Former Rainbow singer Joe Lynn Turner was interviewed at a press conference in Russian-annexed Crimea, where he was performing. At the conference, the singer praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and said he has “no love anymore for the United States.” Read select quotes from the conference below as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net.
Turner said he that he might settle down in another country ruled by an authoritarian leader — Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. He said he was considering moving to Belarus “if Lukashenka lets me in.”
“I just might apply for citizenship, because I have no — truth be told — I have no love anymore for the United States, really,” Joe said. “I don’t like the administrations, I don’t like what’s going on, I don’t like the lies to the people… I don’t like anything. It’s not the country… my father’s country. When there was opportunity, when there was truth — some truth anyway — I think…”
He continued, “You might see this. This is a pin of Putin. [points to his pin] Why? Why? I don’t wear this to placate you. The word [placate] means to impress you. I don’t. I wear it, because I believe it.
I’ve listened to every leader in the world. The only one who’s telling the truth is Putin. So I think there’s a very good question for me personally, because, as I have said already, there’s a house being built in Belarus and perhaps an apartment in Moscow. I’m thinking about it. I have some very, very important friends there who I love very much, and I think I have found a new life and a new home. And that is ‘pravda’ [Russian word for ‘truth’]; that is the truth.”
Turner is married to Maya Kozyreva, a lawyer from Minsk, the capital of Belarus. “She is my greatest asset in life. She’s my angel,” he told Guitar World in 2012.
A video from the press conference appears below.
34 Responses
What a douche bag…
So things are not what they used to be around here, so grow a set of balls and do something about it! Get involved in making a change rather than running away like a “pussy”. You had no problems living the good life here “way back” when you had a career…
Good Riddance to you! We don’t need anymore “pussies” that are not willing to stand up and fight for what they believe in, we are surrounded by them…
God help us All…
I’ve never been a fan of this guy. He turned Rainbow into a wussy, wannabe radio band. There’s only one version of Rainbow I care about and that’s the first three studio albums with Dio. I’ve never even acknowledged his involvement with Deep Purple and Yngwie because it’s not worth it. As for him saying he has no love anymore for the US and wants to live in another country, all I can say is: Hey Joe, don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Good riddance.
James, I agree with you on which albums were Rainbow’s best, but have you read *Black Knight*, Blackmore’s biography? It’s very clear that the Turner years were wussy because Ritchie WANTED it that way. His favourite music at that time was Abba, and he tried to do a project with their female singers.
The first three albums are magnificent, but sadly, at the time, they made no money. At Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, twelve people showed up for the first tour.
On a related note, is there any chance of deporting Geoff Tate and Michael Angelo Batio?
Nigel said it best..”It’s your #!*%^* wife, simple as that.”
Whoa, slow down Craig! One thing at a time. Did you take the whole tab?
Well this won’t get him back together with Blackmore