Wonderful Tonight George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor Published by Harmony Books 2007

Book Review
By LeeAnn Sharpe

Wonderful Tonight George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Me by Pattie Boyd with Penny Junor Published by Harmony Books 2007

Pattie Boyd has had an incredible life. Even before marrying a Beatle and the guitar God of the 60’s, she had been raised in Kenya and had a modeling career in mod London. Her face epitomized the swinging London scene. How terrific can one life get! And it seems like she has had several very exciting experiences at all stages of her life. It’s easy to see how she became a muse to two of the most addictive and promiscuous musical geniuses in the history of rock and roll.

Born in England on St. Patrick’s Day, thus the name, she was moved to Kenya at the age of four to be with her maternal grandparents. Her mother’s remarrying kept them separated for a time, so she was raised by the grands in this strange and exciting world. Once Mum and the new hubby were settled she was back in England attending convent schools from the age of 10. By 17 she was working at Elizabeth Arden on Bond Street and eventually professional modeling.

In the early 1960’s there was nothing making more news than the Beatles. Pattie seemed somewhat oblivious of them until she was sent on an acting job at Paddington Station to play a schoolgirl in a film they were making called “A Hard Day’s Night” in 1964. She caught the eye of George Harrison, he proposed ten days later and her life changed again into the world of rock and roll.

The girlfriend and then wife of a Beatle was about as center of the universe for most young girls as you could get. She traveled the world of rock and roll legends in the making, becoming acquainted with every major star of the era. Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull, Mick Fleetwood, Donovan, Dylan and anyone else in the scene were part of her life. All of the major Beatle events we heard about in the news were personal experiences for her and she tells the intimate behind the scenes details that flesh out the stories in from the inside.

Even day to day life was filled with history. She talks about George sitting at the kitchen table writing “My Sweet Lord”. He also wrote “Something” which was his most successful songwriting experience and Pattie had been his inspiration.

Their lives were filled with travel. Travel to exotic places like India to see the Maharishi opened her eyes to a whole new world. Although exciting and fun, it was often difficult and uncomfortable as it was happening. She talks about the experiences of sea sickness, unbearable hot humid weather, rushing to make trains or planes and the strange foods they were served.

In the public eye she even got her own fan mail. She was pursued by one man in particular for over a decade. Eric Clapton wrote her passionate love letters and even songs including “Layla” about his terrible love for her, the wife of one of his best friends. Years later when George and Pattie split, Clapton came in a swooped her up. But once he had her in his life, he lost interest and never found it necessary to be true to his “true love”. Part of the problem is his obsession had always been through a drug and alcohol haze. Once he went through rehad their relationship changed. And rehad didn’t stick.

Pattie always seemed to maintain a fairly level head through all of the highs and lows dealing with drugs and alcohol, infidelity, abuse and neglect. She regrets that her marriage to George ended. “Marriage is forever”, she wrote. And she loved him till the day he died and mourned his death alone on top of a mountain in Peru.

Her marriage to Eric was so passionate she felt incapable of resisting. Eventually the alcohol and drugs made the situation intolerable. Her leaving sent Eric into rehab again and he finally cleaned up. She thinks if she had stayed he would have drunk himself to death. And she would have never found her own identity. Having always been the wife of a famous man she was overshadowed and never seen for herself. Now as a writer and photographer, her own work is recognized.

Inspiration for George Harrison’s song “Something” and Eric Clapton’s “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight” and who knows how many other songs, the world is a better place for the muse Pattie Boyd. And she shares her exciting life openly in her book “Wonderful Tonight”. It’s a very enjoyable read to anyone who lived through the early years of rock and roll, a wonderful trip down memory lane. She shares lots of great pictures from her personal collection too.
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The Satisfied Frog

New Owners of The Satisfied Frog are Committed to Providing Exceptional Food and Service to Patrons Ownership change on February 15th prompts re-birth of a new era for The Satisfied Frog

Long-time patrons of The Satisfied Frog at Frontier Town in Cave Creek can rest assured that it is "business as usual" at the western-themed restaurant and the recent change of ownership is already bringing about positive response from employees and customers. On Friday, February 15, The Satisfied Frog Restaurant operations were temporarily suspended for some 30 minutes during a transition to new operators, and despite rumors, the restaurant did not close its doors.

"Not only were we open this past weekend, we had a wedding on Saturday and an incredible turnout for our Nascar Party on Sunday," said Marc Peagler, who is operating the restaurant. Marc added that "we're not going anywhere," noting that The Satisfied Frog has been one of Arizona's most popular dining and entertainment destinations for more than 25 years and locals and tourists have been visiting Frontier Town for more than 38 years.

