all entitled to our own opinion, but Eric Clapton's attempt at writing an interesting account of his life was pretty much a failure.

I read the book because I am a Clapton fan (though not a huge one), because I had read another rock star's (Anthony Kiedis) drug-related biography and thoroughly enjoyed it, and because my mom got it for me so I felt obligated to do so. From beginning to More...

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Mar 30, 2008

Ted rated it:

If you're a total Slowhand freak (and I am) this book is invaluable in that it comes right from the "horse's mouth." I've read a number of EC biographies, and, obviously, the main events of his life story are the same here as they are in the past (Cream still implodes, "Layla" still gets recorded, etc.). In that sense, there isn't much new information as there is the personal perspective and voice of Clapton himself.

Most revealing are the details of his youth gr More...

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Sep 06, 2008

Julie rated it:

It wasn't until I started the autobiography that I considered why it appealed to me in the first place. I'm a rather indifferent fan of Clapton's/Cream/Derek & the Dominos, etc- Unplugged is the only album of his that I own. It was more of a curiosity about that era- the hardcore sex, drugs, rock & roll of the 70s- and to read about the experiences of someone who barely made it out alive that compelled me to read. As a child in the 70s, I was watching Mr Rogers when EC was writing Layla and wrea More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 10, 2008

Johnny rated it:

The first third of this book is really interesting. All the inside scoop about Cream, The Yardbirds, Blind Faith etc. And all the accompanying debauchery. The second third focuses on Clapton's descent into drugs and alcohol. You know, the usual 70's rock star stuff. Still pretty interesting if a bit old hat. The last third is all about how he cleaned up his act. How even when his little son fell to his death from a window, Eric didn't relapse (which is a fucking miracle in itself). Then it gets More...

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Feb 07, 2008

Elyssa rated it:

My colleague loaned this to me and told me it was a great story about substance abuse recovery. He was right about that! The parts of the book that deal with Eric Clapton's active addiction, recovery attempts, relapse, sobriety, and the creation of his own treatment center were interesting and honest.

I thought Clapton demonstrated great insight into his addiction and recovery process. He was forthright in exposing his weaknesses and limitations. I think his ability to surrender and h More...

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Feb 02, 2008

Michele rated it:

I received this book for my birthday from my husband, who knows how much I LOVE Eric Clapton and his music. The book is an autobiography, covering Clapton's life from a child up until summer 2007. It was so interesting to read about his casual relationships with other extraordinary musicians, such as the Stones, the Beatles, BBKing and more. His struggle through addiction and his ability to finally rise above and surround himself with people to help him maintain sobriety was inspiring, even a More...

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Apr 14, 2008

Emily rated it:

If you love music, the ‘70s, rock stars and all the drama that naturally ensues than you will love Clapton's no holds barrred account of his life. It’s exciting, it’s sincere and it’s jam-packed with stories of some of music’s greatest personalities as lived through Slowhand himself.

As objectively as possible, the God of the Blues attacks a very biased topic, his own life and writes about it with the humility and humor of a man who viscerally experiences life. He is incredibly open More...

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Aug 07, 2008

Brendan rated it:

His memoir, just like his life, is seemingly compelling at first and utterly vacuous at the end. Clapton's story starts out with a confusing childhood and then builds a bright flame of artistry on top. This all crumbles as his desire and dependecy steer him to the brink self-destruction. But all of the compelling rock n' roll stories that should be in this autobiography are replaced with remorseful and arrogant AA/group-therapy recounts of his misadventures.
As he winds down his story More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 07, 2011

Sir rated it:

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1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 16, 2009

Ryan rated it:

Because Eric Clapton has been part of the the blues / rock community for so long, reading about his life is like reading the history of rock n' roll. This book is a true autobiography, written by Clapton with little or no outside help. Because of that, it reads like the memoirs of a rock star, written in his own sometimes rambling voice. English professors beware, unlike many autobiographies that I've read where a professional writer has sat down with the subject and parsed up their life into More...

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Mar 15, 2009

George Bradford rated it:

Full Disclosure. Before reading this book, I was not a huge Eric Clapton fan. Sure, I'd enjoyed him in concert a few times and I owned some of his albums. I respected him. But I wasn't all that interested in reading about him. I was more interested in reading what he had to say about George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

In this book, Eric Clapton has plenty to say about all three. But he's got even more to say about a lot of other people, events, places and things. An More...

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Aug 28, 2011

Steve rated it:

Ok,

I took into this book because I dont know much about Clapton. I read Hammer of the Gods and some other music book recently and Clapton kept popping in. So I thought to myself, "Why not learn more about him." I have always categorized Clapton as a little bit boring. I think his music has no dynamic and is rather boring. But to be fair, my first exposure to really who Clapton was was during the MTV Unplugged years.

With the exception of everyone in Van Halen More...

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Jul 21, 2011

Jpmist rated it:

Curious that biographies aren't held to the same standards of writing as novels, because this is bad. I was disappointed at how little mention of what Clapton is actually famous for, his guitar playing. I've been a fan of his for decades and found myself skimming thru the got wasted blah blah, played with blah blah, did this tour blah blah, slept with blah blah.

I suppose it's disappointing to find that Clapton is just an average guy who couldn't handle his success, his life, his rel More...

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Nov 02, 2010

Agnes rated it:

To be very honest, I was actually quite surprised when having heard our independent reading had to be nonfiction this time. In addition to that, I was even more intimidated by the fact that the book we chose had to be either a biography or an autobiography. Nevertheless, I thought carefully of what I may be interested in most, and it undoubtedly turned out to be music. Therefore, I chose an autobiography of Eric Clapton, the renowned musician of our era.
It is shameful to have a stereotype More...

