One of the most influential guitarists of all time, Ritchie Blackmore first gained the "guitar hero" status as a member of Deep Purple and then showed that he could be successful with his own band when he formed Rainbow. He became a huge inspiration for countless guitar players all over the world during the past decades and was certainly one of the most important musicians of his generation. But what is his opinion on Eric Clapton, another fundamental guitarist from the 60s. What is Ritchie Blackmore’s opinion on Eric Clapton Although Ritchie Blackmore has a deep respect for Eric Clapton and already praised him a few times, he did not always have good things to say about the Cream guitarist. More recently, in a video posted on his Youtube page, the guitar player recalled how they first met and called him a brilliant guitar player. (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) "I remember Deep Purple was supporting Cream at the Forum in Los Angeles. Funny enough, in the front row I think was Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison sitting right there. Right in front of me, which was kind of strange. Before the show, I think Eric came into the dressing room I was in with Deep Purple. We never met formerly before, so we introduced each other, little bit of small talk. I was always impressed with Eric's, not only ability to play brilliant guitar playing but I loved his sound." "I loved the fat sound he got. So I was questioning him. I said: 'What strings you were using when you first started playing?' He said: 'I was using Clifford Essex strings'. So I went: 'Wow, Clifford Essex!' Immediately after the meeting I got Clifford Essex strings, which I played for quite a while. Then he also said that he took up (other brand and I started to use them too). But I was trying to figure out how he got this great sound (...) And all these strings I used for years (were) all because of him," Ritchie Blackmore said. The embarrassing moment with Eric Clapton In the same video, Blackmore recalled a really interesting story about when Deep Purple and Eric Clapton were at the same hotel in Australia. At the time, there was a lot of noise in the hotel early in the morning. So the members of the Hard rock band complained at the front desk. However, nothing was done the next morning to resolve the situation. Then Blackmore came up with the idea to make a lot of noise by playing the guitar. They bought several Marshall amps, and at 3 a.m., a friend of his started playing the guitar quite loudly to drive the hotel managers insane. But what they didn't know was that Eric Clapton was sleeping in the next room. “We were in a hotel, I think it was in Melbourne, Australia. What happened was, I knew that Eric was with his band in that hotel. We'd had three days there where we'd been woken up very early with hammering – the usual nonsense that goes on in hotels.” He continued: “We were so sick of it we actually threatened the front desk, ‘If you wake us up again tomorrow we will bring all our amplification into a room and play at 3 o'clock in the morning, and see how your patrons like hearing this noise. Which we did. The next day the hammering started as per usual, they took no notice of what we said. So we went ahead and brought in some Marshalls, stacked them, and my friend actually started playing the guitar. He started playing some bad blues, actually." “As soon as he started playing we were so loud we got a bang on the door, and it was Eric's security. Believe it or not, Eric was in the next room to where we were.  The next day we had some words with his security and I said, ‘I'm really sorry, I didn't realize we were next door.’" "That was embarrassing, especially to think that Eric might have thought it was me making this racket on the guitar. I was in there having a drink, but I wasn't playing. That doesn't get me off the hook – it was really my idea to make all this noise,” Ritchie Blackmore said. Ritchie Blackmore not always said good things about Clapton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUHb_l-1HU Although Blackmore praised Clapton and called him brilliant, back in 1975 he didn't have many good things to say about the musician. In an interview with International Musician magazine, he even listed two guitarists that he was not a big fan at the time. One of them was the Cream member, saying that he never understood what people liked in Clapton's playing. “I never saw what was in Clapton at all. He’s a good singer". During that same year he once again criticized the artist. It was in a conversation with the Creem magazine journalist and future movie director Cameron Crowe. “Couldn’t care less about other guitarists. It’s ridiculous. Everyone plays guitar now. Doctors play guitar now. There are so many guitarists around now it’s unbelievable. I always find it embarrassing when people ask me what I play and I have to admit, ‘Uh, guitar. EVERYBODY plays guitar’.” “But Hendrix gave me a faith in the music scene. And when Cream came along, I thought ‘Well, it’s all happening again.’ Although I was never knocked out with Eric Clapton’s playing, it was competent, and he was copping a lot of the English blues guitarist, and that was a good sign. He had a good sound, but Hendrix was way ahead of him because he could write, hecould sing, he could perform. He blew it from 1970 onwards, though,” Ritchie Blackmore said.The post Ritchie Blackmore’s opinion on Eric Clapton appeared first on Rock and Roll Garage.

