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Tears to his eyes
Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night have appeared on April 14, 2026, on SiriusXM’s show Ozzy’s Boneyard. The interview is available to SiriusXM subscribers only (apparently there’s a free trial, if you’re inclined), but BraveWords has a quote from Ritchie about late Jon Lord:
I said to Jon Lord of Deep Purple, when we got together, it was Jon and I that got together. We were the first two to put it together, and then I got Ian Paice, blah, blah, blah. I remember saying to Jon, ‘who the hell are you?’ and Jon said, ‘well, I’m the keyboard player,’ and I said, ‘well, then play something,’ and as soon as he started playing, I felt honoured to play with him. He is like the typical gentleman. He should have been in those films… he is like a George Sanders of the rock and roll world. Whenever you ask him, ‘Jon, how are you doing?’ he’d go, ‘absolutely wonderful!’ I would be at the other… ya know… people would say to me, ‘how are you doing?’ and I would say, ‘I’m in various stages of deterioration,’ so Jon and I clicked. He got it. A wonderful man to go out to dinner with until he had more than 3 martinis, and then we would be talking about other subjects. I wrote the song ‘Carry On Jon’ about Jon, and I couldn’t even play it on stage. It brought tears to my eyes…
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
…”So I did this bull….t to Jon and to the rest of the group in Birmingham and during the whole TBRO tour, because I had so much respect for Jon, which was absolutely right from my egocentric point of view, but I had tears in my eyes, blah, blah, blah… And of course I loved Jon so much that I could not, simply COULD NOT go to Japan and had to tear out the Japanese visa from my passport, but I did this for my sheer love and respect to Jon and the group we had put together…” – you forgot to add, dear Mr. RB 😀 😀 😀
April 17th, 2026 at 07:09#1
Ah yes, the classic “rewrite history because I don’t like the man” approach.
Except it falls apart the moment you look at, you know… actual history. Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord didn’t spend decades in some bitter Shakespearean feud. They stayed in touch, met up over the years, and by all credible accounts there was mutual respect right up until Jon’s death.
Blackmore’s relationship with bands has always been… let’s call it selectively combustible. That’s not news. But trying to twist a pretty heartfelt tribute into some grand act of hypocrisy says more about the commenter than it does about either of them.
Also worth noting: you don’t write something like Carry On Jon for someone you secretly despise. That’s not how that works.
This isn’t exposing ego — it’s you projecting it
April 17th, 2026 at 13:55Ritchie and Jon weren’t close friends, but “mutual respect” sums it up pretty accurately I think. Jon was no danger to Ritchie’s rule of DP, but at the same time Blackers never treated him like an employee either, Jon didn’t rock the boat, but he gave grey hair advice to which sometimes even the guitarist would listen.
That doesn’t make Ritchie’s behavior in 1993 surprising, he can also be obnoxious with people he likes or respects (and regret it later on).
I don’t even think Ritchie has or ever had a really close friend (other than Candice), meaning a person he would share everything with. He is largely self-contained.
To me, Blackmore was more a tortured soul/neurotic than an egomaniac – but tortured souls/neurotics can be a pain in the butt in everyday life too.
April 17th, 2026 at 15:01Hilarious interview, Ritchie on top form here
April 17th, 2026 at 16:18I remember having seen or read an interview with Jon in which he recalls that Ritchie once said to him “I have been looking for keyboard players that sound just like you but I have never been able to find them. What is your secret?´
To which Jon’s reply apparently was ‘well, first of all, you have to be me’.
Anyway, I think Ritchie never really lost respect for anyone in Purple. Not even for Ian Gillan. Whom he likely hated, but he definitely considered him a great singer.
April 17th, 2026 at 18:57@2 Thank you.
April 17th, 2026 at 19:55Yes I was going to say something similar Rubber Haddock. Ritchie and Jon’s relationship is something that none of us know anything about really, the same with many others. And yes indeed, they did get back in touch with each other and leave things in the past. The good times surely out weigh the bad. Human interactions eh? Cheers.
