Eric Clapton has spoken about what he calls a “big guitar mistake,” according to Guitar Center. He discussed parting with his iconic “Blackie” Stratocaster. He said that supporting the Crossroads Centre Antigua rehab center mattered more to him than the pain of selling his instruments.
Clapton reflected on letting go of Blackie and his Cream-era 335. He also explained why he went through with the auction.
“It was a big, big mistake [letting go of Blackie and Cream-era 335],” Clapton said. “When the auction was going on, I had to constantly keep [reminding] myself: ‘This is your purpose. You are an alcoholic and if you don’t stay sober, you won’t be able to help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.'”
He then described the role Crossroads plays in his decision.
“So this is all for that purpose. Crossroads is for that purpose. So I’m out [disproportionately] obsessed with the survival of that place,” he said. “So these things, as sacred as they are, they have to be given away – sacrificed. That’s my thing – I really need to keep Crossroads alive, if I can.”
Clapton also spoke about his priorities and what the guitars mean to him.
“My primary purpose is to stay sober, and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety,” he continued. “That’s above me being a musician or a husband or a father. It’s the number one thing. It’s the most reliable source of inspiration, salvation, if you like.”
“If you’re in a bad place, and you pick up a guitar, there’s a strong chance you’ll get out of that. You’ll transcend whatever the problem is… They’re very sacred things to me, these guitars.”
His comments put the 2004 sale in a new light. They show how much the decision cost him. They also show why he still believes it was necessary.
Blackie was no ordinary guitar. Clapton built it from parts of several vintage Fender Stratocasters. It was his main stage and studio instrument from 1970 to 1985. When it went up for auction in 2004, it sold for $959,500. That made it the top lot of the night and one of the most valuable guitars ever sold at auction.
The sale was part of the larger Crossroads Guitar Auction. The event sold out and raised a total of $7,438,624. That was well above the roughly $5 million raised by Clapton’s first auction in 1999. Every dollar went toward supporting the treatment center he founded. Another well-known guitar, “Brownie,” sold for $497,000 in that 1999 auction.
Clapton started Crossroads Centre Antigua in 1998 as a residential treatment facility for addiction. It sits on the island of Antigua and has treated thousands of patients since it opened. The center has depended on fundraising efforts like the guitar auctions to keep its doors open and its care affordable. Clapton’s latest remarks show that he still feels the loss of those instruments. He also stands by the cause they served.
