![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/glover6.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/mcbride5.jpg)
A very personal piece
Steve Morse, his band, and his son Kevin have recorded a composition Taken By An Angel, dedicated to his late wife Janine.
After losing my wife and Kevin losing his stepmother, this is the piece we put together as a tribute.
The part at the end was actually something I had written as a chapter two for “Contact Lost,” and had even tried out with Deep Purple. I knew it was something I’d want to use in the future.
The sad and lonely part at the very beginning was written the night she died, after going home. But I did not include that when we played at her funeral.
The second section – where Kevin comes in with the chords – is what we started the memorial service piece with. After hearing Kevin’s beautiful voicings, I just played a simple melody straight from the heart.
The next section picks up energy with Kevin’s rhythm, as it represents the beginning of hope and faith for a better place that our loved ones will rest in.
At the end of the first time through, Kevin’s rhythmic suspended chord drives us into a new key, and Van supplied some tubular bell sounds that give it that heavenly but triumphant feeling that closes on a major chord.
It’s a very personal piece for me, but I think it applies to all of us going through the stages of grief: the sadness, the introspection, the prayers, and the hope and belief of a better place.
Thanks to Steve Morse fan site for the heads-up and the quote.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
It’s a beautiful piece and the key change is elegant. Not all key changes are.
February 16th, 2026 at 04:39Well, beautiful and impressive he is so open about the loss and the sorrow that followed.
He is a very great guitarist 🙏🏼
February 16th, 2026 at 07:59Wonderful. Especially the harmony between 4 guitars started at 1:14
February 16th, 2026 at 16:09Listening to this instrumental, I imagine him and his son watching their late wife and mother walking slowly the stairway to heaven
Very Beautiful!! Impressive!!
February 16th, 2026 at 18:07I ordered „Triangulation“ as soon as it was announced and was curious how it would sound like., esp. this piece. It is so full of emotion! Thank you Steve for sharing this with us.
February 16th, 2026 at 19:39And with the video you can see the many layers of guitars that make the piece great.
Let’s hope we will see and hear some more music with father and son.
What is it with this Steve Morse guy that he gets wimmin to go out and buy his electric guitar instrumental music?
I‘m deeply puzzled. And jealous.
February 17th, 2026 at 14:20@6
He is gentle and not afraid of showing his feelings – or at least that’s what I guess.
And he is very good playing the guitar.
(He is no RB though… sorry Beate 😊)
February 18th, 2026 at 07:57@6 It’s a crazy little thing called brain, dear Uwe.
See, the world has changed quite a bit since ’69.)
February 18th, 2026 at 12:38Thanks Georgivs, I feared as much! Where will it stop?
February 18th, 2026 at 14:58@7
Hello Karin, you are 100% right, not many male musicians have that attitude. When you see him live on stage it is clear, that he is there for the music, not for fame. He does not have to step forward and show those “macho-poses”.
And thats why we (women) admire him.
BUT: I never mentioned that I am a great fan of RB
February 20th, 2026 at 08:01because of his guitar-wizardry: yes,
(after all I found my passion for hard rock and DP long ago because of his very impressive guitar-solos)
but as as person, NO!!!
@7
February 20th, 2026 at 09:26Sorry Karin, I got something wrong with you and me and RB in my first answer.
I know you are a big fan of RB and the greatest fan of Ian Gillan 😉 There is nearly no new post at Ian’s FB and you are not the first to answer.
Oh yeah, how I hear you, Beate, no silly macho poses with guitars on stage, geht gar nicht!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7bEUCpN6Ig
https://i.redd.it/8718e443qrd71.gif
https://flashbak.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/david-bowie-and-mick-ronson-guitar.jpg
February 20th, 2026 at 17:16“And thats why we (women) admire him.”
I’m happy to hear that. I was all angsty it might be the muscle shirts.
February 20th, 2026 at 20:02@10 & 11
Beate like you I really enjoy Steve’s guitarism (is that a word?)
He is truly amongst my top 5 guitarists in the world.
But that said, yes, Ritchie is, for me at least, the essence of my all time favourite band!
He is a poet, listen to this:
https://youtu.be/yoO6sTb2vEw?si=rtFtf_AXnWWlGqCP
He does things with the guitar that only the very best chefs can do to food (and I’m not thinking of Foie Gras 😝😄)
Yes I do indeed adore Ian Gillan, for his voice that is. (Maybe I have mentioned this before but I’m going to see them twice this year 😍)
You wrote:
February 21st, 2026 at 21:37“ There is nearly no new post at Ian’s FB and you are not the first to answer.”
– hu?
I do find new posts at his FB every day 😊
Are you at FB Beate?
@14
Hello Karin,
My English is a little rusty sometimes. I wanted to express that every time I take a look at Ian’s FB, most of the time the first answer to his post is from you. I am not at FB, I’m just a „reader“ there.
Yes, maybe RB was a poet sometimes, when he was in the mood. For example, I like „Son of Alerik“. And the mood changed very often as we all know.
IMO, Steve is the one who is the better cook in the kitchen (to refer to your words). I never thought anyone could make a guitar sound like he did:
https://youtu.be/ix43aBpbC1U?si=ok7vwis6a_O85Z9w
https://youtu.be/y-CC2jOVNSI?si=pStcEPe2p9rHnsXe
February 22nd, 2026 at 17:31@15
Awww it’s ok sweety, English isn’t my first language either 😊🤗
But if there is something we don’t understand, we can always ask!
I really like Ian’s FB page, and I think Monica (oh I hope that is her name) who takes care of his page is doing a great job.
I joined Facebook in ‘24 (mostly because of my work) and very soon found Ian Gillan and Deep Purple 😃
Thank you very much for the links 😊
Yes, Steve Morse is indeed amazing – and I enjoy listening to him very much.
