The surreal experience of watching Eric Clapton double down again and again on skepticism over COVID-19 vaccines has just reached a new apex — or zenith, depending on how you’re keeping score. As Ultimate Classic Rock recently reported, Clapton’s latest single is titled “Heart of a Child” — and the identity of its co-writer continues Clapton’s recent trajectory.
The song was co-written by Robin Monotti, an Italian architect. And while musician/architect collaborations aren’t exactly regular occurrences, this isn’t the first interaction Clapton and Monotti have had. As NPR noted over the summer, Clapton announced that he wouldn’t play at any venues that were only allowing vaccinated attendees inside via Monotti’s social media accounts.
A report at The Telegraph offers a deeper look into Monotti’s vaccine skepticism — which surprised many, given Monotti’s award-winning work as an architect, along with forays into filmmaking and literary translation. “His critical views on lockdown, vaccines and the virus itself landed him with a suspension from Twitter, forcing him to find a new following on alternative sites,” wrote The Telegraph‘s Ella Whelan. Those views also led to a friendship with Clapton.
As for whether or not “Heart of a Child” falls into the category of anti-vaccination agitprop, opinions on that may vary. Some of the lyrics — notably “They locked you down boy / Made you grieve alone” — certainly sound of the moment. But this may be a case where only Clapton and Monetti can answer beyond a shadow of a doubt.
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