Eric Clapton not only donated more than $1,300 to a GoFundMe posted by a vaccine skeptical music group, but he also lent the “pro-medical choice” band his family’s personal Transporter van to use for touring around the country, Rolling Stone reports. A musician for the group Jam for Freedom, known for songs with lyrics like, “You can stick your poison vaccine up your arse,” told the magazine that when he saw the donation he thought he was being tricked, until he received a text from the 76-year-old singer-songwriter himself. “It was something complimentary, along the lines of, ‘Hey, it’s Eric—great work you’re doing,’” McLaughlin said. Though he declined to say how much, McLaughlin also told the magazine that Clapton gave them more money to buy a new van and said he might play with the group in the future.
Clapton’s career has been subjected to fresh scrutiny in light of the vaccine skepticism he’s been espousing during the pandemic. The rocker made headlines in recent weeks for refusing to play venues that require proof of vaccination, and released an anti-lockdown anthem in collaboration with Van Morrison. New light has also been thrown on startlingly racist comments Clapton has made in the past. In a particularly virulent rant during a 1976 show in Birmingham, he asked foreigners to raise their hands and leave his show, bellowing out racial slurs.
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