Deep Purple: “We are five guys with the joy of interacting”

They chose a simple title i Deep Purple for their new album: “=1”: Simple as the ability of the English band to stay in the world of music and in the way of making music, coherent, faithful to themselves, consistent standard-bearers of hard rock, capable in the new album of uniting the roots of a well-known sound making it still current, modern without the patina of time.

The long history of the band of “Smoke On the Water” (one of their iconic songs above all) is studded with changes (here we are at “Mark IX”) which they have always been able to resist, they have almost made it a trademark. And so also for this “=1” (the 23rd studio album of their career, still produced by Bob Ezrin) there is no lack of a new entry (on record, since he has been on stage since ’22). The key position of Deep Purple, that of the guitarist, has been taken by Simon McBridewho replaced the resigned Steve Morse left the band due to personal problems. The current lineup includes the eternal Ian Paice on drums and Roger Glover on bass and keyboard player Don Airey present since 2022. Completing the line up is one of the mainstays (also leaving and joining the group): Ian Gillan, singer and frontman of Deep Purple, with an unmistakable voice with which he is still able to provide excellent live performances even today (born in 1945).

It’s with him that we talked about this new album, the live shows and what Deep Purple are and have been.

What can you say about the title of this new album?
It means simplicity. It drives me crazy when I want to do something simple. I have to fill out a form, I have to answer questions. It’s very simple. So one day I started scribbling an equation that is a very complex thing and I wanted to make it simple.
But as far as the development of the album goes, it’s just an organic process and we have a new guitarist, so it was quite a significant moment in the Deep Purple era.

Exactly, this is the first album with Simon McBride. What was his contribution to the writing and what changed in the sound of the band?
It’s like everything. If you have a family some of them split up or a new member comes into the family or if you have a football team and one boy moves, another boy comes in, the whole dynamic changes. But the team is still the same, but it’s different.
Simon’s background is different from that of Steve Morse, so his contribution is different and that affects the whole writing process. But we don’t change, but we interact differently. When we meet people or you’re at a party and someone walks into the room, a stranger walks in and then the dynamics will change slightly, the conversation will be different. People don’t know the new guy, so they talk differently. They react differently. Human nature, you know, is extremely complex and that goes for everything, when you go beyond just one person. So in our case too there was a big dynamic change. It happens. It happens in life because every person is different, but our background as a band hasn’t changed, we’ve been on a journey of life and now we have to interact with someone else who comes from a different place. Yes, of course it changes a little bit, but the bulk of the band is the same with the new guy bringing a new approach, different ideas, slightly different, to change the rhythmic structure. It changes the technical structure of the band. These things come naturally. When you’re a child, a young person or a teenager, doing these things is tiring, but when you’ve been doing something for so long it’s more natural, almost colloquial. So yes, it changes. It changes every time and it changes with time. And we as a band have had quite a few changes.

What are the most important songs on the album?
Oh God, I don’t know (laughs). There are no more important songs. No, none are more important than the other. It’s an album, a collection of songs and everyone who listens has their favorite, that maybe someone else doesn’t like. As for me, I don’t have any favorite, each song is as important as the other.

On this album, it seems like the band is in good shape and the energy is the same as before…
Yes, yes, that’s true. The energy comes from touring, from working, from performing live with people, especially as a live band. We are in good shape because the musicians are in good shape and follow a very high standard. So it’s natural to be in good shape and to have results as a band too.

Regarding live music, what is its role and importance for your band?
That’s all. It’s what we do. It’s impossible to analyze because it’s what we’ve done all our lives, it’s natural and professional at the same time. We really enjoy what we do and I think that if you take pleasure in what you do the results are even more satisfying. However, you also have to pay attention to the technical aspect and, of course, to the work even if with time this becomes more of a habit. That’s how it is. I’ve been a musician all my life, since I was a child. I was a soprano in the church choir. I sang with my uncle who was a jazz musician since I was little and music is second nature. The greatest pleasure in the world is when you do a concert, sharing the sensations with the audience. It’s more important than the recording, the album or anything else, it’s the best.

Deep Purple are considered one of the most important bands in the world, in the history of rock and not only hard rock. How does it feel to be in this position in this role?
Well, I never felt like that, it’s stuff that you don’t “feel” at all. At least, I don’t feel it. My pleasure comes from the music, not from who I am in the music. The ultimate pleasure is not in the more abstract concept of being famous or being successful because that comes and goes. Even the business side of things has very little to do with it, it’s stuff that doesn’t make sense. The reality of music is the fans and the live performances or the joy of writing and recording, not the business side and the business side you know, it means nothing to me.

