A couple of new interviews with Blackmore’s Night.
Greg Prato (of the Tommy Bolin biography fame) has conducted a short but rather interesting interview with Ritchie and Candice:
UGO: Ritchie, what is your favorite Deep Purple album and Rainbow album, and why?
RITCHIE BLACKMORE: I don’t know, it was too long ago and I don’t listen to records that I have recorded.
UGO: Ritchie, would you consider playing with Purple one last time if the band was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
RITCHIE BLACKMORE: I wouldn’t consider playing with them although I haven’t really thought about it. As far as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame goes there are too many people that have been voted in there that have absolutely nothing to do with Rock and Roll for it to mean anything to me. Besides it’s too pretentious.
Read more on UGO.com (if the interview doesn’t show right away, you’ll have to click on the orange ‘continue to UGO’ button).
Another short interview appears in the online edition of the Boston Herald:
I didn’t embark on this project intending it to be successful. I just have an incredible passion for this kind of music and wanted to do it. During my final days in Deep Purple and Rainbow, I felt I was getting stale at writing hard-rock riffs, that I was repeating myself, and I just couldn’t stand it. So switching to this was rejuvenating, very refreshing.
Bob Dylan has always been one of my heroes because he’s never wanted to deal with the nonsense side of the music business. Having to follow this trend, talk to this person on the radio, be on this show. I find it’s very hard for me to do. I don’t like having to sell myself constantly.
Thanks to Greg Prato and BraveWords for the info.
Blackmore’s Night are about to embark on a brief tour of selected inn and taverns in the United States. Ritchie and Candice will appear on May 13 around noon on the 91.5 WMFO in Massachusetts. The interview will be streaming online at wmfo.org.
Thanks to Blackmore Productions for the info.
Glenn Hughes recently spoke to Face Culture about his upcoming autobiography Deep Purple & Beyond: Scenes from the Life of a Rock Star.
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Roger Glover had to miss the last couple of shows to attend urgent family matters. Sunflower Jam regular Nick Fyffe stood in on the bass. Rest assured, Roger is alive and well and will return as soon as the circumstances permit him. There is no need to worry.
While Glenn is in the UK for his book launch and just prior to his UK solo tour, he will be a featured guest on BBC Radio 2 broadcast with Steve Wright In The Afternoon, between 2pm – 5pm (GMT) on Thursday, May 12th. BBC makes its programs available online for 7 days after the broadcast.
Thanks to BraveWords for the info.
Here is a chance to preview Phoenix Rising for the rest of us. In exchange for an email address you will be sent a link to download and preview one audio track (Gettin’ Tighter to be precise) in high quality 320 kbps MP3.
Phoenix Rising is due to be released on Blue-ray, DVD, CD and vinyl on May 20.
Note: this promotion is being run by a company called TopSpin Media (here’s their privacy policy). Any personal information you submit using this widget above goes directly to them. The Highway Star is not affiliated with that company in any way, shape or form.
Ian Paice recently was on the phone with a radio station down under and “singlehandedly busted about 7,000 stereotypes of a drummer”. Writing process both then and now, pros and cons of new technology, walking down the street, how long will Deep Purple continue, and why all his favorite drummers are dead — it’s all in the interview.
Listen to it or download it (mp3, 17MB).
Thanks to abc.net.ua for the info.
The Gettin’ Tighter companion app for iPad has been released a couple of days ago (we’re being assured that releases for other platforms will follow). The app is really an ebook with previews from the upcoming Phoenix Rising documentary, articles and pictures. Browsing tabs for deep-purple.net and thehighwaystar.com, as well as Twitter and Facebook clients are thrown in for a good measure.
Video clips included are:
Introduction
Friction within the band
Sunbury 1
Sunbury 2
Drug issues
Tommy Bolin
CTTB
Glenn Hughes
Australasian tour
Jakarta
Jakarta nightmare
Tokyo
Hughes problems
Implosion
The app is available at the Apple app store for $4.99/€3.99/£2.99. We were not able to preview it, so please post you comments below.
US release date for the Phoenix Rising has been set for June 28.
This is the first in a series of Purple-related apps. Other titles in the works are Deep Purple Sunbury 1975 and Rainbow 1976 Australian Tour.
Please note that this app – although it offers THS browsing capabilities – is not related to The Highway Star in any way.
There will be a launch event in London for Glenn’s book Deep Purple & Beyond: Scenes from the Life of a Rock Star on the evening of Thursday, 12th May. The publisher Foruli will be inviting everybody who has pre-ordered a copy of the book and record package, but would also like to extend an invitation to Glenn’s wider fanbase.
The evening will feature a solo acoustic set by Glenn, a preview of the book packages, and the opportunity to meet Glenn, co-author Joel McIver and the team at Foruli.
Anybody who would like to enter a draw to receive an invitation to the event should email their name and the title of the first track on the first Black Country Communion album to glennlaunch@foruli.co.uk — all entries will be entered into a draw to receive one of twenty invitations.
Thanks to Daniel Bengtsson for the info.
![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/paice3.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/paice2.jpg)
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