A New Era and Special Events
Juli Forsyth, The Satisfied Frog's Operations and General Manager, said she views this transition as a re-birth of a new era for the restaurant. "The history of The Frog will carry on. Our menu will remain mostly the same, though we may look at how to make it even better," Forsyth said. "We're also excited to announce that The Satisfied Frog is the official Spring Training headquarters for the Chicago Cubs. In addition, we are teaming up with Nascar to host big screen TV parties in our Beer Garden on race days. We're in the midst of planning these promotions, so check back with us soon for more details." Juli also credits her staff of 65 for their dedication and hard work. "Our staff has been incredible. We are very grateful to them and to our loyal customers for their support," she said.

Constance Wood, The Satisfied Frog's Director of Special Events, has been employed by the restaurant for 14 years and in her current position for four years. She said she is confident the new change will bring about positive results. "I am 100 percent behind this and want to reassure our customers, especially our brides and grooms who are planning a wedding here, that we will continue to provide exceptional food and service," Constance stated.

The Satisfied Frog Restaurant is located at 6245 E. Cave Creek Road in Frontier Town in Cave Creek. The western-themed restaurant offers a wide selection of delicious appetizers, entrées and deserts, including a full bar. Frontier Town is a western-themed, family-friendly town that pays tribute to the miners, ranchers and cattlemen who settled in Cave Creek in the late 1800s. Located in the heart of Cave Creek, Frontier Town is just minutes from North Scottsdale. Patrons visiting Frontier Town not only can dine at The Satisfied Frog, they can stroll through a myriad of gift shops and view authentic artifacts from the Old West, including covered wagons, and a 13 step hanging gallows. Patrons can relax in the outdoor beer garden and even have their hair cut in the old western barber/beauty shop. Parking and admission is free.

For information or to make dining reservations at The Satisfied Frog, call (480) 488-3317 or visit www.satisfiedfrog.biz . For banquets and weddings, call (602) 359-3300 or visit www.icanaffordthiswedding.biz .

“Clapton - The Autobiography of Eric Clapton”

Book Review
By LeeAnn Sharpe

“Clapton - The Autobiography of Eric Clapton” (Broadway Books 2007), takes you along for an incredible journey through the history of rock and roll and the blues from the early 1960’s to present day.

Early childhood trauma of being raised by his grandparents, who he thought were actually his parents, only to learn who he thought was his sister was his mother, left him with some deep and obviously painful wounds. Clapton's experiences with alcohol, drugs and women all attest to his emotional fragility that was only addressed well into his 50’s.

That’s all very interesting background, but what is more is how he managed to survive it all (drugs including heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and groupies) and still create incredible music. The fact that he is alive after all the abuse he put himself through is mind boggling.

Clapton goes into great detail about the music, expounding on who he liked and admired and how he felt he had to play true to his heart. The pop rock world kept pulling at him with commercial success, but his heart wanted to be a blues purist. Clapton modeled himself after blues players Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, B.B. King, and Robert Johnson. Clapton’s first success was with the 1965 single “For Your Love” by The Yardbirds. He felt that it was too pop and before it peaked at #6 in the US, Clapton had left the band. He wrote, "I felt it was a dreadful waste of what had potentially been a good rock blues band."

Already his fame as a rock guitarist was known. “Clapton is God” was painted on a tube station wall just outside London and spread to walls throughout the city.

Covering such a long career, it seems he jumped from band to band. Just as they reached some level of success Clapton would bail on to a new adventure. It was often because he felt he was selling out on his goal of playing the blues. Or the opportunity to play with other musicians he admired was too great a lure.

John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers provided the direction Clapton wanted building his reputation as a great guitar player. Then he helped form Cream, a blues trio that in 1968 broke into the US Top 10 with the gold single “Sunshine Of Your Love”. Over their brief three year career, Cream produced four gold albums including the post-breakup sets Goodbye and Best Of Cream, including a cover of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” which would be the first single to feature Eric Clapton on vocals.

Personalities were often the cause of Clapton moving on. The artistic directions often clashed and he moved on to new horizon’s always seeking his own voice and learning from each group as he moved on. After Cream’s demise, Clapton formed a new blues-rock band called Blind Faith that produced a gold album and a tour before parting ways. A tour and live album with Delaney & Bonnie was his next stop. Then he went solo on his self-titled album in 1970. Eric Clapton produced the hit “After Midnight” and reached #13 on the charts. Before the album had even been released, Clapton had formed yet another band, Derek & The Dominos, which featured Eric on both guitar and vocals.

