Latest track from Australian bluesman Stefan Hauk features two guest musicians — our own Ian Paice on the drums and Lachy Doley on Hammond organ.
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If you need a reprieve from all the Whoosh hoopla, here is an interview with Glenn Hughes done by Thunder Underground podcast. The interview itself starts at around 23 minute mark.
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Here is the third and the final installment of the interviews from the Japanese Burrn! magazine Deep Purple special, courtesy of Akemi Ono who graciously supplied us with the reverse translations. Roger Glover’s interview from the series can be found here and Ian Gillan’s here.

Burrn! August 2020 edition

Ian Paice Interview

Ian Paice is definitely in a good mood. He could be a difficult person to interview at times, depending on his mood, but today he is fascinating as he discusses the new album Whoosh.

Ian says: “Imagination is very important. How you can find a new way to approach what you have been doing in the past. How you can make it sound like you are hearing it for the first time.” Whoosh is hugely successful in that sense. The album respects the roots of the band, while taking rock music to a completely new world.

Ian’s passion for drumming has not changed, 50 years since he started playing. He has been busy starting a new YouTube channel, the Ian Paice DrumTribe during the lockdown, and it looks like he is having a lot of fun as he talks about the instrument. “It takes time. I organize all the videos myself. There’s Q&A, live videos, studio videos. There is a lot of material, and I am not sure if I can organize it all. The channel is already very popular. Maybe I need help,” he says.

Paicey, the only original member of Deep Purple, once told me, “I never thought of the drums as only an instrument to keep the rhythm. I always thought of it as part of the musical arrangement.”

Burrn!: What are your thoughts about Whoosh now?

Ian Paice: It’s too early to compare it with other Deep Purple albums. When you create a new record, each song is like a baby, it hasn’t developed yet. You take them to stage, play for 4 or 5 months, and finally they come of age. When a CD is completed is when I really start to learn. That is especially true of Whoosh, since we finished the record 1 year ago. We have to re-learn all the songs. It’s not the same as remembering what you played last week.

B: The coronavirus caused the delay of the release from June to August…

IP: That’s not all. The 2020 tour schedule was organized around the release schedule, but all the shows are shelved until 2021, although we are all healthy! But that’s the way it is, and we have to make the best of it.

I think what is interesting is that the lyrics of some of the songs are more than a prediction of what is happening in the world now, and potentially what could happen. What the lyrics represent is the thinking that the history of human beings is very short compared to the history of the earth, and that there is a possibility that we will no longer exist in the near future. Ian’s thinking is very distinctive, and he is very unique when he expresses himself in his lyrics, especially in the world of rock and roll. If the record was released at the original date, the timing would have been perfect. Even though the release was delayed, I believe people will still understand what he was trying to say.

B: Whoosh has the classic Deep Purple taste, but is also full of surprises.

IP: I think so, too. When you steer in a different direction and move forward, no one knows how it will be accepted, not even yourself. We go into the studio, try our best with the ideas we come up with, and sometimes we surprise ourselves. We don’t necessarily end up doing what we initially intended. It’s good to surprise yourself that way. When we finish recording the music tracks, I usually leave. For some of the Whoosh songs, I was not there when the vocals were added and the tracks were completed. Sometimes I hear the song after Ian and Bob finish their work. Man Alive is a really good example. It really surprised me.

B: For that approach to function, there must be a deep trust between the singer and other band members.

IP: For that approach to work effectively, there must be a deep trust between all band members. We search extensively to find what we are looking for. That is why jamming is very important for us. In order to make it work, you must listen well to what is going on. When someone suddenly starts doing something different, you must be ready to follow. That way, what you started becomes something else. That’s where the magic and mystery exist. That makes it fun, but you also need patience.
Of course, sometimes we can create a song quite quickly. No Need to Shout was one of them. Roger came with a short bass riff one day, and within 20 minutes we already had the framework of the song. Others were not so easy, and we had to spend time to precisely grasp the essence of the song.

