Today’s blacklisted American: Eric Clapton, for daring to express his own opinions
Mao’s cultural revolution in 1966,
what today’s leftists want for America and the world.
They’re coming for you next: Long time rock-n-roll star Eric Clapton has revealed that he has become ostracized from his liberal, leftist, music culture because he dared to publicly express opposition to last year’s lockdowns as well as publicly expressed reservations about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton said his musician friends stopped communicating with him after he recently spoke out about his “disastrous” COVID-19 side effects. “I’ve tried to reach out to fellow musicians,” Clapton said during a video Q&A mostly about his COVID-19 vaccine experience and his reaction to the powers-that-be afterward. “I just don’t hear from them anymore. My phone doesn’t ring very often. I don’t get that many texts and emails any more. It’s quite noticeable.”
Clapton’s aforementioned statements come at the very end of the below video, just before the 24-minute mark — but the whole interview is pretty eye-opening:
According to Vulture.com, Clapton also said, “I was ostracized. And I could feel that everywhere.”
I agree, the whole interview is worth listening to, and so I have embedded it at the bottom of this essay.
Clapton clearly appears to be trying to have an open and skeptical mind, and has been digging into the data about COVID, the vaccines, and the government’s panicky response to both. He has discovered that that response was almost entirely a mistake, and is horrified by much of it. The last six minutes of the interview, when he begins talking about the oppressive aspects of the government’s response, his opposition to it, and the close-minded responses of people whom he once thought were his friends, are especially revealing. He had thought his musical community, all leftists, believed in freedom and free speech. He has now learned that ain’t so.
For me, his experience was quite familiar, as I have gone through the same thing my entire life. Our dominant culture has not believed in freedom and free speech for many years. Up until the last few years however they were afraid to be open about their intolerant and authoritarian views. Now they are upfront and aggressive, working hard to silence and destroy those who disagree with them, because they have the upper hand and have learned how meek and easily cowed most people have become.
Nor will anything change, as long as people continue to bow to these bullies instead of telling them to go to hell. Nor will having one or two well known celebrities, like Clapton, who do this make any difference. The response has to be loud, from many ordinary people. Though the bullies are certainly a minority, there are now a lot of them in our society. Only if a lot more people push back at them will these bad people finally back down.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Mao’s cultural revolution in 1966,
what today’s leftists want for America and the world.
They’re coming for you next: Long time rock-n-roll star Eric Clapton has revealed that he has become ostracized from his liberal, leftist, music culture because he dared to publicly express opposition to last year’s lockdowns as well as publicly expressed reservations about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton said his musician friends stopped communicating with him after he recently spoke out about his “disastrous” COVID-19 side effects. “I’ve tried to reach out to fellow musicians,” Clapton said during a video Q&A mostly about his COVID-19 vaccine experience and his reaction to the powers-that-be afterward. “I just don’t hear from them anymore. My phone doesn’t ring very often. I don’t get that many texts and emails any more. It’s quite noticeable.”
Clapton’s aforementioned statements come at the very end of the below video, just before the 24-minute mark — but the whole interview is pretty eye-opening:
According to Vulture.com, Clapton also said, “I was ostracized. And I could feel that everywhere.”
I agree, the whole interview is worth listening to, and so I have embedded it at the bottom of this essay.
Clapton clearly appears to be trying to have an open and skeptical mind, and has been digging into the data about COVID, the vaccines, and the government’s panicky response to both. He has discovered that that response was almost entirely a mistake, and is horrified by much of it. The last six minutes of the interview, when he begins talking about the oppressive aspects of the government’s response, his opposition to it, and the close-minded responses of people whom he once thought were his friends, are especially revealing. He had thought his musical community, all leftists, believed in freedom and free speech. He has now learned that ain’t so.
For me, his experience was quite familiar, as I have gone through the same thing my entire life. Our dominant culture has not believed in freedom and free speech for many years. Up until the last few years however they were afraid to be open about their intolerant and authoritarian views. Now they are upfront and aggressive, working hard to silence and destroy those who disagree with them, because they have the upper hand and have learned how meek and easily cowed most people have become.
Nor will anything change, as long as people continue to bow to these bullies instead of telling them to go to hell. Nor will having one or two well known celebrities, like Clapton, who do this make any difference. The response has to be loud, from many ordinary people. Though the bullies are certainly a minority, there are now a lot of them in our society. Only if a lot more people push back at them will these bad people finally back down.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Friends? Or “Friends”, Eric?
Obviously the latter.
A man can live a fine life without “Friends”. Fair weather or otherwise.
The up side for you is that where ever you want to play and when ever you want to play the venue will be jam packed.
And THAT is the greatest reward for you.
Did you really ever have Friends Eric?
