Philip Norman’s Slowhand is a must-read biography for all Eric Clapton fans itching to understand the man behind the guitar.
To write a biography about a world-renowned star is a tremendous feat in itself, but to take on a project about a figure whose life was in constant turmoil, with some people thinking he is the devil and others worshiping him as God, is a task for only the elite. Philip Norman establishes himself as a cream of the crop storyteller with his work Slowhand: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton (2018), a biography of Eric Clapton, a cream of the crop guitarist of his own right. Norman has written biographies of several all-star musicians such as John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Elton John, and Slowhand is a worthy addition to this impressive lineup. What makes Slowhand stand out is its simultaneous breadth and depth about Clapton’s life without conforming to a rigid writing structure; each detail of his life story flows seamlessly from one to the other, giving interested readers and die-hard fans alike the opportunity to learn about this unique and special figure in music history.
Norman begins his book as any other biographical writer would, with a detailed account of Clapton’s childhood. But because of Clapton’s highly irregular and unfortunate childhood, Norman takes on the role of a psychologist by elaborately describing each facet of Clapton’s youth in order to connect exact childhood events to later instances of personal struggle. When reading the first few chapters of Slowhand, it feels as though not a single aspect of Clapton’s childhood is kept hidden from the reader, from familial struggles to friendships to school life. Norman’s abundance of intricate details in the beginning of the book is an early signal that he writes with extreme care, only further drawing in the reader to learn about Clapton’s childhood.
The extensive research Norman conducted for this biography manifests in every sentence that he narrates about Clapton’s life journey, but it becomes even more apparent upon looking back at how he chose to write uniquely about each “era” of Clapton’s life. There are about five distinct phases: early childhood, teenage years and early musical career from The Roosters to the John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, successful years from Cream to Derek and the Dominos with augmented personal stress, extreme drug-abuse to attempts at recovery during his stagnant early solo career, and full recovery to later solo career.
During Clapton’s early childhood, music served as an escape, but it was by no means at the forefront of his attention; his main goal was to make it through the day by calling the least possible attention to himself. Norman resultantly focuses on Clapton’s social life during these years by including quotes from his childhood friends and peers. Clapton then began to develop a knack – which turned into an obsession – for the guitar in his teenage years. Norman recognizes this gradual shift and blends Clapton’s increasing involvement into the primary focus of the narration. Similarly, when Clapton joined his first band The Roosters, Norman conveys Clapton’s overwhelming consumption of Blues music at this time in his life with flurries of American Blues influences that flood the page. But less than five years later, as the stresses of tour life with Cream began to take over and Clapton was forced to mediate the wild drama between fiery bandmates Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, Norman strategically amplifies the pertinent aspects of Cream’s dynamic that led to its stint at fame and rapid crumbling.
Like many Rock and Roll stars, Clapton was worshiped by his fans as more than human. His deification was confirmed with the famous “CLAPTON IS GOD,” spray painted on a wall in London, as he made his mark on early 1960s Britain with his guitar work in The Yardbirds. While this graffiti art did not personally impact Clapton, it paints a picture of his home country’s adoration for his music that he promoted by no means other than his unworldly playing. Clapton grappled with his desire for anonymity while continuously being thrust into the spotlight, along with his chase of unrelenting love desires, one so great it inspired his hit “Layla” (1970). As the psychedelic 60s faded away, Clapton’s pursuit of Pattie Boyd took over; and as music began to fall by the wayside to drugs, Norman makes the narrational transition to delve into Clapton’s diary to uncover the darkest truths about his three years of consuming death-defying amounts of heroin.
While many biographies spend most of their attention on the prominent moments of an individual’s career, Norman takes the most time to narrate this fourth phase of Clapton’s life, which, while spanned the least amount of time and contained the least amount of music, proved to be the greatest feat to overcome for his journey to self-discovery. Norman does not hold back in his description of Clapton during this stage in his life. Clapton undoubtedly ruined the life of his then-fiancé, Alice Ormsby-Gore, by roping her into his all-consuming addiction, while simultaneously withdrawing from society as a whole and cutting off all relationships that did not feed his worsening habit.