In my role in the band, I am asked to sit and do nothing for a prolonged period of time. I understand that. After the basic idea is set, I can’t help with the chord progression and whatnot. I just have to wait until the other band members are happy with it. That is fine. I get to sit in a VIP seat and see the progress they are making.

B: Does your drumming approach change for each album or recording session?

IP: It has to change for each song. You have to think of it musically, first. How you play comes next. You listen carefully to understand the essence of the song, and when the song requires something dramatic or very technical, I will do that. What I do not want to do is to spoil the essence of the song. If the song is a slow blues, it would be stupid to play like I do in Burn. Some kids who play the drums do not think about the music, and just think about the rhythm. That is fine to a certain extent, but you are playing music with your drum kit.

B: Are you inspired by any recent music?

IP: I don’t pay much attention to new music, because I don’t really like what is happening. Of course, there are some wonderful people, like Joe Bonamassa. He has a great technique and a great voice. But I am discouraged by the popularity of rap or hip hop. Overall, there is too much repetition in the music. When I listen to what is considered to be modern rock bands, I do not hear the wonder of Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Jon Lord. Nothing to make a lasting impression. There may be 2 guitarists in a band, but both are like rhythm guitars. It seems like that is what people want to hear. But I want more personality, and it’s not there. I am aware that this is my problem, not someone else’s.

B: What are you looking for in your musical journey?

IP: Creativity. The ability to create something from nothing. Idea is everything, and you need to have the ability to change that idea into music through your instrument.

B: What role does Bob Ezrin have in the creative process of Deep Purple?

IP: He stopped us from wasting our time. During the recording, each musician is focused on his work, his world. We all think that we will succeed when the individual musicians think they are doing well. But in reality, we just see a part of the picture. When Bob is in the control room, we have someone who can think quickly, musically. He can explain solutions to the problem in a way that is easy for musicians to understand. It’s pointless to just say, “That wasn’t good, try something different.”

B: There’s no conflict? You are all experienced musicians.

IP: We are in the studio for only 2 weeks, every 3 or 4 years. Bob lives in the studio, 50 weeks during the year. We won’t listen to his critique on how we play on stage. Similarly, I don’t think Bob will listen to our critique on how studio work is done. That is his world. He is a legendary producer, and we are trying to make a good record. We need to listen to him, otherwise we won’t ask him to be in the studio.

B: Why has things worked so well between your drums and Roger Glover’s bass?

IP: That’s easy, because he listens to me! That’s a joke, of course. Something like that is nurtured over time. When we first started playing in 1969, Roger understood that he wasn’t leading the rhythm. He played with me so that we could build a solid foundation. An understanding developed between us over the years. I don’t know how it happened, but now we can tell what the other is going to do, like a glance means we need an accent there.

B: You like playing live. What do you feel about all the shows being canceled?

IP: It’s not ideal. I do have plans to play with my friends in Purpendicular towards the end of the year. I am lucky that I have a studio at home, so I can go and play for 30 minutes, just to make sure the connection between the brain and my hands are still there. But with a band like Deep Purple, you have to be on stage, and be on stage often to be at 100%.

B: Why is it necessary to play on stage to keep up your drumming skills?

IP: Because you can’t experience the live feeling in your studio. In my studio, I can make mistakes, or stop to have tea, or may be called by my wife to repair something. It’s a completely different situation on stage, in front of an audience. There’s nowhere to hide. When Steve deviates in a solo, we all have the ability to follow. I may deviate, and other members have the ability to follow. That is fun and exciting, although Roger and I are basically there to keep the foundation so that others can play freely.

B: You don’t have complete freedom when you play on stage?

IP: Not at all. For some of our songs, there is already a set way to play them. We’ve played those songs many times, and we know what is the best way to play them, but we cannot be complacent. We have a reputation to protect, and when we are on stage, we need to play in the best way that we know it could be done. We need to concentrate, and we need to be ready to do it.

