Rolling Stone June 2, 2016 |
I had the "461 Ocean Boulevard" album when I was a kid. Who didn't? I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy ... And being a Beatles fanatic, I knew that he stole George Harrison's wife Patty, the girl George met while filming "A Hard Day's Night." Dirty bastard ... doing that to my George! But I haven't really kept up with him as I have others.
What stood out in this Q&A was, naturally, his process. I love it explained by the artist. The question is: "Do you plot out your solos before a take?" To which, Clapton responded: "No. I let my hands do the talking. Then my brain catches up. I'm hearing it after it happens. Then I go, "Oh, that wasn't very good. Try doing this." That happens, but the best bit is still the one before I actually thought about what I was going to do. My hands are in front of me a lot of the time."
I love the idea of this. Of course, the channeling is what is the art ... if thought, the spontaneity is interrupted. Maybe, lost. He knows his guitar so well that I would imagine that he only has to put his hands on her, him, and go. I would love to hold an instrument and feel it talk to me like that. I wonder if it wouldn't do a better job of communicating than the words that come out of my mouth.
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