<![CDATA[Clapton: The Autobiography]]>

false <![CDATA[Clapton: The Autobiography]]> 1207904 8 “I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.” With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys. Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of London’s Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.” During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1979. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage. In the eighties he would battle and begin his recovery from alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.” Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time. 3219177 9 10 2007 Clapton: The Autobiography total:1699|5:267|4:615|3:591|2:188|1:38| 1699 5982 2441 529 4 7 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Oct 13 16:51:52 -0700 2007 Fri Jan 18 10:50:33 -0800 2008 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 cl...more...]]> 4 4 false false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Feb 02 18:18:12 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 30 18:05:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 27 08:07:33 -0700 2008 Sat Sep 06 06:05:48 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 28 21:03:03 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 10 10:36:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 04 04:59:33 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 10:29:32 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 true false Wed Jan 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 12 13:21:26 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 08:33:01 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 08 20:41:24 -0800 2007 Mon Apr 14 14:19:26 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Aug 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 15:03:15 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 07 18:25:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 16 08:20:40 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 09:07:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 19:47:04 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 20:49:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 07 12:34:47 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 13:12:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Feb 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 19 10:33:59 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 13:58:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 23 15:04:42 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 24 19:25:38 -0700 2009 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, ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 15:15:55 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 25 15:24:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Wed Apr 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 10 04:52:34 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 18 08:59:31 -0700 2008
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.
...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 22:13:31 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 11:03:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Mon Jun 08 21:18:23 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 23:51:48 -0700 2009
I read the book because I am a Clapton fan (though not ...more...]]> 2 1 false false Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 24 14:54:26 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 10:52:25 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Feb 05 19:09:09 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 19:13:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Fri Jan 16 16:04:13 -0800 2009 Tue Dec 30 13:26:16 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 16 16:04:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1207904