Watch Eric Clapton Talk Raw New Album ‘I Still Do’
On May 20th, Eric Clapton will release his 23rd studio album, I Still Do. Produced by Glyn Johns, the LP features new original tunes as well as covers of classics by Bob Dylan and Robert Johnson. In a video preview of the album, Clapton and Johns discuss their latest collaboration with actor Paul Whitehouse (The Fast Show).
The group begins by discussing the inspiration for the album’s title, which comes from Clapton’s aunt. Before his aunt passed, the guitarist thanked her for putting up with him when he was a “difficult boy,” to which she responded, “I like you, and I still do.”
Later Clapton emphasizes the necessity of capturing live performances in the studio. “If you’re going to start overdubbing, you’re in trouble,” he explains.
Clapton and Johns last worked together in the Seventies, with Johns most famously producing 1977’s Slowhand and the hits “Cocaine” and “Wonderful Tonight.” Outside of his work with Clapton, Johns has produced albums for artists such as the Who, Led Zeppelin, Linda Ronstadt and the Rolling Stones. “I’ve worked with lots of really good guitar players, and the difference with Eric is he absolutely very rarely – in my experience with him, anyway – sits and figures something out to the nth degree,” Johns reveals of observing Clapton’s artistry. “Most of it is an emotive response to what he’s hearing around him, to what the song suggests, or whatever else. … It goes straight from his heart to his fingers.”