It was a turbulent time in his love life and the song Layla spoke of Eric’s passion for Pattie Boyd, wife of his good friend George Harrison. Derek & The Dominos made one studio album, 1970’s Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs. Upon release, Layla was panned by critics and fans alike. However, the record got a major boost with the release of the title track, which featured the recently deceased Duane Allman on slide guitar. “Layla” became a Top 10 US hit and the album went gold. Today, Layla is considered one of the greatest albums of all time.

About this time Clapton began using heroin, which appealed to him because it was steeped in the blues. It connected him to junkie musicians like Charlie Parker, Robert Johnson and Ray Charles. For more than two years, he fell firmly in the drug's grip.

Clapton experiences with Derek & The Dominos ended fairly quickly, but even in later years impacted his musical direction greatly. Learning he was better off recording solo and joining with friends without long term commitments he recorded 1974’s 461 Ocean Boulevard, producing the cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot The Sheriff”, as well as a minor hit in “Willie & The Hand Jive”. After a couple of less successful albums he returned in 1977 with Slowhand, which became Clapton’s first platinum album. It also yielded his second solo gold single, “Lay Down Sally”.

Pattie Boyd was the great love of his life and once he won her, (married in Tucson 1977)the thrill seemed to fade. Clapton was unfaithful on the road and sexually unresponsive at home. The alcohol and cocaine, now the drug of choice, were more important than anything. Clapton entered the Hazelden Clinic in 1983 to dry out. He wrote, "My fear of loss of identity was phenomenal. This could have been born out of the 'Clapton is God' thing, which had put so much of my self-worth onto my musical career. When the focus shifted toward my well-being . . . and to the realization that I was an alcoholic and suffering from the same disease everybody else was, I went into meltdown."

The early 80’s were not as productive for Clapton as the 70’s. Journeyman, released in late 1989 went double platinum in less than two years, making it Clapton’s career first record to move over 2 million units. In 1991 the soundtrack Rush included “Tears In Heaven”, a touching number dealing with the accidental death of his young son Conor, reached #2 on the US charts in January of 1992. Tragically he had just started bonding with Conor when the boy died. His personal life turbulent and his attempts at maintaining sobriety amid the drug and alcohol world of rock and roll were challenging. A numb, grieving Clapton was determined to stay sober. "At that moment I realized there was no better way of honoring the memory of my son." About this time he learns about another child he fathered, Ruth, and brings her into his life.

The box set Crossroads and Time Pieces both receiving accolades leading to an iconic appearance on MTV’s “Unplugged”, playing acoustic re-workings of some of his best known singles and blues classic. Unplugged, was a massive success, breathing new life into the classic “Layla”, which became a hit for the second time in its life. Clapton followed with 1994’s From The Cradle, a full album of electric blues covers that also reached #1 on the charts.1998’s Pilgrim, with “Change The World”.

With 20 years of sobriety Clapton has reached such a level of success his career is now a mix of old material and the desire to try new things. Reptile, Me & Mr. Johnson, an album of Robert Johnson covers and Back Home solo albums have done well. He’s also recorded two collaboration albums, 2000’s double platinum Riding With The King with blues legend B.B. King and 2006’s gold The Road To Escondido with famed songwriter J.J. Cale. His old stuff continues to sell well, like “Wonderful Tonight” the ode to Pattie written as he waited for her to get dressed for a party, being certified gold in 2005, nearly 30 years after its release.

With his personal life settled into the family life with four daughters and a young wife Melia, he worked on his autobiography while touring Asia. He released a double disc compilation, Complete Clapton featuring songs from his entire forty year career.

Clapton wrote, "For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality has always proven to be music."

The only thing I missed was more about his life with ex-wife Pattie Boyd. She published an autobiography that included excerpts from the unbelievably passionate letters Clapton sent her while she was still George Harrison's wife. His desperation in her book is apparent with threats of doing himself in if he can’t have her. His songs about her made getting over her difficult, as they would be played in every concert being among his top hits. He’s so open in his own book about everything else, but Pattie is absent in the index, although smattered throughout his book. Perhaps he lets the music speak of that love.

You come away after reading this easily flowing chronological tale understanding that “Clapton is God” was too much to put on the head of a 20 year old rock musician. His life struggles into the heart of rock and roll decadence and his eventual maturing into a musician at the top of his art are amazing to read. It’s as if you were having a pint and hearing the words straight from his lips. I found it very enjoyable and I highly recommend both the music and the book.
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