Eric Clapton "Journeyman"

On episode 11 of Past Prime, Steve and Matty reassess a guitar
great who was called "god" in the 1960s, "Slowhand" in the 1970s,
and who was passed down generation to generation as a Classic
Rock treasure. But, perhaps his greatest accomplishments are as a
style icon. His Armani blazers fit great. He pulls off a mock
turtleneck somehow. And he offsets his lack of a chin with a heck
of a five o'clock shadow. But that's not what Eric Clapton is
known for. We know The Yardbirds. Cream. Blind Faith. Derek and
the Dominos. Layla. After Midnight. Wonderful Tonight. Cocaine.
If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, Clapton's accomplishments and
status were not questioned. He was simply the greatest living
guitarist. He was a critically important artist. These were
presented as facts. But, by the time Eric Clapton released
"Journeyman" in 1989, he was coming back from a bruising decade
and the truth was slowly revealing itself. Clapton was telling us
the truth in that title -- "Journeyman." So, while
forty-something Boomers popped the CD into their BMWs and The
Grammy was getting engraved, some of us were finally able to hear
the actual revelations: That Clapton was never much of a
songwriter. That he mostly covered other people's songs. That he
was less than a great singer. And that he never made a
masterpiece as a solo artist. Derek and the Dominos was the
outlier. The rest was a lot of fiddling with The Blues --
sometimes louder, sometimes trippier, mostly softer. But, for
over fifty years, Clapton has been trying to tell us the truth --
he's a journeyman, with no chin, but a lot of style.


To read more about Eric Clapton's "Journeyman" check out the full
essay at Past Prime.