But when I do prefer Ritchie, well, maybe it’s because of his erratic attitude 😄 not that I like men behaving like that in my personal life, not at all! But it added to the suspense didn’t it? And woah he could do things too with a guitar…. Just like Jon could with the Hammond, Ian P could with the drums, and certainly also Roger could do thinks with his bass – not to forget the vocalist! Ian Gillan’s voice was phenomenal in Mark ll! (Well still is imho! How many 80 yo can sing like that 🤩)
And those 5 guys together lifted me up like no band before or after ever had 😃
May I ask you, when did you start listening to Purple?
February 23rd, 2026 at 11:20@ 16 – “I joined Facebook in ‘24 (mostly because of my work) and very soon found Ian Gillan and Deep Purple 😃”
February 23rd, 2026 at 15:59What, you relegated IG and DP to an after thought Karin, second on the agenda, I don’t believe that, he he he.
We all roll our eyes, Anton and René included. Shouldn’t that be “I joined Facebook because of Ian Gillan and Deep Purple, then realised it could also be handy for my work.” Now that sounds much more realistic Karin, don’t you think? Cheers.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTijJh9jlf5MqYjPnhOATvDuD7w2qEG7Eac2w&s
I will watch with bated breath how this Ritchie vs Steve battle between our two super heroines will turn out!
https://i.makeagif.com/media/2-04-2021/gC9KN8.gif
And take note of this confession guys:
But when I do prefer Ritchie, well, maybe it’s because of his erratic attitude 😄 not that I like men behaving like that in my personal life, not at all! But it added to the suspense didn’t it?
There you have it, it’s like they always say, being a nice guy gets you nowhere except into the friend zone. ☝️🧐
February 23rd, 2026 at 17:11Karin discovered Ian Gillan and Deep Purple only in 2024 via Facebook?! The girl’s a late bloomer!
You would have expected her to hear about Ian already in the early 80s when GILLAN – according to some sources at least – were supposedly very popular in the Kingdom of Denmark …
February 23rd, 2026 at 20:16@1
Uwe, I discovered Ian and Purple ON FACEBOOK in ‘24!
I have known and loved them since my early adolescence 😍
And you are completely right, Gillan (the band) was insanely popular in my hood 💜
February 24th, 2026 at 05:29@17
Well MacGregor, I have read in here how Svante has to read everything we present to the poor man, so I’m afraid he will roll his eyes a lot when I reveal when I started to appreciate and adore Purple and their vocalist…
However – I actually joined Facebook because of my work as a homeopath.
And after had settled there, one day I casually looked for Purple and Ian, and found them 😃
The rest is history…
Like yourself I hated and detested Facebook and the likes, but now I spend a lot of joyful time there…. Learning new stuff every single day about my favourite band, about other people, about life in general and about the life of a devotee of Ian and Purple, cos we’re many in there who seem to think Ian is the very best singer, ever! 🤭
February 24th, 2026 at 05:54@18
Beate and I don’t fight, right Beate?🤗
Uwe, I was talking about the behaviour of Ritchie on stage!😊
The friend zone you say? That’s not a bad place to rest, not at all 😃
But please tell me Uwe, which guitarist is your favourite?
I guess it is this guy:
https://youtu.be/Eb1JFC2_lLc?si=BSNhl8hxHY_KMn7i
Or is it he:
https://youtu.be/7i0-juAjChg?si=K5iQXmPeKuBt4lFa
(Aka Paul Gilbert)
Or what about the chief:
https://youtu.be/XBIyFiGzWZs?si=LGyAGtzMsLQVdiVb
(I have read somewhere in here how you appreciate acoustic guitars 😁)
Or do you adore this full-lipped version:
https://youtu.be/whQQpwwvSh4?si=_oWiYtDYe5_d3Ik9
No it’s Andy, isn’t it:
https://youtu.be/zM0IWyQ5zcg?si=XrrMvFBpC_FguX1d
No, I’m just being silly, of course it’s Richie Faulkner:
https://youtu.be/V-WgGGuXSAU?si=BLzTne0dCm_AnCYz
He is not bad at all….
But for me it is:
https://youtu.be/uEFChMd8-7U?si=w7FsxL2KuezgU-Q5
But of course also:
https://youtu.be/rk0MjE71e4s?si=1oUsuoe9YaeLp1uU
And not to forget this former Red-head:
February 24th, 2026 at 06:21https://youtu.be/slRC423yHtc?si=6Q5H0LoU3EQFTPP9
@18
Dear Uwe,
we dont have a battle, we just started to exchange opinions!
Why do men always think of “battle” and “war”?
And generally said, I hate this “Steve vs. Ritchie”-thing! They are both outstanding in their own way!
@16 Karin, i will answer later when I have more time. But I could not resist to answer to “Mr. oh look we even have women here”!
February 24th, 2026 at 08:07@23
Beate! 😃😁
You are my kind of woman!
Looking so much forward to hear from you, as I’m pretty sure ‘Mr. oh look we even have women here’ do too 🤣
February 24th, 2026 at 10:00‘Mr. oh look we even have women here’
🤣🥰
Well, at least my general, elevating and empowering concern for the advancement of our sistas here, in equal parts fueled by patriarchal benevolence and sincere scientific curiosity, does not go unnoticed! 🤗
I don’t know if I really have a favorite guitarist anymore, I like a lot of them. As an all round musician it might even be Tommy Bolin, but that is perhaps a distorted picture because he died so young at the height of his creativity so his work is locked in nostalgic amber for me.
