Eric Clapton Early years The Yardbirds & the Bluesbreakers Cream Blind Faith & Delaney Derek and the Dominos Solo career Controversy Comeback Tragedy again Slowhand re-emerging Influences Clapton's guitars Sport and hobbies

Controversy

On 5 August 1976 Clapton was placed the centre of controversy when he spoke out against increasing immigration during a concert in Birmingham. Visibly intoxicated, Clapton voiced his support of controversial political candidate Enoch Powell. In a 2004 interview with Uncut magazine, Clapton called Enoch Powell "outrageously brave".He also stated that "My feeling about this has not changed really. We have always been up to some funny business in this country, inviting people in as cheap labour and then putting them in ghettos."

Clapton has also stated that "There’s no way I could be a racist. It would make no sense". In his autobiography, he called himself "deliberately oblivious to it all" and wrote, "I had never really understood or been directly affected by racial conflict... when I listened to music, I was disinterested in where the players came from or what colour their skin was."

In an interview with Melvin Bragg on The South Bank Show broadcast on 2 December 2007, Clapton reiterated his support for Enoch Powell and denied that Powell's views were racist.