Clapton_ The Autobiography - Eric Clapton [135]
The next album made in this period was Reptile, which was inspired by the death of my uncle Adrian. He passed away during one of our trips to England, and at his funeral Melia got her first taste of what was left of my crazy, wonderful family. It also hit me between the eyes how big an influence he had been in my life, and how much he had shaped, just by example, my view of the world. After the funeral, hosts of memories came flooding back—movies we had seen together, music he listened to, his whole stance haunted me for days. I also felt dreadful remorse that I hadn’t found a way to step in with regard to his drinking, which had become a problem. My principle has always been to mind my own business unless I am asked to help, but I now wonder if I shouldn’t have made an exception in his case.
I wanted to make the Reptile album using the same concept as the B. B. album, but there were two major additions; one was Billy Preston, and the other the Impressions. Billy had been part of my musical experience from the day I first saw him play with Little Richard, when we were both in our early teens, and I finally got to play with him when he signed with Apple and we recorded the album Encouraging Words back in 1970. Now he was at a loose end, and I asked if he would like to play on the album and join my touring band. I was delighted when he said yes. He had been my favorite keyboard player for as long as I could remember, and now we could finally play together. I had also been a lifelong fan of Curtis Mayfield and had the honor of being invited to sing with the Impressions at his memorial service in LA. I asked if they would come and sing on the album, and was over the moon when they said yes, too.
During a short break in the middle of the recording schedule, Melia and I flew up to Vancouver for some fishing. Melia had never picked up a rod before and took to it right away. We were fishing for pink salmon, and she caught far more than I did. She was a natural. The place we were staying in wasn’t too luxurious, and I knew from the fact that she didn’t complain that she was the girl for me. She didn’t mind at all; in fact, she seemed to quite like roughing it, and I do, too.
In the autumn of 2000, Melia and I were on holiday in Antigua when she told me she was pregnant. At first I was a bit taken aback. We had talked about having kids, and I had said I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea because of my age. I didn’t know if I would have the energy for such a huge commitment. But as I let the idea wash over me, I realized it was exactly what I needed, and I was overjoyed. The following year I began a world tour that had been planned before I knew of Melia’s condition. It was a little difficult, but all we needed to do was arrange the dates around the predicted birth date so I could be there.
The band for the tour was Billy Preston, David Sancious, from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Andy Fairweather Low, Nathan East, and Steve Gadd. It was a great outfit, and we benefited greatly from Billy’s presence. He was a natural leader himself, so for me it was almost like guesting with Billy. It was very tight and very creative. By the time we got to the States, Melia had gone back to Columbus to be with her folks for the approaching birth date. She wanted to establish a rapport with the local medical people well in advance. From my side, I enlisted Graham and Nigel to set up a home base for us, so that when the baby was born we would have somewhere of our own to stay until it was time to go home. I was getting very excited. I had been