IAN GILLAN
Artist Interviews
THE GREAT BRITISH PUB. AN INVITING HOSTELRY WHERE YOU RELAX IN FRONT OF AN OPEN FIRE AND QUAFF WARM BITTER SERVED BY BUXOM WENCHES WHILST LISTENING TO DEEP PURPLE ON THE JUKEBOX. WELCOME TO GILLAN'S INN…
GARRY SHARPE-YOUNG TALKS TO IAN GILLAN
31 January 2006
There are just three bands that provided the root inspiration for more than 90% of the bands you are reading about on this website – LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH and DEEP PURPLE, Membership of the classic line-ups for any of this trio instantly puts each musician into a truly elite ranking and gives each a respect beyond mere words. This year, Ian Gillan quite incredibly celebrates 40 years as a professional musician, fronting up DEEP PURPLE for the vast majority of their illustrious catalogue, finding further waves of success and notoriety with both GILLAN and BLACK SABBATH and a prodigious output of solo works.
The anniversary is marked with ‘Gillan’s Inn’, a collection of re-worked songs chronicling the man’s past endeavours, faithfully paid homage with the added spice of an enviable cast of guests. To catch up on all those notable inclusions read on…
The accompanying imagery surrounding the album is distinctly British – a pub sign. Pubs are obviously very dear to Ian Gillan’s heart so very much in keeping with such a personal record. I first asked if the pub sign was the album cover itself?
“It’s related. It will certainly feature the pub sign and have a pub theme although it’s not finished yet. We took some pictures of a derelict old pub in Buffalo, New York and us frolicking in the snow.”
The album meanders through familiar territory of DEEP PURPLE classics, yes, even ‘Smoke On The Water’, solo GILLAN material, a welcome inclusion of BLACK SABBATH’s ‘Trashed’ and even digging back as far as EPISODE SIX and THE JAVELINS. There is also one new number, ‘No Worries’. Typically, its evolution brings us straight back down to the pub…
‘No Worries’ was included because we really just wanted one new song on there to bring us full circle so to speak. It’s a bit of a slow Blues type number. My producer Michael Lee Jackson and I concocted it whilst preparing an imbibing of a new cocktail we had invented, originally called ’17 Deaf Burglars’. If memory serves it involved whiskey, rum, vodka, wine, Coca Cola, a drop of ice, an absinthe float and a harmonica. I think the whole thing took about half a minute to get a demo done.”
Even before anyone has heard the music, you’ve already fostered some heated debate by the inclusion of ‘Fanny Craddock’ on your guest list, apparently performing her culinary duties on ‘No Laughing In Heaven’. There’s some conjecture that this might be Mr. Blackmore himself whilst the Italian DEEP PURPLE forums are pointing the finger at JIMMY PAGE. (Fanny Craddock is a real person – one of the first British TV chefs). So, is Fanny a genuine nom de guerre or just a figment of your roguish humour?
“Ah – dear Fanny! No, no – she’s real enough. Fanny Craddock dropped by the studio, whipped her clothes off, strapped on a guitar and let rip whilst we all took photos. It became a bit of a tradition. If you want to play on my album you have to stand in Fanny Craddock corner stark naked whilst you perform.”
I understand the studio might have been a bit cold for naked performances though?
“Yes it was! We dubbed it ‘The Nipple Farm’ because it was so cold your nipples would drop off and shatter on the floor. We recorded most of it in Buffalo in a studio that had been mothballed for years. The room was still there, still sounded great but had no equipment. Fortunately we discovered that The Goo Goo Dolls were recording a new album nearby too, so with the help of their bass player Robbie, we ended up stealing all their gear, loading into the back of the car and installing it into The Nipple Farm. Yes it was cold but Fanny took it like a trooper.”
But seriously… I’m presuming ‘Fanny Craddock’ cannot be named due to time honoured contractual obligations?
“Well, yes and no in a sense. ‘Fanny Craddock’ is a real person and did play guitar on ‘No Laughing In Heaven’. For various reasons we can’t name ‘her’. It will have to stay a mystery for now…until someone finds out that is. But, to clarify, someone did drop into the studio, did put down a solo and that person was very real. Let’s keep it a mystery.”
Was the whole record cut in Buffalo?
“Most of it, all the main tracks to get a live feel with Michael Lee Jackson on guitar, Rodney Appleby on bass and Howard Wilson on the drums. That was very important to get the atmosphere of a live band. We did another three days in Britain to finish off. Quite amazingly all the musicians not only turned up to work on the right day but also at the right time too. Unheard of!”
OK, so let’s discuss the guests that can be named. Ex-SCORPIONS man ULI JON ROTH, a genius on the guitar but not one to usually step outside of his own bubble. How did you come to work with Uli?
“That one was just down to good timing actually. Uli came down to see us playing in Plymouth and, as often happens, musicians say to each other “If ever you need me…” Most times these conversations don’t go anywhere beyond the pleasantry but this time I could fire straight back and say, actually Uli… So, Uli gave me two marvelous solos for the record. Wait until you hear them, they are just wonderful.”
I was going to ask you if you considered any of the DEEP PURPLE catalogue too sacrosanct but that question became redundant as soon as I saw ‘Smoke On The Water’, ‘Speed King’ and ‘Demon’s Eye’ listed.
“Well, ‘Smoke On The Water’ is a big, big part of my history and a big part of why I’m here and able to do what I do. I couldn’t really ignore that but, at the same time, you have to recognize that a lot of those songs, ‘Smoke…’, ‘Child In Time’, ‘Highway Star’, etc are snapshots in time and cannot be improved. They are what they are. It would be foolish to try and re-capture that magic, because you can’t. So, what I did with ‘Smoke On The Water’ was to treat it respectfully, it’s a fairly regular version, but use it as a showcase for some of the guitarists to work with. On there you have Jeff Healey, Steve Morse, JOE SATRIANI,… The talent there is incredible.”
Now, with BLACK SABBATH’s ‘Trashed’ I sense your wicked sense of humour coming out. I remember distinctly the 1983 ‘Born Again’ version of BLACK SABBATH, which you fronted, quickly being branded ‘Black Purple’ by a scathing media. Now, two decades later you’re having the last laugh by truly creating ‘Black Purple’ with yourself, TONY IOMMI, Roger Glover and Ian Paice.
“How could I resist? Look, I love that record and have nothing but great, great memories of my time with BLACK SABBATH. Tony was really busy but got his solos to me at the last minute as he promised and they are just fantastic. I think BLACK SABBATH fans will be over the moon when they hear what he’s done. As for Roger and Ian, well, they just sound great on this song so it really did become ‘Black Purple’. Personally, I love the irony of it all.”
Of course ‘Trashed’ is another song with strong alcohol connections.
“Yes, but it’s all very vague now!”
Let me remind you. You took Bill Ward’s Ford Granada for a spin around Richard Branson’s kart track and came to a sticky end upside down just a few feet from a canal.
“OK. Fair cop! Like I said, great, priceless memories.”
Joe Elliott of DEF LEPPARD turns up on the record too.
“Yes, Joe is a great guy. This all came about from a football match we had in Dublin. After the game Joe took me down the pub and, because he knew the landlord and the pub had a little stage, we had a lock in and, with the drinks flowing the inevitable happened. The night turned into a very drunken acoustic jam of Everly Brothers songs. Joe had the microphone and I performed percussion on a wooden chair.
Anyhow, when I was getting this record ready I phoned Joe up and said “Do you remember that Everly Brothers night in Dublin?” So, Joe sent me these great Everly Brothers style harmonies for the record.”