April 17th, 2026 at 22:06#1 You’re wrong. Ritchie loves Jon Lord and had the utmost respect for him. But there was a lot of feuding between young men back in the day. Ritchie was extremely immature and Ian Gillan – although an incredibly kind guy at times – gets something up his nose and writes someone off (often for good) at the drop of a dime. You can hear and see Ian’s kindness when he interrupted his singing to yell at a security guard who was roughing up a fan in Denmark in 1972. Or when he started bopping a bouncer on the head in tune to Black Night in 1998 at Pine Knob between Detroit and Flint: a place where DP will return later this year. Or when Gillan sings about the Cold War on Child In Time. A deeply caring man, but with an angry, grudge-carrying side to his personality. Ritchie was just an angry man because he was an introvert dealing with aggressive people all around him. But Ritchie and everyone in Purple loves Jon Lord. Ritchie’s grown up. You have not.
April 17th, 2026 at 23:56#1 OMG
(= O…h M…y G…od ??
If your post will be true … who are you ??
kraatzy
April 18th, 2026 at 07:07It was Ian Gillan who irritated Blackmore not Jon Lord due to Ian’s lack of professionalism in not looking after his “instrument”. It has been spun that poor concerts post reunion were due to Blackmore’s moodiness, but often his bad moods were brought about by the fact that Gillan’s voice was in such terrible condition resulting in poor concerts. Blackmore buzzes when gigs go well but does not get that buzz when the vocalist lets the side down.
April 18th, 2026 at 07:17Excuse me, can I rant a little against the joint history revisionism apparent here?! 😈 And do forgive me that my appalling Marxist influences let me sharpen the economic focus a bit more …
Some people like to think that Blackmore and the rest of Purple fervently hate each other or at least did in the past, others have this dream that they were all always deep friends somehow estranged by dark outside forces. Theory 1 makes it easier to attribute blame why Mk II doesn’t exist anymore, theory 2 is a bit delusional and romanticizes things.
Very few people seem to accept the fact that maybe, just maybe the glue that held DP together (for lengths of time) was (i) shared interests and (ii) shared (enormous) success in a professional working situation. Rather, DP members either have to be grand nemeses to each other or hold a bond of deep friendship. Shudder the thought that Jon might have felt that he is more successful with someone difficult like Ritchie than without him and that Ritchie – at least for the most successful parts of his career – thought the same about Jon. Capable, even useful colleagues and joint collaborators yes, but not friends or enemies.
How many times have I read here and elsewhere that Ritchie couldn’t live with Ian’s “unprofessional behavior” anymore! I have news for you: I have seen Ritchie more often imbibed on stage (to the extent it affected his playing and even Candice didn’t think it funny anymore) than Big Ian. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Ian drunk on stage. Nor with alcohol before him during an interview in recent decades, something Ritchie fans apparently deem a sign of good health with their idol. Even with severe gout, under pain medication and aged 81 he’s had wine on his birthday and by the evening drinks beer. Do as I say, don’t do as I do.
In contrast, that Ritchie likes to have his music performed and especially sung by (much) younger people than him (perhaps because he deems it necessary to present it convincingly) seems to not cross people’s mind. The last lead vocalist from his age group Blackmore worked with (ignoring the reunion with IG) was Graham Bonnet, born 1947. That, dear friends was more than four decades ago. Since then he’s worked with Turner (1950), White (1960), Candice (1971) and Romero (1981) – now isn’t there a pattern here (btw: not a single instrument-playing member of BN was ever in his age group either) and an indication that Ritchie has issues with age deterioration in voices once singers are approaching or past 50? Ritchie, for whatever reason, has an issue being in a band with people as old as him. And to my recollection he has never performed live with a singer or musician as old as 50 or older since he left DP in a huff in 1993 – 33 years ago. It’s kind of ironic that a man who liked to surround himself with youth and present a youthful image (—> wig) is now struck so hard by the cruelties of old age.
To me the secret for Ritchie’s reluctance to work with (age and otherwise) equals lies in his inability to work in a scenario where he does not wield ultimate control (older musicians have been around and don’t take as much shit). And IG, much more a free spirit and not a control freak like Ritchie, won’t have/can’t stand that. Ritchie didn’t veto Painted Horse because of IG’s drinking, but because he wanted to decide how and what Ian sings, something the latter would not tolerate.
