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The planet will be fine after we’re gone
Ian Gillan was on the Lyme Bay Radio today, May 7, for the full 2 hours. As one can imagine, a lot of ground was covered during that time. The takeaway points (off the top of my head) were something like the following:
- there will be no live shows for the band until February 2022;
- some time late this summer they may (powers that be permitting) get together to work on new music;
- he will have to start exercising to rebuild core muscle strength lost during the pandemic downtime before he can sing in earnest again;
- there’s been bad blood between the band and Bob Geldof that led to them not being invited to perform at the original Live Aid back in 1985, and even the 2005 Live 8 appearance happened only due to the insistence of the Canadian promoter;
- Queen’s Park Rangers’ prospects for the next game look good;
- [see the title of this post];
- also, legalize cannibalism as a form of population control;
- he bought a house in Portugal after vacationing down there one too many times.
Ian’s last appearance on Lyme Bay Radio in September 2020 was later made available for replay via the station’s facebook account, so you might want to check there if you missed the show.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Obviously Ian should know better than I, but I thought Ritchie turned down Live Aid before anyone else had a chance to discuss it…?
May 8th, 2021 at 09:57The story making the rounds about Deep Purple’s non-appearance at LiveAid 85 has always been that they (Purple) pulled out of it after Ritchie Blackmore refused to play. Perhaps that was a lot of codswallop.
Interesting that Gillan is now revealing that it was allegedly Bob Geldof who due to bad blood, snubbed Purple for 1985’s show. As for 2005, I do distinctly recall that the coverage of Purple in the 2005 was minimal at best.
Why am I not surprised by any of this….well Purple simply doesn’t match the decor in the rock music industry/media establishment. They don’t play the game, and they aren’t aren’t the darlings of the critics and corporate types who rule the roost.
Typcial.
May 8th, 2021 at 13:13Anyone who has read the accounts written about the machinations behind Live Aid will appreciate the total organisational shambles it was behind the scenes, especially the conflicts between the promoters; Harvey Goldsmith in the UK and Bill Graham in the US, with a bemused Geldof trying to mediating in the middle.
May 8th, 2021 at 16:38They were still booking acts right up until the day of the concerts, and poorly liased with many artists willing to appear in order to arrange interneries etc.
It’s no wonder Purple didnt wait, with dates in Zurich already booked clashing with Live Aid, lack of any firm confirmation from the organisers meant Deep Purple simply carried on with their European tour.
Whst is the context of the ‘cannabalism’ and population control talk? Was he joking? Was it sarcasm? Need more on this.
May 9th, 2021 at 03:31Just to say that my recollection of Ritchie refusing Live Aid could only have come from an old interview with another band member. I may have misremembered or it might just be a shorter version of the fuller story that he refused after management has said yes. The way I remember it was that he was approached first and turned it down on behalf of the band – but my memory is becoming less and less reliable.
May 9th, 2021 at 09:32Looking at the headline again, The planet will be fine after we’re gone, and thinking, true, but it will take a awfully long time, I remembered seeing a documentary about how mankind’s mess would gradually disappear once the planet is free of us which reckoned the last thing to go might well be Mount Rushmore.
May 9th, 2021 at 09:42Purple were much better off not playing at Live Aid or Live 8. Those events for all good intentions are usually kaos, contain huge egos from certain individuals & are a con job on where the money actually ends up. Not to mention also that some musicians were being put under pressure to perform. Two words in regards for those sort of ‘entertainment’ events, Corporate Wank! Cheers.
May 9th, 2021 at 10:12MacGregor @7. Agreed to a certain extent, however I think had Purple played the 1985 festival, it would have so much more of a major international profile, especially at the time when their reunion tour was really firing on all cylinders. All anyone talks about these days re LiveAid 85 are the performances by Queen and Led Zeppelin. Just imagine what Purple could have done on that same big world stage!
As for 2005, what pitiful coverage Purple was given for that event. Again, it seems all that anyone talks about in regard to that is the Pink Floyd reunion.
May 9th, 2021 at 20:00Dave @4: yep, it was a fine example of his infamously dry sense of humour
May 9th, 2021 at 20:11DeeperPurps @ 8 – I am not sure Purple needed that sort of exposure in 1985. The reunion was pretty big & I just can’t imagine them on THAT stage. The whole thing was a joke & Phil Collins trying to play Zeppelin with Page all over the place, comical. What about a bloated Ozzy with a washed up Sabbath, embarrassing indeed! Phil Collins playing in England then flying over to play in the US, EGO wank or what. Corporate filth is all it was. For all it’s intentions, the filth turn up in their droves with their egos & cashed up celebrity masturbation. A disgrace really, a total sham! Regarding 2005, I only watched The Who & Floyd, who incidentally should have closed that performance, not celebrity royalty McCartney. That said it all. We all heard about the so called famous celebrities back stage at that London gig. Really important people, NOT! VIP is short for Very Irrelevant Pratt. We know who they are. In regards to the other events & Purple appearing in Canada, I wasn’t even aware of that! Cheers.
May 9th, 2021 at 20:58MacGregor @10. You have hit the nail right on the head! A corporate wankfest for sure. Purple don’t play that game. Nevertheless, had they been given a chance to perform on that international stage, they would have shown the world who really was boss….that they weren’t like the washed-up Zeps and Sabs who were riding on past glories. The exposure that event would have given Purple, especially in the USA, may have changed their profile and fortunes for the better in that market.
As for Toronto, Purps played on the Barrie stage about 40 miles north of the big city. I remember the coverage of Purple, and of the Toronto show in general, being quite limited at best. Most of the attention was lavished on the “big” names at the London concert – the usual suspects: U2, Sting, Pink Floyd, The Who, McCartney, et al.
Typical,
May 10th, 2021 at 13:41If the powers that be allowed it they might make a new album?
May 10th, 2021 at 17:53They’ve made a new album !! Watch this space…
DeeperPurps @ 11 – in respect to Pink Floyd in London, or for that matter anywhere else they would have played, it was always going to be a big thing. David Gilmour didn’t want a bar of that ‘reformation’ & he was pushed & harassed into doing it. He has said he did not regret doing it for he reasons behind it, however he may have for other obvious reasons. In regards to Toronto was that the one Rush played at? My memory has been jolted now & I seem to recall those guys playing a few songs on stage somewhere back then. It may have been something else though. Cheers.
May 10th, 2021 at 21:10It wasn’t Rush appearing at Live 8 Toronto. It must have been at some other charity type of get together concert. Cheers.
May 11th, 2021 at 06:19MacGregor @ 13/14….the Live8 Toronto shows were mostly Canadian acts: Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Bryan Adams being the most internationally recognized ones there. Rush wasn’t at that event. Deep Purple was the only big name international act (unless one wants to count Motley Crue!).
May 11th, 2021 at 12:37Knowing DP wasnt really playing topnotch like in 93 it might be fortunate they did not disgrace themselves at liveaid.
May 11th, 2021 at 21:13For all those being proud that DP doesn’t play a part in “corporate wankfest”, I have a friendly reminder they have no problem playing closed events for Russian oligarchs and Swiss bankers if the price is right. It is not criticism but just keep that in mind when putting statements like they don’t play the game…
May 13th, 2021 at 07:24