Many of us feel invincible when we are young, believing we can control the aging process so that we’ll always stay forever young, as Bob Dylan once sang. But there’s a moment when everyone realizes aging is an inevitable process and that, eventually, we will have to deal with a slow decline in our physical and, quite possibly, mental capabilities. This realization and understanding that we won’t be here forever can profoundly change one’s perspective on life. Even though aging is inevitable, studies show how we think about the process can significantly impact our longevity. People with a positive view of aging live an average of 7.5 years longer than those without.Things happen as we age that are impossible to describe to younger people. However, a group of Redditors did an excellent job of explaining the truths about aging that they were not “prepared” for in a recent thread that made a lot of people feel seen. A user named sofiagympixie asked the AskReddit forum, “What’s a truth about aging that no one prepared you for?” and it received over 2,700 responses.A big takeaway is that many people feel like they stop mentally aging at a certain point, usually in their late 20s. Still, the continued physical aging they experience makes them feel like they cannot relate to the person in the mirror.Here are 17 of the most profound responses to the question: What’s a truth about aging that no one prepared you for?1. There is an end"You start to realize the older you get that the end is closer than the beginning and you still feel like you have so much more to do.""That moment where you start to get a sense that there is an end."2. It takes energy to keep everything afloat"No one prepared me for how much energy and time it takes to maintain everything—like health, relationships, and just staying organized. It’s way more work than I expected!"3. Mind/body detachment"How your mind stays young while your body starts to slow down. You still feel like the same person you’ve always been, but suddenly you notice little things changing.""This was such a surprise to me. I really expected to feel psychologically older as I aged. But physically, oh my body has betrayed me... Eyes... hair (gray, but at least I still have it)... back... knees... hips... prostate."4. The past feels closer than it is"When you get a flashback of a good memory and you realize that was over 10 years ago.""When I told my daughter about something I did 24 years ago, I had to pause for a moment."Time flies isn't just a saying. Psychologists agree that our minds lump time together based on novel experiences. When we are older, the days are a lot more similar than when we were young children. That's why when you're 80, time moves a lot faster than it did when you were 8. 5. Stuck in the wrong time"I’m 61, and sometimes I feel like this world is not for me anymore. I feel almost like an imposter. For example, I can’t find clothes I like that fit correctly, TV is abhorrent, only old music sounds pleasant, shoes are uncomfortable, I don’t recognize most celebrities or famous people in the news or tabloids, and I don’t understand the need for most new and supposedly exciting products. I’m an educated person, I still work and have an active life. I’m not a recluse. But a little at a time, I feel the world is moving on without me. I finally understand why, in her final years, my mother only watched movies from the 1950s and reminisced about the past more than she talked about the present. Her world was long gone."6. You lose friends"If you choose not to have kids, you may end up losing your friends. I turn 40 this year, and my partner and I don't see many folks these days. Parents like to hang out with other parents. And I don't have a grudge, I totally see the value for playdates, etc. But it can be a little lonely.""To be fair, I have 2 kids and lost a lot of friends because we simply don’t have the time/energy to connect regularly enough to maintain a healthy friendship. It instead falls into an awkward acquaintance stage where enough time passes between communication, and you’re not sure if reaching out to connect comes across weird."7. Your parents are aging, too"It's not just you who is getting old. Your parents are getting even older.""I feel this. Lost my mom 2 weeks before my 21st birthday. 40 now with 2 kids. I get angry/sad at a lot of milestones like my wedding and kids' stuff ‘cause my mom was robbed of them, and I was robbed of her."8. Time wasted caring about other people's opinions"It’s so freeing when that old twinge of 'why don’t they like me' pops up, and then I remember that I can not be bothered by that anymore, and magically, I don’t care!""Just wasting time in general. No thanks. I want to do as many things as possible!"9. Your friends die"Your friends start to die. It's something I never thought about."10. Time flies"Man. I don’t even feel like the days are long anymore. I just keep blinking and the weeks go by.""Yup, wake up, eat breakfast, do a couple things. Wait, it’s lunch already? Eat lunch, do a couple more things, time to prep dinner. Eat dinner, clean up, fix a few things, it’s 9 pm. I guess it’s almost time to get ready for bed? This times 10,000 for me."11. The monotony sets in"You will realize that you hate planning meals and making food every single day. It's boring, and it's too easy to fall into monotony. But you have to make lunch again and then plan for dinner again then make dinner again and what do you want to eat tomorrow so you plan for breakfast tomorrow and get up and make breakfast again and then plan for lunch again...."12. You become invisible to much of society"I wondered what felt off the last year. Gen Z is everywhere now, and I'm still asking myself when that happened."13. Adults aren't real"When you're a kid, you can't wait to 'grow up,' and then you do, and you're still you, just older. That voice inside your head doesn't change, but what you see in the mirror does. Only now you're just older and saddled with bills and stress and all of life's 'surprises.' On top of this, everyone is winging it. Absolutely everyone. Because the idea of order and a civilized society is an illusion. We're all playing by made up rules and making imaginary money and all the rest of it. A one-dollar bill costs just as much to print as a hundred-dollar bill."14. Priorities change"Things that seemed so important when you were younger, really are not important."15. Younger people's reverence"I'm middle-aged, and a funny thing is how younger people get self-conscious or apologize when there is no need. For example, they will apologize for swearing around me or mentioning something like (gasp) drinking, or drugs, or sleeping around. I think it's funny. Why would being on earth longer make me easier to scandalize? I've seen and done things that would shock them, lol, but to them I'm a very proper-looking classy older lady."16. Ageism"Doors start closing once you reach a certain age.""Ageism is real. I just turned 50 and am in a young person's career (software development). I feel how hiring managers look at me when asked to turn my camera on, during an interview that was going very well and suddenly it's 'we'll get back to you.'"17. It all catches up"Things like drinking, eating unhealthily, smoking, spending ... they will catch up. When you're young you think you're different, or you think that when it does catch up you'll be old so who cares, I won't care when I'm old anyway. You will care, though. You'll still be you. Those things won't seem like an issue right up to the moment they are. And then it's too late to take them back."This article originally appeared in September.

