"Krone" interview

Deep Purple: “There is no alternative to a private jet”

Hard rock for 64 years and still not tired: British legends Deep Purple around founding member and drummer Ian Paice (m.).

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Earmusic, Jim Rakete)

With their last three studio albums, hard rock legends Deep Purple reached number one in the German album charts - and the popularity of Ian Gillan and co. remains unbroken in this country too. A new album, "=1", is being released these days, which combines the strengths of the old days with a contemporary production. Drummer and founding member Ian Paice took us on a great journey into his own rock'n'roll past in an interview.

"Krone": Ian, are you actually playing songs from your new album "=1" live on tour this summer?
Ian Paice: Psst. (laughs) I'm sure there will be a few. When we record an album, we work with producer Bob Ezrin in the studio, play each track four or five times and then forget about it because it moves on so quickly. Before we go on tour, we have to re-learn the songs because it takes six months in between. So we actually re-record a new album several times. (laughs)

Since the album "Now What?!" from 2013, you've had a real run. You're celebrating great chart success, touring incessantly and the music sounds both nostalgic and fresh. "=1" now represents the basic sound of 70s Purple and mixes it with modern approaches. Does this album bring together all phases of the band's history?
I don't know if it's that complicated. When Simon McBride joined the band in 2022, he took the band in a new direction. Like most European guitarists, he's very good at creating riffs and riffs naturally make the music heavier. That was already the case with Ritchie Blackmore. Steve Morse played more complex and melodic. None of it is better or worse, it's just different. Riffs are more immediate and hit you as a listener faster. We didn't want to reflect the 70s, but many riffs from back then still sound contemporary because Simon constructs his guitar playing in a similar way to Blackmore. We never have a plan when we work on a new album. There is no premeditation, everything just happens as it should. Sometimes you have great ideas and an album gets better, other times an album is missing this or that.

We believe that "=1" is pretty strong, but there is no guarantee of success. If you make the best album at the wrong time, nobody will listen to it. If you make a bad one at the right time, it will go through the roof. The music business is not completely predictable. As artists, we can only do what we think is right and hope that people will see it that way. We have a lot of energy on the album, which is always good. The four of us instrumentalists recorded the backing tracks together in the studio, the old-school way. As a musician, you want to play live - even in the studio. We used to do that in the analog days and now we're doing it again. Back then, no computer could save your ass if you made mistakes. So you'd better prepare well in advance.

Is this lack of planning, which you have at the beginning of every album concept, a reason why the music on the album shows such great variability?
That's how it should be. Older Purple albums always had different influences on different songs. Blackmore had rock'n'roll roots, Jon Lord loved blues and classical, Roger Glover likes folk and I brought jazz into the rock drumming. In the end, it's just music. People have to pigeonhole everything these days, but it doesn't matter. You either like something or you don't. I love the sounds of an opera, but I don't like the singing. It's like someone is attacking me. (laughs) But the melodies are superb and catch my heart. Hip-hop, for example, is not for me because I don't understand it. Others love it - brilliant. As we have different tastes within the band, you're always surprised as a listener.

The last time we spoke on the phone, you told me that Deep Purple is not a band of close friends, but that you meet respectfully for work. On the other hand, two years ago you gave guitarist Steve Morse the opportunity to take care of his sick wife in peace. That sounds more like a good friendship ...
That was a situation that nobody could control. Family always comes first, that goes for everyone. Steve did what any honorable man would do: he stayed home with his loved ones. On the other hand, we live in a tough business. We can't go to concert promoters and say we might be coming on tour next year. You have to plan and fix things. The costs are so high nowadays that nobody takes too many risks. Janine, Steve's wife, died a few months ago and he was there for her until the end. But we couldn't have stopped the band. It wouldn't have been possible in our careers and lives. It was a tough decision, but we carried on with Simon.

You can't build someone up for two years and then immediately kick them out of the band again. As you can see, there's no easy and satisfying way. We had to carry on as a band and couldn't just sit around. When Simon joined the band, it was 100 percent. There's no other way with Purple. When Janine died, it wasn't over for Steve. He has a family, has to look after the children and lives in the USA. He can't tour Europe with us without support. When we play in Singapore, Tokyo or Buenos Aires, he can't just fly home. Steve is making music again, which is great. We're still here, that's great too. I hope we can all continue this passion for as long as possible.