B: Are there times that the performance does not go too well?

IP: Not really. When you play the drums as long as I do, I can switch to the auto-play mode if I am not playing at my best. I know how to switch to that mode, but I do not go on stage with that intention. I go on stage to make it exciting and enjoyable for myself. But because there is a safety net like this, I know that there will be no bad nights for myself, and for the audience.

B: You have become successful at a young age. Was that good for you?

IP: Overall, it was not bad, because it means I had a good life. The only negative thing is that I may have become a better drummer if I were not so successful so young. I probably would have had to try harder to make it in the world of music. There were people who were trying much harder for a longer time, and for lower pay. They were wonderful technically and had individuality in their playing style. But I had a job, I was having fun, I was creating what I liked, people liked what I created…. Everything went well, and I cannot say no to that. I am very satisfied with what I have achieved, but somewhere in my mind there is a little thought that I could have become a better player.

B: How do you think the live experience is incorporated into your new album Whoosh?

IP: The difficult problem that we have not addressed yet is which 2 – 3 songs to do on stage. Some songs are just for the studio. I think candidates for live performance are No Need to Shout, Throw my Bones, Drop the Weapon. Man Alive is another possibility, if we have feedback that people want to see it on stage. We will think about it very seriously next year, when we start rehearsing. We will select 6 – 7 songs and play them to feel how it will sound on stage. When we all agree we should play it live, we will do so. That doesn’t mean we will keep it if it doesn’t feel right after 3 shows. Recently, someone asked me why we don’t play Rat Bat Blue on stage. We tried several times, but we just can’t communicate to the audience. It’s not worth continuing if it’s too hard, but we are ready to try everything.

It’s very difficult to come up with a setlist these days. There are classics that we need to include, and that will already be half of the show. That limits what we can do. We need to think about which song to take away from the setlist in order to include new ones. Most likely it will be recent ones, since we need to keep the classic songs.

B: Do you have great expectations for Whoosh?

IP: I don’t think it’s any use worrying about whether it would be commercially successful, although that would be great. We all know there are die-hard fans who will buy the album, even if they don’t think it is the best. We are grateful to be in that position, but recently, what has become the most important is that we enjoy creating the record and that we love it. It’s dangerous to try to create what you think the fans will enjoy. Usually that leads to bad decisions. It is most wonderful if what you created with passion matches what people want to hear.

A long time ago, I learned a lesson when we made Malice in Wonderland with Paice Ashton Lord. That was a wonderful album by a wonderful band, but it was not commercially successful. With Jon and I in the band, I think it would have been easier if we created something more like Deep Purple, but that would have been meaningless. We only did 5 shows and that was it, but no one could deny the value of Paice Ashton Lord. That is the way you have to think about your music.

B: If someone told you back in 1968 when Deep Purple was formed, that you would be still playing the drums in 2020, what would have been your reaction?

IP: I think I would have said that I would be very happy to be still playing the drums in 2020, because that is what I love to do. But if that someone said I would be still playing with Deep Purple, I would have said that’s impossible. In those days, only people like Frank Sinatra had long careers. Even jazz bands did not last that long. I could not imagine the career could continue for 50 years. It’s amazing that we did it, and it is quite outstanding in our genre of music. There are only a few bands that were active back then, and still playing now. It gives me great satisfaction that we are still here. There certainly were member changes caused by ourselves. But frankly speaking, I cannot think of a classic band that acted like us, and is still standing in front of an audience.

B: It seems like you won’t stop playing the drums in the near future.

IP: No, because my objective is to be a musician, not a rock star. I want to see how long I can continue this journey. I want to see what it leads to. I may be using a walker, but so what? I will probably still be trying.

Cleveland.com has an interview with Ian Gillan. And if by reading it you get a sense of deja vu, you’re not alone. After all, there are only so many ways to answer the same questions being asked over and over again.

