Rig Run Down Clapton

[PapaBear]

What! only one pedal?

 

[andare]

John forgot to ask the most important question: is the wah true bypass?

 

[JamieJ]

All the tone is in the rug, I knew it!

 

[Feral Feline]

I didn't realise Clapton wore a toupée, let alone how much it affects his tone...

 

[Matmosphere]

I didn't realise Clapton wore a toupée, let alone how much it affects his tone...

That’s pretty funny I never knew that.

Regardless of gear it sounds like the tone he has been working on the most lately is douchebag.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

That’s pretty funny I never knew that.

Regardless of gear it sounds like the tone he has been working on the most lately is douchebag.

Not lately. for a very long time now.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

Not lately. for a very long time now.

He wrote a hit love song about another man's wife. He's been douchey the whole time.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

C’mon guys.

Are we really ragging on Clapton? I guess somebody has to be a whipping boy, even one of the greats.

Yup. He's written some fantastic songs and I don't want to get into a full on debate on the guy but anyone who spouts shit like this gets literally no respect from me tbh.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

C’mon guys.

Are we really ragging on Clapton? I guess somebody has to be a whipping boy, even one of the greats.

Charles Manson wrote some great songs too, and Phil Spector pioneered the Wall of Sound. Doesn’t mean that they weren’t straight up villains as well.
Clapton is iconic for sure, but there’s no doubt that he’s a raging POS human being.

 

[Harry Klippton]

Nah substance abuse doesn't excuse it. Sounds like he was a douche and still is a douche

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I think people are more nuanced than this. It’s very easy to rag on people, especially if they are rich and successful, without trying to understand the context of their behavior.

Some people are total and permanent pieces of shit by nature, some are temporarily aided very heavily by substance abuse, etc.

I’m not averse to eating crow and frankly I change my opinions when the facts change surrounding them with no qualms.

I’m just wary of dismissing people because of bad behavior a long time ago that does not reflect where they are at now or ever were.

I had a friend who was an absolute asshole when he drank. He was agressive, loved to get into a fight and would come out with some of the worst racist and bigoted rants I've ever heard. When he sobered up he was either full of apologies or would claim he couldn't remember anything that happened the night before. He constantly blamed the alcohol or whatever substance he was on at the time. The reality though is whenever he was drunk we were meeting the real him and he just hid it better when he was sober. Blaming the alcohol and drugs was an easy thing to do but they didn't change who he was they just lowered his inhibitions enough to drop his mask and show his real beliefs.

Like I said I don't want to get into a full debate on clapton but I've seen enough from him that regardless of his musical ability, fame or riches that he's a pretty shitty human being.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

What matters more to me is not being at odds with any forum members here over something silly!

That I agree with 100%

I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you

 

[Matmosphere]

I certainly don’t want to argue either and I don’t think anyone on this forum would actually argue with each other about anything. That’s what makes this place special.

And you are 100% right concerning your anecdote about your friend. I had a mirror image of your situation. He was my friend but deep down he was an asshole, booze/drugs or not.

Conversely, I’ve known the opposite as well, i.e. people who really were railroaded and severely influenced by the booze/drugs who turned their lives around without it. These people were not, deep down, Mr. Hyde come forth, but rather just in a bad way.

I’m no fanboy as to Clapton’s personality though. I love some of his music very dearly and you always hope your heroes are nice people. If he truly isn’t it doesn’t matter to me anyway. I’d still like the music.

What matters more to me is not being at odds with any forum members here over something silly!

Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to have this be a big thing. Lots of great artist are flawed people. It is interesting to see how, in the age of the internet, those flaws make the art harder to separate from the person.

 

[JamieJ]

I do love a crazy set up on rig rundown! Do you think John Bohlinger gets tired of asking the exact same questions to every artist? haha

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

Nah substance abuse doesn't excuse it. Sounds like he was a douche and still is a douche

Exactly. You can blame the drugs for why he said it, but drugs don’t make racists out of normal people— drugs don’t put those thoughts in someone’s head, they just keep them from realizing they’d be an idiot to say it aloud.

 

[Bricksnbeatles]

I do love a crazy set up on rig rundown! Do you think John Bohlinger gets tired of asking the exact same questions to every artist? haha

No doubt about it.
“So, are they 9s or 10s?”
“Oh, and are these the stock pickups?”

 

[PapaBear]

Some well made points, but I'll just add that it is possible for people to change, my grandfather grew up in the deep south and was a card carrying racist, but he found peace and repented in his later years and was the kindest and most caring man to all people

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

This is what I know, regardless of a person's art and how we feel about it the fact remains that some people like Page, Lennon and even Clapton are less than exceptional humans and don't deserve a pass because of their art. Drugs, alcohol and anything else is just an excuse. I wish him and all the other small minded dinosaurs would just do us all a favor a drop of the face of the earth.

I'm with this, it's not that you can't love the art separately from the rejection of the artist. I'm going to listen to Cream because I've only lost all respect for 1/3 of the band.

I did get rid of my Michael Jackson records. Can't uncreep Thriller or Off the Wall anymore. The Lennon thing is pretty upsetting too. Dude was a giant hypocrite. The lyrics to Run for Your Life seem to hit my ear differently now that I know he was violent toward women.

While I think telling celebrities to "shut up and sing/play football" is horseshit, I think telling Eric to shut up and play his guitar would actually be friendly advice.

You're free to shit in your pants if you want, I just won't be sitting next to you or listening to you debate how much better life would be if I shit in mine.

 

[peccary]

Some well made points, but I'll just add that it is possible for people to change, my grandfather grew up in the deep south and was a card carrying racist, but he found peace and repented in his later years and was the kindest and most caring man to all people

People are a trip. My grandpa is white and was born in Alabama in the late 20's. His family basically disowned him in the early 50's for marrying my Grandma who is Mexican. He somehow still managed to be pretty racist against Hispanics and blacks, which always blew me away. He also wouldn't let my grandma teach my dad and uncles Spanish, which is a bummer because I might speak Spanish today had that not been a thing.

 

[Mentaltossflycoon]

People are a trip. My grandpa is white and was born in Alabama in the late 20's. His family basically disowned him in the early 50's for marrying my Grandma who is Mexican. He somehow still managed to be pretty racist against Hispanics and blacks, which always blew me away. He also wouldn't let my grandma teach my dad and uncles Spanish, which is a bummer because I might speak Spanish today had that not been a thing.

That generation is a trip. Both of my grandfathers were white, passionate supporters of equality, civil rights, accepting of the lgbtq community. And still I remember one using the term chinaman a lot and I can recall both using the unacceptable name for brazil nuts.