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My lunch with Eric Clapton

Cygnus X1

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Sep 20, 2007
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363
Cool to relate this, and in a 40+ year career I'm certain not every piece of gear would be remembered accurately.

The greats don't always have the attachment that the rest of us do, too busy making a living with the stuff.
 

Beano Geno

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Mar 12, 2007
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Cool to relate this, and in a 40+ year career I'm certain not every piece of gear would be remembered accurately.

The greats don't always have the attachment that the rest of us do, too busy making a living with the stuff.

Exactly. His gear from the 60's is much more important to us than it is to him. We know a lot more about it than he does. Kinda weird isn't it? :laugh2:
 

ajchance

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Jan 13, 2006
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Very cool story. A lot of us would love to have been in your shoes.

I was training in Columbus when Eric and his wife had their first child in the late '90's. Her obstetrician was someone who had graduated from my training program a couple of years before me. When Eric arrived at the hospital, the obstetrician was the only one in the whole place that had never heard of him! From all accounts he was incredibly cordial and overly accomodating to sign a few autographs for hospital staff on such a momentous day for his family.
 

58Lover

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Oct 27, 2001
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4,133
I remember being in Nashville when Tony Iommi and his meister-tech Michael Clement were there to autograph 100 Iommi SG's at the shipping dept after hours and when he was done (in amazing time, btw), we all hopped into cars and off to a local steakhouse where we had the best time. I kept having to pinch myself because both are very down-to-earth guys with wicked senses of humour... oh, and one just happens to be one of my guitar heros.... doh!

Back to topic, that's a great story, and I'd have loved to have had that experience with Clapton.
 

Overdriven66

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Nov 10, 2008
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I don't think I would have heard a word he said, I would have just sat there with my jaw dropped with the solo from Crossroads ripping through my head....and then passed out!!!! LOL GREAT story...Thanks for sharing!
 

Jack

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Jan 22, 2004
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141
Ah, I see what you mean about his recent use of Twins. (I think he also used a Twin on the Disraeli Gears sessions.)

Thanks again, Blewsbreaker. :salude

Nope, Tom Dowd himself described the stacks of Marshalls and how loud they were in telling the story about recording Disraeli Gears with Cream. Check out the Tom Dowd interview at www.swampland.com in the Gritz section.
 

JRW8214@AOL.COM

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Aug 10, 2003
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I remember being in Nashville when Tony Iommi and his meister-tech Michael Clement were there to autograph 100 Iommi SG's at the shipping dept after hours and when he was done (in amazing time, btw), we all hopped into cars and off to a local steakhouse where we had the best time. I kept having to pinch myself because both are very down-to-earth guys with wicked senses of humour... oh, and one just happens to be one of my guitar heros.... doh!

Back to topic, that's a great story, and I'd have loved to have had that experience with Clapton.

Ive been wondering, does Tony still use the thimbles on his fingers? Ive seen recent interviews with him and it looks like he has new tips on his fingers.....like he had some put on surgically(is that possible?). Ive just been wondering this for a few years.
 

memphogittar

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Oct 28, 2009
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That's a great story. Living in Memphis has offered the opportunity to meet a lot of musicians. I missed meeting Clapton by two minutes once upon a time in the '70's. I walked into a Memphis music store called "Strings n Things" and a buddy of mine who was a salesman there said, "Man you just missed Clapton!". I thought "dammit", because I have always though that it would be really cool to meet Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor since they played on my favorite Mayall albums. I have had the opportunity to meet a few of my guitar heroes over the years. In the early '80's I got to hang out with Billy Gibbons for a little while. He gave me a pick that had "Have Mercy" written on it. In the late '80's I was cutting at a local studio where Johnny Winter happened to be working at the same. We passed in the hallway a few times and I got to tell him I much I learned from the "Second Winter" and "Still Alive and Well" records. I also told him how much I liked the Muddy Waters' records that he produced and played on. He was a really nice guy. One night in the late '80's I was sitting in with some guys at a local juke called "Green's Lounge". I was playing "Crosscut Saw" and Albert King walked in. Talk about "puckering up". He just stood there about 3 feet away and watched me from over the top of his glasses. When we were through, he just smiled and nodded. I got to be around Albert a few times and he was always very nice and encouraging to me. I've met a few other "music celebrities" over the years, but those are always the first memories to come to mind.
 

blewsbreaker

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Dec 29, 2003
Messages
1,113
Exactly. His gear from the 60's is much more important to us than it is to him. We know a lot more about it than he does. Kinda weird isn't it? :laugh2:
True, but it was a priceless moment for me to see the twinkle in his eyes when he spoke about his BB combo being his favorite amp ever. And he knew the difference between the style 1 and style 2 BB combos. He said,"My one was the flat faced one, not the big lipped one." That's when I offered him to use my BB if he wanted...And he said,"No, No, mate...I got one...I got one..."
I wonder if he really does?
 

Beano Geno

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Mar 12, 2007
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True, but it was a priceless moment for me to see the twinkle in his eyes when he spoke about his BB combo being his favorite amp ever. And he knew the difference between the style 1 and style 2 BB combos. He said,"My one was the flat faced one, not the big lipped one." That's when I offered him to use my BB if he wanted...And he said,"No, No, mate...I got one...I got one..."
I wonder if he really does?

I would have loved the opportunity to be there. I don't believe Eric's memory is bad, as you witnessed yourself with this BB conversation. He just isn't into the minutia of his past gear like his gear head fans (guity as charged) are. It's not that important to him. There's no telling what kind of gear he has...but I would bet he's got an old BB combo somewhere in his stash.:salude
 

gmann

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May 26, 2003
Messages
6,147
That's a great story. Living in Memphis has offered the opportunity to meet a lot of musicians. I missed meeting Clapton by two minutes once upon a time in the '70's. I walked into a Memphis music store called "Strings n Things" and a buddy of mine who was a salesman there said, "Man you just missed Clapton!". I thought "dammit", because I have always though that it would be really cool to meet Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor since they played on my favorite Mayall albums. I have had the opportunity to meet a few of my guitar heroes over the years. In the early '80's I got to hang out with Billy Gibbons for a little while. He gave me a pick that had "Have Mercy" written on it. In the late '80's I was cutting at a local studio where Johnny Winter happened to be working at the same. We passed in the hallway a few times and I got to tell him I much I learned from the "Second Winter" and "Still Alive and Well" records. I also told him how much I liked the Muddy Waters' records that he produced and played on. He was a really nice guy. One night in the late '80's I was sitting in with some guys at a local juke called "Green's Lounge". I was playing "Crosscut Saw" and Albert King walked in. Talk about "puckering up". He just stood there about 3 feet away and watched me from over the top of his glasses. When we were through, he just smiled and nodded. I got to be around Albert a few times and he was always very nice and encouraging to me. I've met a few other "music celebrities" over the years, but those are always the first memories to come to mind.
Cool stories Bro'! Our band regularly plays Crosscut Saw but to be playin' it and have Albert King walk in that is definately a test of character!
 
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