The track “Man Alive,” which you released in advance of the album, is about the end of humanity. Kind of timely, no?

Gillan: It wasn’t planned that way. (laughs) There was an apocalyptic quality to the (music of) “Man Alive,” and the idea developed lyrically from there — the scenario of this event that took place and everyone got killed, and you get this picture of “all creatures great and small grazed on blood red soil, and grass that grows on city streets.” So, it’s a post-humanity scenario. And then all of a sudden something’s washed up on the beach, and it turns out to be a man, and it’s the only living man — but it’s just a man, so…That’s the end of humanity, because what use is one man? That was the idea. If it was a painting you’d call it impressionistic.

Read more on Cleveland.com.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

PR people at Edel are certainly learning their upkeep this time around as Whoosh got a mention on CNN:
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Here is the second part of the interviews from the Japanese Burrn! magazine Deep Purple special, courtesy of Akemi Ono who graciously supplied us with the reverse translations.

Burrn! August 2020 edition

Roger Glover Interview

Roger Glover considers himself very lucky. At a bass players conference, he said “If you want to move forward, find 3 talented musicians and never let them go. I really meant it!” Roger took the interview over his phone in Switzerland. He sounds 20 years younger than his age.

Burrn!: I think Whoosh is one of your best albums in recent years. What are your thoughts?

Roger Glover: I am glad to hear that. Not many people have heard the album so far. There is always a danger that someone with a glorious past creates a parody of yourself, but I think we have avoided that. People ask us why we don’t write songs like Highway Star any more. We write songs the same way we wrote Highway Star. It just doesn’t sound like Highway Star.

B: Is it difficult to create songs with Deep Purple in recent times?

RG: Practically speaking, yes, as we live in different parts of the world. When we were younger, we all lived in London. But when we get together, there is magic. I never bring a complete musical idea, because I look forward to inputs from other members.

It is a great joy for me to play with such talented musicians. Even if you wrote the basics of a song, it could change completely with other members’ input. That could be a joy and a hardship. When you have 5 creative people in a room, of course there could be friction. That is helpful, unless it destroys you.

B: How has your song-making process changed over the years?

RG: It hasn’t changed. It’s been the same since I joined in 1969. As Ian Gillan says frequently, Deep Purple is an instrumental band with vocals. We cannot control Deep Purple’s sound, because it depends on how each member plays. The sound is the end product of how we play. We don’t have a defined style. We find the verse, we find the chorus, and when all the items are there, we finally add the vocals.

People ask me to analyze our music, but I cannot do that. We just do what we do. When Steve Morse joined the band in 1994, he asked us what we wanted him to do. We just told him to be himself. You can’t succeed in a band if you are not yourself. Band is not work, it is an “impact”. When we created Purpendicular, Steve played in his natural style, and our song-writing took a completely different direction. Some people may say that our albums in the last 20 years don’t sound like us, but that is fine. It is great to go on a music adventure. That is the essence of music.

B: You have spent a long time with Whoosh as the release was delayed due to the corona virus. Has that changed how you think of the album?

RG: The biggest difference is that as I talk to you, this album is already a bit of an “old” topic to us as we recorded it last August. It is a magical time for us, that people have not yet heard what we created. It is just ours. It’s like delaying the opening of a treasure exhibition.

B: Are you satisfied with your work from 12 months ago?

RG: I am very strict with our work. I remember that when we recorded In Rock in 1970. I was sitting next to Jon on a train to northern England headed for a gig. We finished the final mix 2 days ago, and I told Jon that we could have done better. Jon told me “We couldn’t have done better. If we could, we would have done it. Don’t think any more.” I find that difficult to do, decades later. Maybe because I am a producer.

B: You have produced Deep Purple in the past, but now Bob Ezrin is the producer. Do you like it this way?

