In case you have nothing better to do over the holidays, why not sit down and read a fictional story about Vladimir Nabokov encountering a certain band in Montreux in 1971.
Nabokov vs Deep Purple is written by one Mark Rudolph, in a genre self described as a post postmodern humor. The story is written from Nabokov’s point of view, who did indeed live in Montreux from 1961 until his death in 1977, and indeed stayed there at the Palace Hotel. This is the same hotel where the band stayed, but not the same where they recorded (The Grand Hotel was empty, cold, and bare for the winter). Keep in mind that Nabokov was infamously quite an, ahem, opinionated gentleman, and equally as infamously hated pretty much all music.
They all came out to Montreux, shaggy drug dunderheads all, rendering my adopted hotel home a discommodious farrago. The band in question was something called “The Deep Purple,” which I assumed was a gang of British homosexualists who prided themselves on the depths of their passive intercourse. It turns out they were a rock band (More like ROCK BOTTOM! I loathe equally Sgt. Pepper, Sgt. Schultz, and Sargent Shriver!).
Our misadventure began when I was in the middle of a typically vivid dream of synesthesia. My wife Vera elbowed me into common consciousness. The acrid smell of pyrolysis filled our room. Mrs. N. rang the dipsomaniac night porter to confirm that the casino on the lake was on fire and not our hotel.
The story can be purchased in print form for $4.20 from MagCloud, or read there for free in digital form.
More from the same author: Pops & Clicks: Eno, Nabokov, Deep Purple.
Thanks to Yvonne for the heads up.
Second part of the fan interview with Roger Glover and Don Airey. This time they spoke to Chris Aston from the UK. This probably is as close as most of us will ever experience sitting in a pub with those two gentlemen. Enjoy! Continue Reading »
Paicey continues to answer your questions. In this installment: Neil Peart, Buddy Rich tribute, J. E. and C., And the Address, future albums, making of In Rock, the perennial setlist debate, loudest band in the world and hearing loss, and how to play Burn. Continue Reading »
A socially distanced video for a new track from the upcoming Dead Daisies’ album Holy Ground. It’s called Shake the Memory. Continue Reading »
Another caroling track from Blackmore’s Night Xmas EP — O Little Town Of Bethlehem. If you’re into that sort of thing. Continue Reading »
Edel had run a contest to interview the band in conjunction with the Whoosh! release. Anssi Herkkola from Finland was the winner and got to speak with Roger Glover and Don Airey. This produced a quite relaxed conversation with some off the beaten path questions. And good old THS gets a namecheck at the end. Enjoy! Continue Reading »
Classic Rock has one of them “greatest ever” lists, and this time it’s 50 greatest live albums ever. Made in Japan tops their ranking:
Deep Purple were at their peak, having released the career-defining Machine Head just months before. On Made In Japan they straddled a fine line between intense and indulgent, the four sides of vinyl giving them room to stretch – and we mean stretch. Incredibly there were only seven tracks; Highway Star, which opened side one, was the only one to clock in at under seven minutes.
Side Four comprised a monstrous, 20-minute version of Space Truckin’; The Mule, meanwhile, contained a six-minute Ian Paice drum solo. It might sound preposterous now, but back in the day we could only shake out heads disbelievingly at the sheer, unbridled brilliance of it all.
Honourable mentions: Rainbow – On Stage is at #32
and Whitesnake – Live… In The Heart Of The City is at #38.
Thanks to Gary Poronovich for the info.
David Coverdale dresses up and wishes you a Merry Christmas. Continue Reading »
Slightly disheveled Glenn Hughes talks about how he joined The Dead Daisies, the RnR Hall of Fame induction, his autobiography, and discusses lyrical themes of the Daisies’ upcoming album Holy Ground. This is an interview he gave to That Jamieson Show in April 2020 that was recently made available on Youtube. Continue Reading »
Happy birthday to our favourite bass player! Besides playing bass in a band most of us might have heard of, Roger is a man of many talents — he is a songwriter, producer, an artist, photographer, father, grandfather, and most importantly — just a wonderful human being.
Cheers to the next three quarters!
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/mcbride3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/glover.jpg)
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing