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Nothing from the industry
British newspaper Express & Star has published an interview with Ian Gillan where he takes potshots at showbiz in his home country:
We’d play almost anywhere. But the climate in the UK is not friendly. Nothing wrong with the fans, they’re brilliant, and I’m looking forward to these shows in November. The band is hot right now. But we’ll literally be flying through and I don’t know when we’ll be back next.
I look back with great fondness on the long tours we used to do for the British fans, 28-36 UK dates – it was just brilliant. And, of course, we still see a lot of those fans now. But from ‘the industry’ there’s nothing.
The Highway Star also gets a name check. Read the rest of the interview in Express & Star.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
as you said deram Mr.Gillan: Deep purple is an underground band…who cares about tv newspapers and radio!?
November 7th, 2009 at 13:49they are out of these things and nowdays that position means quality!
Unbelievible…
For me, as a German, I don´t realize, what a problem the british industrie has with Deep Purple – especially as THE british band !!!
I am very very astonished.
What happens ???
*LLRnR*
-kraatzy-
November 7th, 2009 at 14:54Great as allways.Yeah Mr.Grover Smoke on the water yeahhh ha haha lol.The life for an old rocker is getting harder every day.No rock stations,no tours,no festivals.Everything is market popier rubish,argh.I drop a tear for the british rock market.No real rock for the last 15 years or so.After give us Beatles The Who Purple ELP Yes Genesis J Tull Queen Iron Maiden,Priest etc,the brit industry is surviving from oasis frans ferdinand etc.Oh hard times.
November 8th, 2009 at 13:32Great interview, and he’s right the press/radio should support all the great british rock acts. having said that the tour should be bigger and they should put out a collection of recent stuff called morse code to raise the profile.
November 8th, 2009 at 20:46One couldn’t blame the English for feeling dissed as Deep Purple is a British band, albeit with an American guitar player. It took a long time for the reformed DP to reach England back in the day, and even then it was only for a short time.
While I understand Purple’s reasoning, it is still a shame their home fans do not receive as much attention as other countries. As an American, I sympathize with the frustration as Purple has pretty much given up at playing here. However, it is my hope that DP will be able to play as much as possible in front of the home fans.
Another issue is the one of a new album. I find it interesting that members are able to find the time and resources to do solo tours and record solo albums and that Gillan has “got about 50 songs in my library at the moment, but they’re not for Deep Purple.”
In this age of downloads, writing new songs on the go and making them available one-by-one over a period of time would be a relatively simple matter, rendering the problems associated with producing and financing an entire CD moot. How would you like a new Deep Purple song every few weeks? This way of writing might even be more conducive to the creative process as the band can rehearse and try out new numbers live before they are committed to record, and this method would have minimal impact on their touring schedule. These new numbers even could be recorded live. Just a thought ;).
My concern is that this may be the last opportunity for a Deep Purple album. With five years between recordings being the norm, I find it unlikely that Purple would produce an album in 2015. Even now, age has been a topic of much debate. How much of an impact would another five years have? In addition, who knows what the music climate will be at that time.
The 2010 album could very well be their swan song, and I cringe at the thought of their going into the studio with such a nonchalant attitude. Two-thousand ten will mark 40 years of Mark II albums, starting with 1970’s In Rock release. Given the historic potential of the forthcoming album, extra effort needs to be made–and one way to do that is to give Steve Morse and Don Airey free reign to create the trademark guitar-organ virtuosity.
November 9th, 2009 at 00:27“No-one’s done any writing yet,” says Ian. “I’ve got about 50 songs in my library at the moment, but they’re not for Deep Purple.”
Sounds a bit familiar to what Blackmore used to say back in 1973, during WDWTA sessions: “You can’t use that, I’m keeping it for my solo album”. It seems that we don’t need to hold our breath for 2010…
November 9th, 2009 at 08:46Poor cliche excuses, Gillan. I usually hate this term, but you are ‘selling out’ to Europe and South America because that’s where the big cash is.
November 9th, 2009 at 18:49Great interview! Ian is never at a loss for words.
November 9th, 2009 at 22:46@ 5, if it is their “swan song” so be it, I’ll be sad but what a great ride it would have been!
Big cash in eastern Europe and South America?Or…it’s the only existing cash?
November 10th, 2009 at 00:37its not all bad news in the uk tho… last years sunday at donnington had whitesnake/journey/fastway/ leppard and it was well attented so if mr payne pulls his finger out the purps could be on the bill next year! also tonight im off to see quo and tomorrow its motorhead/damned/girlschool in my home town!
November 10th, 2009 at 14:02@9 I wouldn’t call Germany,France,Spain and Italy “Eastern Europe” exactly…
November 10th, 2009 at 19:44# 11 indeed,but in these countries they don’t play quite often,except by second home Germany.And in Europe there is no big cash at all.The big money is only in US.
November 11th, 2009 at 15:00Very dissappointed at Gillan’s comment “flying through and don’t know when we will be back”!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just listened to a recording of his closing goodbye at the ONLY Deep Purple 2008 gig in which he said next year,(2009),DP would do a good long tour in the UK.
Obviously, he has a very short memory!
November 11th, 2009 at 16:35Gillan always contracdicts himself and exaggerates.
They get excellent crowds in France and eastern Europe, so don’t tell me there isn’t money there. In the States, they play in similar size venues to what they do in the UK, so that is not big money.
November 12th, 2009 at 14:49@12 “they don’t play in these countries often..” but they do, in Italy alone over 100000 people have seen dP in the last tours, in Germany they have full houses, in big arenas, every tour, and in Spain they are still a big draw.
November 14th, 2009 at 18:53Add to that Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and just about the whole of Europe and Asia and you will find it’s more than “eastern Europe and SA”.
Right # 15,but the MONEY is not that big.It’s better try to conquer America,but they will have to bring Ritchie back.Sorry.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:04Quite good, although some fragments make me angry. For instance this one about another interview. What a stupid journo! “Grover”! And he interrupts IG continually to say stil more stupid things. Who gave him a licence? His uncle?
November 19th, 2009 at 09:36I thought it was his nephew,Joanna.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:56Ritchie! Leave the Blackmore’s Night (one record only!) and Come Back to DP! Yours Dawtambule
November 22nd, 2009 at 22:07