Monday, May 28, 2018

I Admit there's Something Wrong with Me

Image result for eric clapton imageI am indifferent to most popular music.
On Saturday night, in Tel Aviv, we saw the documentary about Eric Clapton, "A Life in 12 Bars," and before seeing the film, I wasn't completely sure who Clapton was - remembered he is a virtuoso blues guitar player, but I couldn't specifically recall listening to any track of his. Now, at least, I know who he is.
A troubled English teenager, he discovered the blues of Muddy Waters, B. B. King, and other great American black musicians, learned how to play by listening to records and copying what he heard, and brought it to England. The popularity of English groups like the Cream, where Clapton played lead guitar, opened up white American ears to the musicians they had ignored.
No one who talked about him in the film failed to say that Clapton is obsessive, and, musically, it paid off. I would never be one of the tens of thousands of fans who cram stadiums to hear him, but I wouldn't deny his genius for a minute.
The movie followed three directions: Clapton's musical development and career; his troubled relationships with women; and his struggles with drugs and alcohol. A lot of people have trouble with intimate relations, and a lot of people fall prey to cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. But the number of musicians who achieve what Clapton has done is quite small.
Early in the film Clapton describes what it was like to be the warm up band for the Beatles, whom he admires. In fact, when the Beatles played, despite all the amplification, you couldn't actually hear them, because the audience was screaming so loudly.
Clapton listened hard to everyone, and learned. I was impressed by how generous his admiration was for other musicians - and by the generosity of their admiration for him. (Of course, the filmmaker wouldn't have put in the words of a detractor).
I've played in orchestras and groups to pretty big audiences, but never as a soloist. I can't imagine what it would be like to stand up with a few other musicians and turn on a crowd of thousands. Clapton didn't talk about that, but he did say that he would just as soon sit at home and jam with friends as play to a vast audience, if he didn't need the money.
After I got home, I tried listening to some Clapton, but I like jazz and classical music better. Nothing rivals the high intensity of a great rock 'n roll concert. The energy is cosmic. I'm susceptible to it. No question. But all my life I've resisted what's popular.

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