The 67-year-old musician loves performing, but hates long journeys while on the road, so he counteracts his woes by spending huge amounts of money on first-class travel.
Clapton insists his expenses mean he makes a loss on his tours, so has vowed to give up long treks once he hits his landmark 70th birthday on March 30, 2015.
He tells Rolling Stone magazine, “The bit onstage, that’s easy. If I could do that around my neighborhood, that would be great. You have guys in Texas that play their circuit, and it keeps them alive. But for me, the struggle is the travel. And the only way you can beat that is by throwing so much money at it that you make a loss. So the idea is… When I’m 70, I’ll stop. I won’t stop playing or doing one-offs, but I’ll stop touring, I think.”
However, Clapton has previously insisted fans should ignore his retirement talk as he considers quitting when wrapping every trek.
He explains, “I retire at the end of every tour. When I’m on the road, I’m gritting my teeth and putting up with hotels and sleep deprivation and upset tummy. But when I’m off the road, the road suddenly seems like a magical idea again.”
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