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Rock and roll full throttle
Steven Rosen who was a music reporter back in the 70s writes about his encounter with Ritchie Blackmore in November 1974:
Amidst all of the commotion, Ritchie was standing with one leg propped up on a small practice amp. He was running through what must have been his pre-show routine, oblivious to the commotion around him. When one of the crew asked him something, he continued playing for another few seconds and then raised his head. Without uttering a word, he simply stared at the source of the question and shot him a look that withered. He then lowered his head and continued practicing.
At that moment, I was brought over and introduced to him. Several minutes passed while he continued with his finger exercises, and I actually think he had forgotten I was there. I broke the silence by telling him Creem magazine had flown me out and he muttered something that sounded like an insult. We began. He slipped in and out of this strange English double-talk, but for the most part he remained relatively polite.
Read more and listen to the interview here.
Thanks to GarpJarp for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Blackmore has always had this reputation, but in interviews with people who actually had known him, the story is different. Turner says the reputation is not deserved, Bob Daisley also said he never had a problem with him… The guy is quiet, shy, and a bit of a perfectionist and sometimes that rubs people the wrong way. For some individuals, it’s an effort to be cordial–exhausting in a way. That also rubs people the wrong way.
March 24th, 2008 at 01:51What a genius this guy is, he really rocks and it shows that at times in his performances that he’s human.
April 5th, 2008 at 14:12I agree with T that Ritchie is quiet and shy and sometimes misunderstood. But if you read the excellent biography of him Black Knight by Jerry Bloom (?) it’s pretty clear that as well as being a brilliant guitarist he can also be cruel, arrogant, incredibly selfish and rude. I will always respect what Ritchie has done for music and for me but he ain’t no saint and often the word ‘misunderstood’ is used as a euphemism for ‘complete bastard’. Of course that is not the full picture as he clearly also has a wonderful sense of humour and can be great fun to be around. However he does not come across as someone you’d want to get on the wrong side of, and that seems like a fairly easy thing to do!
April 10th, 2008 at 05:54