RG: Yes. It is very difficult to produce your own band. As a team member, you try to satisfy everyone, but a producer’s job is different. The producer needs to determine what is required of a song and look at the big picture. There is a big risk of creating an “average mixture” when you produce your own band.

B: Your first album with Bob was Now What?! You had not released an album in a long time.

RG: Yes, we hadn’t created an album since Rapture of the Deep. We did tour a lot, but I wanted to make an album again. But I did not want to produce it myself. When we met Bob, he told us that he didn’t want to be a producer of a rock band that was past its prime. He said we should capture the magic of our live shows in the album. Don’t think about creating songs that will be played on the radio. Then suddenly, we were full of ideas. I think it meant a lot that Bob told us we could be as creative as much as we wanted to. I think Bob loves us as much as we love him.

B: Whoosh has captured the ability of the band completely. There are moments that the band’s technical skills are shown, and others songs that are simple and catchy. What is your favorite song on Whoosh?

RG: I could forget that I am a band member and listen to the album as a fan. As a fan, I do have favorite songs, but I can’t tell you because it changes.

B: Please tell us what is your favorite now.

RG: Well, today I like Power of the Moon and Nothing at All. I met Don at a bar the day after we recorded Nothing at All. I told him I can’t get Nothing at All out of my head. He said he was the same, that he keeps on singing the riff. It is very catchy. When we create an album, we don’t have a plan. It’s like having a blank canvas and a palette with paint. We start throwing the paint at the canvas, and see what happens. Sometime it could be a disaster, but I don’t think that was the case for Whoosh.

B: Why was the album named Whoosh

RG: Titles could be tricky. From the early stages of recording, Ian said that title was going to be Whoosh. It’s a phrase that the actor John Cleese used in the British comedy Fawlty Towers. John (playing Basil Fawlty) is thinking about how life goes by so quickly and says “Whoosh! What was that that went by? That was your life. It went by very quickly. Can you live it again? No, unfortunately, that was it.”

Ian has that kind of edgy thinking, and Whoosh has a distinctive sound. If we named it The Destruction of the Morgue, it would sound like we were full of ourselves. I remember thinking that the Beatles would never choose such an album title. We were capable of naming our album Bananas, so we can give whatever title we like. By the way, Bananas was my idea.

B: Please tell us about your relationship with Ian Paice as the rhythm section of the band.

RG: We’ve played together for so long, we know each other inside out. When I first played with Paicey, I was astonished. I am not a bass player at his level. During my first or second rehearsal with Deep Purple, Paicey came up to me and told me, “By the way, I won’t follow your lead. I will lead.” So I said, OK. I’m not a bad bass player, but he is a master player. I am a realistic person, and I didn’t want to be kicked out of a band I just joined, so I tried to follow him. And it worked out really well.

B: It seems like you preferred to be called a “musician” rather than a “rock star”.

RG: That is true. It feels good to be part of this band. We have been together so long, we know each other very well, for good or for bad. I am used to being noticed, but I do not feel good about being treated as a special person. In Switzerland, where I live, people do not notice me, so it is great. Once before the lockdown, there was an occasion that I had to print some pictures of myself and went to a local print shop. The store clerk asked me if that was my photo, so I said yes. When I went back to pick up the prints, 20 people were waiting with a print for me to sign. I know I should get used to this, but it is not what I want. Selfies are not good, too. Now they want proof that they actually saw me. This may not sound polite to the fans. And of course, I would be complaining if we had no fans.

I get noticed mostly when we are touring, but no so much in my daily life. Once, around 1988 or 1989, I was living by myself and went to a convenience store to buy some milk. It was Sunday morning, and I was in the line with other unshaven folks. All of a sudden, some one called “Deep Purple”! I thought I was noticed, but actually someone just said it because I was wearing a Deep Purple shirt, not because he noticed me. Then he said, “Deep Purple is not as good as they used to be.” That was what I was thinking at that time, so I said yes, without telling him who I was. It was good to hear an honest opinion.

