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A few months back I was browsing my favorite bookstore and discovered that a book I had been on the lookout for had finally made it to Korea. I first saw mention of Eric Clapton's autobiography in an interview he did with Larry King, which I saw via podcast around the beginning of this year. Being that Claption was perhaps the biggest inspiration for me to pick up a guitar when I was 16, and that I've been a fan of his since I began to feel music, I knew I had to have this book. So there it was on a table at Kyobo Bookstore. And right next to it was Pattie Boyd's autobiography, about which I hadn't yet heard anything. I bought them both and put them in the unread pile at home. I finally got around to reading them earlier this month. I started off with Pattie Boyd's book, Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me. I'm glad I did, as it meant I unwittingly saved the best for last. It's not really a bad book. It's just not a particularly good book. The thing that threw me off most is that it jumps around too much. It was quite confusing at points, trying to determine where in the timeline of Pattie Boyd's life the story was at. Even fictional stories aren't so haphazardly told. Although this is an autobiography, it was written with the help of Penny Junor, an accomplished author and biographer. So I don't know where the blame lies for the disjointed storytelling, but it was a huge distraction. Another downer was that the overall voice didn't quite appeal to me. It tried to be conversational, but seemed stiff and rushed. At times it was almost staccatto. However, I enjoyed learning things about George Harrison and Eric Clapton that I'd never have known otherwise. Also, some of her insights into other people around them in the music world, such as the other three Beatles, were interesting nuggets to pick up. Ultimately, I discovered that I really wasn't all that interested in Pattie Boyd's life. I suppose that has to do with the fact that I either wasn't around or was way too young when she was in the headlines. When she finally did show up on my radar, it was as Eric Clapton's ex-wife. I was hoping the book would generate some sort of interest, but it really fell flat. As soon as I put Pattie Boyd's book down, I picked Eric Clapton's up. Titled simply Clapton: The Autobiography, it not only is about him it is completely by him. He mentions near the end that he was working on the book while on tour. So rather than telling his story through another person, he tells it directly. The result is a smoothly flowing tale that carries you from his childhood through to the present without much skipping around and in a voice that makes it hard to put the book down. This is not only an interesting story about a world-famous musician's life, it's a thoroughly entertaining read. I'm not one of those people who has to know every detail about the lives of those who entertain us (and frankly, I don't understand those who do), but I do love when one of them volunteers something that makes them seem more human. Both Clapton and Boyd, Clapton particularly, give up more information than most people would be comfortable revealing about themselves. Clapton's portrayal of his drug and alcohol addictions are honest and merciless. But like his ex-wife, Clapton also gives insight into the people who inhabit their world. Alongside the roller coaster that is the life of Eric Clapton, we see little nuggets like this one about Mick Jagger:

...the Stones came through town on their Steel Wheels tour, and Carla mentioned that she was a fan of theirs and asked me if I would take her to see them. We went to the show, and afterward I took her backstage to meet the guys. I remember saying to Jagger, "Please, Mick, not this one. I think I'm in love." In the past he had made several unsuccessful passes at Pattie, and I knew Carla would appeal to his eye. For all my pleadings, it was only a matter of days before they started a clandestine affair.

Once in the 60s, Clapton met a lost old lady on the subway while he was on his way to play guitar at a Beatles show. She was a Beatles fan, so he invited her along and introduced her to them before the show. That resulted in this little nugget about John Lennon:

They were getting ready to go on, but they took a moment and were really friendly and polite to her. But when we got to John, and I introduced her, he made a face of mock boredom and started doing wanking motions inside his coat. I was really shocked and quite offended, because I felt responsible for this harmless little old lady, and in a sense, of course, he was insulting me. I got to know John quite well later in our lives, and we were friends I suppose, but I was always aware that he was capable of doing some pretty weird stuff.

These are people we place on pedestals and idolize because of their talent. In some sense, I think it's easy for most to overlook that they are human just like the rest of us. It's little gems like this that remind us of that. It's interesting to contrast the two books, particularly the bits that overlap and how they each remember them. Also, the approach they take to their stories is very different. Boyd's story paints her mostly as a victim, largely ignoring any responsibility she may have had for any bad things that happened in her life. On the one hand, that's really part of her story. She's telling us that she lived most of her life passively, letting things happen to her. It was only as she got older that she began to assert herself and take control of her life. But she rationalizes a lot, looking for somewhere to lay the blame, giving the book the feeling that she's not being forthright in her version of things. Clapton, on the other hand, is brutal and blunt. His addictions are painted as the root cause for many of his problems, but he makes no bones about taking responsibility. He's telling you his story not as a victim, but as someone who made bad decisions that had worse consequences. Fans of Pattie Boyd will definitely want her book, since it's always nice to put a human face on someone you've idolized for any period of time. But if you don't know much about her to begin with, you ought to just skip it unless you're extremely curious. There are better books to read. Clapton's book, on the other hand, should be entertaining for anyone. It should stand up as a good read even if you've never heard of Eric Clapton.