February 24th, 2026 at 16:05@ 23 – some men Beate, some men. Not all of us male creatures are esteemed in war and battles. I have Scottish and Irish heritage, I have no idea of what you could be talking about, he he he. Loved your comment about Uwe’s comment and while you have your foot on his throat, keep it there really really firmly. He will soon change his ways. It worked for me at least, even if only occasionally, it is a good feeling. The only thing wrong with the image below is there is no permanent gag in his mouth. An apple would only be temporary, so I suggest a titanium or granite ball gag. There is no way he will ever be eating his way out of that and the permanant silence for all of us here at THS will be GOLDEN. Cheers.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wimmelbilder/comments/etm2n4/tied_down_by_mattias_adolfsson/#lightbox
February 25th, 2026 at 06:01@25
Thank you for your fatherly support and concern 😁
But the “sincere scientific curiosity” puzzles me….
I almost can see you place a damsel under a microscope to investigate 😄
To me the man folk have always been a source of inspiration, mystery and joy! Particularly when the men tries to understand women! I mean, we don’t even understand us, so how could the other part?
Which reminds me of a tune with your favourite guitarist:
February 25th, 2026 at 06:11https://youtu.be/gjL-YX_vo6o?si=1ssx2_s0B37G5c-O
Describes the curiosity pretty well!
@16 and 24
February 25th, 2026 at 17:44Hello Karin,
my story goes like this: as a teenager, first I was walking in a “Black Night”, fearing to become “Paranoid”. But then I was hit by a “Fireball” and then I knew what my favourite music and band was.
Going back in time a little with the daughter of my mother’s friend, who had the “in Rock”-Album, I discovered the best voice in rock ever: Ian Gillan. But I always had a soft spot for the guitarists. To make a guitar sing is not an easy thing to do (and Steve is THE master for me).
IMO, DP was always not as “simple” with their music as the other hard rock bands and this continues until today.
But I have to confess that I liked Uriah Heep (but only with David Byron because of his voice) and their polyphonic harmony singing. And both had unusual pieces: only two examples: “April” and “Salisbury”.
Uwe:
I have been long suffering with respect to your sexist remarks about women, but I feel I can not stay silent any longer.
To make such disgusting remarks behind the meagre defense of jokes and humour is bad enough, but to make them on a post regarding Steve’s memorial piece to Janine?
Your attempt to hide your mysogyny behind jokes and humour has gone too far this time – it’s crass, in poor taste and in my view, incredibly insensitive given the context of this post. Please, stop.
If you tell me to lighten up, that you’re just joking, I’m going to tell you to can it. I won’t be tolerating your sexist attitude and jokes any longer – please start showing some respect to the women in this forum, and at the very least refrain from making such jokes. In my view, it’s uncalled for and completely unacceptable. Please, stop. Your behavior is not okay.
To Karen and Beate: I regret not speaking out sooner, and I apologize. If Uwe starts up with this nonsense again, rest assured I will be saying something to him, again and again, until he gets it and puts that ball gag in his mouth!
February 25th, 2026 at 20:10Thanks for posting and reminding, Karin, what a lovely and mature ballad that was about a chance meeting with a former lover – Bolin’s intimate and romantic, yet hesitant vocals and words are master class.
The string arrangement is brilliant too.
February 25th, 2026 at 20:33@28
I like him too…
What I didn’t like was his position in Purple, because for me only one man is the singer in Purple.
February 26th, 2026 at 10:26But listening to his solo work is quite something. Sadly he died so young.
@28
Thank you Beate 🤗
Oh that’s a great start into the wonderful world of Deep Purple!
And I’m totally with you re In Rock, that was my first album with the fab 5 too.
I simply sat down when I first heard Ian’s voice, I was very young, and I had never heard such a voice before!
My mum hated that kind of music, she was much more into Elvis so we had some clashes there.
But I continued to adore Purple, and soon after I got In Rock, I bought Machine Head. And the rest is, as they say: history 😊
I do agree with you re guitarists! And yes Steve is magnificent 😊
But for me it was Ritchie who won me over, and I was so sad when I heard he had left Purple so abruptly. I was afraid the band would end, because who could ever take over?
Luckily Steve came on board after the year with JS, and he was indeed a worthy follower.
Maybe, MAYBE, I have mentioned this, but I am going to see these five fine men twice this year, and I am over the moon (and a lot of other planets) about it 🤩
February 26th, 2026 at 17:32@29
Mike, Uwe is actually quite nice 😊
Sadly I don’t know him privately but only in here, and he has shown his soft sides so many times, and the bantering is just that: making some fun 😄
You know the boys who pulled the girl’s pig tales in the school yard. And that’s all it is 😃
I have never been offended by him. I grew up with 4 (four!) older brothers who were much much worse than him, and I survived 😁
He is a very kind man who always helps out whenever I’ve asked him questions I could have googled! But you see, he knows almost everything so I do trust him over AI 😊
And Uwe, I guess you owe me a nice cup of coffee now! 😃
February 26th, 2026 at 17:37Mike, I welcome and applaud your engagement for others because it would be a good thing IF your assumptions about me were true! 🤗
For the record:
1. I believe that the world would be a thoroughly better place for all of us with more female input and leadership. Wimmin aren’t always angels, but at the very least they dilute and fence in the evils men sometimes bring as the (still) more prevalent force. Calle me a feminist, I don’t see it as an insult.
2. In my professional career, I was regularly – especially by younger men seeing their historic privileges endangered – chided for giving women preferential treatment. Affirmative action, DEI – I’m all for that and manosphere laments about women being favored are countered by me with the comment: And about time too – after millenias of subjugation of women.
3. I adhere to the Freudian idea that sex is a primal force/drive in all of us and that it also shapes how we perceive each other (and not just sexually/on an attraction level). I make sexist remarks about everyone, irrespective of gender (and believe that there are more than two). But if you have read my posts about what I think of the lyrics of Rainbow’s All Night Long, then you should realize that a line like “don’t know about your brain, but you look alright” would never leave my lips or the tips of my fingers typing a keyboard. It’s a crass and inane statement saying more about who says it than the person it is directed at.
