Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore: the history of their relationship
Ian Gillan doesn't really like to talk about Deep Purple, and in particular about the black "wizard" of guitar mastery, virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore... No wonder. There is hardly any listener, and even less a fan of this cult band, who would not be aware of their endless clashes and wild antics towards each other.
However, in a recent interview, the permanent vocalist of the legendary Purple admitted that he would very much like Blackmore to be part of the band again. But, in Gillan's opinion, too much time has already been lost for Ritchie to return....
If someone doesn't remember, we remind you: Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple in 1993, having formed his own project called Blackmore's Night with his girlfriend. But not so long ago the legendary guitar virtuoso told the public that he would love to join Purple once again, so to speak "to remember the good old days"....
Ian Gillan tries not to remember about Blackmore, but having learnt about such a high-profile statement could not refrain from discussions with a journalist, in which he dared to reveal all the secrets hidden under a thick veil of secrecy...
"...Let me give you an example. Imagine: you got divorced, you went through a lot of hardships and unpleasant gifts of fate, and all these stages also involved your relatives... After some time you start to feel the taste of life, you remarry, and one of your relatives says to you: "I want you and your old soul mate to get back together, and I want to see you together, because it's cool, it's fun to spend time with you". And now imagine how bloody difficult that is, exactly humanly speaking...".
We," the musician continues, "don't have a burning passion for Blackmore, but we don't dislike him either. Ritchie has become a good old mate for us, with whom we can discuss new ideas and exchange our opinions... We don't have, and I personally don't have any dislike or bad feelings towards him. I just think that our bridges have already been dissolved. Everyone is moving in his own direction, and I see no point in straying from the paths we once chose. Especially as we are already seriously thinking about the end of our era, the Purple era".
Gillan had given a similar interview a few years earlier, and when asked if he had ever felt the urge to reunite with former band guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, Gillan coldly replied, "Not even in the slightest degree. Ritchie is a hurricane man, a storm man. He's a completely different story today. I reckon we'll cut that ridiculous joke - 'The Orchestra was dying...'" Anyway, when Ritchie was with us, that phrase suited Deep Purple in the best possible way".
"The truth is," Gillan continues, "the band was dying before our eyes. When Ricci was with us, Deep Purple was on its last breath: we had to play in small halls and clubs, the audience was getting smaller and smaller with each concert, and so were the creative ideas... To be honest, none of us had the slightest desire to do anything about it. We were all in chains: Pace and Glover were afraid to say a word to Blackmore, considering him the leader of the band... Naturally all this depressed me, depriving me of any comfort or inspiration. You know, when there is such a hell going on and you feel this powerful pressure on yourself, you can't think about creativity, your hands are tied...".
"...When Ritchie left us, the sun shone over Deep Purple again! We went back to doing what we always liked to do. Today, after all these years, I have only good memories with Ritchie. I tried to put all the bad ones out of my mind and never go back to it again. Richie is a great guitarist and a master of his craft, but at one point something went wrong in our relationship... I don't think we will ever be in the same team again.
