. . . doesn't glitter
(from https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/eric-clapton-s-covid-vaccine-conspiracies-mark-sad-final-act-ncna1281619?fbclid=IwAR0LCeJky_KUs0-
By Jeff Slate)
". . . (Eric) Clapton may have been branded Rolling Stone magazine’s second-greatest guitarist of all time, and is a three-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has inspired legions to try to follow in his footsteps, but the shiny veneer papering over his belief systems has always been paper thin. . . Since last year, Clapton has repeatedly used his vast platform to do his utmost to undermine expert medical advice. . . . He has opposed lockdowns and made suspicious claims about the dangers of vaccines. This spring, he said . . . that scientific studies, expert opinions and public health recommendations extolling the importance of vaccines were “propaganda,” . . . But many fans still seem to have been caught by surprise. In a lengthy piece this month by writer David Browne in Rolling Stone — which has treated the artist with reverence for more than half a century — Clapton is painted as a conspiracy peddler of the highest order, and a racist of the lowest. . . The article also revisits Clapton’s 1976 racist rant from a stage in Birmingham, England, where he repeatedly shouted slurs and voiced support for the British demagogue Enoch Powell, known for his divisive, race-baiting “rivers of blood” speech in 1968. . . lapton has joked about or laughed off accusations of racism, as well as a 1968 Rolling Stone interview where he low-key insults Jimi Hendrix’s guitar playing and suggests the allure of Hendrix and other Black artists has to do with their genitalia. . . Clapton certainly has his defenders, especially among conservative anti-vaxxers. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, himself no stranger to crackpot conspiracy theories or race baiting, tweeted a picture of himself with Clapton backstage during the guitarist’s recent tour of red state arenas. . . But Clapton’s fans may be turning their backs on this legend amid what is likely to be his final act. . . It may be a sad end for one of the legends of the Golden Age of rock and roll, but it also feels fitting. Bigotry and ignorance, in the age of the internet, has a way of catching up with you. In a time when many of us are re-examining how our life experiences and information sources have shaped our world views, Clapton’s racism and conspiracy theories can no longer be ignored. . . "
Why Has Love Got To Be So Sad
- Eric Clapton
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