4. Karin, Beate or any other woman venturing into this mancave a Purple site like the HS is always likely going to be, I welcome(d) them wholeheartedly and think they greatly benefit the discourse. Going back to my professional career: I believe in the superiority of mixed teams (and even mixed societies). If I have ever written anything they might see as seriously derogatory (and not just lampooning clichés and stereotypes, I generally go out of my way to let that shine through between the lines), then I herewith offer my apologies. I’d be distraught if the Gillanesse and the Morse Maiden would no longer roam our threads here. But yeah, I crack low pc jokes about wimmin too, just as I refer to Rob Halford as “Auntie Roberta” though I adore the man in all his gayness that make JP so entertaining to me.
5. I hope that clarifies my stance. But there is always two sides to the coin, where people really think/fear my (usually benign) loudmouth quips are overstepping, it is fine for me if they call me out on that. As such, it is good you raised the point, Mike, and gave me the chance to elaborate:
If I (remotely) were what you fear(ed) – I hope the past tense applies – I am, I’d be on your side too! 😘
PS: As for Steve’s “memorial piece” for Janine, I made my sentiments clear on that at #1 in this thread.
February 26th, 2026 at 18:29@34
Uwe! You would be greatly missed in here, should you retire 😭😭
Please keep on the bantering, makes me crack up every single time!
And PLEASE let go of any PC! I really dislike political correctness in all its forms…
Persons who know me privately will say that about me!
And let us end this worshipping of Uwe Hornung with this beautiful song:
https://youtu.be/BmpwvxW0gW0?si=kPK3VA81lt-qdKaw
🤗🤗
February 27th, 2026 at 08:17Big Mama Thornton’s epic version of the song (she didn’t write it, Leiber/Stoller did, but her version was the first release of the song in 1952) makes any other version I know, male or female, sound lightweight in comparison. Her original oozes swamp authenticity. Even Elvis’ rather good version of the track was – in line with the times and then still prevailing formatted & segregated radio – audibly whitewashed and popified. But that is how blues and rock’n’roll found an entrance with white listeners.
The history of the song and Big Mama Thornton’s performance of it is really interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hound_Dog_(song)
February 27th, 2026 at 16:05“And Uwe, I guess you owe me a nice cup of coffee now! 😃”
Don’t be so greedy, woman, you still have to work for that Paicey drum stick via IGB atonement and naming your favorite tracks once the boxed set is out! 😂
No, seriously, I very much appreciate your humor in reacting to my “pig tail pulling”, tusind tak!
February 27th, 2026 at 16:38@29 @33
Well …it’s always good fun to see a knight in shining armour showing up to save the ones that don’t want – or need – to be saved. It might take some getting used to for some of us cave men but : Females can speak for themselves…now let that sink in. And they even can take a joke or two I found. Thanks for speaking up Karin. I would have had to go out of my way to defense our favourite lawyer myself.
February 27th, 2026 at 22:19@37
Hey!
Haven’t received any IGB boxset yet, so cannot claim any song, but I promise I’ll listen carefully and because of the formidable voice belonging to Ian, I will claim at least a couple to be my favourite 😃
Ohhh that drumstick will find a nice home with my ‘all-things Purple’ 😍
Yes I appreciate Big Mama Thornton’s song, and much much more than the BT who butchered it completely 😁
It has been recorded more than 250 times!
Tell me – did you do it in your band?
Wikipedia mentions this woman:
https://youtu.be/dNG-0L-mldc?si=T371WLudcZSCa85j
I prefer Big Mama’s song 😃
February 27th, 2026 at 22:56This guy:
https://youtu.be/MtIibcNDQ6o?si=a2KL7LGtqPRDJq6m
Has danced off 🥺
Thanks for the music 🎶
February 27th, 2026 at 23:13Uwe:
Thank you for elaborating your position. I appreciate your honesty.
It might be vast cultural differences between Canada and Germany, and where I am from, it is not okay to be making such comments – we would not consider them to be jokes or humor here. If you were to call yourself a male feminist and continue to make them, you would be regarded as something of a hypocrite and a fake feminist, and people would not tolerate such attempts at humour here. Such remarks are not considered funny, and many Canadians, myself included, find them disgusting. We do not make these kinds of jokes, ever.
I will be equally honest with you: I find your defense to be incredibly confusing – I cannot see how you can make such remarks about women and consider yourself a progressive. I really don’t like your attempts at humour, and I actively dislike that you’ve decided to try and illustrate how forward thinking you are while still making these kinds of comments.
In my culture, progressive values and ‘edgy’ humour don’t mix, and you would be asked very bluntly to stop as I have done with you, because such ‘jokes; are considered very hurtful in my country. It is not okay to make them where I come from if you are not part of the group the joke is about – for instance, I am disabled and would be allowed to make terrible jokes about disabled people with other disabled people, but it would not be considered okay for an able bodied person to make such jokes about disabled people – and I feel disappointed that you continue to engage in these kinds of jokes.
I am recognizing here that my response is about me, my culture and my values. I am at least glad to see that Karin has not taken offense to your remarks, and so I will not speak for her or Beate or any other woman on this forum, and I apologize if my remarks came off as if I was. That was not my intention.
My intention, and I will make this clear, is that in my view your attempts at humour are considered by me to be not okay, and I find them abhorrent, and not funny at all.
I don’t like that you continue to make them, and in this particular respect (and *only* in this particular respect), I don’t like your behaviour. Other than this area, I have enjoyed your comments and your humour, and your perspectives.
However, I cannot abide such jokes that clearly go against my own values and who I am as a person and which I consider to be very hurtful. What you are doing is not okay to me, and I wish you would stop, and, I accept that I cannot stop you and that you are free to do as you like.