Jon otoh never really battled with Ritchie, he was smart enough to not bite the hand that fed him with royalties, sold out shows and worldwide record sales (and Jon, bless him, liked the good life and a certain affluence around him, he enjoyed being rock royalty and why not). So other than that Ritchie sometimes grumbled about lack of songwriting input from JL, there were fewer sources of conflict than with the rebellious and generally artistic direction-vocal IG.
But let’s not mistake Ritchie’s (somewhat belated) recognition that Jon was by far the best – and comparatively trouble-free – keyboarder he ever played with as a sign of a deep friendship (professional appreciation yes). Friends call and visit each other when one of them has a terminal disease, they don’t sue each other for T-shirt sales royalties or oust each other from songwriting credits, lastly they have a tendency to show up at each other’s funerals.
Am I a cynic?
April 18th, 2026 at 13:12Sorry for digressing a little bit. But talking about age. I guess this must be RB:s father. Reaching 99 years old is not bad. So, hopefully many more years to come for dear old Ri(t)chie.
https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/GVDT-JRK/lewis-john-blackmore-1902-2001
April 18th, 2026 at 15:16#11: I think you’re reading far too much into it, Uwe. RB surrounds himself with players that don’t cost a fortune. That way he gets to keep the lion’s share of the income himself. It’s not rocket science 🙂 I don’t think he cares one way or another about Romero’s age. Candice or someone else likely brought Romero to Ritchie’s attention. He probably heard some similarity to Dio and figured he would be a good match. Keith, Nouveau and Johansson came in through the BN connection and the band was complete. Simple as that.
As far as JL and RB go, unless I knew them personally, I wouldn’t attempt to describe how their friendship looked like. It’s all speculation and as such a bit pointless. With all due respect.
April 18th, 2026 at 18:28#11
Uwe, a bit of overthinking.
The young singers thing is coincidental. Ritchie has often joked about needing new blood.
Ritchie’s problems with Ian are not related to performing drunk but a hedonistic lifestyle, including imbibing the booze, which lead to Ian not performing to a great standard every night. That was the crux.
Not saying that Ritchie is the perfect performer every gig but his mantra was always give the fans a great show and be at your best. Booze wise it was always a measured amount of JW Black Label. In his older years, let the old git have a few pleasures.
As a container of decaying kidneys, I know what gout can do, beer contains purines, which is the big creator of uric acid – this is what crystalises and causes the gout/arthritis. But fish, fruit juice, beef, tomatoes, spinach all can be as bad. Ritchie doesn’t do himself any favours though with the beer. A daily dose of Montmorency cherry juice would help
April 18th, 2026 at 19:05@ 11- what a load of one sided crap you do talk at times Uwe. Old lawyer habits do die hard folks. Fair dinkum, talk about overblown dramatic bullshit………..don’t use the word ‘hate’ either………..and let’s not remember that Lord and Blackmore had no problem re connecting once outside the bullshit of being in DP………. Oh hang on, Saint Ian, I ALMOST forgot about him…….The positive one…hmmmmmmmm, no history there in certain bands he has been in………….no sireee, none at all………………..talk the truth man………..! If you going to talk at all. Cheers.
April 19th, 2026 at 01:24#14: Ritchie’s mantra changed over the years though. For the Memories in Rock tours, it was “give the fans a poor show and be at your worst”.
April 19th, 2026 at 08:02@11
Uwe, and maybe some serious economical reasons 😊
@13
April 19th, 2026 at 09:37Guess you hit the proverbial nail on the ditto head there Daniel!
Herr MacGregor, where exactly did I use the term “hate”? I don’t think anybody in Purple hates another (ex-)member. I think they were at all times first and foremost a successful business venture. The whole formation of the band in 1968 was about setting up a successful business venture, not about some inborn need of Ritchie and Jon to get the music in their heads heard by the world. They looked at each other and thought damn, this other guy is good, we might create something out of it and finally earn some money while we’re at it. I don’t have issues with that, but I also don’t need to clad DP’s inner machinations with assumptions of love OR hate just to make the band more appealing to me. (When I was 16 I too thought that all members of Status Quo were friends and never took drugs.) That reminds me of those people who always assume that actors who play a romantic couple in a film must somehow also have an affair in their real lives or on set.