Cotour: See this essay:
We are about to find out who our real friends are
The Moody Blues
First Man:
I think, I think I am, therefore I am, I think
Establishment:
Of course you are my bright little star
I’ve miles
And miles
Of files
Pretty files of your forefather’s fruit
And now to suit our
Great computer
You’re magnetic ink
First Man:
I’m more than that, I know I am, at least, I think I must be
Inner Man:
There you go man, keep as cool as you can
Face piles
Of trials
With smiles
It riles them to believe
That you perceive
The web they weave
And keep on thinking free
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Moody+blues+lyrics++-+keep+as+cool+as+you+can&t=ffab&atb=v201-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeFEH6y3kShk
Mr Z-
I remember when this all happened. He actually got cancelled because of his comments from a 1976 concert regarding race.
When news came out he and Van were doing this song, all the young people who had no clue who these old guys were, googled them.
Clapton caught hell for his comments about keeping out the foreigners and keeping Britain white.
Was that covered in the interview?
Mike a: It is a typical technique of the left to make up false quotes supposedly said by those they don’t like in order to libel them. If you are going to claim Clapton said something as insanely idiotic and stupid as a desire for “keeping out the foreigners and keeping Britain white”, you damn well better provide us a reputable source, preferably actual video of him saying it.
To my mind, based on everything I’ve ever seen of Clapton, I am very confident you can’t, and think you are merely trying to slander him because you don’t like what he is saying.
RUSH
“Red Sector A”
https://youtu.be/7W7kBEa5bIc
5:08
Robert Zimmerman,
You owe Mike a an apology.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XgwjQdpH4o&ab_channel=RustedTelevisione
No video of him actually saying it, but audio of Eric Clapton telling you in his own words what he said.
Small quibble: Clapton is British, not American. Lives just outside London, I believe.
The solution, the strategy to the political warfare that the Constitution structures?
LAWYERS……………..COURTS……………………..AND MONEY!
https://youtu.be/0GkXCYsfY_8
Bring it!
Robert-
I wasn’t advocating one way or the other, I was making you aware of the ACTUAL facts.
You cant constantly rail against bad journalism and here you only report half the story.
Claptons rant at a 1976 concert about foreigners and black people is well known, just because you haven’t heard of it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Please do some of your own research, since this story has been reported on at length in both the distant past and the incident you’re highlighting.
Please use your search engine of choice, or better yet, I did it for you and I’ll leave you some links.
https://www.insidehook.com/article/music/eric-clapton-racism
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Against_Racism
https://www.thesound.co.nz/home/music/2018/01/eric-clapton-ashamed-of-racist-remarks.html
Robert – is this enough “proof” for you?
I’ll wait for my apology.
I’ve never put words in your mouth, please don’t do that to me.
BAD NEWS FOR YOU AND RACHEL
Yes, its bad news for anyone who believes they are being informed in an objective manner in any way shape or form when watching, Rachel Maddow.
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/a-court-ruled-rachel-maddows-viewers
“In sum, ruled the court, Rachel Maddow is among those “speakers whose statements cannot reasonably be interpreted as allegations of fact.” Despite Maddow’s use of the word “literally” to accuse OAN of being a “paid Russian propaganda” outlet, the court dismissed the lawsuit on the ground that, given Maddow’s conduct and her audience’s awareness of who she is and what she does, “the Court finds that the contested statement is an opinion that cannot serve as the basis for a defamation claim.”
And while the law suit was ultimately lost due to First Amendment freedoms, even an Obama appointed judge understands who and what Rachel is all about. And it ain’t about reporting the news.
Its more about “servicing” and the masturbatory massaging of her like minded viewers softened, Left leaning, “Woke” minds.
Way to be objective Robert.
Nothing says confidence in ones position like censuring the opposition.
Good luck out there.
All he is asking for is some evidence that what you allege is so.
Your assertion can take NO push back?
At this point you are reporting decades old third hand rumor and “Information”.
@cotour
I did, and Robert deleted it.
Complete with links and everything.
I would like to see it.
Mike a: I have not checked out your links yet, but I did not delete anything you wrote. I just approved it. When anyone includes more than one link in a post, it goes into moderation for me to approve. The moderation is merely because of the number of links. And it says so in the comment rules box right above where you post your comment, in plain English.
That you immediately assumed, and accused me of censorship, speaks very poorly of you. Moreover, I was demanding from you what I demand from myself, evidence when I make a strong accusation from someone. If you can provide it, great. It is fundamentally wrong, and slanderous, to make such an accusation without that evidence, and everyone has every right to object if someone does it.
I will take a look at your links later today.
No worries Mike a! Putting multiple links in a comment triggers a human review of the comment. It’ll post in a bit. Mr. Z. is on MST.
Mr z –
Apologies on the quick trigger. I saw that it was awaiting moderation and then disappeared.
I assumed incorrectly based on the tone of your response that you had deleted it.
I want to be clear.
I only wanted you to include this facet of the story because that’s what good journalism does.
I encourage anyone to use their own tools to look up the incident, it’s been documented quite thoroughly, and mister Clapton never once denied it.