But if Steve had the desire and time for Deep Purple again - would there be a chance to reintegrate him? Iron Maiden also increased to three guitarists at some point ...
It would be possible, but only if Simon wanted to go. Simon is much younger than us and no matter how many years we have left with Deep Purple, he will definitely continue. When he joined us, nobody knew him. If he leaves us at some point or quits the band, everyone will know him. His career is rolling and with his talent he deserves it. We're lucky to have him in the band and we're just as happy to be able to push his name with ours. It's a win/win situation for all parties. I don't think Steve would still be an issue for the band.

Then was then, now is now. It's like Ritchie Blackmore. It might sound good in your head, but in reality such plans are usually doomed to failure. Blackmore loves being the boss. He is today and he was back then with Rainbow. There's nothing wrong with that, but it didn't suit Deep Purple. When we came back in 1984, we were a democratic band and had a lot of fun. But at the end of the day, Ritchie has to control everything. That certainly works, but not with us in the band. We are too many strong egos. Equality is okay, but nothing more.

Is democracy even possible in a band?
In principle yes, it just needs more patience and the right age. Kids can't work democratically and that's how it was with us when we were young. At some point you have to accept that you can't win every battle. Some you win, some you lose. Today there are five of us in the band and that means we always come to a decision. Sometimes I'm with the majority, other times I'm not. When you're young, you always want to get your way. There's always trench warfare - today everything is a bit easier.

You mentioned it - it's been 40 years since you reunited in 1984. Is this second, much longer-lasting career of yours more peaceful, more pleasant and generally calmer?
You have to look at everything in intersections. The first albums with Nick Simper were great fun. We became well known and successful. The music that Blackmore, Lord and I wrote, Rod Evans couldn't sing anymore and Nick didn't like the direction. That was the first big turning point, because we integrated Roger Glover and Ian Gillan, which completely changed the band. We became more independent and bolder and that period from 1969 to 1973 was incredible. There were great albums, we made a lot of people happy and became stars. Then Ian and Roger left and were replaced by Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale. That went very well at first, but when the two new ones mixed their influences with those of Ritchie and Jon, we went in a new direction again, which Ritchie didn't like - so he left and formed Rainbow. That's the way he was and that was fine.

We didn't tour for ten years and I worked with Gary Moore and others in the meantime. Everyone had their own projects and Deep Purple went into a kind of long hibernation. When we got back together in 1984, it was great for 15 months until the band started to implode again. Ritchie is just a born boss and that became a problem again. He spent most of his time being grumpy and antagonizing the band. The band became smaller, the audience less, the mood internally worse. Then Ritchie decided to leave again, which presented us with new difficulties. We had contractually agreed a tour of Japan, which we couldn't cancel. Joe Satriani stepped in for a few months and kept us going because we were able to honor our contracts. It was clear that he wouldn't stay, but he kept Deep Purple alive.

It took us a while to figure out that Deep Purple wasn't Ritchie's band, it was ours. After Joe saved us and we knew there was life after Ritchie, Steve Morse joined the band. So the music went in a different direction, which some liked and some didn't - but that's life. Two years ago Simon came in and he changed the direction again. Now we have another new album that most people like. But you can only really analyze an album four or five months after its release anyway. Then you know whether it's any good or not.

It's also interesting that so many fans always clamor for the old albums and want to hear the classics. On the other hand, your newer works have easily conquered the charts. Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
We are very lucky that we have a huge back catalog of great songs. We also have old-school fans who have been with us for many years. On the other hand, we've also had a lot of younger ones who we've won over with the latest albums and who then get to know the classics. That's incredibly important, because it allows us to still be relevant and contemporary today. Of course there are die-hard fans who want to hear the old 70s classics. Absolutely okay, they get them too, but not only them.

We all know how important and great songs like "Highway Star" or "Smoke On The Water" are, but as an artist you also have to create something new and move on. You have to challenge yourself and move forward. We try to mix the old with the new as much as possible and introduce people to all phases of Purple. "=1" probably sounds a bit more traditional because we're harking back to the old days a bit more obviously than we did with other albums. We're going back to riffs through Simon. Not all riffs are good, but when they are good, they are really good. (laughs)

Did you also have to learn to get along with each other over the years and the experience you've gained as a band and become a human alliance?
(laughs) Hopefully you get wiser with age, but I don't know if that's true for a person like Ritchie Blackmore. He's very sure of what he wants for himself. Again, I'm not criticizing that. Each of us has a certain characteristic in us and he's just got that edge, the rest of us have a different edge. If it gets too extreme, you have to be more moderate, but you can't fight against yourself and your nature. For Ritchie, power is more important than for others and you have to live with that. It's more important to me that I'm happy in a band and have a good time.

