"Prince is a reincarnation of all the best in music. Just what the world needs now...a very controversial figure and an absolute musical genius."
- Eric Clapton
- Desert Island Discs/1988

i like some of claptons solo work,

eric clapton gave the best def of prince i ever read.

"Music is safe while that guy is still making records because the rest of us can just follow on." - Clapton

Did he really say that? That was so nice, it's almost unbelievable. Sounds like something your Momma would say about you. I guess Clapton is a true fan. Great artists recognize greatness in others.

Has Prince ever said anything about Clapton?

Yes, he did, but it's not so flattering. At the Monaco aftershow in 1994, he said "Eric, you my boy, but... anybody can play the blues!". He made similar comments at other gigs. I don't think it was meant to put him down at all, but it certainly wasn't the kind of praise he got from Clapton, either.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Yeesh! Why does he say shit like that?

coolcat said:

Well, written out like this, it might sound differently than how it was actually meant. He said this right before breaking the band down and starting a fast and funky groove on the guitar, so it might very well just be a statement that funk is more his cup of tea than blues.

Maybe, but it was still rude. Prince, you my boy but anybody can be an ass. That tupe of stuff is beneath you, man. Guess we all have our less than stellar moments. Part of the evolution of life.

I read somewhere once that Clapton was asked if there was any song that he wished that he had written and he answered "Purple Rain."

at an aftershowjam at one of the glam slams prince said "when i was in London, i went tothe royal albert hall to see a man that the english call 'god'. eric clapton is his name, not god. anybody can play the blues, play the blues".

At an after show on the Jam of the Year tour in 1997 Prince was uhappy with the sound levels, so Prince yells out for someone to check the monitor on his keyboard, "Get George Clinton's sound man up in here. They got Eric Clapton's sound man working my boards! Fix my piano, man...Sausage head!"

well there is an interview prince had with liz jones author of the "slave to the rhythm"
prince biography,in that interview prince said:"nobody told me that eric claptons
favourite song is purple rain.i had to find out myself.
you doin't know what that means to me.
i feel like i was not aprecieted enough for my guitar playing."
liz said p[rince had tears in eyes while saying that/
interview is from 1997

thebanishedone said:

Now this is more like it. I always got the impression that Prince felt he was unappreciated. Even the most talented among us feel worthless at times. Prince is probably no exception. Bravado is more often a cover for insecurity than it is ego-mania. Moreover, it must be frustrating to still be writing music when other artists are sampling it and making far more money.

brothaluv said:

amen

Prince (or rather ) also mentioned EC on stage at Wembley in '95 - talking about how he () wears high-heeled shoes: something along the lines of "Eric Clapton (is that his name, Mayte?), Eric Clapton, now he's a bad man, but he wears those flat shoes. I need my ass up on high."

Didn't EC play on stage with Prince in London in 1986? Was it the same show as Ron Wood and Sting, at the Camden Palace?

I'm starting to really get into EC's work, and I think P could learn a lot from EC, if only about being humble and down-to-earth.

calldapplwondery83 said:

Anybody can play the blues? He had to be joking if he said that. That's a huge slap in the face to guys like B.B King, Buddy Guy (Good Lord! There are'nt too many of those original blues players left, Are there?) etc.

One of the problems with being a fan of an artist is the tendency to deify the individual. Bad move. This only intensifies our frustration when we find out the guy is human. Eveyone on this board and the world has been a jerk and said stupid things before. But how many of us can write a song like 7? I like Prince because he's a great entertainer, not because he's a spiritual guru. Consequently, I'm not horrified when he acts a butt at times. I'm not pleased either...but you get my point.

i love EC too. I have just recently been learning his work. I have always wanted to learn to "play by ear", but never been able to. I am finding it somewhat easy to do in EC's music though.

calldapplwondery83 said:

No, not everybody can play the blues.

carlcranshaw said:

"holy mother" is a cool song. Yeah, ur right, it does have that vibe.


Check the guitar solo at the end of "grand illusion" Prince dont play like that, only eric can.

"Change The World" by EC was the shit.

dammme said:

I remember during my working at the music store days, one of the guitar teachers said about a student, "he needs to get his heart broken and his ass beat so he can add some blues to his playing" - point being that the kid (who was talented) played the "right" notes, but there was nothing behind them. B.B. King can say more in one note than another guitarist can with a flurry of fast runs. It took me a long time to realize that.