Has Clapton Lost the Plot?

[Whitefang]

21 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

No you don't have to like the artist as a person to like their music, but I can no longer stand the site of Bruce, Neil and Bono cause they think they are politicians and need to tell people what to do and what political party to support. So I used to listen to Bruce and Neil but not anymore. They could care less cause they are rich b-astards and can do whatever they want due to their wealth. And Bruce's, Bono's and a lot of Neil's music is s-hit.  And us people who buy and go to concerts we can say your not getting my $, but like I said it doesn't matter their kids kids kids will never have to work a day in their lives, but us slobs still need to hit the grindstone.

Actually, they COULDN'T care less.    But no matter.

If I were to dislike any artist's music based on my not liking their political stances, I'd have a lot of music library purging to do!  Starting with all my ZAPPA.  And I never cared for Ted Nugent post Dukes, so that makes things easier.  

We go through this same kind of discussion on the Turner Classic Movies message boards.  Whether it's right or wrong to hate some old movie star's movies based on their personal political views or not.  Usually, John Wayne is more often mentioned.  But to me none of it matters.

I still like John Wayne movies despite the vast difference in our politics.  Same with Bob Hope and Walter Brennan.  AND Jimmy Stewart and Shirley Temple.

Same with musicians.  I don't care if some guitarist or band frontman is left, right, centrist, or gay or straight or whatever.  It's their MUSIC is what caught my attention.  If it's good, then why should I give a phuck what their politics are?   Especially since they ain't running for office.

Whitefang

Edited January 25, 2022 by Whitefang

[bigtim]

Man...what a thread. 

 

Pathetic one at that. 

 

People getting killed in car wrecks are blamed for not having a vaccine....lol 

 

Yes the unvaccinated are going to die...and guess what...so are the vaccinated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

2 hours ago, jvi said:

  "THEY" again...

You again

[Sgt. Pepper]

3 hours ago, IanHenry said:

The point is, Eric's trying to influence people on the Covid vaccine and he doesn't have any medical training (as far as I'm aware).  

My exact feeling about rock stars who blather and tell us who we should vote for. Do Bruce and Neil have Ph.D’s in Political Science. Nope. Are they any more or less informed on politics than me? So shut up and do your job with is writing another song.

[Sgt. Pepper]

54 minutes ago, Whitefang said:

Same with musicians.  I don't care if some guitarist or band frontman is left, right, centrist, or gay or straight or whatever.  It's their MUSIC is what caught my attention.  If it's good, then why should I give a phuck what their politics are?   Especially since they ain't running for office.

Whitefang

I totally agree, but these actors and musicians have influence over some people, and some people look up to them, and that may be just enough to influence someone to vote that way. Same with the vax.

Make up your own mind.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper

[Whitefang]

And that's what I did.  And we can't be responsible for other people's weak minds, given that none of THEM will be swayed by the likes of YOU or ME and how WE handle any of this.

Whitefang

[Sgt. Pepper]

4 minutes ago, Whitefang said:

And that's what I did.  And we can't be responsible for other people's weak minds, given that none of THEM will be swayed by the likes of YOU or ME and how WE handle any of this.

Whitefang

True.

That Zappa guy he was a d-ick.

[SteveFord]

I still like Clint Eastwood even if he has public conversations with an empty folding chair.  

Heck, I've been known to talk to the toaster (even though the microwave is eavesdropping).

 

[bigtim]

35 minutes ago, SteveFord said:

I still like Clint Eastwood even if he has public conversations with an empty folding chair.  

Heck, I've been known to talk to the toaster (even though the microwave is eavesdropping).

 

My chair has a hard time accepting that I really do not like the subjects it enjoys discussing...current events....politics....movies....I mean...wtf is wrong with furniture these days?

But I get along great with my dresser....go figure.

[SteveFord]

I know exactly what you mean.

Who cares what a chair thinks but they just keep yammering on and on and on.

You know what settles them down?

TACO BELL.

[Pinch]

Not even the fans of Clapton and Van Morrison would take advice from  them, so let's just enjoy the show.