1 comment like

Sep 23, 2010

Nando rated it:

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Aug 26, 2010

mark rated it:

If you could be the president of the United States or the most renowned rock guitarist the world has ever known, which would you choose. I think how you pick, would be determined by your personality in conjunction with what kind of power you aspired to—personal or political, and how much personal freedom you demand. In Clapton The Autobiography, Eric Patrick Clapton gives the reader an honest and up close look at what it is like to be the later. This is a fascinating read if you are curious abou More...

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Jul 07, 2009

Daniel rated it:

For as expressive and open as Clapton’s guitar-playing is/was/has been, perhaps it would be too much to ask that his writing abilities be able to take the audience on a journey to the same soaring heights as his musicianship. While Clapton’s guitar-playing abilities were expressive and influential, his writing prose falls into the trap of telling, rather than showing, the story of his life. This could perhaps come as a result of his life being **too much** to possibly write about…after all, Cl More...

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Feb 20, 2009

Lani rated it:

I like classic rock and grew up on it, but books like this always leave me baffled. Lots of name dropping that I just can't follow. It's not gratuitous name-dropping or anything, it's just meaningless praise for people that I can't associate with anything at all. It's a little embarrassing for me, that's all.

I do like and respect Clapton as a musician, though I am clearly incredibly ignorant. He's pretty willing to address his mistakes, and while his sobriety gets a little irritating More...

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Sep 24, 2009

Chris rated it:

"I had no desire for fame or recognition; I just needed to make the best music I could, with the tools I had."
These were the words of Eric Clapton, as he was speaking of his career in music. During his long an successful career, Clapton has experienced the ups and downs of fame, and managed to come out the other side alive. Eric Clapton's Clapton: The Autobiography is an extremely in-depth look past the music and allows the reader to see the true Eric Clapton.
Eric Cl More...

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Feb 13, 2010

Joje rated it:

It may get better but I cannot get through the repetitions, even in single paragraphs. Maybe another day, but there's so much else out there to read, and I'd rather listen to the Blues than to this sort of adjectival name-draping. It was page after page of lines like "listening to him had an effect on me similar to what I might feel if I were to meet an alien from outer space. It simply blew my mind...solo in the middle of it that took my breath away. It was like listening to....that gave m More...

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Jul 25, 2009

Jon rated it:

Decent. Clapton comes across as kind of a pathetic guy. A musical genius no doubt, but could have been more. The booze and drugs held him back musically. His relationship with Patty Boyd was particularly bizarre and troubling. Essentially, he pined for her for years, but when he finally got her, he cheated on her soon after. I am fascinated by 50s / 60s / 70s pop culture, and music in particular. I am very interested in the creative process of music. There was a lot of "I was drunk and ston More...

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Jul 23, 2011

Lita rated it:

I had no intention of reading this book but I came across the companion CD which I did want. I had just finished reading Pattie Boyd's (ex-wife of Eric Clapton and George Harrison)"Wonderful Tonight" and I had enjoyed it very much. What better way to see if her story matched that of Clapton, so I bought his book and the CD. Clapton's arrogance is bold and rampant throughout the book, yet as much as his arrogance frustrated me, I believed that insecurity and shyness lay beneath the surf More...

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Apr 24, 2011

Prooost rated it:

Eric Clapton is one of the great musicians of my time, and I was interested to read his story. His career and life, however, have had so many phases, so many ups and downs, that getting it all into 300 pages or so makes the book feel a little rushed and perfunctory.

Long story short, Clapton has always been more interested in the music than in stardom, but stardom came rapidly, and he was unable to resist its trappings: the drugs, the alcohol, the women. Clapton is a classic case of More...

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Apr 18, 2008

William rated it:

After reading this I come away with a new perspective on this fellow.

The positives: i) he is obviously a very talented guitarist; ii) he has worked succcessfully to overcome his many personal deamons, and; iii) he has extended a hand to help others overcome their personal deamons.

The negative: this fellow seems more than a little self-absorbed and his closing talk about his yacht just about put me over the edge.

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Jan 26, 2012

Bill rated it:

I've been a fan of Eric Clapton since his days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall and I had no illusions that he was different than many other musicians from that period when it came to alcohol and drug abuse. But the extent to which Clapton carried on boggles the mind. From the time he was a teenager through his mid-forties it seems he was either drunk or stoned or a combination of both.

That he writes about some of those times with such clarity makes me wonder about how much of wh More...

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Feb 04, 2011

Tanya rated it:

I found this book to be very disappointing. The writing is just not very good, repetitive and simple with little to captivate at all.

Phrases such as "looking back, I'm not sure how we managed to get through it!" are repeated often and make the reader feel the sane way about the book!

Clapton was raised by his grandparents and for many years did not realize that they weren't his mum and dad. He uses his abandonment by his mother as an excuse for everything throughout More...

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Nov 20, 2010

Brian rated it:

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Jun 20, 2010

Andrew rated it:

My younger son loaned me this book and I started it with much anticipation, however by the time I had finished it, I was quite disappointed with it. I fancy myself as a bit of a bluesman and dabble with my guitar and although I murder the Robert Johsnon classics, I have fun. I expected this book to explore more of Clapton's roots and to delve into this blues playing and rock but sadly these areas only got a cursory glance. Most of the book was about his addictions to heroin and grog and after More...

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Feb 11, 2010

Chris rated it:

It seems to me that between ''Clapton,'' by Eric Clapton, and ''Wonderful Tonight,'' by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor, there's something for everyone of a certain age. The boys who always did, and still do, dream of playing astonishingly, mind-blowingly, life-transformingly perfect rock guitar will jump into ''Clapton'' as if it were the key light on the old Fillmore stage. The solid yet mesmerizable girls who fantasized, and still do, of being the muse to inspire songs of devotion, love's redemp More...

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