Speaking for myself, these jokes make me feel very uncomfortable and unwelcome, because I am disabled and queer myself (and Rob is one of my heroes!). While I am not a woman, I have been through a hell of a lot of bullying in my life, and a lot of therapy for it, and so while I can now see the difference in your intentions, your jokes still hurt because of what I’ve been through in my life.
You never know what someone has been through, and how jokes are going to land. Am I sensitive? Yes. Do I find your jokes hurtful? Yes. Is this because of my life experiences and trauma? Also yes. That does not invalidate my pain.
I am asking you to stop or at the very least tone it down, because while I can see you have good intentions here, jokes like the ones you make still hurt because of what I and others have been through in life. So please, out of consideration for me and perhaps others here who might also be uncomfortable because of your humour but feel they cannot speak out for whatever reason, please dial the amp volume back from 11 and be a bit more sensitive with your humour.
Thank you.
February 28th, 2026 at 07:24@29 Mike
Mike, thank you very much for your open and clear words. I think you express what many of the readers of this site are annoyed of.
@34 Uwe, thank you for your open and honest answer.
Communication is difficult sometimes, esp. when we do not share the same humour. But IMO sexism is sexism, even when it’s hidden behind tons of funny emojis!
But I think we find a way with a little more respect.
@33Karin, yes you „survived“ the boys at school and your brothers. But I bet, there are many scratches and scars on your soul. This is an experience that many girls and women make and we should not regard this as „normal“.
@26 MacGregor
You are right in some way, but I don’t like the images you use. I don’t want to put a foot on someone‘s throat, I want people to breathe free and say what they think and share their opinions- but without making jokes that might offend sb.
Last Thursday, I watched a very interesting discussion on TV about the way we speak today. Violence begins with words – we should never tolerate that!
So let’s discuss our favorite music and musicians with a little more awareness that not everybody shares the same native language and the same humor to avoid misunderstanding or offending.
February 28th, 2026 at 09:10@38
Max, I tell ya I can take a joke! And yes Sir, indeed I can defend myself. I am a lioness, hear me roar (whoops should have been with capital letters, shouldn’t it? 😊)
February 28th, 2026 at 17:58In the little country where I originate from, it is often said: lad være med at tage tingene så tungt! Translated it’s something like: don’t take it so seriously 😊
And I love that! Ohh man life can very soon be too much a burden, so instead I smile, laugh even now and then (😉) and just love being alive and am grateful I can communicate with people like yourself Max, who also appreciate Purple in all its glory 🤩
Uwe is indeed also my favourite lawyer (psst: I don’t have any lawyer 😁) so let’s stick together in here and remember to smile and send a little warm hug 💜🤗
@42
Dear Beate,
Thank you for your concern, but I can promise you that I don’t carry any scars 😊 actually I have always had my best friends among the guys.
On the contrary, and I can see from Mike’s comment (@41) that this may be a cultural phenomenon. So that might be the reason for the confusion.
I love to make fun and to be made fun of! I really do! When it is done with finesse!
Those who know me personally know how wholeheartedly I can laugh!
In my country, Denmark, at least in my group of friends, we show how much we like each other with how much (hardcore) fun we make of each other 😃
The better the friends, the rougher the jokes.
But I am of course thankful for Mike’s enlightenment regarding cultural differences, however I will allow myself to laugh out loud at Uwe’s comments, because in my weird brain they are indeed funny! As I also do whenever Max shoots jokes in my direction, and others in here who find it funny that I have absolutely no musical experience and understanding, but all I can do is comment how the beautiful music of Purple makes my brain shine in different colours (I have this phenomenon called synesthesia).
When I explain in here that Ian Gillan’s voice is adorable, it is based on the colours in my head, and likewise re Ritchie. I have absolutely no idea why they are geniuses, I just know they are 😍
Finally I will tell you that I am here voluntarily, no one (not even Uwe! 😄) held a gun to my head and made me stay here.
I love the informal way we talk to each other.
And I can promise you, Uwe takes as much heat as he ditch out, that is one of the nice things about him!
May I end this with a lovely song from our favourite band, Deep Purple, where I can sense a lot of fun in the lyrics (I remember you Max expressing that too 😊)
February 28th, 2026 at 18:31https://youtu.be/UAKCR7kQMTQ?si=KRV0yEcvMZEQMvbB
Mike @41:
This might be true in your circle, but please do not speak for the whole country.
Thank you.
/fellow Canadian
February 28th, 2026 at 18:37#45
Nick, fair enough, I won’t speak for you (because you can’t speak for the whole country either, and I am guessing you were referring to yourself), that was my mistake and I apologize. That said, there are many places in Canada where these kinds of jokes and behaviour are not considered okay – it has been my experience as a Canadian that for the most part, Canadians do not tolerate these kinds of jokes or remarks for exactly the reasons I’ve mentioned.
Your values are your own, and they are not mine, that’s fair. I consider my values to be values held by many Canadians, as I’m sure you do your own, and I hold them proudly as Canadian values just as I’m guessing you do yours.
I will still hold by what I said that the kinds of jokes made here would not be tolerated by and large in many parts of Canada, as that has been my experience as a Canadian, and no one can take that from me. If these jokes are tolerated in parts of Canada, and elsewhere, I view that as a problem to be solved because of the harm these jokes do. Even if people cannot recognize the harm done, that does not mean it isn’t there! It just means people cannot observe it for whatever reason.
I will not back down from voicing my position and for advocating for more mindful humour in this forum and elsewhere, in order to mitigate emotional suffering, nor should I.
I have a right to speak as much as you do and voice my opposition – apologies again for accidentally speaking on your behalf, or anyone else’s in this forum.
Regardless, I will still speak up, because in my view to not do so allows harm to go on, and I feel compelled to mitigate harm and suffering, because I have alot of compassion and empathy because of what I’ve been through in my life. If it wasn’t okay for me to experience these kinds of jokes, it certainly can’t be okay for others to experience, and I know I am not alone here in that experience. To stay silent is to be complicit in this harm, in my view, and therefore, I feel compelled to speak up and act in accordance with my conscience.