Actor Richard Dreyfuss (star of “Jaws” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) shared intimate photos of the birth of his son Ben that showed the shock and confusion parents experience when realizing their newborn has a birth abnormality.On June 14, 1986, Dreyfuss and his wife Jeramie Rain had their second child and they could tell something was wrong shortly after his delivery. “Your eyes are not the same,” Ben would later write about his birth. “One is blue, the other is grey. One is hiding under a partially opened eye-lid; the other is extending far beyond it, like a potato exploding out of an egg cup.”It was the “most traumatic and emotional moment of my life,” Richard wrote on Twitter. “My wife Jeramie gave birth to our second amazing child. And, as these pictures show, we slowly realized there was a problem with our son.” \u201cThe most traumatic and emotional moment of my life was on June 14 1986. My wife Jeramie gave birth to our second amazing child. And, as these pictures show, we slowly realized there was a problem with our son.\u201d — Richard Dreyfuss (@Richard Dreyfuss) 1658372178 \u201cI held him and promised him that I would do everything I could take save him. That I would love him no matter what.\u201d — Richard Dreyfuss (@Richard Dreyfuss) 1658372178 \u201cHe was the first person born in California with peters anomaly. We spent months in hospitals with him and years raising money for charities Jeramie led for less fortunate kids than Ben.\u201d — Richard Dreyfuss (@Richard Dreyfuss) 1658372178 I am incredibly proud of all my children. https://t.co/Z2Vf1bafVw— Richard Dreyfuss (@RichardDreyfuss) July 21, 2022 The actor’s photos are touching because they show the parents experiencing the incredible beauty of the birth while struggling to make sense of the unexpected.“I held him and promised him that I would do everything I could [to] save him. That I would love him no matter what,” the “Mr. Holland’s Opus” star wrote.Ben would later be diagnosed with Peters anomaly, a rare genetic condition that causes a clouding of the cornea and eye-structure abnormalities. Over the first year of Ben’s life, he would have multiple eye operations and would eventually lose all sight in his left eye.He explained what life’s like with one eye in a blog post his father shared at the end of his tweet thread. It’s a raw open letter to himself that details how his struggles with being different evolved as he developed.It’s a revealing glimpse into the interior monologue of someone who knows he’s being stared at but everyone is too polite to bring it up. See on Instagram “Eventually you come around to the idea that much more noticeable than the eye itself is your reaction to it,” he writes. “You couldn’t make eye contact with anyone for decades. Upon this realization, you decided to make piercing eye contact with everyone.”Ben is a journalist who was in charge of audience development at Mother Jones for eight years. He has a popular Substack blog called “Good Faith” where he discusses the intersection of politics and social media from the unique perspective of a liberal with no problem pointing out progressive excesses.Richard Dreyfuss’ photos of his son’s birth show that all the fame and acclaim in the world can be quickly dispatched when we see that there is something wrong with a child. But on a deeper level, they are an intimate look at the faces of parents whose lives have been upended in a moment they expected would be wholly joyous.It’s a moment that many parents have unfortunately had to weather and hopefully, the photos will give them comfort knowing that the despair will soon be overcome by love.This article originally appeared two years ago.

