Three-time inductee Eric Clapton slams the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Eric Clapton has dismissed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a “frat boys club.”

The 79-year-old guitar virtuoso is the only musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame three times – as a member of The Yardbirds in 1992, Cream in 1993, and as a solo artist in 2000.

Despite holding that record, Eric Clapton says he isn’t a fan of the Cleveland institution and he was suckered into being involved.

“I came to that thing, whatever it is. I think of it as a frat boys club that happened to lure (me) in,” he told The Real Music Observer.

Clapton went on to explain that former Atlantic Records president and chairman of Rock Hall Ahmet Ertegun was key to him accepting his honours.

“I think the fact that they had Ahmet Ertegun was the ticket for me,” Slowhand commented. “He was doing it for people like Ruth Brown and The Drifters, all those early Atlantic artists that were being forgotten.”

“And then, it just kind of started to snowball.”

Despite being “very suspicious” that Rolling Stone magazine was involved in the Rock Hall, Clapton said The Band’s Robbie Robertson inducting him in 2000 encouraged him to attend the back-patting bash.

“My dear friend Robbie was also part of the ticket. I thought, ‘Well, he was the one that persuaded me to do it,’” Clapton noted.

Clapton went out to point out two artists who have been overlooked by the Rock Hall.

“The fact that someone like J.J. has never even been suggested is proof of what that thing is or proof of what it isn’t,” Clapton argued. “It’s not like he’ll ever come up. It’s not their thing. I don’t know what their thing is. But he’s too anonymous for those guys.”

When the interviewer noted that Free and Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers hasn’t been inducted, Clapton responded: “He’s a rebel. It’s not a place for rebels. It’s establishment stuff.”

In their glowing praise of Eric Clapton on their official website, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame notes: “Three inductions, three words: Clapton is God.

“Eric Clapton is a consistent hitmaker and one of the greatest guitarists of all time—perhaps that’s why he is the only person to be inducted into the Rock Hall three times. His diverse influences ranged from reggae to the blues and established him as a versatile and resilient artist whose relevance never fades.”

The nicknames of famous rock stars, including Eric Clapton:

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• eric clapton
• cream
• the yardbirds