[Karloff]

26 minutes ago, bigtim said:

My chair has a hard time accepting that I really do not like the subjects it enjoys discussing...current events....politics....movies....I mean...wtf is wrong with furniture these days?

But I get along great with my dresser....go figure.

lol. 

[Karloff]

I had a heart to heart with a chair one night in '77.  he was bit of an A$$, even though I think his heart was in the right place.  there was blotter involved ...

[Big Bill]

23 minutes ago, SteveFord said:

I know exactly what you mean.

Who cares what a chair thinks but they just keep yammering on and on and on.

You know what settles them down?

TACO BELL.

God damn it, that is funny!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Edited January 25, 2022 by Big Bill

[bigtim]

12 minutes ago, Karloff said:

I had a heart to heart with a chair one night in '77.  he was bit of an A$$, even though I think his heart was in the right place.  there was blotter involved ...

Man those chairs just don't get it sometimes you know?? Damn!

[sparquelito]

6 hours ago, jdgm said:

Sorry Sparq but I strongly disagree.

Clapton has expressed 'unpopular' opinions before, going back as far as 1976 with a drunken racist rant ONSTAGE at a concert in the UK.  As you know, he built his career on the blues of black American musicians so it was seen as incredibly arrogant and hypocritical; and those comments he made led to the start of a movement called Rock Against Racism in the UK.   I saw him live after that several times (once with Muddy Waters) and bought some more of his albums.

Cut to today; he is the world's most popular and most copied guitarist (as well as a multi-millionaire) and a public figure, and he is publicy talking absolute rubbish about a very serious subject which is literally life and death to many.   Publicly; he wants people to hear these opinions of his.  It has nothing to do with his music.

There is no shame, indignity, ugliness or bitterness in refuting what he is claiming, as it is simply not true.  

In the light of DuaneV's comment - "In todays social environment you get the measure of a person not on the day they did the very, very best thing, but rather on the day they did the very worst thing." ........can I also point out that we had a thread recently about a court case in Germany where a lady was prosecuted for trying to sell a Clapton bootleg.  Perhaps you would be willing to go back and review that thread, in which there was much wrong information and knocking of EC, because people didn't know the finer details? 

Best wishes to all!

I appreciate your response. 

Allow me to address two facets of that discussion;
1. I'm not a big fan of Eric Clapton. 
I own exactly two old records of his. 

I just feel like there was a lot of piling on going on, without a lot of deep analysis as to what Eric's comments (on the virus or the vaccinations) even meant. 

2. To the point of what he's saying not being true;
Can ANYone definitively say what about covid, the vaccinations, and the entire pandemic hysteria is even true?
Given the massive onslaught of political misinformation and disinformation that's been propagated about it?

I'll tell  you what I know to be true about covid and the vaccinations. 
That which I see with my own and eyes and that which I have experienced in my own life. 
And I have seen and experienced plenty. 

I don't believe a single thing I have ever heard out of the mouth of politicians about the virus. 
Not a thing. 
I don't believe a single thing that has been uttered over the news media, particularly here in the US. 
Not a thing. 

Why?
Because they have an agenda, and they are making a fortune off of this thing. 
They need it be the biggest, scariest thing ever, even if it isn't. 
There's too much money at stake for them, and there is POWER at stake for them.
Power and control. 

That is all. 
😐

[sparquelito]

Now there is a man taking a stand. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/25/neil-young-reportedly-asks-spotify-to-remove-his-music-over-joe-rogans-vaccine-comments.html

Will he be vilified or lionized?

Time will tell. 
Good on you, Brother Neil. 

🙂

[ksdaddy]

So if Phil Collins doesn't like Neil Young's political stance, he can demand that Spotify remove his music as well?

Neil means zip to me.  Neither good nor bad. Just trying to figure out where to set the goal posts is all.

(I picked Phil's name at random btw)

I really wish celebrities, retailers, manufacturers, restaurants etc would just stay out of politics. I find myself patronizing or avoiding certain businesses because of their stance and it's not fair. Not fair to me, not fair to the workers at Carhart OR Hobby Lobby.

