www.MoldyChum.com today inspired this post from a topic they had, thought I’d share.

http://www.yourdiscovery.com/video/botham-on-the-fly-eric-clapton/

So, a couple of years ago I was in The Fish Hawk, the flyshop that I work at in Atlanta….in walks Eric Clapton.  With the sun shining through the window, I couldn’t tell at first who it was, and I thought to myself, “This guy looks a little like Eric Clapton,”well, it was.  I don’t really get star-struck by any means, but chills went through my body as he approached the counter.  Holy sh*t, I am about to talk about fly fishing with Eric Clapton, “Should I bring up guitar, should he tell Winwood hello for me, that solo on Key to the Highway is amazing,” no I shouldn’t.  So, we talked about Salmon fishing in Ireland, Brown Trout fishing in England and how he never really gets to fish in the “States.”

He walked around the shop, and would come back to the counter every now and then asking questions about what we catch here, “where are the good spots, how far is saltwater, are the Smokies good fishing?”  I could definitely sense that he does not get to fish much and I knew it frustrated him.  Of course I offered to take him next time he was in town.  Towards the end of his visit, he was up at the front of the store looking at some of the artwork, most of it is was mine. I decided in the moment that Eric Clapton will be leaving with a piece of my artwork, whether he buys it or not.  So, I walked up to him, grabbed a framed Brown Trout Etching, handed it to him, and he greeted it with a pretty big smile.  I told him that because he had treated with his artwork for so long, the least I could do was give him some of mine. He said in is British accent, “Oh, you’re the artist, this is brilliant.”  Sounded pretty cool to hear that from Eric Clapton!  So, to this day, I don’t know if its hanging next to a picture of he and Duane Allman, Stevie Ray Vaughan, next to a Derek and the Dominos gold record or in the bathroom by the toilet paper, but either way, to me it’s pretty damn cool!