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May 16, 2021 5:23PM ET
ERIC CLAPTON’S ANTI-VACCINE DIATRIBE BLAMES ‘PROPAGANDA’ FOR ‘DISASTROUS’
EXPERIENCE
HALL OF FAMER, WHO ALSO APPEARED ON VAN MORRISON’S SINGLE IN DECEMBER, EXPRESSED
OPINIONS TO ANTI-LOCKDOWN ACTIVIST
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Eric Clapton
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Eric Clapton detailed his “disastrous” health experience after receiving the
Covid-19 vaccine and blamed “the propaganda” for overstating the safety of the
vaccine in a letter the guitarist shared with an architect/anti-lockdown
activist.
Clapton previously shared his thoughts on the Covid-19 shutdown when he appeared
on Van Morrison’s anti-lockdown song “Stand and Deliver” in December 2020; two
months later, in February, Clapton received his first of two AstraZeneca
vaccinations, he wrote in his letter to Robin Monotti, who shared the letter on
his Telegram with the guitarist’s permission. (Rolling Stone has confirmed the
authenticity of the letter. A rep for Clapton did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.)
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“I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted
ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before
the second one…,” Clapton wrote.
“About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a
little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say the reactions were
disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty
much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with
peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the
propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”
In the letter, Clapton also discussed discovering “heroes” like anti-lockdown
U.K. politician Desmond Swayne as well as similarly-minded (and some would argue
conspiratorial) YouTube channels.
“I continue to tread the path of passive rebellion and try to tow the line in
order to be able to actively love my family, but it’s hard to bite my tongue
with what I now know,” Clapton wrote.
“Then I was directed to Van [Morrison]; that’s when I found my voice, and even
though I was singing his words, they echoed in my heart,” Clapton wrote. “I
recorded ‘Stand and Deliver’ in 2020, and was immediately regaled with contempt
and scorn.”
In a statement to Rolling Stone, a spokesperson for the MHRA, the UK
governmental body overseeing the vaccine, declined to comment on Clapton but
reiterated that “over 56 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 have now
been administered in the UK, saving thousands of lives through the biggest
vaccination programme that has ever taken place in this country.
“Our advice remains that the benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca
outweigh the risks in the majority of people. It is still vitally important that
people come forward for their vaccination when invited to do so.”
As the New York Times noted, short-term side effects such as “fatigue, headache,
muscle aches and fever” are common after the second shot, but that those
primarily went away after a day or two. (Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the Food
and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel, said that vaccine trials was
95 percent effective, irrespective of if someone experienced side effects or
not.) For the AstraZeneca shot that Clapton took, fatigue, chills, headache, and
joint pain are “very common,” according to the MHRA. These reactions are the
standard immune response of the body to the vaccines.
The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved last December. “No stone is left unturned
when it comes to our assessments,” MHRA Chief Executive Dr June Raine said in a
statement in December. “This approval means more people can be protected against
this virus and will help save lives. This is another significant milestone in
the fight against this virus. We will continue to support and work across the
healthcare system to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out safely across
the UK. Protecting health and improving lives is our mission and what we strive
for.”
The MHRA noted that in certain trials, there were “very rare reports of events
associated with inflammation of the nervous system, which may cause numbness,
pins and needles, and/or loss of feeling. However, it is not confirmed whether
these events were due to the vaccine.”
Monotti has been deeply critical about the Covid-19 response, recording a
podcast entitled ‘Our Generation’s Eternal Fascism is COVID19’s Great Reset, We
Must Fight It’ and criticizing the UK government on social media.
Last December, Clapton said in a statement that accompanied “Stand and Deliver,”
“There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he
is an inspiration. We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way
out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might
never recover.” (On a similar note, Clapton allegedly lent a van to a British
band that continues to perform live music throughout the U.K. as a protest
against lockdown measures.)
Clapton also revealed in his letter that he performs on Morrison’s “Where Have
All the Rebels Gone?,” a track off Latest Record Project Vol. 1, the Irish
singer’s “darkly strange and delightfully terrible” new album, as Rolling Stone
called it. (Clapton mistakenly calls the track “The Rebels” in his letter.)
“It’s not aggressive or provocative, it just asks ‘Where have all the rebels
gone? Hiding behind their computer screens. Where’s the spirit, where is the
soul. Where have all the rebels gone,’” Clapton wrote.
“I’ve been a rebel all my life, against tyranny and arrogant authority, which is
what we have now,” Clapton wrote. “But I also crave fellowship, compassion and
love… I believe with these things we can prevail.”
In This Article: anti-vaccine, coronavirus, covid-19, Eric Clapton, vaccine
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