![[hand]](/hs-pics/portraits/hands/gillan9.jpg)
![[face]](/hs-pics/portraits/faces/gillan.jpg)
Gillan and Blackmore decorated in Armenia
As we have reported previously, Armenia is honouring the 20th anniversary of the Rock Aid Armenia project. On October 1 Ian Gillan together with Tony Iommi, Geff Downes and the project organizer Jon Dee have arrived to Yerevan to take part in the Armenia Grateful 2 Rock celebrations. On October 2 they were received by the Prime Minister of the country who awarded them with the republic’s Orders of Honour. In addition to Gillan, Iommi, Downes and Dee, Dave Gilmour and Brian May were also decorated with the Order of Honour.
Ritchie Blackmore who also took part in the Rock Aid Armenia was awarded `Honorary Medal of the Prime Minister of Armenia’, along with other participants — Brian Eno, Bryan Adams, Bruce Dickinson, Roger Taylor, Roger Daltrey, Alex Lifeson, Paul Rodgers, Keith Emerson, Chris Squire, tennisist John McEnroe and Brian Eno’s wife/producer/manager Anthea Norman-Taylor.
Thanks to Ara Tadevosyan for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Great stuff!!
October 3rd, 2009 at 16:07Good to hear that Prime Minister of Armenia doesn’t have issues with Ritchie 🙂
October 3rd, 2009 at 20:25lol
October 4th, 2009 at 00:50“tennisist” John McEnroe
October 4th, 2009 at 11:20HZ
Why should he?
My only political memory linking Ritchie with Russia and so on was around the SOVJET UNION days and Maggie Thatcher, I never wanted to work on her farm either hehehe, …….
He then said he did not want to play around there because he resented the regime……
October 4th, 2009 at 11:20Hey guys – what an great honor for all.
I hope Ritchie and Ian will be friendly together – if Ritchie is there too. If he insn´t why not ??
Because of his management 🙂 ??? … or because he was/is not invited ?
LLRnR
-kraatzy-
October 4th, 2009 at 11:28http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghbuQKjqTXw&feature=related
hey watch this….
October 4th, 2009 at 18:14I guess Blackmore showed up for this gig? No encores?
October 4th, 2009 at 18:32Well I don’t know, priest, seems to me that everyone has some issue with Ritchie, so I taught that PM was maybe jealous not to be able singing with Blackers, or at least being as influential as him , at least in politics if not in music. But in the end he could say that everyone is now happy in Armenia since Ritchie left, and clouds are no more, and even though Ritchie is among greatest as guitarist, but Armenia was nosediving before he’s left – now everything is great, economy and everything else, creativity is back in that country, and everything is just superb. Oh yes, maybe PM would like to relate Smoke to himself – but I’m happy that PM has no issue with Ritchie, I couldn’t stand to hear that Smoke is not about riff but about Armenia. Well, I’m happy that there’s someone not having problem with Ritchie – cheers. 🙂
October 4th, 2009 at 20:38Hi HZ
It appears YOU have an issue, hehehe
October 6th, 2009 at 12:16No, no, priest, just trying to be ironic in english, but it appears it doesn’t work 🙂 Just kidding, I’m little pissed of as everyone has some issue with Ritchie, and still everybody loves to hear or play his tunes.
October 6th, 2009 at 13:48@ 7 great video.
October 6th, 2009 at 18:36Gillan on Nº 73 – 05/June/1982 Ultra Rare footage ! :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19Nu0S0E7po
October 6th, 2009 at 19:32Another Funny One :
Analog Pussy – Trance N Roll “Smoke on the water” :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3CIc5RUiEc
October 6th, 2009 at 19:38@12
October 7th, 2009 at 10:54I’m still asking to myself who’s the person don airey pointing while he’s saying “oh shit!”…and why joe lynn turner is there…and why act like Dio and scorpions seem to play in front of a small crowd during the day…
I’m still wondering why Mr Blackmore is honoured… Let sleeping dogs lie.. ain’t it? Blackmore’s NIGHTmare is worse than Roihpnol… 4 to 6 minutes of that and you fall sleep to your bones… God! Must be HIS age….
October 7th, 2009 at 18:11@ 16
Well, Rob ….
YOU are sure not letting sleeping dogs lie, arent you?
ABOVE is mentioned why BOTH Gillan and Blackmore are awarded.
Btw, my words do not mean I do give an opinion on the question which seems to belie your wondering.
Do awards really matter?
October 7th, 2009 at 21:31@16
October 8th, 2009 at 04:54His riff, his presence that day, no? Or even in 89. that was someone’s else riff?
2 Rob:
Sorry, I think I’m missing your point here. Why Mr. Blackmore shall not be honoured at first place? Apart from the fact that he was the creator of THE riff, which made the song so important, he also took part in the recording of the charity track/album and supported the whole project.
Why his current occupation and the music he plays affect or anyhow deminish what he did in relation to the project in question is beyond me. Care to explain?
October 8th, 2009 at 13:33C’MON RITCHIE!!! DEEP PURPLE NEEDS YOU!!! DO THE RIGHT THING……
October 12th, 2009 at 14:202 Robert,
October 12th, 2009 at 18:48That’s the point exactly! To be talking of what he DID while the guy is still alive. That’s pathetic… A creator of his kind cannot retire just like that, people like him simply burn out, not fade away. I hope he wakes up one day and goes back to what he can do best: rock and roll! While others as Jimmy Page can afford to fade away, he (as for Ritchie) can’t, otherwise it’s a rip off !
Rob, you’re right!
October 12th, 2009 at 18:52After following Ritchie Blackmore for decades I feel let down and deceived by ‘The Creator’ himself… What do I do now? Buy me some Elizabethan pijamas and attend his concerts along with a teapot and a stick???? Age has nothing to do with rock and roll, the guy could still be kicking ass wherever he went…. It’s a shame to see him playing scholl girl’s choir stuff…..
Thank you Alpha,
October 12th, 2009 at 19:02At least I see some common sense still around here. As for the Elizabethan pijamas… I don’t know… might look like a queer yourself, so watch out! I’d rather show up with some white leather boots and my used-and-worn jeans ‘a la ritchie-70’s-style’…. LOL……….
2 Rob,
I see your point. But I think we’re talking about slightly different things here. This award was not given for Ritchie’s contribution to music, etc., etc. So it’s not a summary of his career. It was given for a specific act of charity which Ritchie supported. And this is something that cannot be questioned or denied. It’s a fact.
Again, why his current addiction to ‘ABBA-unplugged’ and weird pants shall make this fact less important?
Just for the record: I’d also be much happier seeing Ritchie in DP or Rainbow, or in fact ANYWHERE playing rock music. BN’s first album was fresh and interesting, but the act became boring very quickly. Last album I even didn’t bother to buy.
October 13th, 2009 at 07:14Robert,
October 14th, 2009 at 07:24I agree with you mostly, Ritchie really deserves all the credit he can get for his ‘past’ contribution to Rock. But then again, the problem lies there: in his PAST contribution, not his current!.
I still keep a music magazine from the late 70’s with an interview in which Ritchie himself depicts bands as Fleetwood Mac and Abba. He says that to him music is either Hard Rock ‘a la Hendrix’ or Renaissance chamber music, no in betweens! Now, ain’t that being a **** or worse?
great now richie and ian can heal thier past life issues.
October 30th, 2009 at 01:58