Las Vegas musicians debate legacy of Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of the greatest guitarists -- nay, men -- of all time, a dude who, like Ron Burgundy, wakes up in the morning and whizzes excellence.

Or is he?

Sure, Clapton's credentials are unparalleled. He's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist and as a member of Cream and the Yardbirds -- the Hall's only three-time entrant -- and is easily one of the most influential six-stringers to ever grip a Fender.

Still, Clapton's legacy is open to debate for some.

And so, with the man in town this week, we thought we'd let some Vegas musicians sound off on ol' Slowhand:

■ "Clapton was my gateway into playing the guitar. When I was 12, I remember riding to the store with one of my older sisters. 'Layla' came on the radio and my sister said, 'This is Eric Clapton, and he's the best guitar player in the world!' In my mind, the concept of the greatest guitar player mesmerized me. So, when I listened to music, I started to pay close attention to the guitar and became an avid audiophile. A couple years later, when my sister came home from college, I was checking out her album collection and found the 'John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton' album, also known as 'The Beano Album.' I played it, and I was blown away by the guitar playing. There was an old guitar in my closet, and I immediately became obsessed with figuring out how he played those songs on the album. I still get the chills when I hear Clapton play the blues. He was my earliest inspiration and still continues to inspire me." -- Scott Rhiner, guitarist for Scott Rhiner & the Moanin' Blacksnakes

■ "I've never gotten Eric Clapton. He's an incredibly gifted guitarist, but I've just never been able to emotionally connect with anything I've heard of his. It all just seems a little clinical, a little bit of a technical exercise. He's like the rock 'n' roll version of Kenny G: He knows what he's doing, but not necessarily what it means, you know?

"You hear all these rock legends about guys like Clapton hanging out in some bedsit in Croydon obsessing over old blues records, but I always thought maybe Clapton missed the point of them. Look at his interpretation of Robert Johnson's 'Crossroads': balls-to-the-wall rock 'n' roll. Which is fine, I guess, but all the creepy nihilism of the original song is lost in the big stadium bad-assery. But that's just the way my taste runs.

"My favorite Clapton track is the B-side of 'Tears In Heaven,' a beautiful instrumental called 'Tracks And Lines' from the score to the movie 'Rush.' I used to listen to it in high school and try to figure out how to play it on my battered old acoustic guitar. Maybe if I ever figure it out, I'll get to be a rock 'n' roll legend, too." -- Josh Ellis, singer/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist for Red State Soundsystem

■ "I hadn't been playing guitar very long as a teenager when a friend turned me on to the 'John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton' album. When I say it turned me on, it was like someone flipped a switch. I was hooked. I listened to it over and over, picking the needle on my record player up and down to learn the parts that were harder. When I finally wore out the needle, I'd just stare at the grooves on the record hoping it would soak in that way. The album remains one of my all time favorites to this day, and The Howlin' Hounds still play 'Hideaway' from that LP as part of our set." -- Carrick Masterson III, guitarist for The Howlin' Hounds

■ "Eric Clapton blew doors down with his ripping solo on 1964's 'I Ain't Got You' by the Yardbirds, and the Cream certainly rocked well during their short stint as a supergroup. But for the last 40 years, he has become mired in mediocrity and now ranks as one of the most overrated guitarists of all time, reaching an almost Carlos Santana-ish level of notoriety for his inability to do anything different. (By contrast, fellow ex-Yardbird Jeff Beck has always expanded his musical vocabulary and remains as celebrated as ever.)" -- Jeff Murphy, guitarist for The Bitters

■ "I would have to say I love Clapton's Cream era the most. Listening to the classic 'White Room' still brings out a side of me that I would never want my parents to know about." -- Tarah Grace, singer for The Magnetics

■ "Sadly, one of my biggest musical disappointments was discovering Clapton songs as a kid. When you listen to Cream's BBC sessions, you tend to agree with those British cats that spray-painted 'Clapton Is God' on everything that wasn't nailed down in the '60s. Then you listen to 'Lay Down Sally' and wonder: 'Hey, Slowhand, what the hell happened?' Truth is, being a technically sound guitar player doesn't make you a good songwriter. Having said that, he's written more good songs than I have. I just wish there was a little more 'Sunshine Of Your Love' and a little less 'After Midnight.' -- Timothy Styles, bassist for Big Friendly Corporation, singer/guitarist for Skorchamenza

■ "As far as Eric Clapton goes, man, what a library to pick from. Never been too huge of a Slowhand fan, although I've heard that the old time black guys claim that he is the only white guy that can play the blues. I guess the early stuff, Cream days, 'Sunshine of Your Love,' would be a favorite of mine. I even learned how to play that on the guitar when I'm woodshedding with a six-string. Some of the other 'Crossroads' DVDs that he's on are awesome, too." -- Joe Perv, drummer for The Lucky Cheats

■ "There's a joke I love that goes 'How is Eric Clapton like a cup of coffee?' 'They both suck without Cream.' Now, I don't necessarily strictly agree with that, but there's enough truth to it that it's funny." -- Ronald Corso, bassist for A Crowd of Small Adventures

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.