Eric Clapton's Slowhand - A study of middle aged crisis

**Kristy** · 07-15-2013, 11:49 AM

I was high (as usual) listening to Eric Clapton's fifth solo studio album 'Slowhand.' While a rather dull and mundane recording one would expect by God, Slowhand is really a case study in abusive aging male behavior. I give a synopsis of Eric's psychological character in even more dull psychobabble/feminist terms which are more than self-evident. Please note I only did side one of 'Slowhand' because I'm too stoned and/or too apathetic to do side two. Like any of you give a fuck.

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1978 was the age of disco, punk, and the birth of new wave. Clapton starts of 'Slowhand' by stating he and his generation were aging and no longer part of the current cultura animi. In their mid-30’s they were already considered as being dinosaurs and the only people still listening to his output were hippies; the only commonalty to be found here was the drug culture of the times and cocaine (written by J.J. Cale) originally spoke of the self-destructive behaviors by using such a drug only bring. However, in Clapton’s case, this song was a reaction to the absence of fame believing that snorting would make him look “kwel” among his younger musical pers. Eric knew full well the majority of his early 70’s recordings were boring and shit. Yet he continued to make more.

Wonderful Tonight

The burden(s) of being an international rock star with a trophy wife. Wonderful Tonight isn’t so much a love song as it is a personal snapshot of the banality of his marriage. My guess is Wonderful Tonight was written in the absence of sex which led to a latent conviction of overwhelming guilt such as:

1. Efforts to remove or expel that Clapton’s wife (ex-Beatle Patty Boyd) was one god damn ugly woman out of his consciousness and that divorce would mean more than half his rock ’n’ roll empire crumbling before him.

2. Expiation of when Eric used to fuck groupies back in his Cream days.

With Wonderful Tonight Clapton falls into a typical middle age crisis and develops a behavior that resents an altruistic retreat from external directed anger that “nailing” the wife of a Beatle was not such a great idea after all and now only gives a concretized or explicitly replies to a piece of pussy that is long past her sexual prime and covers her own shame with loads of mascara.

Lay Down Sally

While it is no secret that men of Clapton’s age at the time of recording ‘Slowhand’ tend to get rather horny before their prostate, and low testosterone levels start to takeover. My best guess is “Sally” is a euphemism for when Eric gets hard and in this tune, Eric sounds depressed, desperately frightened that his current relationship with butt-ugly Patty is no longer sustaining his self-serving sexual credibility. Here, Clapton speaks of a one night stand with a much younger woman possibly a groupie but more like a hired escort/whore. Of course the sex is boring. The whole god damn song is boring.

Next Time You See Her

Here Clapton shifts gears from the sensitive to the whole male machismo paradigm. Next Time You See Her is really a song for rednecks and cretins who let petty jealously dictate their behavior. Interpersonal functions break down and the self-destructive once more becomes known.

”And if you see her again, I will surely kill you.”

(textbook synopsis)

1. Anger, designed to hurt or frustrate another.

2. Desperation, designed to gain attention of the other male monkeys in the social clique that murder is the only option when talking to his girl.

Next Time You See Her is really a cry for help. Manipulative homicidal gestures and threats also devalue the relationship and Eric here really could benefit from some fucking therapy. Fights and promiscuity, often assisted by the use of drugs and alcohol seems to be commonplace in Eric’s life.

We’re All The Way

This tune is probably the most manipulative of all. Eric goes from anger and despair to employing an act in a more purely underhanded manner. As noted, his interpersonal relationships are clearly self-destructive bit now he rationalizes them.

So don't put words between us we shouldn't say, and don't be acting halfway when you know we're all the way.”

Eric only wants for his piece of pussy to submit to his whims in the whole “it’s my way or the highway” adage. Clapton says his loves “da Blooz” and now I know why. The intolerance of being alone is the central affective experience to many of his songs and when rage leads to panic, a new behavior is engaged of dissociative nihilistic fears that pretty much sum up all of side one. These fears predominate on side two.

Stay tuned. Not.

**Green Manalishi** · 07-15-2013, 04:36 PM

Wow Kristry , I was truly looking forward to what you would have to say about " The Core " , one of E. C.'s better songs and more memorable great guitar riffs . Not to mention the duet with Yvonne Elliman . It is the best song on the album . Cheers......

**ThrillsNSpills** · 07-17-2013, 11:22 AM

The Core is a great song.
I don't have much use for the rest of this album but EC's done some great stuff.

**FORD** · 07-17-2013, 11:28 AM

I heard that C-dog was a big fan of Clapton's latest album....

**Hardrock69** · 07-17-2013, 11:34 PM

Hey, he once was God, but when he was done with Derek & The Dominoes, Delaney & Bonnie, etc., he became junkified, and everything he has put out since then has been lame fucking bullshit.

