When Artists Can’t Be Separated From Their Politics
Eric Clapton’s racism is a betrayal not only to his fans, but to his old friend, the Black blues legend BB King
Some people might say that an entertainer’s politics ought to have no bearing on an audience’s ability to appreciate their work.
But, particularly when it comes to musicians, it’s nearly impossible to separate a performer from their politics.
We aren’t talking about anonymous session players who play on an album, and the general public typically won’t know who they are.
No, when it comes to big-name artists, they really are what they sing and play — their music is a reflection of who and what they are, and vice versa: It is, after all, their very souls which they pour into their work.
So it’s disheartening at least — and really a betrayal of sorts — when popular, hit musicians turn out to hold and promote truly abhorrent views.
Such has been true in the case of Morrissey, the one-time lead singer of 80s mope rock band, the Smiths.
Morrissey has increasingly spoken out in allegiance to For Britain, a far-right political party. For Melissa Mora Hidalgo, author of a book on Morrissey, that stance reveals what few of his stateside fans seem willing to acknowledge: “The bad rhetoric that Morrissey espouses, and that the party espouses, on these shores would be Trumpism. On these shores that would be MAGA.”
As loathsome as Morrissey’s stances have been, perhaps guitar hero Eric Clapton’s even worse.
How?
Racist remarks the classic rock icon said in a drunken stupor during a concert back in 1976 in which Clapton went on a rant about “dark-skinned immigrants.”
“Stop Britain from becoming a Black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the w*gs out. Get the c**ns out. Keep Britain white,” exclaimed Clapton to his audience. It’s clear that Clapton definitely had a few too many drinks during the concert, but that doesn’t forgive the way he outrageously expressed his ignorance and racism.
He began his remarks in the worst possible way, by addressing the audience: “Do we have any foreigners in the audience tonight? If so, please put up your hands. So where are you? Well, wherever you are, I think you should all just leave. Not just leave the hall, leave our country. I don’t want you here, in the room or in my country.”
He added: “Listen to me, man! I think we should send them all back.”
The hypocrisy in Clapton’s racism
What makes Clapton’s racism and hate so utterly disgusting is the fact that not only has he taken so much of his music from Black blues over the years, he and legendary bluesman BB King had a close, mutual-admiration society-style friendship going for decades before King passed away in 2015.
Clapton’s ugly, xenophobic language seeks to debase the Black folks including the bluesman he claimed to have venerated for so long. It’s a rank hypocrisy on Clapton’s part.
“… Clapton and I have been friends since we first met back in the ’60s,” King once said. “I’ve always wanted to do something with him, but it’s like, you don’t ask friends to do things all the time—because you’re friends, you know what I mean? But I always wanted to, and when I heard him tell [TV’s] Larry King that he would like to do something with me, man, I was on cloud nine.”
One has to wonder whether King would have been so enthusiastic if he had known about the cruel and hateful things that his friend had once said about Black folks like him.
What I do know is that — despite whatever technical guitar skills Clapton may still possess — it’s impossible anymore to appreciate any higher beauty or soul in his music given the obvious hate that lives in the man’s heart.