How have Deep Purple changed and who are they today?
I don’t know. We never think about things like that. We go for a beer together, sit down and write together. We get on a bus or a plane together and end up in a concert hall or a festival or a club or something. That’s the reality. In all of this there is the joy of five guys interacting. That’s it. It can be anything that has a common interest. If you share the interest and get the same pleasure from it, it’s very satisfying. Over the years, all the music around us has changed. I couldn’t make music today, if I started now I mean; it would be impossible because my music comes from the rhythms of the body. It comes from the history of music of all genres, not from digital simulation. It doesn’t come from drum machines, it’s a different sensation, a different human feeling.

Are you happy to be a Deep Purple?
Yeah, sure. I think it was the best part of my life. Absolutely amazing. Oh my God, do you think I would do it if I didn’t like it? No. It wouldn’t be possible.

How has your singing changed over the years?
Well, it has changed, but everything has changed, not just my voice, my appearance has changed, the only thing that hasn’t changed is my clothes (laughs). As a child I had a high voice. I was a soprano in the church choir. Of course the transition happens when you get to 13 or 14, or a little earlier in my case, when the voice changes. At that age your vocal cords are still very thin and not very developed, so you still have a high voice, at least until about 25 or 26 and then you start to develop a certain maturity and give depth to your voice. And as you go along in life your body changes; I got to 35 and suddenly I couldn’t play football anymore. I wasn’t as good as I was when I was 20. I couldn’t do athletics as I would have done and, instead, I found other things. I found life experiences and so I approached things differently. And so, when I was about 50, I felt absolute happiness for the upper range of my voice that I could still maintain. But otherwise the change continued and at 60 my eyesight began to fail. But even now I have a voice of which, when I listen to it, I am still very satisfied with the upper part.

You’ve just been in concert in Italy, what kind of live was it?
On this tour we have a choice of about thirty songs, of which 50, 60% are those that every fan knows. Then there is 25% improvisation and finally a certain percentage of new songs, which come from this upcoming album. We introduced these “children” with their older brothers and sisters in the show. It is a very emotional moment, because this album probably contains songs that are very compatible with the more traditional Deep Purple ones. We did long rehearsals in Germany for the tour, it’s something that has never happened before and never this long anyway. And I’m very excited about the songs that we bring, those that we have chosen fit well with the show, which is not a simple selection of 20 isolated songs. There is a method to putting it together, so that the dynamics and texture of the new material blends with the existing material. So it’s pretty exciting and it’s 100% energy.

What is your relationship with Italy and what do you know about it?
Well, I have been there many times. In fact, I come both for pleasure and for work, I was there also a few weeks ago. I was in Rome for a long weekend. For me it is a cultural reference point of the world, the place par excellence where creativity, style and beauty combine. I really respect your country a lot. I think the language is absolutely beautiful. I don’t speak it very well, but I understand it a little. Unfortunately, English is now an international language, so it’s very, very easy to be lazy in that sense. But apart from that, I like everything about Italy. Starting from the food, going through the clothes, everything. It’s beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Back to the language, it’s very suitable for beautiful songs, for romantic ones but not so much for rock’n’roll, unfortunately.

Speaking of Italian rock’n’roll, there’s a big debate in our country about Maneskin’s music. Do you know them?
No, not really. Obviously I’ve read about them, like a lot of other bands. We’re always on the road, so we don’t run into them. I’ve never worked with them. The only judgement I usually make is when I meet the guys and see if they’re really good guys and if they make good music, that’s my measure. I’ve never met them, nor I only read something in the newspapers, so I don’t know what to tell you

Do you know any other Italian bands?
Listen, I don’t know any other English bands. I don’t know any other American bands. I only know the bands we work with. When I go home, I look at the sky, I paint pictures, I write, I read. I don’t listen to music, I don’t listen to contemporary music but I have a fantastic collection of eclectic music. Basically at home I listen to two or three radio stations. One is Africa calls, which has the most beautiful music. I listen to that all the time. Or I listen to jazz stations. I also have “seasonal” playlists: one for summer, one for winter. That what I listen to has nothing to do with commercial radio stations or hit records or anything like that. I don’t see music that way.

Who is your favorite artist or band?
If you ask me this question tomorrow I will give you a different answer. You can ask me for 1000 days, I will give you a different answer for each of the 1000 days.

Thank you.
Thanks to you, I told you who I am and I am very proud to be that way.