Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryer reading

What do you know about the musician Eric Clapton?

The Mail on Sunday May 2015

Edward Fryer’s SonsFor Eddie Fryer, the prospect of spending the night in a Vancouver refuge is only slightly less dangerous than sleeping on the street.

It is all a world away from the life of his half-brother, Eric Clapton.

Yet the two men – who share the same father, Canadian nightclub piano player Edward

Fryer Snr – have so much in common, not least an undeniable physical likeness, with the same hooded eyes and sharp nose.

Like Clapton, Eddie, who grew up not knowing he had a world-famous musician as a brother, once harboured dreams of being a top guitar player. And like his brother, he has fought his own battle with heroin addiction.

There, however, the similarities end. While Clapton triumphed over his addictions, Eddie has failed to overcome

his. Last week he was diagnosed with ‘end-stage’ liver cirrhosis. Doctors have told him he has just three to six months to live if he carries on with his reckless lifestyle. His only hope of a cure is a liver transplant, but he has been refused one until he stops taking drugs.

b

Eric and Eddie did not know of each others’ existence until 1998. The next part of the article explains their family history. Write five questions that you would like the article to answer about their backgrounds.

Read the next part of the article and see if your questions are answered.B

Read the first part of the article and find out about Eric Clapton’s connection to Eddie Fryer, their similarities and differences.

B

V

Summarise Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryer’s similarities and differences in your own words.Y

Yet Eddie stoically refuses to beg his famous brother for help.

But Eddie’s former fiancée, with whom he is still very close,

is adamant that it’s time for the rock star to come to the aid of his own flesh and blood. Especially because he has ploughed millions of his own

fortune into his rehab clinic, the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, since opening it in 1999.

The details of how the two brothers came to find each

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Edward Fryer

Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryer reading

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other are complicated. The story begins in 1945 when Eric was born in Ripley, Surrey, to Patricia Clapton, known as Pat. She was just 15 when she became pregnant by Edward Fryer, who was serving with the Canadian Army in Britain. He was playing piano in a dance hall when they first met.

By the time Eric was born, the relationship was over and Fryer, who was already married, was sent back to Canada. Because of the stigma of having a child out of wedlock, the family concocted an elaborate cover story. It was decided that Eric should be brought up to believe his grandparents were

his mother and father, and Pat was his sister.

Meanwhile, Pat married another Canadian soldier and emigrated, not returning to the UK until Eric was nine. When the truth eventually came out, Pat continued to refuse to reveal to Eric the true identity of his father who, the family told him, had died. Clapton has blamed this deception for his later descent into drugs.

Eddie – just like Eric – was led to believe by his mother that his father had died when, in fact, he was alive and living in Florida. Like Clapton, he blames the lack of a father for his drug-taking.

Eddie and Clapton had no idea about the existence of the other until 1998 when a Canadian journalist established the identity of Eric’s natural father. Later, Eddie was found living as an addict in Vancouver and on the run from police over petty theft charges.

There, it seemed the story ended. Clapton showed no sign of wanting to meet his half-sibling.

Describe Eric Clapton’s family history in your own words. Y

Read the final part of the article and find out what the current relationship is between Eric and Eddie.

B

But Eddie says that he and Clapton did quietly begin corresponding by letter after he wrote to the star in 2000.

For a time Eddie got his life back on track, but his old

demons came back to haunt him.

Without his knowledge, Eddie’s girlfriend began writing to Eric to keep him informed of his half-brother’s progress. She says: ‘When Eddie nearly died, I contacted Eric. I told him where Eddie could be reached. After three days I got a reply from Eric that just said, “Thank you. Would you please keep me informed?”

Because of Eddie’s dire health, Farah says she plans to

write to Eric again to ask him to give him a place in his Antigua rehab centre.

Clapton’s spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on his personal life.’