Poignantly, you have the legendary blind Blues guitarist Jeff Healey playing on ‘When A Blind Man Cries’
“Yes, poignant is the word. I just marveled at the man. What a unique moment in time to have Jeff Healey playing ‘When A Blind Man Cries’ on my record. That was very much a spontaneous thing too because I met him and we did a deal, he would play on my record if I played with him at his club. Great deal. Jeff recorded his guitar just two days before he went into hospital to have a tumour removed from his thigh.”
From your solo material you’ve picked one track from ‘Toolbox’, one from ‘Glory Road’, one from ‘Magic’ yet two from the relatively obscure ‘Dreamcatcher’ in ‘Sugar Plum’ and A Day Late, A Dollar Short’.
“Yes, I thought that those songs could use a bit of new light throwing on them. When we did ‘Dreamcatcher’ it was really just the two of us, me and Steve (Morris). It was all very low budget really, just some quick recordings of some songs that were laying around. Although Steve is great at the programming side of things I always felt that I would love to capture those songs properly as a full band. We played them later with Brett Bloomfield and Leonard Haze and that just reinforced that way of thinking. The other thing was that the record company went under too, so hardly anyone has ever heard ‘Dreamcatcher’.”
You got IRON MAIDEN’s Janick Gers, who played on the GILLAN original, to play on ‘Bluesey Blue Sea’.
“Yes, Janick just made it. He nipped into the studio to put down a solo on the way to the airport.”
Going back further in time you have Marvin Gaye’s Can I Get A Witness’.
“That song we used to do with THE JAVELINS. I’ll give you a story about that song. When I was just starting out and knew next to nothing I had got this notion that if I got the same equipment as my idols I would sound exactly like them. Guitarists often have this problem too you notice a lot. Anyhow, my singing hero was a guy called Cliff Bennett, a great, great singer.
So, there I am thinking that if I can get the same microphone as Cliff Bennett I’ll sound just as good as he does. I found out where he lived and turned up on his doorstep on a Saturday morning. His wife opened the door and told me to “Get lost”, but in a much less polite fashion. After I explained that I had come a long way on the bus Cliff actually came to the door.
I asked him if he had any old gear and he told me he had actually heard of me. Anyhow, he got out all this old gear, microphones, leads and Celestions in boxes. There were three boxes full and I gave him 8 quid for the lot. Now, somehow I got three big boxes home on the bus but it took me forever to drag them home – and I still never sounded like Cliff Bennett!
So anyway, full circle once again because now I have Cliff Bennett singing on ‘Can I Get A Witness’! For me that is simply incredible.”
(Readers should also not backing vocals on this track from a certain Mr. Ronnie James Dio and keyboards from ELF colleague Mickey Lee Soule.)
You also have some relative unknowns guesting on the record too.
“Oh yes. There’s a guy we found down the pub called Sim Jones who was part of a traditional English Folk duo. Well, we were back in the studio and I start to hear someone playing this mind-blowing Jimi Hendrix. I turn around and there is this guy playing Jimi Hendrix on a violin! I told the other guys “Look, he’s playing Jimi Hendrix on a violin”. Of course, they told me to fuck off but I eventually persuaded them to check this guy out. It was just amazing. So yeah, he’s on ‘Smoke On The Water’ too, playing through a Marshall amp. Bloody incredible.
There’s also a great Texan guitar picker called Redd Volkeart too.”
Were there any of these songs you really took into a different direction?
“No, they are all pretty faithful I think. The only one maybe is ‘Loving On Borrowed Time’. The intro’s a bit different and I got rid of one of the most hateful drum breaks known to man.”
How does the release and promotion of ‘Gillan’s Inn’ fit in with the DEEP PURPLE schedule?
“Well, ‘Gillan’s Inn’ is all wrapped up now but next up for me is the release of the DEEP PURPLE album ‘Rapture’. I think ‘Gillan’s Inn’ will be coming out in January 2006. DEEP PURPLE will be on the road for a good two years promoting this next album. It’s a very exciting time for us, as there have been a lot of positive changes, with the record company for example. We’re in a nice honeymoon period with them so we’re all very enthusiastic.”
