Most classic rock fans know that former model Pattie Boyd was married to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, and that she inspired two of the greatest songs in rock history: "Something" by Harrison and "Layla" by Clapton. In this memoir, Boyd gives us a long-awaited peak at the lifestyle of two of rock's biggest stars, and provides many juicy details about her relationships with Harrison and Clapton.
Boyd first takes us inside the maelstrom that was Beatlemania, and we learn that it was Boyd who got Harrison, and later the Beatles, interested in spirituality and turned them on to the Maharishi. During this period, Harrison would spend months at a time following a routine of strict abstinence in which his days were filled with hours of chanting. Then, he would go through periods of debauchery in which he would live the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll lifestyle that we would expect of a Beatle.
The story got all the more interesting when Eric Clapton, fresh off his successes in Cream and Blind Faith, began hanging out with Harrison and subsequently fell madly in love with Boyd. Clapton pursued her obsessively, and at one point when Boyd refused to leave Harrison, Clapton willfully plunged into a three-year period of intense heroin addiction. Ultimately, Harrison became very withdrawn, their marriage crumbled, and Clapton was waiting for Boyd with open arms. Of course, her time with Clapton was anything but happy as he traded addictions - alcohol for heroin - and he was never faithful to her. The final straw for their marriage came when Clapton fathered a child out of wedlock (Conner, who later died tragically and was the subject of the Clapton hit "Tears from Heaven"). Boyd also found out that Clapton had fathered a daughter with one of his background singers six years earlier!
The book is definitely a light read, and is not going to sit well with feminists as Boyd comes off looking rather helpless throughout. But, if you're a fan of juicy tell-alls and love the Beatles or Clapton, this is a must-read. ]]>
Stuart Lodge
voted on the book list The Book Was Better Than The Movie
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I'm not a huge Stephen King fan, but this book was well worth the effort. King weaves a fascinating tale of good vs. evil as only he can. It is very long, but the writing keeps you entranced throughout. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
I love to grill, and I want to get better!! ]]>
Growing up in the 70s, I never really understood why Clapton received adulation from fans and critics alike, or why he elicited praise such as the now infamous "Clapton is God" tag from the 60s. Frankly, I found his music in the mid-70s to be boring; his 80s and 90s music was, for the most part, dreadful. That said, I picked up this book for a vacation read because I couldn't really find anything better in the airport. Much to my surprise, I was enthralled by Clapton's self-penned tale of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Perhaps more importantly, the book revealed to me why Clapton is so revered in the pantheon of rock - I finally got it. What I discovered was that beginning with his time in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers through his Derek and the Dominoes days, Clapton played with a ferocious style and thick, overdriven tone that defined rock guitar for all heavy guitar players who followed. Throughout the book, Clapton regales the reader with page after page of captivating tales chock-a-block full of his chums who happen to be some of the all-time legends of rock. To wit: dropping acid with The Beatles while listening to a Sgt. Pepper's acetate at a London club, and knocking around the Greenwich Village clubs with Jimi Hendrix and getting up to jam and "blowing everyone away." I loved Clapton's wit and his self-deprecating manner - he seems quite normal in spite of his status as a member of rock 'n roll royalty. This book should thrill any Clapton fan, and is a must-read for any rock fan. ]]>
bookshelves: currently-reading
I hope to gain some insight into Barack's thoughts and values before the election. ]]>
by Ayn Rand
no doubt AS is loooooonnnggg. but, it is worth slogging through as it is one of the must-read books of the 20th century. it is especially interesting to consider objectivism in the context of the results of 8 years of the Bush administration (nearly all bad, in my book), followed (possibly) by at least four years with a democratic controlled white house and congress. in my view, it takes objectivism and turns it on its head. rand would turn over in her grave! ]]>
by Chuck Klosterman
he spent more time talking about breaking up with his girlfriend than he did talking about dead rockstars! ]]>
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