Here it is, with as little editing as possible -- i've tried to keep the feel of the interview, with its pauses, false starts, and whatever...

Interview with 7HO radio, Melbourne, Nov 26/75

7HO interviewer: Speaking to Tommy Bolin, Deep Purple's new guitarist, replacing Ritchie Blackmore.

<phone rings>

Tommy Bolin: And which telephone just rang; hehllo?

<voice on phone: "Can i talk to Steve?">

7HO: Steve..

<in background: Steve clears his throat, then has an unrelated conversation that lasts for about a minute while the interview is going on>

7HO: Tommy, can you basically tell me how the whole thing started; who was the first Purple guy that actually approached you to join?

TB: Um, one of the roadies, Nick Bell <chuckles>. Um, David like, uh, heard me on Cobham albums and stuff, you know, and James Gang albums, and they were looking all over the East Coast: New York, and Boston, and yadda-yadda you know, i guess; and i live like two minutes from him, in Malibu, in California..it was ridiculous, so...

7HO: And how did he actually approach you?

TB: He just called up and they just said, 'Do you wanna, do wanna, you know, jam a bit', and i said yeah.. you know i wasn't that enthused about being in an English band.

7HO: Why?

TB: Because English bands tend be a bit sterile a lot, i mean every, everything is exa-- i mean every time they play, it's the same jokes, the same, you know it really is, i mean, it's, it's you know, gets to a point of being really bland, and i just didn't wanna, you know the way i play, i didn't wanna be a part of that. So, uh... when i DID go down, it was like, uh, within the first, you know, tune, you know, i knew that the, you know, it was.. they're a, they're a very Americanized English band; i mean they're very, they grew up with the same roots as i grew up with, which really amazed me. So, i mean playing like R&B stuff, Sam & Dave, Motown, you know, yadda-yadda..

7HO: Were you aware of this before you actually joined the band?

TB: No, i didn't hear the band before i joined them. I heard Smoke On The Water, and i heard, um, <snaps fingers> Highway Star.

7HO: <chuckles> Machine Head.

TB: Yeah. I mean just those two songs i heard.

7HO: Who was it that actually asked you to join, after the jam?

TB: Ah, the whole band -- i mean, they asked, you know, would you like to, you know, and i said, well, you know, so then i started, uh, i started thinking well OK, you know i started presenting tunes to them, some of my songs..and things went really well, i mean, they like accepted the majority of things that i thought would be.. i didn't know, like what vein to really go into (surely he'd had enough practice - ed :). Those two tunes were actually the only ones i really knew of, you know? So...

7HO: Where you aware of this replacement of Ritchie?

TB: Oh yeah, yeah, very much so. David was! <laughs>

7HO: Well, you're the exact opposite..it knocked me out, onstage last night -- you're exactly the opposite of Ritchie is, onstage --

TB: Really? I, i.. really?

7HO: -- very extrovert, whilst Ritchie is very introvert; stands in one spot and plays.

TB: He does, really? I didn't, i'm sorry, i didn't know that..the only time i saw him was the California Jam thing, where, there was like a, it was on, it was a TV thing, there was like a huge flamethrower thing or something like that, and somebody loaded it too much, and it about burnt Ritchie's britches off! And you could tell it on TV, you know, it was like, uh... but that's the only time saw the band.

7HO: Have you played with such musicians as Glenn and Ian, and Jon, before? I mean, what's it like playing with these great musicians?

TB: Oh, they're great, they're really great, but i mean it.. there's, there's thousands and thousands of great musicians, you know. I mean like everywhere, i mean in every little city, you know? In every city probably in the world there's one great musician, you know..at least... um, playing with Michael Walden and Billy Cobham, and Alphonse Mouzon, as far as drummers go.. and Airto, and Rafael Cruz, and, you know...

7HO: And what about the James Gang, why did you actually leave them?

TB: It was like a very boring thing on stage for me, i'd be really getting into it, you know, and i'd turn around and look at the, look at the drummer and he'd be like snoring, you know.. looking -- he collected license plates, you know, it was, so he'd be, you know, wondering, he had a huge catalog of people to call in every town, so he'd be thumbing through it during my solo, you know..it was really stupid.

7HO: Would you say you're 100 precent happy with your position in Deep Purple?

TB: Oh yeah, because it's like, um.. well like, for one, i'm able to do my own albums, and second of all, i'm able to, uh, to tour with Purple, you know..

7HO: Will you be touring solo, yourself?

TB: Yeah, with Michael Walden, Dave Sanborn, um.. possibly Jan Hammer, Stanley Sheldon on bass... and that'll probably happen just in the States. At least for the first album.

7HO: Will this affect Deep Purple's touring?

TB: Probably to a certain extent, you know..but when i entered the band, it was like a give-and-take situation, so.. you know, i have to accept a certain thing, and they have to accept a certain thing, and so far everybody's happy, you know..

7HO: You have a new album out now called Teaser.

TB: Teaser..which is doing unbelievable in the States, you know.

