Clapton to retire...

57Deluxe

I thought this would have been up on here sooner??

Oh well, seems he is on the verge of giving it up - live touring first then depending on his ailments!

http://www.independent.ie/woman/celeb-news/clapton-im-looking-at-retiring-30389553.html

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/eric_clapton_to_retire_from_touring.html

Grumpy Fcuker...

not_the_dj

57Deluxe said:

I thought this would have been up on here sooner??

I mentioned it a while back  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/12021/ :P

randomhandclaps

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not_the_dj

Kerching!

(I really should make these bets for money in future)

blueskunk

Tbh he retired when cream broke up

Moe_Zambeek

From the cradle was a great album

not_the_dj

Moe_Zambeek said:

From the cradle was a great album

Carefull, it's not cool to like anything he's done apart from Beano and Cream ;-)

(Mr Winky Plectrum is getting a lot of use today isn't he?)

EricTheWeary

not_the_dj;278098" said:

(Mr Winky Plectrum is getting a lot of use today isn't he?)

Euphemism?

ICBM

He retired at the exact age of 70, calculated from conception. (Born on 30th March 1945 so that would be around the end of June 1944.)

Unfortunately he happened to be on stage in Glasgow at the time.

scrumhalf

If he wants to do local touring, I'm sure there are a few pubs on the London circuit who'll fit him in on a quiet night.

not_the_dj

EricTheWeary said:

not_the_dj;278098" said:

(Mr Winky Plectrum is getting a lot of use today isn't he?)

Euphemism?

I did type My Winky Plectrum first, but lucky I noticed it before hitting the post button  :-\"

richardhomer

I'm a massive EC fan and love his '70s and later stuff which you're not 'supposed' to like.

For my recent 50th birthday someone was kind enough to buy me both volumes of 'Eric Clapton, Day by Day' which list his tour dates, sessions, TV appearances, etc. The guy's itinery has been unbelievable over the years - given the sheer longevity of his career, he probably could lay claim to the title of 'The Hardest Working Man in Show Business'. He has been a working musician for 51 years.

Given that most people finish their first degree before getting their hands dirty, they would have to retire at 72 to put the same number of years in....

At the end of the Uncut interview he is asked, "Do you think much about your influence and your legacy?"

His reply is both disarmingly honest and humble;

"I do, yeah. I wonder what the hell I'm doing and whether it's been of any use to anyone".

It's certainly been an enormous amount of use to me - I'm hugely grateful to him for the difference he's made to my life.

I for one wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement - though I doubt he'll stop working completely.

not_the_dj

Have a wisdom for that @richardhomer

vasselmeyer

blueskunk said:

Tbh he retired when cream broke up

Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos have their moments. Virtually everything from the solo era is forgettable.

scrumhalf

He did that rockabilly seesion thing with Carl Perkins in the late 80s, I really thought he'd lost it at that point with all of the Armani crap but he proved he could still burn on that programme.

richardhomer

scrumhalf;278138" said:

He did that rockabilly seesion thing with Carl Perkins in the late 80s, I really thought he'd lost it at that point with all of the Armani crap but he proved he could still burn on that programme.

I remember that show. It was fantastic.

It was actually 1985 - his playing on 'Behind The Sun' (his album of the same year) and on Roger Waters' Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking was superb.

jeztone2

I love the Pro s & Cons, that & The Edge Of Darkness TV theme were my later favourites

GuyBoden

Like a lot of English/London based electric Blues players of the 1960's, he was in the right place at the right time, there can't have been many good English electric Blues players at that time.

stickyfiddle

I saw him live in March. He's still got it at the moment. Not the same variety of "it" that he had in the 60's, but still a great player and performer, with enough brilliance in the back catalogue to fill a live set or 3. 

Kudos to him for not wanting to fade as so many of his inspirations have done.

jd0272

I like/lurve some, but not all, of his output. Seems to be the common theme.

But, he's a pivotal figure of the genre, don't give a rat's arse about any argument, can't take that away from the fella.

chrisj1602

I do like Clapton, Cream and especially the Beano album, even solo stuff, but in terms of retiring, does he even play live that often?