DEEP PURPLE's DON AIREY: Musicians Are 'All Hopeless At Everything. The Only Thing We Can Do Is Play Instruments'

In a new interview with Phil Aston of Now Spinning Magazine, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey spoke about the band's extensive tour in support of the "Splat!" album, which will arrive on July 3 via earMUSIC. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[DEEP PURPLE singer Ian] Gillan said something funny the other day. He said, 'After three months on the road, I always feel much better than I do when I've been at home for three months.'

"It's a sad fact that we're junkies for it," Don explained. "You become addicted to it. It is an addiction. And the only way you can satisfy it is by going out and playing. But you learn how to do it.

"When I was first on the road with [legendary rock drummer] Cozy Powell, he said, 'The secret of this life, mate, is you just get used to not getting any sleep.' He said, 'Once you get used to that, it's easy.' And yeah, that's about it," Don added.

Asked how he prepares for a tour of this length, Don said: "Well, it's funny, I always find it easier to pack for a long tour. It's where you've got three gigs and that's it. Packing for a week, oh, it takes forever. But if you're packing for six months, oh, get it done in half an hour."

Airey also talked about DEEP PURPLE's continued working relationship with producer Bob Ezrin. "Splat!" marks the band's sixth collaboration with Ezrin, who has helmed every DEEP PURPLE album since 2013's "Now What?!".

Don said: "[Bob is] just one of those guys, he's always right, somehow. But he does it without offending you too much. We've recognized with him, he knows how to get things done. And musicians generally don't. We're all hopeless at everything. The only thing we can do is play instruments, and always not so well, and we like to overplay. And so it's great having Bob around. It's always in the back of your head, 'Bob Ezrin's gonna listen to this at some point in the proceedings.'"

"Splat!" has been described in a press release as "the heaviest DEEP PURPLE album in many years".

DEEP PURPLE has released three singles so far from "Splat!": "Guilt Trippin'", "Diablo" and "Arrogant Boy". On "Diablo", DEEP PURPLE is joined by a special guest, global superstar and Grammy-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Keith Urban on second guitar.

"Splat!" has already received enthusiastic first fan and media reactions, with early press praising the album's DEEP PURPLE spirit. Uncut calls "Splat!" "distilled, high-octane PURPLE at its finest". Classic Rock praises the album for delivering "everything that makes DEEP PURPLE one of the greatest acts in hard rock."

DEEP PURPLE recently kicked off a major run of European summer dates, starting in Finland, followed by shows in Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Italy before the "Splat!" world tour heads to North America. The touring schedule includes 86 shows across 28 countries.

"Splat!" is available for pre-order in multiple formats including CD, vinyl, and limited editions. Further exclusive fan items are only available on the official "Splat!" shop.

With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, DEEP PURPLE have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.

At the heart of "Splat!" is an idea conceived by Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: "Splat!" explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.

In a recent interview with Uncut, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice confirmed that he and his bandmates are considering a return to the studio for another new album in 2027.

"We don't have six, seven, 10 years, everybody knows that," he explained. "But he also suggested the "Splat!" world tour might be DEEP PURPLE's final long-haul around the globe, with plans to play shorter runs in future.

"There's other stuff in my life," he said. "But the idea of actually stopping, that doesn't compute."

Airey has served as DEEP PURPLE's keyboard player since replacing Jon Lord in 2002. The classically trained keyboardist has also worked with an expansive and diverse selection of names, including Ozzy Osbourne, WHITESNAKE, JETHRO TULL, Gary Moore, QUEEN's Brian May and BLACK SABBATH.

Photo credit: Olaf Heine (courtesy of The Outside Organisation)