And all this “they have reconnected”-bullshit because apparently a few emails (whether with Candice or actually Ritchie himself no one knows) have been exchanged. There is no record of Ritchie and Jon having ever met or spoken on the phone again following Ritchie’s acrimonious 1993 departure, I am not aware that Ritchie ever visited or called Jon while he was battling pancreatic cancer, he was not at the funeral and the way the RRHoF debacle was handled is to me not a testament to “reconnection”, but to a dysfunctional family. Or of estranged business partners – which happens all too often. (Interesting to note by the way that Oasis, ie the Gallaghers, put their foot down to also have their former bassist and one of their former drummers inducted after the RRHoF did not include them in their initial roster.)
Saint Ian? I don’t believe in saints, nor do I think that DP’s ranks were especially heavily populated with them (I am prepared to make an exception for Roger though, the abrasion from the halo 😇 might also be a good explanation for his thinning hair, all saints pay a sacrificial price after all). What I do think is that IG for all his weaknesses and idiosyncrasies is someone more conducive to a creative atmosphere within a group of people than Ritchie’s Lone Ranger approach.
I never thought there was much friendship in DP (the Gillan/Glover and the Lord/Paice tandems excepted) – a band consisting at all times of musicians from vastly varying backgrounds (and UK or even US regions) who were handpicked for their abilities and not because they had been classmates at school. It didn’t bother me either. Purple is a musical meritocracy, not a bunch of mates. The current line-up is likely the one with the most and closest human interaction ever.
April 19th, 2026 at 11:32#16
A lot of people enjoyed it, the majority in fact. But if you want to be miserable, do it on your own time
April 19th, 2026 at 23:04This sit getting more Blackmores Night then Deep Purple 🤷♂️
April 20th, 2026 at 12:10You mean we will all have to wear garb in the future then, Buttocks? 😂 Can I then please wear Tommy’s red jacket – it will possibly be a little tight on me – with the feathered shoulders? That to me is still DP’s sartorial climax.
https://share.google/dEhmupIprZw4ZNzix
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjBgN1Ct2LUSLl2rx1DL03ofwDrj7tHCycaA&s
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a0/12/a7/a012a748f208bf1f47b9d7050bed2622.jpg
April 20th, 2026 at 14:32@ 18 ….couldn’t agree any more. DP were a bit like Real Madrid …get some real good professionals, buy them clothes and make money. But deliver they did.
April 20th, 2026 at 19:46The Real Madrid comparison is a good one, Max!
April 20th, 2026 at 20:53@ 18- lets not get too positive though shall we. Much better to focus on negativity, resentment and bitterness. For anyone who may actually care about a few things positive in life, here is one link about Ritchie and Jon ‘reconnecting’ after the bitterness of a poisoned band, for want of a better description. Let’s face it, bands or ensembles of many persuasions often lead to conflict and attitude problems at times. Same with families, business, sport etc etc. To rise above all the poison is the key though, don’t we think. I do remember Jon taking about this in an interview, obviously before he unfortunately became ill. He was the one from my rather good memory that mentioned having the desire of working with Ritchie on an instrumental record. If only they had the time was what Jon seemed to lament at that time. I noticed someone else recently mentioned this fact. It isn’t a secret, well to most genuine fans at least. Cheers.
https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/ritchie-blackmore-on-jon-lord
April 20th, 2026 at 21:50#18 Uwe:
I agree with practically everything.
I add that this does not mean that Purple (MKII and beyond) did not have moments of creativity and musical harmony between them that were very intense and fruitful, even though they were not close friends.
As for the statements about their current relationship, it may be my personal suggestion, but I see a bit of regret behind it for issues that have never been fully resolved, and I would add that time helps to make contentious issues less important by making us remember the more positive aspects; it is a form of self-protection of the human mind.
April 20th, 2026 at 23:08#18
“There is no record of Ritchie and Jon having ever met or spoken on the phone again following Ritchie’s acrimonious 1993 departure” – wrong
There’s plenty of evidence they met up and shared a meal once in a while. In his later years, Blackmore confirmed that he and his wife, Candice Night, would frequently go out to dinner with Jon Lord. Blackmore described Lord as his “favourite dinner companion” and noted that they had “reconciled” after an earlier period of friction. Plus there’s the three Martini quote.
