djdaffy1227
10-15-04, 04:48 AM
from www.eonline.com
Walkin' Blues: Clapton Loses License
by Josh Grossberg
Oct 14, 2004, 1:15 PM PT
Turns out Slow Hand has a lead foot.
Eric Clapton has been banned from driving in France after police busted the rocker for whizzing down a highway at 134 mph.
Clapton, 59, was behind the wheel of his Porsche 911 Turbo, cruising 53 mph over the speed limit, when he was pulled over by cops near the town of Merceuil, not far from the city of Dijon, the mustard-monikered city about 190 miles east of Paris.
Britain's most famous blues traveler was subsequently slapped with a $922 fine and his U.K. license was suspended, preventing him from getting behind the wheel in France.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer didn't seem too put out about losing his French driving priveleges. He paid the fine and posed for pictures with officers.
Clapton was then consigned to the passenger seat of his Porsche and chauffeured away by his secretary.
The "Crossroads" crooner won't need a ride back to the French countryside for a court date--he's not required to appear at a traffic hearing where authorities will decide how long he will be prohibited from driving there. According to local police, Clapton will likely have to go through diplomatic channels to get his license reinstated.
He can still get behind the wheel back home in England.
The 16-time Grammy winner has been pretty busy for a guy mulling retirement.
Aside from touring America over the summer in support of his latest release, Me & Mr. Johnson, Clapton turned up in Los Angeles in August to imprint his hands and signature on Sunset Boulevard's famed Rockwalk, honoring music industry icons. And last year, he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire title by Queen Elizabeth.
Walkin' Blues: Clapton Loses License
by Josh Grossberg
Oct 14, 2004, 1:15 PM PT
Turns out Slow Hand has a lead foot.
Eric Clapton has been banned from driving in France after police busted the rocker for whizzing down a highway at 134 mph.
Clapton, 59, was behind the wheel of his Porsche 911 Turbo, cruising 53 mph over the speed limit, when he was pulled over by cops near the town of Merceuil, not far from the city of Dijon, the mustard-monikered city about 190 miles east of Paris.
Britain's most famous blues traveler was subsequently slapped with a $922 fine and his U.K. license was suspended, preventing him from getting behind the wheel in France.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer didn't seem too put out about losing his French driving priveleges. He paid the fine and posed for pictures with officers.
Clapton was then consigned to the passenger seat of his Porsche and chauffeured away by his secretary.
The "Crossroads" crooner won't need a ride back to the French countryside for a court date--he's not required to appear at a traffic hearing where authorities will decide how long he will be prohibited from driving there. According to local police, Clapton will likely have to go through diplomatic channels to get his license reinstated.
He can still get behind the wheel back home in England.
The 16-time Grammy winner has been pretty busy for a guy mulling retirement.
Aside from touring America over the summer in support of his latest release, Me & Mr. Johnson, Clapton turned up in Los Angeles in August to imprint his hands and signature on Sunset Boulevard's famed Rockwalk, honoring music industry icons. And last year, he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire title by Queen Elizabeth.