As previously reported, Deep Purple will be inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. As a result of this announcemnet, Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillian has posted to the following message at gillan.com:
“Dear Friends, Families and Fans,
Putting the past shenanigans to one side, the induction is not – in clear fact – for Deep Purple.
It is an arbitrary selection of past members, which excludes Steve Morse and Don Airey; both of whom have been with the living breathing DP for a very long time.
Obviously this is very silly, and so my response is quite simple: ‘Thank you very much’.
And….what a coincidence…This morning I got an invitation to a wedding from some dear old friends. Unfortunately my family was not invited and they said that I would be required to sit next to my ex (we divorced decades ago) at the wedding feast.
They were shocked when I called to thank them and decline the invitation.
Cheers,
Ian Gillan”
Prior to the announcement, Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice said the induction could lead to a “punch up.” Read what Paice had to say here.
13 Responses
Can’t wait for 3/5ths of Def Leppard to get inducted.
Too bad Steve Morse and Don Airey didn’t play in the East Street Band.
Insert Eddie rant here:
MikeyMan – I am a fan of E Street, but your point is well taken. I think they are still giving their acceptance speeches! This RRHOF is a total joke. It will be great when either a new one is established or power is wrestled away from Rolling Stone magazine.
David Coverdale will be very happy to learn that he will be performing lead vocals when (if) Deep Purple performs at the RRHoF.
RR Hall of Shame indeed! How can they possibly ditch guitar genius Steve Morse and recognize Nick Simper? The first three albums are okay for what they were, but they were albums of primarily cover tunes for Chrissakes!
Is Joe Lynn Turner eligible? Would the hall of fame have a spot for his 1993-era MILF wig?
As the stupidity of this decision about only the first three line-ups sinks in, I have to post again to say what I think is going on here. The mentality that is being directed at rock bands, which includes metal, is that they represent a certain time period, and nothing more. We see it in FM “classic rock” stations which are granted a license only on the condition that they play only pre-1991 or pre-2001, and no contemporary work from those artists. We see it in Dee Snider’s interview with Eddie earlier this year, in which he rattled off all these people he thought were important members of Whitesnake – by virtue of touring with Coverdale in the 80s – and totally dismissed Doug Aldrich’s contributions. Because TS hasn’t recorded new music since the 80s, he apparently thinks nobody else from that period has. This asinine decision implies that DP “peaked” in 1974, and has done nothing of importance since. A lot of rock musicians, including DP, resist being categorized as “metal” or “thrash” etc., because they feel it limits their appeal. What is really doing damage to them these days is an implicit application of a particular, “best before” expiry date.
Ever hear “MTV” off Purple’s Rapture of the Deep album? It’s about just what you said about how the classic rock format ignores any new material by an older band. Not on par with In Rock, Fireball, or Machine Head, but Purple is still putting out good music. There was a lot to like on 2013’s Now What album.
There was a time when Perfect Strangers was the new album, but over 30 years later, it’s looked at as a classic.
Fifteen years after its release, Iron Maiden’s Brave New World is often ranked with their best work.
Yes, Kenneth I was indeed thinking of “MTV” as I wrote that, and I totally agree with you about everything else. Industry, certain fans, and artists like Dee Snider are treating rock acts today as if they were Sha Na Na.
Excellent post…