A few weeks ago, Upworthy shared the hilarious winners of the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards and the winner was a well-timed shot of a monkey who appears to have hurt the family jewels on a suspension wire. (Don't worry folks, no monkeys were harmed for the awards.) The awards were created six years ago by Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks to promote positive awareness of animal welfare issues. The competition has been so successful, the duo decided to branch out and create the Comedy Pet Photo Awards, where photographers can submit pictures of their furry friends for a £2,000 ($2650) prize. Donations generated by the competition go to Animal Support Angels, an animal welfare charity in the U.K.This year's winner is Zoe Ross for "Whizz Pop," a photo of her labrador puppy Pepper who appears to be tooting bubbles.“We never ever thought that we would win but entered the competition because we loved the idea of helping a charity just by sending in a funny photo of Pepper," Ross said in a statement. "She is such a little monkey, and very proud of herself, bringing in items from the garden and parading past you until you notice her. She is the happiest puppy we’ve ever known and completely loved to pieces.”Here are the rest of the winners of the 2021 Comedy Pet Photo Awards.Overall Winner: Zoe Ross "Whizz Pop," Penkridge, U.K.Did this puppy swallow a bubble?Best Dog Category: Carmen Cromer "Jurassic Bark," Pittsboro, North Carolina"My golden retriever, Clementine, loves to stick her face in front of the hose while I water the plants. Her expression in this photo made me think of a tyrannosaurus rex, hence the title, "Jurassic Bark." Duh nuh nuuuh nuhnuh, duh nuh nuuuh nuh nuh, dun duh duuuh nuh nuh nuh nUUUUUUhhhh." – Carmen CromerBest Cat Category: Kathrynn Trott "Photobomb," Ystradgynlais, U.K.Jeff stealing the limelight from his brother Jaffa.Best Horse Category: Mary Ellis, "I Said 'Good Morning,'" Platte River State Park, Nebraska"I like to visit the stable horses before I begin my hike at the State Park. This is the reply I received when I said 'Good morning.'" – Mary EllisAll Other Creatures Category: Sophie Bonnefoi, "The Eureka Moment," Oxford, U.K."Cutie and Speedy are two chicks hatched from eggs placed in an incubator at home in August 2020. They spent their first few weeks indoors. In the photo, they are just over two weeks old. They were curious about everything. This is the day they discovered their own shadow. It was hilarious to see them wondering and exploring that 'dark thing' that was moving with them!" – Sophie BonnefoiJunior Category: Suzi Lonergan, "Sit!" Pacific Palisades, California"Our granddaughter gave the command to sit. Beau is very obedient." – Suzi LonerganPets Who Look Like Their Owners Category: Jakub Gojda, "That Was a Good One!" Czech Republic"This photo was taken by accident during the photography of my ex-girlfriend with her beloved mare. For this cheerful moment, I thank the fly that sat on the horse's nose and he instinctively shook his head." – Jakub Gojda.Highly Commended: Chloe Beck, "Hugo the Photobomber," Walsall, U.K."This is my best friend Faith, her husband Alex, and their cheeky Sproodle, Hugo. Faith wanted a photograph to mark a special occasion—her first outing after shielding at home for 14 months. Hugo jumped into the frame at just the right moment!" – Chloe BeckHighly Commended: Luke O'Brien, "Mumford and Chum," Coventry, U.K."Losing the opportunity to play with my human bandmates during lockdown, Flint, my rescue dog, soon taught me that we didn't just have sharp bones in common, but musical ones, too. He soon became the perfect substitute for a collaborative stomp up at home, so much so that we felt we deserved our own band name (Muttford and Chum). With my camera set up remotely during this shoot, I think it's fair to say that the image is proof that his conviction as a performer matches my own." – Luke O'Brien. Highly Commended: Kathryn Clark, "Wine Time," Cichester, U.K."It's that time of day again! Little Blue enjoys it almost as much as me." – Kathryn Clark.Highly Commended: Diana Jill Mehner, "Crazy in Love With Fall," Paderborn, Germany"This is Leia. As you can see, she definitely loves playing with all the leaves in autumn. It was really tricky to take this picture because you never know what the dog is going to do next." – Diana Jill Mehner.Highly Commended: Christine Johnson, "Boing," Crosby Beach, U.K."I was busy playing with my dog on the beach and this dog came to play. I liked the shapes he was making in the air." – Christine JohnsonHighly Commended: Manel Subirats Ferrer, "Ostrich Style," Platja del Prat de Llobregat, SpainNuka playing hide and seek at the beach.Highly Commended: Colin Doyle, "Nosey Neighbor," Bromsgrove, U.K."According to Ozzy, we need a new fence panel ASAP. He is fed up with Chester our nosy next door neighbor spying on him every time he has a meal." – Colin Doyle. Highly Commended: Corey Seeman, "A Warm Spot on a Cold Day," Michigan"Two of the morning regulars at the dog park are Gary (hound mix with the jacket) and Kona, one of the most chill dogs ever." – Corey Seeman.Highly Commended: Lucy Slater, "So What?" San Diego, California"This is how I like to sit!" – Vincent the catHighly Commended: Mollie Cheary, "Photobomb," Poole, U.K."Bailey was so excited to see her friends, she couldn't sit still for a photo!" – Mollie ChearyThis article originally appeared three years ago.

“That’s it, I’m finished, I’m out." The post “Horrific”: The session Jimmy Page hated working on first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

"I'd love to play." The post The one band Robert Plant always wanted to join: “I’d love to play bass” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.