Eric Clapton - I’ve been planning for a tour in india

I’ve been planning for a tour in india

A new track from his latest album on our charts, a tour and more, here’s guitar icon and music legend Eric Clapton, talking music and more...

Were your parents a big influence on your music? Well of course they were. They have been my greatest support and most of all, it’s the memories and what I learnt sitting with them and listening to old songs, while I was growing up, which affected the kind of songs I make today.
What do you think about the musical industry today, globally vis-à-vis the 60s and 70s? The music industry has completely reached a new place today. You see all these new and vibrant stuff coming up every other day. It feels good to see what place we as a music industry holds. And like I often tell people, it’s good to have such a wide range of music categories and styles.
What inspired you to cut this new album? I think when I was making this album I wanted to have everything that belonged to an era when I was a kid, until now. I wanted to get the memories back through the songs. Moreover I wanted this album to have songs dedicated to my family. So all these thoughts actually led to the way this album was cut.
Did you see Old Sock as a double or triple album at first and pare it down to a single or was it meant to be a single album? It was always meant to be a single album compilation of all my memories over the years. When you ask me what I like about it, I will have to say the range of different songs and different artistes who worked on it. I can’t specify anything about what I like because this album is very close to my heart. And like I said, it takes you on a tour from the thirties till now. And the aim was to make it a comforting music album and it seems to have worked out well. Working with Paul McCartney was a pleasure. It’s always fun to work with people who are so into music and know what they are doing. You learn so much. I like the song Paul has done for this album, it’s got a different touch to it.
Are you happy with where you stand today, musically and otherwise? Yes I’m very happy where I stand today both professionally and personally. I feel I have made a mark and work towards make it more prominent and personally I have a lovely family and friends who are supportive and keeps me going.
Doyle Bramhall shares co-production credits. What was it like, working with him? Doyle is a friend and it was very good producing this whole thing together. Both him and the others, we all click straight away. Doyle and I both really share the same kind of respect for each other. He is a very prolific writer and he likes to try and write for me because we are guitar players. We could connect very well. He wrote a song with a sort of twining guitar riff and things.
Do you play best in a group or as a solo musician? I think I am fine with both, really. I just don’t really prefer working in a studio setting and apart from that, I really have no issues playing in a group or solo. Both have its positives and negatives.
When do you plan to come down to do a gig here? I have been planning for a tour in India for while now. I am aware I do have a huge fan base in India and so soon I would want to do a show for them. It’s always a special feeling when you see that a country so far away still appreciates your music so much. I would also love to tour around as I have been hearing a lot about the culture in India.

Eric Clapton