DEEP PURPLE Drummer: 'We're Not The Most Fashionable Unit Touring Out There In The World'

DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice spoke to The Jerusalem Post about the band's upcoming shows in Israel.

The legendary British rock act has booked three shows at the Caesarea Amphitheater on September 7, 8 and a return engagement on September 18, and they've added an even larger show at The Hangar in Tel Aviv on September 9.

"It's very gratifying to find out that we're so popular in Israel," said Paice. "We're not the most fashionable unit touring out there in the world. We're not spring chickens, but the shows we're putting on are among the best we've ever done. That filters around to fans, they talk to each other on chats and websites, and I think that our continued success has something to do with that."

On his chemistry with the group's bassist, Roger Glover:

Paice: "When Roger and I play together, it's like second nature. We don't even have to think about it. When something's about to happen, we know about it, even if we don't know exactly what it is that's going to happen. Sometimes it's in relation to just one note and the way it's played, and you react immediately in the same way, two musicians locking in."

On vocalist Ian Gillan:

Paice: "Without Ian, DEEP PURPLE is not the same. It's obvious that we were missing his singing and his demeanor on stage [during Ian's years away from the band]. When you go back to what created our megasuccess in the early '70s and if you keep the greater percentage of people involved in that process, you can also keep the spirit of the music of that time. So when you have three of us from that lineup, it's easy to continue getting the music to feel the way it should and play it the way it should be played."

On organist Jon Lord's decision to leave the band:

Paice: "Jon had enough of what I'm looking at right now — hotel rooms and the merry-go-round of being on the road. He still enjoyed playing, but he just got tired of being away from home. When Jon left, we realized there were only a couple of guys who play the Hammond organ the way it should be played in rock. With Don [Airey], he not only comes from the same cultural background but from the same generation musically, and he has the same technique that suits our music without having to talk about it. He was just an obvious choice."

Read the entire interview from The Jerusalem Post.