If home is where the heart is, then Eric Clapton hides his emotions inside a sprawling countryside retreat aptly named Hurtwood Edge. The name of this peaceful sanctuary reveals more about Eric Clapton than any compilation album stuffed with breathtaking guitar solos.

Despite the warm domestic tranquility, the living room still looks like a rehearsal room. Clapton studiously picks out a tune on a beautifully crafted dobro.

A Don Williams album blasts out of speakers that look more like lethal onstage amplification than your usual home stereo console. Wearing a hazy, just-beginning-to-wake-up-look, Clapton stared a half empty bottle of beer in the face. He gently puts the dobro down on the couch and sighs restlessly.

"If people want that heavy metal thing they can go somewhere else."

"What can I do?" he says in frustration, "I'm at home here on my own 'cept for the old lady and the dog. It's hard to be influenced, hard to do any electric. I can't just pick up an electric guitar and play on my own. So I play acoustic all the time. That's how the songs are written. And it's difficult to break that mold once you've stepped into it."