![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/mcbride5.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/airey3.jpg)
Sweet child of the rubble era
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine celebrates Ian Gillan’s 80th birthday in style, with a feature article.
With Deep Purple in the early 1970s, he shaped rock vocals like no other. His shrieking yet melodic “Child in Time” remains emblematic to this day. Ian Gillan is now turning eighty.
In his autobiography, Ian Gillan cites a questionnaire he filled out for fans of a BBC program in the late 1960s. When asked about his first professional performance, he answered “college dance at Twickenham,” and when asked about the biggest breakthrough in his career, he answered “none yet.”
Check it out in the original if you can read German, as for the rest of us linguistically challenged, there’s always Google Translate.
Happy birthday, Ian!
Thanks to Uwe for the heads-up and linguistic expertise.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
I wonder if Ian finds it odd that he isn’t singing Smoke On The Water on tour this birthday ??
August 19th, 2025 at 22:26Best wishes,Big Ian.
Eighty years of age, what is he going to do now? The mind boggles. Collapsing into a rocking chair and relaxing (a siesta) on the porch back at the ranch, pondering the fate of the universe and beyond? A crossword or three, a visit to Denmark perhaps? The endless hobbies big Ian can get stuck into to bide his time. Cheers.
August 19th, 2025 at 23:27As reported by the Deep Purple Equals One — a fan community page on Facebook:
In addition to recent features on Deep Purple by CNN, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Classic Rock, and Mojo Magazine, Ian Gillan’s 80th birthday celebration received widespread coverage across press, television, radio, and online publications worldwide. Choose your preferred language and region:
• Austria
Puls24: https://shorturl.at/NQV4s
News Austria: https://shorturl.at/MBHFG
• Brazil
A Radio Rock: https://shorturl.at/tbXd5
Combate Rock: https://shorturl.at/ZYYkw
• Chile
LOS 90: https://shorturl.at/GN2MG
• Denmark
Politiken: https://tinyurl.com/mr2mdetu
Jyllands-Posten: https://tinyurl.com/mrxsbjmk
• Germany
Stern: https://tinyurl.com/3x8pm7sr
Frankfurter Allgemeine: https://tinyurl.com/yru33tjr
Deutschlandfunk Kultur: https://tinyurl.com/mrzb4y4y
Tagesspiegel: https://tinyurl.com/ppj9rb2y
Merkur: https://tinyurl.com/29ejy532
Rock FM: https://tinyurl.com/5n7hzeeu
Star FM: https://tinyurl.com/bdd39fz3
Hamburg Zwei: https://tinyurl.com/3a77syym
Rheinische Post: https://tinyurl.com/2av4stwd
• Greece
SporTime: https://tinyurl.com/37j448dh
• Hungary
Kultura: https://tinyurl.com/2v35vnwe
Hard Rock Magazin: https://tinyurl.com/2e8xznwh
• Italy
Enasc: https://tinyurl.com/3p7nktn2
Sudtirol News: https://tinyurl.com/5b49n2f3
Corriere Della Sera: https://tinyurl.com/2xa3tyw7
• Luxemburg
Luxemburger Wort: https://tinyurl.com/mt49pkyy
• Poland
Interia Muzyka: https://tinyurl.com/t2hsv4fw
Trojka Radio: https://tinyurl.com/yc4z3ahh
Dziennik Lodzki: https://tinyurl.com/488sesx6
• Slovakia
Teraz Magazine: https://tinyurl.com/39f2csyv
Magyar Interaktiv Televizio: https://tinyurl.com/y23ype9h
• Spain
Mariskal Rock: https://tinyurl.com/yp4scth2
• Switzerland
Basel Jetzt: https://tinyurl.com/u47nh9hv
• USA
August 20th, 2025 at 01:17Goldmine Magazine: https://tinyurl.com/35wk9wa3
American Songwriter: https://tinyurl.com/yc5kba8x
So nice different newspapers around the world is acknowledging Ian for his great work and tremendous voice and personality.
Unfortunately I haven’t seen any newspaper in Denmark been doing the same, and for that I am very shameful and very sorry 😨
I will immediately take action on the matter, calling the minister in Denmark for beautiful rock music and make, perhaps, some almost serious threats!
Actually the only other Dane, Lars Ulrich, has been out praising MiJ 👏🏼👏🏼
August 20th, 2025 at 04:47If things had gone our way, you’d all be speaking Deutsch today! 😂
Max will draw great satisfaction from the fact that I read Germany‘s most renowned conservative newspaper too and not just the lefty Guardian.
August 20th, 2025 at 05:05A slide show of the Geburtstagskind/Jubilar>/i> through the years …
https://youtu.be/5zUvHIcfeYQ
Where is Karin when you need her? I was hoping for her to decorate things a little here for a more festive mood …
https://festbutikken.dk/varegrupper/443-festartikler/
He‘s 80 and I like it!
https://youtu.be/V5hLqViBZes
August 20th, 2025 at 05:54