It is in these chapters of Slowhand that Norman brings color to Clapton’s colorless, heroin-induced life by giving voice to the members of his inner circle most affected by his diminishing mental and physical state. During Clapton’s later drinking years, Pattie Boyd’s sister Jenny expressed that he “liked to find your weakness and then play on it. Then, when he’d got you in tears, he’d put his arm around you. And you never knew what was going to upset him.” A familiar image from his upbringing, the entire universe still revolved around Clapton.
Over the course of the biography Norman refers to the motific term “Clapton Luck.” In his youth and later years, Clapton engaged in many dangerous and often illegal activities that put his life at risk an unnerving number of times. With the idea of Clapton Luck, Norman is able to call attention to the perpetual support net Clapton developed around him over the course of his life that saved him from the worst of consequences of his actions. Since Clapton’s biological mother abandoned him to be raised by her parents (his grandparents), Rose and Jack, they felt obligated to ensure that they provided him with the most carefree childhood possible, from gifting him with more toys a child could imagine to no repremandments when he behaved out of line.
Norman pinpoints one of the first instances of Clapton Luck when the teenager got off scot free after waking up in the middle of the woods after his first wild night of substance use. It was just the beginning of Clapton’s several close-calls, but with later events being at the detriment to those who cared (or seemed to care) for him most, from his overwhelmingly admiring grandparents, to his managerial staff, to the women he spent decades bringing into his circle to only later betray.
The Clapton Luck did not fail in granting the lucky man two attempts at recovery during the fourth stage of his life, the first time for heroin and the second time for alcohol, despite being pulled in countless directions by staff members and so-called friends trying to personally benefit from his addictions. In fact, the foundation of many of Clapton’s relationships in the 70s and early 80s were based on how individuals could help him get the substances he needed to “function” while touring from country to country. As much as he was dependent on others for substances, they were also dependent on him for the sake of their own reputations. But despite the deterrents to Clapton’s recovery, the general consensus was that he was in need of help.
Norman describes in frank terms one horrific concert experience in March 1981: “Nigel Carroll [Clapton’s personal assistant] carried what was intended to be the tour’s supply, along with the usual five bottles of Courvoisier and 3,000 Rothmans cigarettes. By the end of the first week, Eric had run through almost all of it and the effect was rapidly diminishing. In Madison, Wisconsin, a doctor had to be called to give him an injection to get him through that night’s performance. When he came offstage, he collapsed in agony and was taken to the hospital in the nearest large city, Minneapolis” (330). This experience ultimately led Clapton to an important realization that he had fallen off the wagon, but without adding any extra color to his narration beyond the facts, Norman indicates to the reader how devastatingly frequent physical and emotional pain had become for Clapton.
Norman hits the bullseye in his approach to many aspects of Clapton’s life, but he lacks proper sensitivity on the topic of the tragic death of Clapton’s son, Connor. In a previous affair, Clapton and Yvonne Kelly, now Robinson, had a daughter named Ruth. While Clapton had not been particularly involved in Ruth’s early childhood, after Connor’s death Robinson opened the door for Clapton to spend more time with Ruth to bring him joy in a time of extreme sadness. However, Norman writes that Robinson “[offered] as much access to his daughter as might bring him comfort.” Since there was no formal agreement on how much time Clapton could spend with Ruth, the word “access” seems a bit out of place and portrays Ruth as a mere prop. From later descriptions Clapton’s intentions for spending time with Ruth were much more than that, since he did “[try] to be a ‘real’ dad.”
Norman transitions into the fifth stage of Clapton’s life on the subject of Connor’s death, portraying Clapton as an increasingly responsible individual who began to use his success to help others. Clapton kicked his debilitating habits for good, and he founded the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, a 12 Step Treatment Center for recovering substance abusers. Norman offers a positive end to a biography filled with dark and tragic events, and it portrays Clapton in the light of a truly changed man. The book concludes with a scene of Clapton taking on the role of design director at a clothing shop. As Clapton was and still is a fashion fanatic, this scene shows Clapton very much in his element and with his charm on full display. Even after years of suffering, the admirable qualities Clapton had as a kid are still part of him, and after the pandemic settles and musicians can begin touring again, Clapton will be sure to do what he does best: tear his audience apart with just one note.
