{"id":5062,"date":"2024-12-20T17:30:19","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T17:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=5062"},"modified":"2024-12-20T17:30:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T17:30:19","slug":"i-was-lying-in-bed-at-about-three-in-the-morning-when-an-axe-smashed-through-my-door-deep-purples-25-maddest-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/?p=5062","title":{"rendered":"I was lying in bed at about three in the morning when an axe smashed through my door”: Deep Purple\u2019s 25 maddest moments"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Life in Deep Purple has never been dull. Whether it’s Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore exchanging barbs (and worse) band members being written out band history, or that grand piano purchased for the wife of a drug dealer, the Purple Posse can be relied on to keep things interesting.<\/p>\n

Here are 25 of Deep Purple’s maddest moments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Rock\u2019n\u2019Roll Circus nightclub, Paris, October 1970: As Ian Gillan went to sit down, Ritchie Blackmore pulled away Gillan\u2019s chair. Blackmore: \u201cWhat I didn\u2019t realise was that behind us was a big drop of about 15 feet and Gillan fell down \u2013 crunched his head\u2026 after that he was never the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

2. The Mk II line-up got together in the studio in 1970 to write a hit single but the inspiration didn\u2019t flow. They went round the corner to the pub \u2013 the Newton Arms, near Kingsway, London \u2013 and returned to the studio pissed. They immediately laid down their biggest UK hit: Black Night.<\/p>\n

3. The rest of Deep Purple barely talked to Roger Glover during tour dates in 1973. Glover had been ousted from the band but nobody had bothered to tell him. He was left to drink alone in hotel bars, wondering why he was being cold-shouldered.<\/p>\n

4. Tommy Bolin injected himself with inferior-grade heroin in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 1975. Bolin lost the use of his left arm and couldn\u2019t play anything other than simple chords. This meant Purple were effectively without a guitar player for their subsequent Japanese tour. Purple were daft enough to issue the recordings anyway, as the last concert in Japan album.<\/p>\n

5. At a gig in Wembley, current Purple keyboardist Don Airey interrupted his solo to play I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside. Hmm. That must be that well-known holiday resort, Wembley-on-Sea.<\/p>\n

6. Shortly after the Mk II line-up split, the press picked up on strategically placed \u2018leaks\u2019 that Paul Rodgers would replace Ian Gillan. So, er\u2026 Rodgers didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

7. Ian Gillan, speaking in an interview with Charlie Steffens of KNAC, December 2006: \u201cRitchie Blackmore? No, I don\u2019t talk to him at all. That asshole \u2013 I will never speak to him again, as far as I\u2019m concerned. He turned into a weird guy and the day he walked out of the tour was the day the clouds disappeared. It was the day the sunshine came out and we haven\u2019t looked back since. There are certain personal issues that I have with Ritchie. Nothing I\u2019m going to discuss publicly, but deeply personal stuff. As far as I\u2019m concerned, the divorce came a long time ago. I never want to see or hear of him again.”<\/p>\n

8. Ritchie Blackmore, speaking on Swedish TV, October 1993: \u201cOne of these days I\u2019m going to attack Ian Gillan in a back alley. He\u2019s bigger than me. He\u2019s probably a better fighter. So I\u2019m going to do it with a few friends of mine. Probably Swedish. and we\u2019ll beat him up. But he won\u2019t know it\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n