And Jon Lord, November 2010: On Ritchie Blackmore – “He’s a lot nicer than his reputation. He’s a pretty good guy… Sitting in front of a log fire with a glass of wine there’s no better companion” Darker Than Blue
Ritchie = private person, Jon Lord was not exacly known to spout and the propaganda on Come Hell or High Water was just marketing.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
April 21st, 2026 at 08:41I’ve written and played some of my best music in bands with people I had never met before and who were not my friends – we just enjoyed playing music with each other. Since when does affection need to come in? Most successful bands are not a composite of friends. If two band members fall in love with each other, it is even a danger and threatens to turn the whole group into a family business. Very unhealthy.
“Toward the end of his life, we were very close,” Blackmore said. “We would often go out to dinner — my wife Candice, Jon, and me.”
Thanks for digging this up, Herr MacGregor, it totally baffles me. First time I have ever read about face-to-face meetings between the shapers of the legendary Gorgan post 1993. I wonder how this is supposed to have worked with Jon not living in Long Island, Ritchie and wife hardly ever traveling to the UK and Jon’s health keeping him likely tied down for continuous treatment and monitoring. I’ve read of a post 1993 meeting of Roger with Ritchie in an interview with the former. That happened by sheer chance and was apparently an awkward affair. It was after Blackmore had accused Roger of exchanging his solo on the SOTW remix with another take (Roger denied dosing this, saying it was a proposal of the record company, but Ritchie was unswayed in his judgement).
Anyway, I’m not saying that Ritchie is callous and doesn’t have positive recollections of his time with Jon or that writing a song for Jon means nothing (not that I think the number particularly strong). And of course, when someone passes away, you always wish you might have done some things differently. As people, there were in any case few sources of conflict between Ritchie and Jon.
If a group of people get together to be jointly successful and create great art in the process, I don’t see what is “negative” about that. Or why the outcome would have been necessarily more impressive had they been besties. I think that is a fan projection.
April 21st, 2026 at 09:49@ 21…LOL!. Uwe yes and you can also borrow Ritchie’s wig to wear that he borrowed from Joe L.T. 😬
April 21st, 2026 at 12:00@26: I always thought those stories were from when they were still in Deep Purple.
April 21st, 2026 at 20:24As that saying goes, ‘best not to take it with you when you go’. I just prefer to see people getting on rather than not. But shit happens as we all know. I was very pleased for Bill Ward at that Black Sabbath ‘circus’ show recently. He of all the Sabbath members was the one who needed that reconciliation with O$$y. I didn’t give two hoots about all the other shenanigans, just that the original four members were together again before Ozzy departs. The Waters and Gilmour one is another kettle of fish, purely because of Water’s toxicity. It was ok after the Live Aid concert (2005) for a few years. Alas, toxic Roger and his poison bile and going public with it again and again. Not to worry, his problem. Cheers.
April 21st, 2026 at 22:22Talking of Jon Lord and Ovais’ book is absolutely wonderful, really enjoying all the different aspects to keyboards and equipment of Lord’s career. I have always enjoyed reading and hearing about certain musical equipment that are used on particular music. Also all the other musicians and songs and performances from our most popular music history. An excellent book indeed. I am at the early 80’s period at present. My favourite album Before I Forget is getting plenty of attention, hooray. A serious piece of work from Ovais, exceptional in all its detail. Even the Hoochie Coochie Men band performance I was at from 2003 gets a mention, in regard to the hired Hammond organ. Cheers.
April 21st, 2026 at 22:47#29
No they were after and up until Jon’s passing. Cynical folk like to bury the good stuff
April 21st, 2026 at 22:50I remember an old interview in which Ritchie said that Jon was a true gentleman
April 21st, 2026 at 23:05and the only flaw he had was that sometimes he “wasn’t punctual”
I don’t think in the sense of time, but punctual in a conversation, like in the sense that sometimes he didn’t understand certain subtle jokes or certain sentences with double meanings and so on.
