BLABBERMOUTH.NET
In a brand new interview with
"In The Basement With Jesse Bruce", which airs on Grand Haven, Michigan's
WMPA radio station, former
DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist
Glenn Hughes was asked what it was like working with
Ritchie Blackmore, the legendary
PURPLE guitarist who enjoys a reputation as being moody and egotistical.
"When I joined the band, the first weekend I joined the band, we flew to Hamburg together and had a boys weekend,"
Glenn said (as transcribed by
BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We sat on a bar stool and had a lot of fun.
Ritchie, behind the scenes, when I joined the band, was great. And I'm saying this smiling, but when we started working, when the band started kicking into gear, I didn't spend a lot of time with him, 'cause he had his own dressing room; he traveled alone; he was isolated. He was a little difficult. I'm smiling and chuckling. I love
Ritchie. He's difficult. People
are difficult to work with. The band on stage was firing on all cylinders. But off stage, it was a little strange, as we traveled separately."
Blackmore is a co-founder of
DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including
"Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.
This past February,
Hughes told
"That Jamieson Show" that he "would not consider" taking part in a
DEEP PURPLE reunion tour featuring him,
David Coverdale and
Ian Gillan all sharing the stage in celebration of the band's legacy. "I'm way past that now," he said. "It was such a long time ago. Let's just say that there are some unresolved problems from the past. And for me, the time I have left to do my work on this planet, I need to keep making new music and plowing on forward. Yes, I have done some shows in respect to
DEEP PURPLE music, but as far as re-engaging with them chaps again in the live form, I can't see it happening."
Hughes went on to clarify that his issues with
DEEP PURPLE have "nothing to do with
David Coverdale. I love him," he explained. "I would work with
David again if we get a chance, but anybody else, no."
Known as the "voice of rock,"
Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of
DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums
"Burn",
"Stormbringer" and
"Come Taste the Band". More recently, he played various hits and deep cuts from the
DEEP PURPLE catalog, including
"Burn",
"Stormbringer",
"Sail Away" and
"Smoke On The Water", as part of his
"Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour, which was launched in 2017.
In December, Hughes told
Eonmusic that
DEEP PURPLE's 2016 induction into the
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, where he was honored along with other former and current members of the band, "was a little difficult, because of, let's call it personality problems. It was
David and I holding hands, and the other guys, unfortunately," he said. "We just don't get along with the other guys at all. So, we kept ourselves to ourselves —
David and
Glenn, with our wives — and it was great.
David and I, what a great time. And we closed the show with
CHEAP TRICK and
Sheryl Crow, and our friends in
CHICAGO.
"You know, it's a touchy subject," he continued. "It was not an easy night for us. If you look at the body language, it's pretty obvious. But again,
David and I have been thick and thin for so long; I just dearly love him. Regarding
DEEP PURPLE, I have no idea what they're doing, and I don't really care."
Hughes's comments came less than two months after
David expressed his exasperation at
PURPLE over how he and
Glenn were treated by their former band ahead of the
Rock Hall induction. The singer, who played with
DEEP PURPLE along with
Hughes from 1973 to 1976, said: "
Glenn Hughes and I were told, 'Well, we don't want you singing with us.' Initially, I'd spoken to
Ian [
Gillan] about coming up and singing the backgrounds of
'Smoke On The Water', because originally they were going to close the show. So, that suddenly was pulled. They tried to stop us doing speeches, and my wife was fucking furious, apart from the fact she spent a fortune on posh dresses. [
Laughs]"
DEEP PURPLE's first three lineups were inducted into the
Rock Hall, including
Blackmore, drummer
Ian Paice, keyboardist
Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists —
Rod Evans,
Gillan,
Roger Glover,
Coverdale and
Hughes.
DEEP PURPLE's acceptance speeches included turns from
Gillan,
Glover,
Paice,
Coverdale and
Hughes before the current lineup of
DEEP PURPLE —
Gillan,
Glover,
Paice, guitarist
Steve Morse and keyboardist
Don Airey — took the stage and played a short set consisting of
"Highway Star",
"Green Onions" (with an image of
Lord behind them),
"Hush" and
"Smoke On The Water".
Photo courtesy of
THE DEAD DAISIES