Bob Dylan helped fellow rocker Eric Clapton realise how pointless his drug-taking lifestyle was when the British guitarist saw his hero relaxing at the legendary WOODSTOCK festival in 1969.

Clapton was a self-confessed "drug-crazed psychedelic" at the time, and seeing the LIKE A ROLLING STONE singer contentedly hanging out with his family and back-up group The Band made him realise how "worthless" his own life was.

In an interview with music magazine ROLLING STONE, the LAYLA star recalls, "Do you know that term 'giving away your power'? It's like self-help or recovery speak. It's a good term. I wanted to give my power to The Band.

"I went and knocked on their door, and I was ready to be a groupie. I was drooling about what they had going on: they were all equal, they all took turns, and, to me, it looked like integrity.

"I went to see Bob, and he was wearing Timberlands, a checked shirt, and he was chopping wood. And I'm a drug-crazed psychedelic. The sad part was that it made me feel like what I was doing was worthless.

"I was ready to give it all up and become their road manager."

12/03/2004 09:38