B: Has lockdown given you time to think about your life and music?

RG: It feels like I am rehearsing for a future time when we are fully retired. People ask me when I will retire, and I tell them I’m already retired. The last time I had a job was when I was 19. Being in a band is not a job. I am very thankful that I could be in the same band for such a long time. But it is equally important to live each day now, as to be proud of Deep Purple’s legacy. We just have to make the best of each day. A bit of a zen feeling. When you get old, you understand that every day is important.

B: Do you feel sad that you cannot tour?

RG: Yes. It is difficult to face the reality that we cannot tour until 2021. I play the bass at home, but I cannot learn much. I need to play in the band, giving everything. The current situation makes us understand how lucky we were to be able to play on stage every night.

B: You have many loyal fans, but do you think there is a new audience out there waiting for Whoosh?

RG: Before a gig starts, I notice that many in the audience are younger than 20, and most of them have never seen us before. That is my recognition, and I am happy about it. But I have never asked myself whether we need a new audience. I have learned over the years that teamwork leads to success, including management, record company, good distribution, although when I was younger, I did not appreciate that. Many people “plan” for success or hit songs, but once you start planning, you start struggling to do things according to the plan. What happened to us, happened naturally. Our commercial success happened because the music was created naturally, not according to a plan.

I am a songwriter that happens to play the bass. I think my true passion is to create songs. I am proud of songs that I created in the past, and I am proud of the songs included in Whoosh. And I will be happy if people feel the same way. But I do not have expectations. People are free to have their own opinion about this album, and that is fine.

The band’s record company posted this preview today. Here’s another chance to judge the album before listening to it in its entirety. 😉

Ian Gillan spoke to Songfacts, explaining the lyrics for Throw my Bones and Nothing at All, before moving to “a few red lights”, “Perfect Strangers”, and “pony trekker”.

Songfacts: What was the lyrical inspiration for the song “Throw My Bones”?

Gillan: “Throw My Bones” is something that people did in prehistoric times to see if it was going to rain tomorrow or if they were going to be alive tomorrow. They started painting spots and they became dice – a game of chance. So, the idea of trying to find out what’s going to happen tomorrow, nobody knows that.

I went through this whole Brexit thing, and people saying, “We don’t have enough information and what’s going to happen?” I’m thinking to myself, “I know everything I need to know. Who knows what’s going to happen? But I’m prepared.” That’s what the song is about. It’s just about being content with life as it is. It doesn’t mean to say that you just sit there and don’t do anything or you don’t have ambition. It just means to say that you don’t know what the future holds. It may be something you’d really rather not have.

Read more in Songfacts.

Thanks to BraveWords for the info.

Roger Glover was on WLVQ radio a few days ago, having another one of those “Mr Grover ‘n’ Mr Gillian” moments — speaking about Whoosh for one second, and then retelling the story behind Smoke for the umpteenth time.
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Japanese Burrn! magazine has a 17-page Deep Purple special in its August 2020 issue. The feature includes pictures, discography, and interviews with Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice. Our Japanese correspondent Akemi Ono has graciously supplied us with the reverse translation of the more interesting tidbits of the three interviews. Here is the first part. We will present the other two installments over the next couple of days.

Burrn! August 2020 edition

Interviewer: Howard Johnson

Deep Purple completed its 21st studio album Whoosh. Whoosh is, without doubt, a wonderful album. Identities are wide-spanned, melodies are easy to remember, with musical interaction which enhances the spirit, and packed with passion. It appears that bands which were born in the golden era of rock music no longer have the intention nor ability to revolutionize itself again, but with Whoosh, Deep Purple shows that while they progress, they maintain the essence of what made them such a wonderful band when they first debuted. That is a real feat.

Ian Gillan interview

Burrn!: How are you doing? You seem to be living through the current environment with a positive attitude.

