Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was interviewed by Dutch radio station, Radio Veronica, back in July 2016.
Blackmore was asked what he thinks about his former band, Deep Purple, still touring and making albums, more than twenty years after he left the group.
He replied, “I don’t really have much say in it. I left them twenty years ago. But I think, personally, they’re milking it a bit too much. And I hear that from a lot of people — that they just keep going. If I was them, I would give it a five-year rest or something. Some of them are not very happy at home, so they like to be on the road. For me, they’re doing their thing, which is… What I told them at the time when I left, I said, ‘Just get another guitar player. It’s no big deal.’ So they do their thing.”
He continued, “I think they kind of work too hard. And I blame their agent. I know their agent, and I think he’s a bit of a whip. They’ll work in North India, then be in Australia, then South America, and, of course, now it’s showing — a couple of them are starting to become very sick. Ian [Gillan], the singer, he gets sick very often, so I really think they should take a rest, but that’s up to them.”
Blackmore added, “I remember [late keyboardist] Jon Lord saying, when he was in the band, ‘I don’t know if this band will ever know when to stop.’ I thought that was quite funny.”
Listen to the interview below.
5 Responses
“… I remember the old days, when I lived in the 1500s … .”
Ah yes, Ritchie rarely disappoints.
Well, when Blackmore told them to get another guitar player, and Steve Morse is a great guitar player, then he essentially gave his blessing for the band to continue. And I think it’s great that Deep Purple is out there releasing new albums and touring, which is what bands need to do nowadays to survive in today’s music business. While I miss Blackmore and Lord with the band, I think both Steve Morse and Don Airey are great fits for Purple. Deep Purple is living off the brand, but this classic band is helping keep rock music alive.
And I think the band Ghost is a great current band keeping rock music alive. Ghost was influenced by a lot of the classic bands. DR, have you heard their new song, “Square Hammer”, that will be included off their forthcoming EP? I dig it, I enjoy the catchy chorus I can hardly wait to see them on their Fall Popestar tour!! Hail, Ghost!!
dana,
please tell me you mixed up your richies, meaning blackmore said “never say never”. if you tell me to “give it a rest”, that’s fine.
LOL, thanks for the laugh..
D 🙂
He sounds like Donald Trump. “People are telling me that…Is it true? I don’t know. But that’s what people are saying.”
Deep Purple just keeps making great music. One of the few the bands that keep doing it.