I remember happily reading about the ‘re-connections’ when they dining out a little not that long after they occurred. The 2008 to 2010 era no doubt, time flies by. The instrumental album possibility story was from Jon Lord and I cannot find that online anywhere these days, as much as I have tried. I was looking forward to a no vocal album big time, if you know what I mean. Anyway life itself gets in the way, at least they were talking about it. I also remember Jon replying to a journalist mentioning something about the two of them enjoying dinner together. Jon’s reply was something along the lines of, ‘tell Ritchie it is his shout next time’. He he he he, now don’t take that the wrong way. Cheers.
April 22nd, 2026 at 06:47With this being conventional wisdom, I stand corrected and am happy that the two did in fact see each other before Jon‘s untimely death.
Fla76, let‘s not speak ill of the dead, but St. Jon had a horrible reputation observing the hands of the clock, he was notoriously late for appointments and and a late sleeper to boot! But reliable in the long term, just a different time zone. 😂 Look who‘s talking though, my (bad) habits are exactly the same, I have often wondered about relocating to Spain, Chile or Argentina, sensible countries where it is deemed as a sign of grave impoliteness to show up on time anywhere. Also, dinner at 9 pm or later would greatly appeal to me, I deem German dinner times around 06:30 pm a severe cultural flaw.
April 22nd, 2026 at 08:53And come to think of it, I don’t think there exists a single innuendo/double entendre/product of a dirty mind that Jon wouldn’t have immediately understood. There was a mischivous and sometimes even naughty mind behind the statesman-like outside.
April 22nd, 2026 at 14:28@ 35- From what I have heard over the years Chris Squire was unbelievably late EVERY time. Leaving fellow band members, road crew and travel timetables in chaos. I thought Uwe was going to talk about the siesta there for a second, mentioning Spain, Argentina and Chile. Something I do a lot of in these later years, a siesta mid afternoon is a must for my aching tired body. Mind you, I am typing this at 1.30 am, these days the sleep pattern isn’t the same as it use to be. I remember hearing and observing all this when much younger, from older people. Of course if we have an all-nighter we will more than likely be late for appointments etc. It depends on how often this may occur. And what about those pesky ‘nocturnal’ creatures………..and that can easily include humans, can’t it Uwe, he he he. Time waits for no one. Cheers.
April 22nd, 2026 at 15:40#32: Do you have a source?
April 22nd, 2026 at 19:03Alice Cooper is always extremely punctual – so much, it unsettles people who are not accustomed to it from rock stars.
April 22nd, 2026 at 21:41https://www.thehighwaystar.com/interviews/lord/jl19960322.html
Interesting interview with Jon from 1996 on THS where he doesn’t speak very well of Ritchie…
Speaking of Jon’s interviews, I remember him once saying he’d been to a Metallica concert, the guys were really nice, but when he got home he had to make himself a tea and listen to some soft pop singer-songwriter to relax his ears!
but I don’t remember the name of the singer-songwriter in question…Billy Joel?..Neil Diamond?…another similar one?
Who among you remembers it?
April 23rd, 2026 at 23:28Jon loved the Eagles and Elton John, my money is on Billy Joel then who was a bit thinking man’s pop (and whose band is now home to two Rainbow alumni, namely Chuck Burgi and David Rosenthal – Billy’s musical director – who he both keeps pestering about their time with Ritchie!).
Not that there is anything wrong with Neil Diamond, but I believe he’s more Ritchie’s thing.
If I had been to a Metallica gig, I sure would need something balming to listen to in the aftermath too. 😑 I only saw them once at an open air, relatively shortly after Jason Newsted had replaced the late Cliff Burton. It was energized and ferocious, but not really my music. Of course, they have considerably progressed since then.
April 24th, 2026 at 15:11I have to admit to struggling with the thought of Jon Lord going to a Metallica concert. Cheers.
April 24th, 2026 at 22:29I had totally forgotten about Jon Lord working with the guys from Opeth. Maybe he has a penchant for brutal metal after all, he he he. Although there is a difference in working with musicians and attending a concert. Opeth and Mikael Åkerfeldt also divert away from metal at times. Maybe Lord was curious as to what all the fuss was about with Metallica. Cheers.
April 25th, 2026 at 03:54#41 Uwe:
I too would spend 1€ on Billy Joel but I have a hazy memory of that Lord interview and his post-Metallica listening could also have been the pianist Richard Clayderman because I remember that I went looking for this guy I had never heard of before (while Billy Joel was very famous) and he was a guy with blond hair and blue eyes….