IG: Fine, thank you. I grew up with Calvinist work values so I can enjoy anything I do, even if it was to clean sewers.

B: You don’t seem to be down by the cancellation of the shows.

IG: The shows will just all be moved to 2021, I imagine.

B: Is it very important to you what other people think of your new album?

IG: I think what is most important is that I am satisfied. Of course, I am grateful to every person who buys our new album, but the standard of accomplishment is within yourself, and you know yourself whether that standard was met. I think we did a good job.

B: I think the new album is fresh and dynamic for a band with such a huge experience behind them. Why do you think that is so?

IG: Probably because no one wrote with the mind of writing for Deep Purple. It has been like that since we first rehearsed in August 1969. We jam for about 6 hours. When something interesting comes up, Roger starts recording. After a few days, we talk about it, and pursue what we like. What this means is that Deep Purple is an instrumental band. And that is what I mean by “no one wrote with Deep Purple in mind.” During this process, I don’t think of the melody or lyrics or even the title. It could all be for nothing if someone decides that they do not like the song. So, it is always the instrumental first, and then I join later. That has worked well, and at the end of the day, it sounds like the instrumental section supports the singer. It should sound like it, even if the truth was the exact opposite. We have always been a democracy without a leader. Although things have changed since Bob Ezrin became our producer.

B: Why is Bob so important to you?

IG: He has sped up the whole process. He encourages you, but also tells you when “you should stop beating a dead horse”. He makes our life much easier. And he has made our sound very rich and wholesome. There are no longer “holes” in the sound. The sound that you hear on stage, with all the nuances, becomes what you want to recreate in an album. With Bob, this wish was realized, all of a sudden.

B: You said Deep Purple is an instrumental band at heart, and don’t mention your achievements so much, but I was actually awed by your lyrics in Whoosh. They reflect the current world very intensely, with references to crimes with knives, and global warming.

IG: There comes a time when you think about the dignity of various matters, and you want to write about something other than fast cars and uninhibited women. To me, it came when I was in my late 30’s. I call it the “grey pony-tail syndrome.” The lyrics of this album is affected by where my thoughts were at the time of the writing. It was around the early summer of 2019. Extinction Rebellion (environmental organization) and young children stabbed or shot in London were in my mind at that time.

B: Drop the Weapon is definitely about young people’s violence in London.

IG: The matter was in my mind frequently at that time. But at my age, it is better to give a hug rather than say harsh words. I want to tell young people that life continues, they should not waste their future with an act of folly at the spur of the moment.

B: Are you interested in getting new fans with the music you create?

IG: If new fans cannot find us, we are not sending the right signal. We have really never thought about the audience, the industry, the commercial side of the media. If we did, we would have to guess what would make us popular. We have never defined ourselves as a heavy rock group or heavy metal group or classic rock group. We have always kept a distance from “exciting movements”. We have a long life because we stayed away from fashionable trends. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but that was really our survival instinct. And that gave us freedom.

B: You have created so much music. How is it possible not to repeat yourself?

IG: We have what is called “horse’s eyes”. When we are jamming, someone would raise their face and give a sign by rolling their eyes. That means we are finished, we have pretty much given everything. Staying together for so long, we know when the horse’s eyes are coming. It’s like we are marching together as a group. Someone says “Make a turn!” and we can all turn at the same time. 95% of what is in Whoosh, and the two recent albums as well, were recorded live. There is not much over-dubbing, and most solos are recorded while we are creating the backing tracks. This has been useful in not repeating ourselves. We need to maintain a superb balance, almost concert level. That pushes us to the limit.

Technically, there is an infinite combination of melody, tempo, chord structure, and rhythm. Even now, my band mates practice for 6 hours a day. They practice basic things, but sometimes it becomes a free-flowing jazz. I just sit there. And all of a sudden, I hear master players absorbed in their music. I give my word that there is no room for repetition in that environment.

