Considering the hedonistic life he's led, it's a wonder Eric Clapton is still with us.
At 71, the guitar legend has been open about his advancing age and the toll his lifestyle has taken on his body. In a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, Clapton spoke about his health problems and how it's beginning to affect his music.
"I’ve had quite a lot of pain over the last year. It started with lower back pain, and turned into what they call peripheral neuropathy - which is where you feel like you have electric shocks going down your leg."
Megadeth guitarist Dave Mustaine suffered similar problems in 2002, which caused him to disband the group for a few years whilst he underwent physical therapy. For Clapton, however, it's much worse. "(It’s) hard work to play the guitar, and I’ve had to figure out how to deal with some other things from getting old."
Clapton's made no secret of both his health problems and his battles with alcoholism in recent years. In the same interview, Clapton admitted that it was a miracle he was still alive. "Because I’m in recovery from alcoholism and addiction to substances, I consider it a great thing to be alive at all. By rights I should have kicked the bucket a long time ago."
Despite all this, Clapton's still managed to release an album this year, oddly enough titled I Still Do. However, Clapton has announced no plans - as of yet, anyway - to tour in support of the album.
Let's hope we recovers or, at the very least, stays with us for a few more years.
Via Classic Rock Magazine
