[ d e e p P u r . p l e ) The Highway Star

D.P. on U.K. Big Breakfast show

Whoa!!

Am I dreaming??? D.P. were just on the U.K.'s Big Breakfast show from the programme's start at 7:00am 'til it finished at 9:00am, and whats more they were the centrepiece of the whole programme doing interviews, links, stupid games and playing live. They were treated with great enthusiasm and revered as the 'greatest rock band in the world' and I only heard the dreaded 'Rock Dinosaurs' phrase once (on a pre-recorded link to rap band Jurassic 5, who I doubt will be around for 3 years let alone 30 years!)

They opened the show at 7:00am doing "Smoke" outside the studio in some kind of marquee with a small but intense audience, and after their main interview features they did "Black Night". They were on again at various points throughout the show with Ian Gillan taking the part of a hotel concierge in a wacky quiz game. (The only question he didn't know the answer to was "Who did the song 'Firestarter'?" Obviously Big Ian can't be a Prodigy fan then!)

They finished the show by playing "Smoke" (again!!!) and they sounded in fine fettle for a bunch of guys who must have been up since the crack of dawn! Fine, as long as they can stay awake for tonight's show at Wembley and tomorrow at Birmingham where I'm seeing 'em!

Some stupid statistics from the show... 1. The band's total combined age is 258 (so this must make Steve the youngest at 45???) 2. Between 1969-73 the band made a turnover of £200,000,000 ("Are you getting these figures from my ex-wife?!?" said Jon.) 3. Number of motorcycles made by Gillan's 'Mantis Motorcycles' company...... erm, none!

Nice to see some positive, fun coverage at last for the boys on U.K. T.V. instead of the usual total apathy or slagging off. Well done Channel 4 for waking up to Deep Purple at last!

Simon C.


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