May you be well, and may everyone in this forum come to a deeper understanding of themselves, and one another.
March 1st, 2026 at 06:23@41 @43
Good points, Karin.
And yes, it seems a bit strange to support Deep Purple and stand up for pc – as we have just experienced some people do. Ian Gillan has spoken out against the spirit behind pc several times. And just read his lyrics, folks!
March 1st, 2026 at 07:04‘No drinks, no smokes, no dicking around, no dirty jokes…what’s next? No sex…that’s the end of the line, we got no hope..” Pictures of Innocence from Bananas
In fact being a Gillan fan and praising pc must give you a hard time. Oh…but DP isn’t just IG of course! Another singer in the band was David Coverdale …who’s take on female attraction might not be to everyone’s liking. Slide it in anyone? It is more than ok to dislike that stuff (or…as DC sang: ‘Spit it out if you don’t like it…) but preaching pc in a forum dedicated to a band like this seems a bit odd.
@47
Ohhh Max!! 🤣🤣
Now you have completely ruined my girlish innocence!
“David Coverdale …who’s take on female attraction might not be to everyone’s liking. Slide it in anyone?”
– I thought it was regarding coin toss in a carousel!
“DC sang: ‘Spit it out if you don’t like it”
– not to shock you but I’m pretty sure it’s about pickiness towards certain foods!
Ok, back to the more serious business: as far as I’m concerned I’m completely ok with other people’s opinions and choices, AS LONG as they respect mine!
But I will not be dictated other people’s values, not here, not anywhere…
I will on the other hand take the utmost care not to make other people sad or worried. But I guess in such a forum as these holy halls of all Purple and all the branches, we all need to become a little more generous and spacious. And that goes of course both ways 😊
Let me end this with a lovely song our very own Ian Gillan sang some years ago, and please regard his choices of words, it is actually one of my favourite songs:
https://youtu.be/ibAn3LdDP74?si=szbQIdH1wclwbe5B
Have a lovely Sunday everybody 🤗😙
March 1st, 2026 at 13:22And to quote my other hero: May the strong coffee be with you (slightly rewritten)
Isn’t it ironic that a thread captioned “A Very Personal Piece” morphs into one where der liebe Mike and I exchange arguments about our personal views and values? Before getting into it more deeply, thanks to the Admins for letting this discussion take place at all, I’ll try to keep it short(ish) 😑 and not insult anyone.
1. I do not profess to be an expert on Canadian culture, the few times I’ve been there the country struck me as a sensible and charming mix of what is good in Great Britain, Scandinavia and the US. You Canucks miraculously pulled the best from all three. Those Canadians I have personally met do not generally seem to be averse to ironic, sarcastic and even sardonic humor, but granted most Canucks I have worked with come from my (legal) trade and we’re all terrible people, I know.
2. Disabilities & queerness: Mike, if I only so much as dreamt about attacking anyone on these points, I would rise from sleep in a cold sweat, thank all non-existing gods that it was only a nightmare and then proceed to seek psychological help for myself! Believe me, some things are sacred even for me.
That said, it’s great to hear that you appreciate Auntie Roberta/the Metal God too! We’ve taken too much for granted …
Incidentally, my social circle is populated with male gay couples, that comes from my first wife always having – for whatever reasons – a lot of gay friends, and as her and I parted amicably, I never lost contact to them and see them regularly. Two of them are the godfathers of my grandson. I must however say that as regards cracking low (or even no!) pc jokes about gays AND straights most of them are terribly loose-lipped and for that reason hilarious to have around. I could tell you jokes from them that would make you blush and break all wokeness sound barriers.
3. I wonder whether our cultural differences are not at their heart of generational nature? I don’t know your age, but I’m what you would likely call (once you have reassured yourself that I am indeed not something even darker) a lefty-liberal old white man, an oxymoron so to say. I was born 1960 and had a – as a young man – committedly lefty nine year older brother whom I adored. He not only brought home Deep Purple In Rock in 1970 (I was amazed at the cover though I didn’t yet understand the music), but also had posters of Angela Davis, Che Guevara, Rudi Dutschke, marxist and anti-Vietnam War-literature, staunchly lefty magazines (some of them with, gulp!, naked wimmin!) and AS Neill’s Summerhill setting out his concept of adult authority-free childrearing and education. You could say I’m dyed in the wool lefty and never shed that skin, not even as a law firm partner. It just stuck.
But to me the whole concept of being – in the late 60s and 70s at least – counterculture goes hand in hand with irony, sarcasm and sardonic humor (I try to avoid being cynical), a constant testing of not only accepted majority views and beliefs held by the powers that be, but also of your own opposing set of values and beliefs. I like playing the devil’s advocate
https://i0.wp.com/landbote.info/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PARDON_Teufel.gif?ssl=1
and I also enjoy making people think by putting out something seemingly “you don’t say that”-inapt without literally meaning it: Just like one says Break a leg! to someone to wish him well, i.e. the opposite of what the words literally say. The way I conduct discourse, I sometimes conjure images of the forbidden to keep it contained and checked. Does that make sense? 😎 Most people call me a “Schnodderschnauze”, but seem to get how I tick. It‘s probably easier to notice when you see me talking, my wife says that whenever I intend to contribute something outrageous (generally followed by her laconic interjection: „I don‘t even know this guy!“ 🤣) I pout my lips in a certain way, so she already knows that something is coming way ahead.
