Eric Clapton's 1976 Onstage Speech Against Immigration (Birmingham Concert)

Eric gets a few things off his chest.

[khalgarrison]

And then he played "I shot the sheriff"

[highkit]

, ,I used to be into dope, now I'm into racism." 🗣️🔥💯

[dearg_doom]

This was actual rebellion, unlike The Sex Pistols et al

[AffectedArea]

They never mention this was in response to his wife being sexually assaulted.

[Joe-osvp]

Makes Jim Morrison's Miami "you're all a bunch of slaves!" outburst seem very tame.
Although according to his biography he was known for shouting certain obscenities at a certain group when out on the town.

[wyverntheterrible]

Cant's see the comment, but to the guy saying he cucked after, he really didnt. Some mealy mouthed 'yeah i was drunk, its embarrassing' statements made during publicity for his bio, then this is about as close as he got. Saying it was about 'overcrowding' amounts to the same as immigration, as the former is clear a consequence of the latter.

In his 2007 memoir, Clapton addressed the controversy anew, writing that his onstage comments in Birmingham were “never meant to be a racial statement. It was more of an attack against the then-government policies on cheap labor, and the cultural confusion and overcrowding that resulted from what was clearly a greed-based policy.”

The Birmingham incident, which went largely unreported in the U.S. at the time, also resurfaced in Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, a 2017 authorized Clapton documentary that, with his eventual approval, recounted that career low point. In the film and in interviews to promote it, Clapton again denied racist insensitivity, citing friendships with Black people, and again blamed the moment on his massive alcohol intake of the time. “I did really offensive things, ” he told one outlet. “I was a nasty person, ” adding, in a striking admission, that his Birmingham rant was “full-tilt” racist. “I’m not excusing myself. It was an awful thing to do, ” he said, again, adding, “I think it’s funny, actually.”

[strophish]

Where is the original and who recorded it?

[GriefTourist]

Open borders for Israel! And thank you EC for being one of the few people who has spoken out against the Gaza Genocide

[alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Clapton - is a bit of an enigma. I think he is someone who was corrupted at first - but then saw the error of his ways, and the consequences that caused.

[sbphotographic]

He can say whatever he wants just like the people who don’t agree with him, get over it

[ijl-cypp]

He was deep in alcoholism, heroin addiction, and spiralling mental health at the time, but that’s no excuse. The comments were cheap, inarticulate, dumb and racist. To anyone in these comments treating them like some kind of rebellion: Clapton himself these days, like any sane person, would see you for what you are. Lost, bitter little men pretending you're rebels when really you're just looking for someone you perceive as weak to blame for your own failures.

[carolebarker]

I'm guessing his wife was Patti Boyd at that time then. No wonder Eric went off on one, that was well disrespectful. Thanks for posting Wyvern, hadn't heard of that before.

[Frapzoid]

This is when I stopped being a fan. You play the music that black people created yet you hate them. You want England to be white OK. Play European music then. Where would you be without R&R and Blues?

[Iondeen]

This after copping everything from black musicians. An absolute and utter disgrace. Pitiful excuse of a man. I hope he atoned after selling his mentors out. Dubious

[jeffmeredith]

And yet his heroes are albert king jimmy reed muddy waters howlin wolf robert johnson bb king.. ..

[boomerblacksheep]

Says the man who made his name by imitating black "Race Music" a.k.a. the blues.

[oscarslife]

One short drunken rant whoopee fooking doo im sure he apologised more that once in the preceeding half century

[JohnMarston-ks]

Boomer type stuff, back to bed grandpa

[wewliusevola]

Always thought it came across as deranged unfortunately.