April 25th, 2026 at 21:34but unfortunately I can’t find the original interview..
(in very grave tone)
Lieber Fla76, I don’t think that poor Jon has ever been as heinously insulted on these pages as with your vile allegation of him liking Richard Clayderman!!! 😱
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr9ZdA_WRjc
Jon is turning in his grave as I write. He will come to haunt you, lock you into a dungeon, and you will have to listen to WINDOWS, the part from 21:50 onwards here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDqB-boCZR4
for the rest of your pityful life on repeat!!! 😂
Blond and blue eyes? Bruce Hornsby maybe?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlRQjzltaMQ
Or Barry Manilow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oh5fEIpx-E
Definitely preferable to Metallica. And Richard Clayderman!
April 30th, 2026 at 18:52@45
Uwe, Mandy with Barry Manilow – I used to cry my little heart out when I was 7 yo listening to this heartbreaking song!
Guess that’s why I love Purple so much! Not all that lovey dovey stuff 😃
But – are you seriously comparing that song to Metallica?
May 2nd, 2026 at 11:58I know Metallica from my home, even though I can’t stand it and flee or put earphones on whenever someone is playing it….But still Metallica and Barry Manilow?
I’m ok with Metallica, sort of like Oasis: Not as horrible as their detractors claim and not as brilliant as their fans would like to believe … Average bands that have gained great popularity through hard work, I’m happy for them. “Mediocrity is everywhere, I absolve you!”
https://youtu.be/ML_f3aV_Vwk
May 2nd, 2026 at 15:28Most people (including me until today) don’t realize that Mandy wasn’t written by Barry, but started its life as Brandy, written and sung by Scott English:
https://youtu.be/zdeSLWw272s
It has a bit of a Leo Sayer vibe in its original, don’t you think?
Manilow turned it into Mandy because, upon recording his cover version, he didn’t want it to be mistaken for the Looking Glass’ classic here …
https://youtu.be/mTqTE7aNjZQ
And the rest is of course history.
May 2nd, 2026 at 22:12@48
Well, funny you mention this because I read just before I wrote my post (@46) how ‘Brandy’ didn’t caught fire so to speak….
And yes he looks like Leo, but Leo’s voice is much more crystal clear:
https://youtu.be/CezRRt78EYQ?is=n_eVZajptpAR3OJv
Aww he sand beautifully 😊
Entre nous: the first guy I fell in love with looked so much like Leo, sadly he also preferred his own gender 😊 well I can laugh at it now…. Almost 😝
😁
Well, I do not like Looking Glass as such, a bit too toothless for my taste ☺️
May 3rd, 2026 at 10:22However this magnificent band are adequately filled with teeth for my liking:
https://youtu.be/ODF4ScLBiuA?is=Vvx9Ap8So1hjGWSt
Yes I know I often link to this but WOAH BABY they are brilliant 🤩
And this:
https://youtu.be/85WQU-xLPhI?is=bvPr45Dp7PwQN2_y
My cup is filled with beautiful, handsome rock’n’roll!
@48 Uwe – thanks for the Looking Glass clip.
The drummer and bass player look a little different from how they did later on when they were in Starz!
May 3rd, 2026 at 12:43Yes, Skippy, good recognition, Looking Glass (bassist, drummer, replacement vocalist – for the guy who wrote and sang Brandy, Elliot Lurie – and keyboarder) eventually morphed into STARZ (keyboarder left before STARZ recorded), the band that became the blueprint for Bon Jovi. Unsung heroes! Why they didn’t conquer America at the time is beyond me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIAS9mygJi8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSLLyp5I7Ng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFkbZym5930
I really liked the introspective/melancholic, West Coast’ish (though Looking Glass were from New Jersey) storytelling in Brandy,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI1GeauAzcg
but it was of course completely different music to the rabblerousing STARZ who were made for stadiums. The song has been good to Elliot Lurie though,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyUWDpQqcwM
especially after being elevated to public consciousness again via the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCyX6uqZqJM
Who says raccoons are always pests?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpMzprmWBfo
May 3rd, 2026 at 16:16