Like I said, I am an old and grizzled progressive and (retired) social justice warrior who has sympathies for quite a few beliefs that are nowadays called woke, but I don’t follow woke convention do’s and don’t’s, perish the thought! Part of my counterculture upbringing was also reading >i>Fritz The Cat comics
https://share.google/mOyI7cohgJyyOtRra
and Charles Bukowski – fuck, they both were as un-pc and sexist as hell even back then! 🤗
4. “If these jokes are tolerated in parts of Canada, and elsewhere, I view that as a problem to be solved because of the harm these jokes do.”
Without wishing to sound like Jordan Peterson (not all Canadians can be perfect, I forgive you for him, do you speak for him as well?! 😱🤣), ouch, Mike, that is decidedly too close to Orwell’s 1984 for me, thoughtcrime doubleplusnotgood. (Reverse) Cancel culture and the intolerant views of the Evangelical Right come to mind … Mike, please 🙏, don’t be like them! Disconnecting what someone says from who says it, how (s)he says it and how (s)he intends it, is really hermeneutical Stone Age, I had hoped we were over that …
I’m by no means a free speech radical in a US-American, social network anarchy sense – there have to be limits and there are limits for me. But there has to be a balance between allowing questioning of beliefs and bringing up taboos in a discourse where people still listen to each other on one hand and wildly insulting and harming other people just for the heck of it (or to enrage them) on the other. So when I tease and taunt Beate for liking Steve Morse then that is saying (i) hey, that’s noteworthy because it’s unusual and defying stereotypes (always a good thing), (ii) more power to you!
5. My contrarian/combative nature is somewhat balanced by my middle child desire to be loved, so, perhaps surprisingly, I don’t aim to hurt people (but I do try to make them laugh, either about me or about themselves), least of all someone like you. So I will give my best to be more gentle going forward, knowing fully well that I will never be able to meet exacting woke communication standards, ok?
Best
Uwe
March 1st, 2026 at 21:45Max:
One can love a band and their music and not agree with the personal politics of the band members. I love Ian Gillan dearly as a singer, however, I do not share his anti pc positions. That said, I still love the band and hold the views that I do.
It may surprise you to learn that I am anti censorship. At no point did I say to Uwe “You can’t say this!” – I asked him to please stop. I can understand that with my first initial response, it may have come across that I was telling him to stop, given that I was upset, and once I calmed down, I politely asked him to. Even in the throes of my passion, I put a please before the stop, and in my view, that implies an ask. If I have come across as some pro-censorship woke lefty, you should all know I am anything but.
I do not believe these jokes are okay to tell for the most part (it would be different, if say I were to make terrible gay jokes with other gay people around, being queer myself, and we could all laugh at them together), and, I also respect people’s agency.
You will note that I *asked* Uwe to stop and that I also said he is free to choose as he pleases (even if I don’t like his choice, I still have to respect his ability to make choices for himself).
That said, freedom of speech also means I have the right to speak up, voice my displeasure, and ask people to stop – I deserve to feel comfortable and safe in this forum as much as anyone else, and I have a right to make my asks and attempt to put a boundary in place if I feel unsafe or uncomfortable, which I did.
I don’t think it was Uwe’s intention for his words to cause me to feel this way at all (if anything, I think he was trying to bring some joy to this forum!), and because I have been bullied an awful lot in my life, trauma arose for me, and I asked him to stop or tone it down because I was feeling uncomfortable because I’ve gone through the things in life that I have. I was putting a boundary in place, and it is my right to put my boundaries in place and ask people to adhere to them so I can feel safe too.
This is not censorship in my view, as people don’t have to adhere to my ask (and if they don’t, I will ask again, as I did with Uwe) but a necessary part of keeping oneself safe in the world at large.
I hope you can better understand where I am coming from now and can recognize the difference between making an ask and dictating terms. If I came across the second way in any of these posts, apologies. I can sometimes come across as more forceful than I intend to when I respond from a place of trauma, which is why I have been subsequently much gentler in my replies, having calmed myself down.
Uwe:
To start my response, let me give you a bit of background context about me. First off, regarding my age, I turned 40 in December. I was born in 1985, during Purple’s Perfect Strangers tour. I am what is known as an Elder Millennial.
I absolutely agree that there are generational differences here between you and me, as well as cultural ones. Thank you for telling me more about yourself, I feel I understand you and where you are coming from so much better now!
It may surprise you to learn that like you, I also value being counterculture, being a rebel, questioning authority, upending social norms and taboos and in general being a shit disturber. This may shock you given the stance that I have taken, and while I am a hardcore far Leftist, I also do not like the way the Left has gone about dealing with harmful speech.
As I said to Max, there’s a difference between making an ask, and dictating terms. I absolutely do not like how the Left tends to dictate terms and be all pro censorship in a very moralizing manner. That said, I felt compelled to speak up and express that I didn’t feel your behaviour was okay because I have been through so much bullying in my life and because your words were causing me to feel unsafe because of the bullying I’ve been through .
I completely understand where you’re coming from in terms of saying something outrageous to get people to think, to upend social norms to get people to think. I do the same – I often talk about sex in detail in public spaces, and generally shit disturb, in order to up end those social mores. I often talk about politics in public spaces quite openly.
In some circles in Canada, that is not seen as okay.
Recently, I was having dinner with someone I care very much about. I started doing my usual shit disturbing in the restaurant by starting a political discussion in public, they asked me to stop. Not wanting to be censored, I pushed on, and this person let me know they did not like that I was not respecting their boundaries, and still saw my kind intentions in terms of wanting to bring about positive change by stirring up shit.
Eventually, I stopped, but I found myself bothered by the fact that I’d disrespected their boundaries by complete accident, and yet, I still felt the need to upend social taboos and bring about change. The question for me became: how can I do both?
My answer was to keep shit disturbing and stop when someone asks me to stop, because I want to respect their personal boundaries. This is why I asked you to stop and respected your freedom to choose – I totally love and appreciate your penchant for social shit disturbing, as I am also like you!