I hear that DEEP PURPLE fans are rejoicing hearing the news that ‘Rapture’ sees a return to some seven minute workouts.
“Why not? I mean, radio is not going to play our stuff, we know that so we thought let’s just do what comes natural to us. Let’s get back to stretching ourselves a bit and just play our music. I love it.”
Two years on the road. I take it that means a lot of dates in some obscure places, something you really took on with ‘Bananas’.
“Yes, but you have to remember that it’s not obscure if you happen to be living there! I think we played about 45 countries on the last tour, that’s about four times as many as most bands will do on a world tour. It’s great that we can do that, be welcomed as we are and be playing to some quite huge audiences as well.”
Is DEEP PURPLE truly global now do you think?
“I guess so because every time we go to a new country it seems as though there is a very large, enthusiastic audience waiting for us. For us in the band, it’s just wonderful to have such new experiences all the time. In fact, to put things in some kind of perspective, when I left DEEP PURPLE in 1973 we were really just playing Town Halls, City Halls, Theatres, that kind of thing. Now, we’re playing enormous arenas all over the world, so the whole thing has just got much, much bigger. The only place in the world that we don’t play the huge venues is the USA, that’s because we’re only played on classic Rock radio.”
Am I right in thinking that you have ridden out all the detractors now and that DEEP PURPLE will continue on as long as you can all keep going?
“Pretty much. Life is just amazing right at the moment. In fact, I think my life right now could not get much better because the pressure has fallen away, I’m doing what I love and I just have many, many new experiences on the horizon. I’m a very happy man.”
The departure of JON LORD seemed to be good spirited too. Not like band temper tantrums of the past.
“Oh Jon just wanted to do something else. He was getting tired of touring and really wanted to put his energies into his classical thing. There is absolutely no ill feeling between Jon and DEEP PURPLE. In fact, Jon very often phones us up backstage just before a gig to wish us luck. He’s on the ‘Gillan’s Inn’ album too.”
40 years in the business. You must often get asked to impart some sage advice?
“Oh, a lot but I really don’t know what to tell people when they ask me “How do I become a Rock star”. How the fuck should I know besides telling them they need to style their hair or wear a different pair of trousers?”
What is your opinion on those who think that talent does not seem an essential ingredient for success these days?
“I think it is very hard for me to judge these things obviously, but I do know that talent comes in different forms. I know that Steve Morse practices six hours a day, and that DON AIREY practices at least fours every day – even they are playing a gig that night. I know what we do and it obviously worked to some degree.”
What are your thoughts on shows like ‘American Idol’ or ‘Rock Star-INXS’?
“It’s quite frightening really, the speed at which they process these kids. I mean, they take them right from that idea of thinking they might want to have a music career to a few weeks later actually being one. I’ll give you an example of how new bands are processed now. I fell in love with this record, I’m not going to name names because I don’t want to upset anyone, but their record was just great. Anyway, this band was playing at the same festival as us so I made an effort to check them out. It was just awful. They had no idea what to do on stage, they just huddled together and it was embarrassing. It’s not their fault. They’ve never had the opportunity to get out there and play.”
Well, I guess this is partly the reason why bands like DEEP PURPLE have never been replaced.
“Could be. We grew up on the club scene so by the time we were put in front of a big audience we knew exactly what to do. A lot of our mistakes we made in a pub somewhere out in the wilds, not in front of 20,000 people. Yeah, it’s all very different now that’s for sure.”
There’s that pub reference again. DEEP PURPLE – playing to 20,000 people near you soon. Ian Gillan – in a pub probably much sooner.
Thanks for the interview Ian.
“No problem Garry. Good timing too – I’m off down the pub…”
Credit/s: Garry Sharpe-Young
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Last updated: 31 January 2006