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Get up there and play

Steve Morse in Quebec City, June 4, 2011; Photo © Nick Soveiko CC-BY-NC-SA

Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited has conducted an interview with Steve Morse. They spoke about his work in and out of Deep Purple:

Jeb: Deep Purple is your main band but I wonder if you are still allowed to create freely for your other projects as a member of the group?

Steve: We have a very open policy in the band about that. We think it makes the band stronger for people to be known in other types of music. Ian [Gillan] just did a recording with Tony Iommi and a bunch of other famous English guys… I think it is called Famous English Guys [laughter].

Jeb: I admire that despite your advanced abilities, you have remained a fan of music.

Steve: If you have your ears open, and you travel around, then you find out that every city has people who are top level, in terms of talent. They are separated by the people at the top only because the people at the top have an endurance level and can put up with the stuff you have to put up with. That is part of life in Purple. It’s easy to play with the guys. The touring is hard because it’s longer than I want to do but it has enabled me to have stability in this business.

I started with the band when I was going through a divorce. I thought I was going to be an airline pilot and be able to come home five nights a week; that was my plan. It didn’t work out because I didn’t have the burning desire to do that job after about six months. There is something about everybody’s job that sucks; it’s not just being a musician. I got to see a glimpse of reality, which was a good thing to do. I got together with Kansas shortly after that and we did another album. I got really disillusioned by the whole MTV thing going on. I was not going to be the type of guy that could write trendy music. I had decided to go back underground and play to 100 people a night and that was going to be my life again; as that is what I did with the Dregs.

My manager called me up and said that Deep Purple needed a guitar player. We decided to do four shows because they didn’t know if I was going to be some sort of maniac and I didn’t know if they were going to be guys who were living off their past. I definitely didn’t want that. I had never wanted to be in a rock band that was successful because I would lose control over my own music. The first album we did was Purpendicualr and they all came to me and said, “What have you got, Steve?” It went great. Our writing has always been a band venture and that really helped. The guys are absolute warhorses, they can’t be killed. I think there should be five graves, if you look at all we have done over the years, we should be doing the Big Sleep. They have some sort of alien, robotic substances inside of them.

Read more on Classic Rock Revisited.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.



8 Comments to “Get up there and play”:

  1. 1
    Roberto says:

    “They have some sort of alien, robotic substances inside of them”
    They are just true artists, living for their own music…a choice in life to be what they are…

  2. 2
    The Holy Chair says:

    It reads like an interview from the 90 s.

  3. 3
    Tracy Heyder (aka Zero the Hero) says:

    I’d say this pretty much sums it up. They have gone through many manifestations over the past 40 years. They are now in the present and they have evolved into what they are today. Years of various pressures and changes in the business has placed them in a good place as far as their approach to what they do. Conforming to what it takes to do what they were born to do, with minimal turmoil to deal with. Good for them. Though it affects the output of records for us to enjoy, it is their way now, and their enjoyment in continuing on is what matters. Had the same old Purple conflict continued on, Purple would have been done years ago. Saw some outstanding shows over the last 10 years. Got to sit and chat with them many times. This last 10 years wouldn’t exist had things stayed the same. They found a nitch they could live with and I’m glad they did. Whatever it takes to keep them going ‘into the fire’ just one more time, and again and again……

    Cheers

  4. 4
    The Holy Chair says:

    A nitch is something like a niche?

  5. 5
    Tracy Heyder (aka Zero the Hero) says:

    Yes Chair. It is. Sometimes my fingers type faster than my brain spells……

  6. 6
    COCOBEACHSILVERSTRATSURFER says:

    A NITCH NATURALLY A FEW NACHOS CHIPS IS GOOD WIT SALSA MAYBE !!!!!!!!! I WAS THINKIN YESTIDDY WOW WHEN I MET STEVE AT ORLANDO GUITAR CLINIC = STEVE BALL GREAT ILLUSTRIOUS SON OF ERNIE ~ GODFATHER TO SON OF MORSE & GIDDYEST STEVE OF PURPLE & STUDIO MASTER STEVE LU~KAT~HER OF TOTO = EVN PLAYED GEETAR SITTIN IN CHAIRS!!!!!!!!!!! I LIKE STANDIN UP SWINGIN GEETAR LIKE A BELL LIKE KIETH & RITCHIE SWING LIKE A GONG GETS SUPER SOOOOOOO ~OUUU ~UUU ~ UUU ~UUUUNDS *********** THEY TALKIN ABOUT ZILLION GUYS PALYIN GEETAR FUN PLAYIN IN POLAND { STEVE BALL JOKE WISELY WOW I WAS THINKIN HOW MANY STRINGS I COULD SELL THERE WOW !!!!!!! } & STUFF & THEIR NEW MUSICMAN ANNIVERSARY { WOW WHAT BOUT AIRY ANNIVERSARY ORGAN SYNTH !!!!!!!! WOOOOAAAAAAH COMPLETE WIT BOBBLEHEAD OZZY ON TOP ~ BUY 1 NOW ONLY 20 QUID !!!!!!!!! }GEETAR WIT THE FUNNY TOP { I TINK JOLLIEST STEVE MORSE NEED MAKE MORSE STYLE PURPLE GREEN SHINY GEETAR LIKE THE JACO PASTORIA ONE WOULD BE SUPER GROOVIEST !!!!!!!!!!! }THEY TRY TO MAKE OUTTA GREATEST TREES & NO 2 IS ALIKE EVER !!!!!!!!!! & ALL DAY SAY ~ ITS ALLWAYS SUPER FUN TRYIN TO GET THE PERFECT SOOOUUUU ~WOWOWOW ~WOUND THEY EVN PLAY BURN & AMZING PLEASE PLEASE ME BY BEATLES SEEMED MOST AMZING ZILLION CHORDS XLNT SUPEREST & LOTS MORE HE SAY HE MET JURGEN BLACKMORE & LOVES HIM HELP HIM & WISH HE CAN MEET RITCHIE LIKE NOBODY CAN FIGURE RITCHIE I TOLD STEVE MAYBE BE GROOVIEST TO DO JIG WITH RITCHIE CANDANCE HAPPIEST ROUND A CAMPFIRE LIKE ALL DOES IN WOODSTOCK EVERYNITE & GIVE RITCHIE PRESENTS WHATEVER MAKES HIM HAPPY YKNOW IF YA EVER GO WOODSTOCK NY MAGIC MEADOW BY THE TIBET MONKS IS MOST FUN LIKE A INDIAN PARTY POW WOW SUPER THATS WHAT MADE THE FAMOUS FESTIVAL SUPER !!!!!!!!!!! LIKE AFTER WE ALL WAS TALKIN LONG TIME LOTTA GUYS LEFT SO IT WAS COOLEST LUCKYEST TO GET TO TALK & 1 MINUTE SECOND LIKE STEVE GOT ME SUPER SMILING AT HIM WITH THE FUNNIEST BENNY HILL RED SKELTON HILARIOUS ZANYEST SUPER EVEREST LOOK LIKE YKNOW WHEN YA PARTY WITH GUYS YA BEEN WITH AZILLION TIMES & HE GITS YA WITH THIS HILARIOUS SUPER LOOK & SUPER HAPPINESS ENJOYING LIFE & HE EVEN GOT A BLONDY WIFE LIKE HIM & HES FAITHFULL!!!!!!!! & A BUNCH ALL DAY HE WAS TELLIN ALL DONT DO DRUGS LIKE HE MUSTA SEEN LOTTA STUFF YKNOW & LIKE WOW I WAS THINKIN WOW LIKE CLAPTON SAID JUS BE HAPPY IS THE SECRET LIKE DALI LAMA SAYS TOO GIVE ALL THE HAPPINESS YKNOW ANYWAY IF YA GOT WACKY GOOD FRIENDS LIKE I HAVE & YA WANNA KEEP EM HEALTHY TELL EM TO THINK OF STEVE YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ~ HAAAAAAAAAAAAAW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ***************

  7. 7
    Larry R. Toering says:

    Now the ‘Holy Chair’ is craking down on what is actually a typo? Joking or not, this blog has gone troll I’m afraid… but it won’t stop any die hard from taking this sicko to task! I really believe this person is more and more conducting a cry for help concerning his emotional stablity.

  8. 8
    Tracy Heyder (aka Zero the Hero) says:

    Uh Larry…..’craking is something like cracking?’

    Now that ‘craks’ me up…..

    Cheers

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