And when someone asks us to stop, they are ultimately asking us to stop because some sort of trauma or painful memory has arisen for them, through no fault of our own. If we continue to press their boundaries, then I feel that is disrespecting their boundaries, either intentionally or by accident.
I don’t think you intended to disrespect my boundaries – I recognize it was a complete accident that you did, and I forgive you for it. You’re a great guy, and I think you and I are more alike exactly as I think you’ve surmised. Never once did I think you were a bigot – I knew that whatever sexism or mysogyny was there was likely by accident, not by intention. I actually like you quite alot!
I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to me and to be more gentle with your humour, thank you for respecting my boundary, I appreciate that. When people ask you to stop in the future, please consider stopping out of respect for their boundaries.
Finally, when I said that these jokes being tolerated is a problem to be solved, this is what I meant – not some pro Orwellian censorship stance, but the problem to me is that people are saying to others that they are not feeling safe or comfortable when the jokes are told because of what they’ve been through in life and are trying to put a boundary in place so they can feel safe and comfortable again, and then the people on the other end feel censored and continue to disrespect those boundaries, often unintentionally. And when those boundaries are disrespected, whether the joke teller intends to or not, harm has been done either way, often by complete accident.
This dynamic of boundaries not being respected while still respecting freedom of speech is a problem that needs to be solved – to me, in tolerating these jokes, we allow them to spread, and the harm continues. And yet, you’re right, freedom of speech still needs to be respected.
This is why I will shit disturb and upend social mores and stop when someone asks me to, out of respect to them and their boundaries.
Consider also: voice tone and body language are lost in text. When you make these kinds of jokes with close friends in person who know you well, your voice and body language communicate so much, your intentions are clear.
But on an internet forum where all you have is text and everyone here doesn’t know each other too well and we’re all pretty much Perfect Strangers to each other?
Not so much.
So much gets lost in translation because we’re not doing this in person and because we barely know each other. I’ll be totally honest – I occasionally make un pc off colour gay jokes with really close friends, but usually in person and usually only with people who know me really, really well. I almost never make them online (and if I do, I’ll make sure it’s with people who know my kind intentions), because I don’t know how it’s going to land because I don’t know how the person online is going to receive it.
I ask for you to please consider all this the next time you wish to crack a joke on here, and I appreciate your efforts to be gentler with your speech. In turn, I will do my best to keep your kind intentions and sarcasm in mind – sarcasm often gets lost by me, either in person or in text, so your tone totally went Whoosh! over my head.
You are, I am certain, a really great guy and mean well, as am I. I’m really glad we are able to have this discourse and that the admins didn’t shut us down, as these kinds of conversations are really important to have if we’re to ever have any change in this world!
Despite what some on here may perceive of me, I am anti censorship and pro dialogue, and I will openly criticize my fellow Leftists when they engage in shutting down discussions, because if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s authoritarianism of any sort.
If I came across as authoritarian in any way at any point to anyone here, I apologize (I’m Canadian, it’s something we’re really good at! No, I won’t stop doing it as I am afraid the maple syrup that runs in my blood compels me to keep apologizing – and yes, *that* was sarcasm on my part!). Trauma can make you do weird things sometimes and act contrary to what you really believe, and I promise to be more live and let live while still making my asks and putting my boundaries in place when I feel I need to.
So, in sum Uwe, I forgive you for accidentally disrespecting my boundaries, and I can tell you’re a great guy. For my part, I’m sorry if I made you feel judged at any point, it wasn’t my intention – my intention was to express my disgust and point out the harm I felt you were doing, to be clear – and I’ll continue to work on being less judgmental, as it’s something I am actively working on.
I am really glad we got to have this discussion, as I feel I have gotten to know and understand you better. Thanks for being so kind and patient with me, I know I can be a bit of a firebrand sometimes, and I’m glad we can take the time to understand and get to know each other better.
That, I feel, makes the whole process worth it.
In the spirit of reconciliation and humour, I’ll end by saying you also don’t need to tell me about gay men and loose lips, as I know all about that already in quite a few senses 😉
And no, I don’t speak for Jordan Peterson, as there’s one guy who certainly doesn’t need anyone to speak for him!
March 2nd, 2026 at 06:02MikeMaple Syrup Michelle, I think we both would have a great time together over dinner, I love to shit talk politics, sex and religion!I think our exchange was really beneficial and thanks especially for that last post of yours. Kudos to the HS for letting our therapy session stand.
You really struck a chord with me when you said you were feeling unsafe sometimes – that is something I hate for anyone to feel because of me, I don’t ever want to be viewed as a threat (I think that is deeply ingrained in most post-war Germans because of our history to the contrary, we don’t ever want to be perceived as threatening again, soccer games excepted 😂).
🌈🥰
March 2nd, 2026 at 15:42My boundaries reading about boundaries have really been pushed way beyond all boundaries. As a friend of mine once put it: when noone’s laughing anymore all will be good.
March 2nd, 2026 at 17:54@52
Brilliant! Simply brilliant 🙏🏼
March 3rd, 2026 at 06:15Liebe Uwe:
Thank you so much for the nick name, I died laughing, and have been resurrected once again through the necromantic arts!
Although, I think I’d prefer to be called Maple Syrup Michelina, as it was my Babcia’s name, so please, I’d prefer Maple Syrup Michelina as a way of honouring her, if you’d please (Nagoda is a Polish-Ukrainian surname, and not Japanese like everyone thinks and asks me if I’m Japanese. If you ever were to meet me in real life, you’d quickly discover I am not from Japan! There is however a town named Nagoda in Sri Lanka, and I once was declared a honorary Sri Lankan by someone from there who is fan of my music).
Oh yes, we’d probably get on like a house on fire, I agree. Dinner sounds lovely – if you ever visit Canada and come to Toronto, look me up!
March 3rd, 2026 at 07:02