When I saw him live 3 years ago, I knew I would see a lame set list of songs I pretty much hate. But I also knew he would throw in some stellar guitar playing.

He was ground breaking in the early to mid-60s, then when Hendrix showed up in London, he was so far ahead of everyone there that they all fell behind instantly......Clapton went from being God to trying to catch up to Jimi.

And he apparently can be quite a fucking asshole.

I read his autobiography, and all I really got out of it was that he was a fucking jackass, but he at least knew he was a jackass, and he spends a large part of the book crying about how miserable he has been because he is a jackass.

He is good at what he does, but since the 70s he has just been a big nothing.

**binnie** · 07-18-2013, 04:16 AM

I've never understood Clapton worship. He's always passed me by.

Give me Jeff Beck every day of the week.....

**ashstralia** · 07-18-2013, 06:24 AM

as a kid, reading of eddie's clapton worship confused me.

it struck me as da vinci or michelangelo praising retarded fingerpainting.

**VHscraps** · 07-18-2013, 08:03 AM

Does this have anything to do with that Pointer Sisters song, Slowhand:

"when it comes to love, I need a man with a slow hand" ... wonder what that was all about.

Seriously, though, Clapton was brilliant - his playing in Cream, and up to Derek and the Dominoes. Not just as a soloist, but everything.

The influence on EVH is as much in the riffs / rhythm playing - Ed always (disingenuously) said, "but I sound nothing like Clapton". True ... in terms of the way he developed a unique style of soloing, but listen to the guitar throughout a song like 'Strange Brew' and then listen to, say, 'Drop Dead Legs'. They both sound like their sound is inspired by sax - in fact, EVH has said on many occasions that's what he wanted the guitar to sound like, like a saxophone. In terms of the tone / timbre. I can envision a brass section playing that Clapton part in 'Strange Brew' - maybe two or three pieces, and that to me puts him a level above one-dimensional riffers.

And 'Girl Gone Bad' reminds me a lot of Cream's tune ' Dance the Night Away' - in terms of the feel (I'm not saying one is a copy of the other). I know people often point to 'I'm So Glad' as an influence on that VH tune, because back in 82-83 (at the US Fest, for instance) bits of 'Girl Gone Bad', before it was recorded, would crop into VH jams of 'I'm So Glad', the Cream tune.

The solo and other stuff stuff by Clapton, after Derek and the Dominoes is just too MOR for me.

**ashstralia** · 07-18-2013, 08:08 AM

mate, i could just post a village people video. whatever.

**DLR Bridge** · 07-18-2013, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by ashstralia

as a kid, reading of eddie's clapton worship confused me.

The early club days recordings of Ed point to Johnny Winter and Billy Gibbons as being greater influences in my opinion. Not just because he covered their songs, but phrasing, style and approach similar to theirs would show up in early original tunes. The closest Ed ever came to sounding like a Clapton fan was the solo to Right Now from that band that shouldn't have been called Van Halen.

**ashstralia** · 07-18-2013, 08:59 AM

cranking 'little dreamer'.

**Kristy** · 07-18-2013, 10:10 PM

I'm going to need more weed for side two.

**Sensible Shoes** · 07-18-2013, 10:46 PM

Kristy, I think you're overthinking this.....

**Green Manalishi** · 07-19-2013, 04:04 PM

Somehow , somewhere I heard or read that a very young EVH learned the Cream " LIVE " album note for note forwards and ....backwards note for note .

**Kristy** · 07-19-2013, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Sensible Shoes

Kristy, I think you're overthinking this.....

Are you implying that I should lay off the weed? Because I really should.

**ThrillsNSpills** · 07-20-2013, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by Kristy

Are you implying that I should lay off the weed? Because I really should.

If you don't like Slowhand then I really advise you to not go near Backless.

**Terry** · 07-21-2013, 07:51 PM

Originally Posted by Kristy

Are you implying that I should lay off the weed? Because I really should.

Perhaps not a case of overthinking, but sort of a shame (to me) that you focused your thoughts on such a mundane subject as Eric Clapton.

Sort of reminds me of seeing a youtube Christopher Hitchens speaking about Jerry Falwell on the Sean Hannity show: Hitchens is brilliant, and I enjoyed what he had to say, but a part of me was wondering why he was wasting it on Falwell and Hannity.

**Kristy** · 07-21-2013, 08:11 PM

Hey, I was on drugz!

**Angel** · 07-21-2013, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by Kristy

Hey, I was on drugz!

And you didn't share....bitch.

**LoungeMachine** · 07-22-2013, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by Kristy

I

Lost me right there....