I wish I weren't affected by it, but here we are.

As to EC, I watched him on tv one time and I thought the neck of his Strat was going to catch fire. He was all over that thing like a cheap suit. But I don't own any of his records that I am aware of.  I cringe a little when I hear the song he wrote and recorded about losing his son out the window.  That whole scene opens up way too many emotions at once to deal with.

[zigzag]

Numbers don't lie, sparky. Just because you don't like it or are confused by it doesn't make it a lie. While everyone may have an agenda, not everyone stands to profit, and there are many who are just trying to do the right thing with the information they have. Just ask the doctors and nurses on the front lines. We are in big trouble if no one is credible.

The problems started when it became political. Politics screws up everything. When the polio vaccine came out, people lined up without their political BS, got the vaccination, and polio was virtually wiped out. Thank you science.

Though we may be dealing with covid now like we deal with the flu, there is plenty of  evidence that the vaccine is working to significantly reduce the severity. The data proves that people are better off by just shutting TFU, and getting the vaccine. Try to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by zigzag

[Karloff]

"Red means run son, numbers add up to nothing" - N.Young

[badbluesplayer]

I used to do structural engineering.  I'd show up at a construction site and there'd be twenty "big experts" with 'rettes hanging off their lips and donut juice on their faces telling me how everything works. 

I can't imagine how stupid everybody must seem when you're a doctor.

[duane v]

If folks want to get vaccinated and wear a mask.... fine..... If not that's fine too.

If a non-expert in epidemiology want's to go public and pontificate about a subject matter they know very little about, and people take it for truth..... well so be it.

I don't know if it's just me being an old fart now, but it just seems to me that yester-years mediocrity is todays gold standard. So much dysfunction amongst people.... even good people.

If there is a god, I'm wondering if he's now considering heaving comet our way to wipe the slate clean. 

[Sgt. Pepper]

20 hours ago, SteveFord said:

I still like Clint Eastwood even if he has public conversations with an empty folding chair.  

Heck, I've been known to talk to the toaster (even though the microwave is eavesdropping).

 

If he mentioned that the chair answered back take away Clint's keys too.

[Sgt. Pepper]

13 minutes ago, duane v said:

If folks want to get vaccinated and wear a mask.... fine..... If not that's fine too.

If a non-expert in epidemiology want's to go public and pontificate about a subject matter they know very little about, and people take it for truth..... well so be it.

I don't know if it's just me being an old fart now, but it just seems to me that yester-years mediocrity is todays gold standard. So much dysfunction amongst people.... even good people.

If there is a god, I'm wondering if he's now considering heaving comet our way to wipe the slate clean. 

He did it once to the poor dinosaurs.

There is not law that was passed I'm aware of that says you must get the vax and how would you enforce it anyway. Remember when we were all supposed to prove we had health care and they were going to fine you if you didn't. How you gonna fine a homeless person with no address or $. Hey all you homeless guys and girls in Tent City, get your a-sses up and go down and get your shot now or (we) the government will be really mad.

Do you think Biden remembers what he had for breakfest this morning? Just a question off topic of course.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sgt. Pepper]

15 hours ago, ksdaddy said:

So if Phil Collins doesn't like Neil Young's political stance, he can demand that Spotify remove his music as well?

Neil means zip to me.  Neither good nor bad. Just trying to figure out where to set the goal posts is all.

(I picked Phil's name at random btw)

I really wish celebrities, retailers, manufacturers, restaurants etc would just stay out of politics. I find myself patronizing or avoiding certain businesses because of their stance and it's not fair. Not fair to me, not fair to the workers at Carhart OR Hobby Lobby.

I wish I weren't affected by it, but here we are.

As to EC, I watched him on tv one time and I thought the neck of his Strat was going to catch fire. He was all over that thing like a cheap suit. But I don't own any of his records that I am aware of.  I cringe a little when I hear the song he wrote and recorded about losing his son out the window.  That whole scene opens up way too many emotions at once to deal with.

I love Neil's order to Spotify - You can have Joe Rogan or Neil Young but not both. Bye Neil.