B: Which song would you like Burrn! readers to focus on from the perspective of something special or extraordinary?

IG: I don’t use words like “special” or “extraordinary”, but I know what you mean. I would recommend Step by Step. It is a perfect example of Deep Purple jamming style. It happened naturally. The song was born from a moody and short 3-4 phrasing, and became a crazy crossover song with a strange rhythm. It all happened live, and it was great to see the song shining through. The lyrics are based on the famous Niagara Fall scene of The Three Stooges.

I also like We’re All the Same in the Dark. It is based on the theory I am contemplating, that if the reason for a war goes back one week, then the war lasts for one week. Every action causes the same level of reaction. The only reason wars are prolonged is simply the way we are brought up. We really need to have the ability to have doubts and think for ourselves.

B: How about Nothing at All? That is my favorite.

IG: It is my favorite, too. The guitar and keyboards are complete equals musically, and Don’s solo, much like a fugue, is amazing. It’s an unusual song for Deep Purple. I wrote the lyrics in 20 minutes. I don’t want to lecture with my lyrics, but it shows 3 sides of the discussion on how we treat the world. The young generation, older generation, and mother earth. In this song, nature is depicted as an old woman.

B: How do you feel about the situation that you will not be able to perform these songs in front of an audience this year?

IG: I was looking forward to the gigs. That is our job, and that excites us. Let me tell you a story. When I was “one of the fans” back then, I went to see Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers. I’m still in touch with him. When I saw him, I realized I wanted to do exactly what he was doing. To be in the middle of music, with wonderful players. Having an audience was not a factor, really.

B: You belong to the generation of musicians for which being on the road was always an option for you.

IG: Interesting enough, I am in the process of brushing up old materials. This reminds me of various incidents that happened during the tours, which makes me chuckle. It’s difficult to imagine if anything could be more fantastic than traveling around the world with a group of people with the same objective. Musicians tend to have a dry, dark sense of humor because of all the difficulties we faced for being rejected on many occasions for contracts, canceled tours… We had already developed a stoic approach in the 60’s.

In my first interview, I was asked to give an anecdote, and I didn’t know what an anecdote was. I didn’t realize I had created my first anecdote during that interview. All of that comes back to me in songs such as 69 (from Abandon), which was a song about a professional band. “Flying through the night in a beat up wagon, a mike stand up my jacksy.” Six people and all of our equipment were jammed into a Ford Transit, and we drove all night. I didn’t know what a roadie was. We set up and repaired the equipment ourselves.

Touring was wonderful, and I don’t know why people have negative comments about touring. Interestingly, the touring environment prepared us for the pandemic.

B: Why is that?

IG: When you’re touring with a rock band, 90% is waiting and 10% is exciting action. So, we were well prepared for a lockdown. It feels like touring musicians are paid for waiting patiently.

B: You are a very successful musician. Is it difficult to connect your current self with your younger self?

IG: Not at all. I don’t have a sense that my life changed. I can go back immediately to my childhood when my grandfather was singing opera and my grandmother was teaching ballet. My uncle was a jazz pianist. And I was a soprano in a church choir!

The joy of music and performance, and being with other musicians, were always at the center of my happiness, and that never changed. That was true when I was in Episode Six and did not have a single hit. I remember making songs with Roger, thinking we wanted to make songs liked Lennon and McCartney. When we finally had a hit song in Deep Purple, Roger and I were already writing together for 5 years. We are a musical team.

Lastly, here’s a story that shows my passion for music is unchanged. On Whoosh, there is a song called Dancing in my Sleep. There was an old Danelectro guitar in the studio, and Bob Ezrin suggested Steve to play it. The song itself is quite outstanding, but Steve’s baritone guitar solo is truly amazing. I think it must be one of the best guitar solos I ever heard. That is the essence of my love for music. More than all of the music that we created in the past, what we are doing as Deep Purple right now excites me the most!