7HO: How is it musically, compared to a Purple album?

TB: To a Purple album, it's..well, there's some Purple-type material on it. We do like, for instance, on stage we do Wild Dogs, and we're doing, we're going to do, um.. Homeward Strut, which is an instrumental, live in the States, in Europe and Germany, so.. that'll be the next tour coming up. You know, they really love the album, you know, which really satisfies myself, you know.

7HO: The tracks that are on the album, were they written in a short time, have you just got them together now --

TB: On mine?

7HO: On your new album, Teaser. Have they been around?

TB: No, mine, my album, and also Come Taste The Band, were written over a span of, like, four years, you know; some, like Dreamer, i've done for like the last four years. On Come Taste The Band, Lady Luck i've done for like the last four years, you know. So its been, um.. some of the tunes, are.. i mean, it's good to play with, i mean in a new environment with new people, because it brings a certain life out of a tune.

7HO: How do you find writing with David?

TB: Writing with David is great. And also with Glenn. I'll probably be writing a lot more with Glenn on the next one.

7HO: Gettin' Tighter, i think, was one of the great tracks on Come Taste The Band.

TB: Yeah, i love that, i love that, i love that song.

7HO: That goes down well on stage.

TB: That's like, yeah, that's like my favorite one.

7HO: How did you actually get about to writing that track?

TB: I wrote that at one of the rehearsals. I just thought, you know, i just thought, 'oh man, you know they would probably enjoy'.. you know, because i was starting to feel them out, and they were starting to feel me out, and it was like, you know, like i say, a give-and-take situation, even musically. And, um... i just kind of presented, with all the tunes, mostly, i just presented, um.. the music --

7HO: A riff?

TB: A riff, or whatever. And, uh.. like, you know, i would construct the tune around it and David would take it from there, and do the lyrics, or Glenn would do the lyrics, or you know, whatever.

7HO: Coming Home, i was surprised you don't do that on stage.

TB: That's like, uh..

7HO: It's a very ballsy rocker like Highway Star.

TB: Yeah, it is, it is, um.. that's, that's a weird tune to explain; the way i wrote that, was.. Ian started a beat, he goes 'we should have something with this sort of beat', so we went into the studio, just the two of us, in Munich, and he started a beat and i just started making up these chords, and.. you know, we built the whole riff around that. So the tune took like ten minutes to write, you know.

7HO: There's a very fast guitar solo in the center.

TB: Yeah, it's, it's, it was mainly kind of constructed to present myself to, you know, i mean it's the longest guitar solo on the album. And it's the, it's very bitey guitar solo. So, um.. i dunno, it was a very fun thing to do, you know.. it was very easy, and it was very fun. And then David wrote the lyrics over it.

7HO: Some interesting comments that Ritchie Blackmore made before he left Deep Purple, was he was very worried about the new style of the band, the funky soul feel they were getting into, with Stormbringer; well, i notice that as soon as Ritchie's left, you'ld expect Purple to go into this funky soul thing, but in actual fact it is now heavier, and i think gutsier than any album they've done, since about Machine Head.

TB: Well Ritchie, i mean like Ritchie really, you know, he's, uh.. he's come and listened to the band, you know, and stuff, and he's really, he really likes it a lot, you know, which makes me happy.

7HO: Tracks like Dealer..did you write that with David?

TB: Yeah, right, yeah.

7HO: That's a very heavy track.

TB: Yeah, well, that was like, a tune that i had lyrics for, previously, that we put down the music track in Munich, and then we.. you know, then.. like in Munich, the situation was, the studio was in the basement of the hotel, which was a very comfortable situation because you'ld find, ok, if somebody had to do an overdub, you know, the rest of the band could just go upstairs and, you know, do what they had to do.. So, in that tune, like David -- we did the tune, he wrote lyrics around it which he thought would be much more suitable for the band, and i think which they were. And.. i think we'll probably start doing that live, i hope, you know, because i do like that tune a lot.

7HO: Where was your first tour with Purple?

TB: We started in Hawaii, then went to New Zealand, then here, then we go to Indonesia, then we go to Japan, then we take Christmas off, then we go to America, England, and Germany.

7HO: How has the reception been to the band so far?

TB: Oh, unbelievable. It's like, it's like here, it's like, the acoustics of the hall are so strange, you know, it's like, it's set up really weird, you know, so it's.. and we've had, like, three days off, you know, so.. in that time span you tend to get a bit rusty, you know, but tonight i'm sure we'll be much better, you know.

7HO: Tommy, Deep Purple reached a very high point with Machine Head. Since then they've lost a little of their popularity. Are you aiming to get this back, and do you think you'll succeed?

TB: Yeah, well, that's what, like, people even in the group say, you know. They were kind of in a slump because, i think, of the situation with Ritchie, being, from what i gather, like 'don't even come on my side of the stage' routine, you know, which is really a lot of, uh..

7HO: And you're the opposite, you run from one side to the other.