But you are all different characters in the band with strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has their own idea of how something should and shouldn't work. Even after almost 60 years, is Deep Purple a constant process, a discussion made flesh?
Wanting the best for the band is very important. You also have to understand that a song only survives if everyone likes it and not just four out of five. That's the way it is in a band and you have to live with it. When you're young, it's very easy to lose patience and lose it, even if the others have a better idea. At the end of the day, you have to look at it soberly: Each of the five of us has found something with music that we really enjoy doing. In addition, we were lucky enough to recognize our talent, promote it and be able to make a living from it. Making music makes us happy and being able to share that with people in the audience is a wonderful bonus. Talent helps you, but you also need a lot of self-confidence and luck. If I had been born in the same year, on the same day and at the same minute: My life wouldn't be the same. I was lucky, because you can't control that.

The earlier you understand that you are blessed with something very valuable, the better you can spend your life. You also always have to remember that people can take away the success they have given you at any time. They came to the show yesterday, you were bad - they may never come back. You're not their slave, but as in any job, you always have to give your best. We are entertainers and we have to communicate. We have some form of responsibility and the music has to be like a conversation. The audience takes in your songs, but with their reaction they can give you something back that goes beyond all boundaries. The best thing is the collaboration. The music is two-way - the sender and the receiver are equally important.

Simon McBride comes from a completely different generation. Is he a kind of mirror of your own nostalgia for you older guys in the band?
That's a good question. The generational difference is not important to Simon or us. When you play with good musicians, nothing else matters. You don't even realize it. Whether you're 10 or 100 makes no difference. If you're good, it's fun. If you're not good, it becomes problematic. A band is only as good as the weakest link in its chain. If you have one bad or unmotivated musician on stage, he can bring the whole thing down. Simon is a great guitarist and also a very calm, friendly character.

He is disciplined, he loves music and knows exactly what he wants. He also has the confidence to be Simon. He doesn't want to be Steve Morse or Ritchie Blackmore 2.0. Of course he also plays their songs and uses their licks, but in his own way. Who wants to be Ritchie Blackmore number 575? Nobody cares about that. He's Simon McBride and that's what sets him apart. That confidence comes automatically when you know you're good.

Ian, you are now 76 years old and the drums are the most difficult and strenuous instrument in a rock band. How does that work out for you in terms of fitness?
It's the second most difficult instrument! The voice is the hardest because it's so fragile. A voice can disappear and never come back. As an instrumentalist, you can also go off the rails, fall over on stage and die. It's all happened, you always have to be aware of that. I've always been lucky that I've done a lot of things right behind the drum kit. I always sat correctly, never played too hard and always had everything under control. Others have tortured their bodies more wildly on this instrument. Of course my fingers hurt sometimes, but I was able to change that quickly with the right technique and everything took its course.

I can't do a lot of the things I did as a child today because I can't remember them. I would have to watch videos. But I certainly do some things better than many others and I'm happy with that. I'm very grateful that I can still do this job and still have fun doing it. A lot of my friends can't do that anymore because their bodies say no. Phil Collins, for example. Once the clock has gone too far, you can't turn it back. Today everything is still fine, hopefully tomorrow too.

And then there's all the traveling. You're constantly on tour with Deep Purple, which is also extremely exhausting ...
That's absolutely fine. We now sleep in the best hotels. Our success over all these decades allows us to treat ourselves so well and not have to cut back on these things. A good, adequate and healthy night's sleep is incredibly important. We also have a private jet. This has nothing to do with egos, but sometimes you can't get from A to B on a flight because we save a lot of time and energy. If you're relaxed, everything will be fine. But if you're tired and constantly stressed, then the gig will also be bad.

You can still do that as a 21-year-old, but not a few years later. If we want to put on the best show, we have to look after ourselves. We pay a lot of money for that, but it's worth it. Of course, we're also criticized for the private jet because we're unnecessarily polluting the planet. But if people want to see Deep Purple at their best, there's no alternative. Only if all five of us are well rested will we put on a great show.