Great guitarist, but he is just a man. And we all have opinions and views that don’t jive with everyone else on the planet. And that’s ok with me.
Ninja’d! Lol
I just listened to the 2018 recording of Clapton, both the “old” and the “new” Eric Clapton.
A man is allowed to evolve his position and his opinion on a variety of issues.
And while what he did apparently say in the 70’s while a heavy drinker and substance abuser and coming from where he came from he was a bit more xenophobic and racist. Is what it is.
I do not believe that he believes that today. So whether he is now “Woke” and Left leaning to the extreme, or he realizes that a country MUST rationally control their borders and legal immigration and discourage ILLEGAL immigration, Eric Clapton appears to today NOT be a racist as some may contend.
Who in their later years believes fervently, possibly ignorantly what they believed when they were in their 20’s? Not me.
Related:
“Fourteen year old uses curse words and vulgar gesture and pays the price”. (But is ultimately vindicated)
https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-cursing-cheerleader-first-amendment-981374cd3adc0e73274d7d33c29a9e0e
Free speech is not a crime.
It may have unforeseen consequences in the future though.
@ contour
I absolutely agree that a person does and probably should evolve over time.
But I also can’t fault people for choosing to not associate themselves with him anymore.
That’s the flip side of freedom.
If you said some things that I don’t agree with, I don’t HAVE to be your friend anymore.
I don’t HAVE to work with you anymore.
Freedom is being able to dislike, or associate with anyone I choose to.
Apologies again Bob, I wholeheartedly believe that the only way out of our present malaise as a country is discussion and exchange of ideas.
Agreed 100%.
But he is is, Eric Clapton, so I assume he will adapt and get by just like everyone else.
Mike: And why have you come to your un yielding position?
You seem to recognize the fact that human beings, especially young ones are and do evolve their thinking over time, but you will give no ground to Clapton. That is curious to me. And again, I fully agreed with your last statement. But it seems disconnected from the rational of your conclusion.
Mike a: I’ve checked out your links as well as Kaptain Krude’s, and must agree entirely with Cotour. Clapton said something awful and bigoted on stage in 1976 and has long since apologized for it, regretting it repeatedly in public. He has since grown beyond it. To continue to hate him for such a long-time-ago event seems quite unforgiving.
And yes, people have the right to refuse to associate with him because they disagree with him, or dislike him. My point however is to illustrate how intolerant we are becoming to any disagreement or dislike. While back in the 1970s Clapton simply got some heat for his intemperate remarks that forced him to rethink them, today the goal is to hate and destroy. No rethinking is allowed, only cancellation.
And I repeat, without apology, if you are going to accuse anyone of such bad behavior, you are obliged to give your sources and the context. Otherwise it is just slander.
Cotour –
I wasn’t saying I am no longer his friend, etc, I’m saying its anyone’s right to.
I think it’s quite comical that anyone would assume that there’s no way he could possibly have said what he said…
The cult of celebrity worship in this society is gut wrenching and many people fall victim to believing they truly know what is in a person’s heart based on their public persona.
Bob – I didn’t slander anyone. I was 100% accurate in what I said. Which you and everyone else can now see thanks to that disappearing post…
I do feel that I provided you with more context to your story that was omitted, I assume inadvertently and was immediately dismissed as falling victim to leftist tactics and slanderous behavior.
One with thinner skin might take that as an insult.
Question Authority!
Remember that bumper sticker? It adorned the cars and mopeds driven by the angry youth of yesterday. Today, they are the “Authority” and will not tolerate any questions concerning their judgement or motivation. The Louden County Virginia School Board is a the poster child of this “wokeness” run amok. As Bob alluded to, they need to be on the receiving end of a big, grass-roots collective “Up Yours!” from the community. This is going to be hard to do when the biased, corrupt main-stream media turns against them or simply ignores them.
Mike a: By not providing a source initially you were copying exactly the ugly and slanderous tactics of the left. By providing it when asked you showed that your intentions were different. Just do it initially next time.
Reconciled.
For those that are claiming Eric made xenophobic and racist comments onstage…Reality is, if you say anything the slightest bit critical to mass immigration from the 3rd world to the 1st, you will be called racist and xenophobic. It doesn’t matter how reasoned you are, it doesn’t matter if you tell the truth that immigration is an exploitive system financed and orchestrated by the elite wealthy to help them get richer. None of that matters, they will misquote you, call you names and employ a series of trigger words designed to mischaracterize.
So in regards to what Eric may or may not have said…Take it with a big grain of salt.
Morrisey said some things deemed negative toward immigration and he was slandered much the same way as Eric. But they do deserve some respect for not backing down and begging for forgiveness.
Winston Marshall from Mumford and Sons was recently booted from his band simply for saying positive things about a book by Andy Ngo. But he was in a band, Clapton and Morrisey are solo artists. Marshall apologized and crawled on the ground for forgiveness but it wasn’t enough for the lynch mob.