Do you know any other complicated family histories like this one? What would you do as regards Eddie if you were Eric Clapton?b

Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryer reading

Complete these extracts from the article with the correct prepositions:V1 Like Clapton, Eddie, who grew _____ not knowing he had a world-famous musician as a brother…

2 Doctors have told him he has just three to six months to live if he carries _____ with his reckless lifestyle.

3 By the time Eric was born, the relationship was over and Fryer, who was already married, was sent _______ to Canada.

4 It was decided that Eric should be brought _____ to believe his grandparents were his mother and father, and Pat was his sister.

5 When the truth eventually came _____…

6 For a time Eddie got his life back on track, but his old demons came _____ to haunt him.

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____________________ to cause someone or something to return

____________________ to return

____________________ to continue

____________________ (of a secret) to be revealed, become known

____________________ to raise someone up to adulthood

____________________ to become an adult

Match the phrasal verbs to these definitions:V

Complete these sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs:V1 The phone the company sent me was not the one I ordered, so I ___________ it _________.

2 The teacher told us to _________________ with our work while she helped a student who was having problems.

3 I _____________________ in the city and didn’t see a cow until I was twelve.

4 “Has Helen ______________________ from her holiday yet?” “No, she is still away.”

5 When news of his affair _____________________, the politician resigned.

6 My parents ________________ me ________ to love animals. We had lots of pets.

Write sentences of your own with the phrasal verbs.Ve.g. Series about people coming back from the dead are very popular at the

moment.

Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryer reading

What is the literal meaning of plough?

until the cows come home

E What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?

The Mail on Sunday May 2015

Especially because he has ploughed millions of his own fortune into his rehab clinic...

There are other expressions connected to agriculture and farming in English.

1 milk someone or something

2 the funny farm

3 reap what one sows

4 sort the wheat from the chaff

5 farm something out

6 pastures new

7 till the cows come home

8 crop up

__ to get as much as you can from someone or something

__ to appear or occur unexpectedly

__ a psychiatric hospital

__ to receive according to what you give or do

__ to distinguish valuable people or things from worthless ones

__ for an indefinitely long time

__ to subcontract work to others

__ a new job, opportunity, etc.

What do you think these mean?

Match the expressions to these definitions:V

1 He can wait forever, I’m not going to change my mind.2 We will see who our top employees are during this difficult project.3 Mary studied a lot when she was young and now she has a great job.4 We’ve got too much work, we need to subcontract some of it.5 Budget airlines get as much as they can from their passengers by charging for absolutely everything. 6 We are selling our house and heading to Australia for a fresh start.

React to these statements using the idioms above:Ve.g. Don’t behave like that, people will think you are mad. > No one’s sending me to the funny farm.

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Eric Clapton and Eddie Fryerintermediate+ (B1+)

week of 01.06.15

reading

Teacher’s notes 1

Complete these extracts from the article with the correct prepositions:V1 up2 on3 back4 up5 out6 back

send back to cause someone or something to returncome back to returncarry on to continuecome out (of a secret) to be revealed, become knownbring up to raise someone up to adulthoodgrow up to become an adult

Match the phrasal verbs to these definitions:V

student pages 4

Complete these sentences with the correct form of the phrasal verbs:V1 sent (it) back2 carry on3 grew up / was brought up4 come back5 came out6 brought (me) up

E What does the highlighted expression in this extract from the article mean?

plough into = to invest a lot of money in something in order to improve it or make it successful

What is the literal meaning of plough? = to turn over the soil before putting seeds into it

1 to get as much as you can from someone or something8 to appear or occur unexpectedly2 a psychiatric hospital3 to receive according to what you give or do4 to distinguish valuable people or things from worthless ones7 for an indefinitely long time5 to subcontract work to others6 a new job, opportunity, etc.

Match the expressions to these definitions:V

1 So, he can wait till the cows come home.2 The project will sort the wheat from the chaff.3 Well, you reap what you sow.4 So, you need to farm some of the work out.5 Budget airlines milk their passengers for everything they can get.6 It sounds like you are off to pastures new.

React to these statements using the idioms above:V