Keith Richards was one of the first British guitarists of his generation to enter Rock history as one of the players who helped shape the Rock and Roll revolution of the 60s. Alongside The Beatles, the Rolling Stones opened the doors for many new groups, who would later stand with them as the main British bands that changed the course of Rock music during that decade.
There were many incredible guitar players in the UK who would eventually become known worldwide. Over the years, Richards has given his opinion on many of his peers, including Eric Clapton.
What is Keith Richards’ opinion on Eric Clapton
Keith Richards is a fan and good friend of Eric Clapton and once defined him as a guitarist who is always searching for something. “Cream, Jack and Ginger, who I knew really well, as well as I knew Eric, if not better, you know. Eric is a searcher, that’s what I think and he doesn’t stop searching. Sometimes it takes him into some morose areas, which I think (he should) cheer up, bloody millionaire guitar player, you should be miserable? (Laughs).”
“I think Eric is always searching for himself, which I think is a great thing, you know. Hence the changes in persona and look, there’s kind of an outward sign. But hey, that’s what the whole thing is about: searching. It’s not a life of milk and honey, this stuff, you know what I mean? On the surface, from outside, I can understand (what) everybody (say) ‘You’re a millionaire, a Rock star’. But the fact is that Eric still got to get to the crossroads, so do I, you know? Because there’s not just one, there are several crossroads. If you think there’s just one, well, look out, pal,” Keith Richards said in the documentary “Standing At The Crossroads” (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).
Eric Clapton’s biggest flaw according to Keith Richards
To Keith, Clapton is a guitar player who has “got it all”, but he has a flaw: he depends on others to push him forward in his playing and songwriting, much like former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. “Eric wanted to jump in after Mick Taylor, but never did say so. But he expected us to call, although I only just found out. There are certain guys that are band players and there’s certain guys that ain’t. If there’s anybody lazier than me, it’s Eric. He’s got it all, but Eric’s like Mick Taylor in a way. He needs to hire guys to play with him to kick him up the arse,” Keith Richards said.
The two had already shared the stage many times over the years, including back in 1968, when they were both part of the short-lived supergroup Dirty Mac, led by John Lennon during the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Although Clapton didn’t replace Taylor in the Stones, he ended up recording with them in 2016. He was part of their covers album “Blue & Lonesome”. Eric played the slide guitar in the track “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” and lead electric guitar in “I Can’t Quit You Baby”.
The letter from Keith Richards that Clapton never forgot
Eric Clapton tragically lost his four-year-old son Conor in 1991, after the child fell from the 53rd-floor window of an apartment in New York City that belonged to a friend of his mother. Fifteen years earlier, in 1976, Keith Richards had also lost a son, Tara, who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. When the Rolling Stones guitarist heard what had happened to Conor, he sent Clapton a letter. Eric later said he never forgot what Keith wrote and that receiving a message like that at such a moment meant a great deal to him.
“There’s no question that losing a child is the worst thing that can ever happen, which is why I wrote to Eric Clapton when his son died, knowing something of what he was going through. When that happens you go totally numb for a while. It’s only very slowly that the possibilities of your love for the little chap emerge.”
He continued:
“You can’t deal with it all at once. And you can’t lose a kid without it coming to haunt you. Everything’s supposed to go in its natural order. I’ve seen my mum and my dad off, and that’s the natural order. But seeing a baby off is another thing. It never lets you rest. Now it’s a permanent cold space inside me,” Keith Richards said in his autobiography “Life“.
Just a few months after the tragedy, Clapton told Rolling Stone how he felt about what Keith had written to him. “Funnily enough, the first person I heard from was Keith Richards. He wrote me a fantastic letter, and I called him right away. He just said, “Well, I’m here, you know, if there’s anything I can do…. “ In his autobiography, Eric said he will always be grateful for that gesture. “One of the first I opened was from Keith Richards. It just said, ‘If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.’ I’ll always be grateful for that,” he said.
Keith’s famous Telecaster guitar was a present from Eric Clapton
The famous Telecaster guitar owned by Keith Richards, nicknamed “Micawber,” was actually a gift from Eric Clapton. It was with that instrument that the Stones recorded classic songs such as “Before They Make Me Run,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Honky Tonk Women.” The 1950s model was given to Keith on his 27th birthday, and its name came from a fictional character in Charles Dickens’ novel “David Copperfield”. The character is described as an optimist who always believed that “something will turn up.”
The two musicians remained friends over the decades and performed together many times, including when Richards asked Clapton to deliver the speech and introduce him as the “Living Legend” in the late 80s. That night, they shared the stage playing “Keep A-Knockin’ (But You Can’t Come In),” a song originally recorded by John Henry “Perry” Bradford. In more recent years, Keith took part in Clapton’s Crossroads Festival, where they performed the blues standard “Key to the Highway.”
But as in any friendship, they don’t agree on everything. During the Pandemic, Richards was asked by Rolling Stone about Clapton’s anti-vaccine comments. The Stones guitarist said that his friend should do what the doctors were saying. “I love Eric dearly. I’ve known him since forever. We’ve had ups and downs, but, um, you never know. This Covid thing, it’s split people up. It made people sometimes go awry for awhile, you know? I just want to get rid of this damn thing. The only way I can see is everybody does as doctor says,” Keith Richards said.