[% META title = 'Ian Paice, Interviews' %]

An Exclusive Interview With Deep Purple's Drummer

I did this interview with DEEP PURPLE's legendary drummer through the mail last fall. It was arranged through the band's management off ice in the US, and Ian answered my questions while on tour in Japan. Unfortunately, half of the questions did not make it through the fax machine to Japan, and thus Ian only answered the first half of the questions. I met up with him in Toronto, at the band's show there and mentioned the interview to him, and he said he'd try and get the rest of the answers to me. Unfortunately, that has not happened still, so I am at least presenting Part 1 (and perhaps the only part) of this exclusive interview with Ian Paice. Hope ya like it!!

KEVIN J. JULIE
Universal Wheels Newsletter
{ http://www.en.com/users/dhw/uw }
Extreme Magazine

FT: When Did You Get Into Drumming? Who Were Some Of Your Favorite Drummers And Influences Then??
Ian Paice: I started playing at age 15, early influences included Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Bobby Elliot (The Hollies), Ringo Starr, Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), and Charles Connors (Little Richard Band).

FT: What Were Your First Recordings Prior To Deep Purple? Did You Record With "The Maze"?
Ian Paice: My first recordings were with "M.I.5" (later to become "The Maze". Nothing spectacular!

FT: What Are Some Of Your Favorite Deep Purple Recordings From The Early 70s?
Ian Paice: As far as Purple recordings > all of "In Rock", "Hush" (good feel!), and "Demons Eye" (non American version of "Fireball" album.)

FT: Of All The Personnel Changes That The Band Went Through Then And More Recently, Are There Any That You Regret Ever Happened?
Ian Paice: No regrets on Purple line-ups. Had they not all happened - maybe we wouldn't be here now. Obviously some were more fun than others. The Bolin line-up was a problem.

FT: Can You Give Us A Few Words To Describe And/Or A Memory Of Some Of The Following People Who Were In Dp At One Time. Please Let Us Know What You Feel They Contributed To The Band (Good Or Bad). > Rod Evans, Nick Simper, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale, Tommy Bolin, Joe Lynn Turner.
Ian Paice:

FT: How Did Dp Come About To Hire Tommy Bolin? How Close Were You With Him? And Do You Think This Line-up (Bolin'S Health Aside) Could'Ve Gone On To Bigger Things?
Ian Paice: When Ritchie left he had to be replaced with somebody good. Tommy was making all the right moves in the studio with other artists (Billy Cobham, etc..) and seemed like a good choice. You really couldn't get close to Tommy unless you were into the same social vices that he was. David, Jon, and I weren't. It's impossible to see how this line-up could have gone any further. Tommy did not have the ability to deal with huge audiences, and generally froze on stage.

FT: Why Did You Join Whitesnake In The Early 80s? Do You Still Keep In Touch With David C.?
Ian Paice: Joining Whitesnake seemed like a lot of fun, and it was. I never laughed so much as in those 2 years - just as well really as there was no money in it! I rarely see or talk to David these days, but there's no problems between us.

FT: What Are Your Recollections Of Working With Gary Moore?
Ian Paice: Working with Gary Moore was fun. The only negative with Gary is that I think he over-rehearses, and the music can get a little stale by the time you get on stage.

FT: For A Brief Time That You Played With Gary Moore, He Had Sort Of A "Supergroup" Together. What Did You Think Of That Band? What Do You Recall Of Singer John Sloman?
Ian Paice: The line-up with John Sloman didn't work because even though John had a great voice, it wasn't strong enough to take on stage.

FT: Who'S Choice Was It To Hire Joe Lyn Turner? What Did You Think Of The Move? And Why Was He Out Of Dp So Fast?
Ian Paice: Joe Lynn was the last name on the list for Purple purely because of the Rainbow connection, but there was nobody else out there who could sing. Joe's only limitation for Purple was in the songwriting department. We didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, and it was obvious the public wasn't getting off on it.

FT: Can You Describe The Reasons And/Or Events That Lead To Ritchie Blackmore Leaving The Band In 93?
Ian Paice: You'd have to ask Ritchie that. Nothing he did toward the end made any sense at all!

FT: How Did You Come About To Find Steve Morse? (Ie: Ian Gillan?) What Has He Brought To The Band On A Personal And Musical Level? How Has He Worked Out?
Ian Paice: Steve Morse has brought a breath of much needed fresh air and freedom back to us. He's a great player, open to all and any ideas (musical), AND he's a really down to earth (when he's not flying one of his planes!) genuinely nice guy! We are working out great for each other. We lost one big thing when Steve joined and that's STRESS! Thank God!!!

  1. What Are Your Thoughts On "Purpendicular"? Any Favorite Tracks?
  2. When Will The Band Tour North America In Support Of The New Album? What Sort Of Venues Will You Play?
  3. What'S In The Future For Dp? Future Recordings? Box Sets? Etc...Do You See The Current Line-up Lasting For Quite A While?
  4. In The Early 70s Dp Recorded At Times In The Same Studios As Uriah Heep, And Played Together At Many Festivals And Shows. What Are Some Of Your Memories Of The Guys In Heep Back Then? Any Stories?
  5. What Were Your Thoughts On Singer David Byron Who Lead Heep Through Their Greatest Era, And Died In 1985?
  6. I Understand That John Lawton Was Once Considered As Singer For Deep Purple Well Before He Got The Job For Uriah Heep. What'S The Story Behind That?
  7. In The Early 80s Deep Purple Lead A Resurgence Of 70s Bands In Reforming And With Big Success. Uriah Heep Still Plays Today, But Struggle In Many Parts Of The World - In Particular North America, And The Uk. How Do You Think Heep's Current Situation
  8. Dp Toured South Africa With Heep Last Year, As Well As Playing Together In Germany In Recent Years. What Are Your Thoughts On Today'S Uriah Heep - Without David Byron And Ken Hensley? Any Funny Stories From These More Recent Tours?
  9. In 1979-80 You Appeared On 2 Ken Hensley Tracks > "Brown Eyed Boy" And (The B-side) "Inspiration" For His Solo Album "Free Spirit". How Did You Come About To Play On These Recordings? Do You Recall Playing On Any Others Tracks??
  10. Have You Kept In Touch With Ken H. Since Then? Were/Are You Friends?

The End.