**Nickdfresh** · 07-22-2013, 12:56 AM

Teh drugs...

**Terry** · 07-22-2013, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by ashstralia

as a kid, reading of eddie's clapton worship confused me.

it struck me as da vinci or michelangelo praising retarded fingerpainting.

I could imagine perhaps when Ed was first starting to play where Clapton might have been a big influence, but I hear a lot more Beck, Hendrix, Page, Gibbons and Blackmore in Ed's playing than I do Clapton.

**Terry** · 07-22-2013, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by binnie

I've never understood Clapton worship. He's always passed me by.

Give me Jeff Beck every day of the week.....

He can play slow, melodic blues lines well and has a great feel for bending strings/notes. I'll give him his due on that, because doing both of those things well is, in some ways, just as difficult to pull off as fast stuff. But you go to any local bluesfest and any number of players can do the same thing.

Overall, there's just not much to him beyond that. Even in terms of his high-speed psychedelic blues days in Cream, Hendrix hit the scene and walked all over him re: that style.

I couldn't imagine going to see him live and sitting there for two hours listening to blues pentatonic solos.

**VHscraps** · 07-23-2013, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Green Manalishi

Somehow , somewhere I heard or read that a very young EVH learned the Cream " LIVE " album note for note forwards and ....backwards note for note .

Yeah - and on the recording of Ed playing 'Crossroads' that you'll find floating around, he does play it pretty much note-for-note (during an interview with ... er, whatsername, Lisa Robinson). He even speaks the words you hear on the Cream version (by Jack Bruce, I think) when he gets to the end, 'Eric Clapton, lead guitar' ... which is pretty funny. He must've listened to the recording a thousand times.

I was just looking for a clip of Clapton from the Cream era, and I found this from a concert / documentary, Cream: Farewell Concert (1968) - note the position of the cigarette.

About 4.5 mins in, it goes into a live performance - I think you can see why Clapton was a hero to Ed. This was their last gig, in '68, but it shows what Cream had become known for since their inception in 1966. If you were a budding guitarist there was nothing else quite like this - extended workouts etc.

**VHscraps** · 07-23-2013, 01:05 PM

Originally Posted by Terry

He can play slow, melodic blues lines well and has a great feel for bending strings/notes. I'll give him his due on that, because doing both of those things well is, in some ways, just as difficult to pull off as fast stuff. But you go to any local bluesfest and any number of players can do the same thing.

Overall, there's just not much to him beyond that. Even in terms of his high-speed psychedelic blues days in Cream, Hendrix hit the scene and walked all over him re: that style.

I couldn't imagine going to see him live and sitting there for two hours listening to blues pentatonic solos.

I wouldn't disagree, but see the clip in the above post - Clapton, in 66, 67 (before Hendrix was 'discovered') was the hottest player. Jimi, in fact, was probably influenced by him and Jeff Beck. When Chas Chandler asked him to come back to London he reputedly said, 'only if you can introduce me to Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton'. The Experience was a three-piece after modelled after Cream.

But I agree with the general sentiments expressed here - Clapton became a total middle of the road, boring, washout pretty early in the 70s and it continued. I wouldn't pay to see him today - it's blandola. But Cream ... listen to a Best Of, or the album with the live version of Crossroads, titled Goodbye. You've got the live side, amazing stuff - and the studio side - great pop / rock songs.

**Kristy** · 07-23-2013, 06:52 PM

Best Clapton ever played was when he was 19 year old punk in Mayall's Bluebreakers. Even I'll admit that was some brilliant laying on the record. Everything else was shit except for that stint he did with Rodger Waters. Clapton never, ever played that raw and fuck knows why, he never did since. Also my theory is that Eric was trying to play like Stevie Ray Vaughan on that album which makes sense. Clapton always lacked any originality of his own. You know, just like how he tried to play like Tab Benoit on From The Cradle.

**Terry** · 07-23-2013, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by Kristy

Best Clapton ever played was when he was 19 year old punk in Mayall's Bluebreakers. Even I'll admit that was some brilliant laying on the record. Everything else was shit except for that stint he did with Rodger Waters. Clapton never, ever played that raw and fuck knows why, he never did since. Also my theory is that Eric was trying to play like Stevie Ray Vaughan on that album which makes sense. Clapton always lacked any originality of his own. You know, just like how he tried to play like Tab Benoit on From The Cradle.

I will say I did see some footage of Clapton playing with Waters on the...what the fuck was it...The Pros And Cons of Hitchhiking tour, and Clapton was playing (for him) some really amazing, speedy stuff of a type that he hadn't approached since the Cream days, and it was impressive.

**Mushroom** · 07-24-2013, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by Kristy

Tab Benoit

OMG! Kristy, let's go Crawfishin'!

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