TB: Well, i always have, you know. I mean a band is a band, you know; i mean, if you're gonna go out solo, you go out solo, but if you're in a band, you're in a band, and you shouldn't alienate one from the other.

7HO: I notice a funny thing last night, when you accidently tripped David.

TB: <laughs>

7HO: How did it happen?

TB: The floor covering, the floor covering in this place is like, like linoleum. <background> They had to built an extra part on the stage.

TB: Right. <background> The extra part of the stage was covered in vinoleum. And Ritchie just couldn't -- err, Tommy just couldn't get a --

TB: Yeah, it was like ice skating, i mean, like constant ice skating across the stage, you know.. i'd slide over here, and i'd slide over there..

7HO: Yeah, i noticed that.

TB: Unfortunately, i slid, and he.. you know, and my right foot went out a bit too far, and he was walking backwards at the time, and the lights went down, because it was the end of the tune; and when the lights came up he was lying on his back.

7HO: And he'd split his pants.

TB: <laughs> Well, he should go on a diet anyway. <laughs>

7HO: How do you find the personality of the guys in the band? Do you get on very well with all of them?

TB: Yes, very well with all of them, mainly Glenn and Jon. I mean, we're very close, you know. Ian and David, like, have their ladies with them, so they just, you know.. like after a gig when you go out with the boys, you know, they just, they're content with, like, just staying home with their ladies, so it doesn't get as personal, you know, but.. well actually, last night, maybe, i mean it was a bit strange, i mean.. we got a bit too loose and Glenn started throwing his chopsticks around.

7HO: What's it like playing in stadiums like Festival Hall -- Australian stadtiums in general -- compared to overseas stadiums?

TB: Um, overseas..well, like, in America, like, uh.. we, well in the James Gang and in previous groups, we played in, like, baseball fields and things like that that hold, like, you know, 60,000 people, you know. So, it's --

7HO: You get a better vibe out of that.

TB: Yeah, i mean it's very intense, walking, i mean, you know, standing in front of that many people. I think Australia is more personal. And New Zealand also. Hawaii was, i think, a bit bigger type situation. But, in general, it's, um.. it's fun, i mean, like when the fun stops, you might just as well stop everything.

7HO: True. Have you had a chance to listen to any Australian bands since you've been here?

TB: Yeah, i have, i have. And New Zealand bands. And there's a couple that i think are really, really -- oh, one is, uh.. God, i.. Stylus?

7HO: Stylus, yeah.

TB: I heard a single or something by 'em, which was.. the singer is really good. Um.. New Zealand, um.. i can't remember the name of the band, but they're --

7HO: Split Enz?

TB: No, no.. they're just playing a club there that i went every night; we were there for, like, five days, so i went to this club every night and played, and it was great, because it was a situation where, you know.. i met these chicks who were like, backup singers, you know, and they were like really good, really really good, and it was neat because like, the last two or three days, like, people would come at a certain time knowing that i would be playing, you know, and, you know we'd be, and Jon Lord would be playing, you know, and it was a very small, intimate, private club, and it was a lot of fun.

7HO: Besides the music, Tommy, have you got any other outside interests? Hobbies?

TB: Tennis, i play tennis...um..uh..<laughs> I just mainly just --

7HO: Just music.

TB: Music, and drinking, and.. and burning and looting. <laughs>

7HO: <laughs> Good. Tommy, just before you go, can you talk about a few tracks off your own album, Teaser?

TB: Off of Teaser, yeah..

7HO: Which ones do you like, or you're happy with the best?

TB: Well, in general, i.. seriously, it sounds stupid to say, i love, i love, i really love the whole album, i'm very proud of the whole album. It's doing, it's doing tremendously in the States. You know, far beyond which i thought it would do, you know? I love, like, Lotus, Homeward Strut, Marching Powder, um.. Dreamer, you know.. those four i think are probably my favorites, and Wild Dogs.

7HO: Would you like to lead us into a track, if you could say for us, 'this is Tommy Bolin, for 7HO, and i'd like to play a track off my new album'?

TB: This is Tommy Bolin, for 7HO, and i'd like to do one of my favorite tracks off of one of my favorite albums.

7HO: And what track's that?

TB: That track would be..<background: Homeward Strut> Homeward Strut.

7HO: Fantastic. Just before you go, i wonder if you could also say 'this is Tommy Bolin for 7BK, Brisbane' --

<background>No, no, 'Tommy Bolin of Deep Purple for 4BK'

7HO: 4BK, right..

TB: This is Tommy Bolin of Deep Purple, from 4BK, saying hello, goodbye, and if i don't see you in the future, i'll see you in the past.

7HO: Thanks a lot Tommy, and i wish you the best of luck on your, the rest of your Australian tour, and for the rest of world.

<phone rings>

TB: And thank you, and the bell has just rung! <laughs>

7HO: Thanks a lot, Tommy.

Transcribed by Wolf Schneider ( lonewolf@mindlink.bc.ca)