DEEP PURPLE's ROGER GLOVER Explains Why He Never Gets Tired Of Playing 'Smoke On The Water': 'I Listen To It From The Audience's Perspective'

In a new interview with the "Creativity: Something From Nothing" podcast, hosted by multi-platinum producer, songwriter, engineer and recording artist Michael Bradford, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover was asked if there are songs in the band's set that always feel like a new experience every time he performs them live. Roger responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That happens a lot, actually, especially with a song like [the band's staple 1972 tune] 'Smoke On The Water'. It's a very simple song. Everyone knows it. And I get asked quite a lot, 'Aren't you tired of playing that?' And I would say, 'No, I'm not.' 'Cause I don't listen to it from my perspective. I listen to it from the audience's perspective. There's people out there that maybe it's the first time they've ever heard it live. I put myself in their position. And although it's a simple song, in fact, because it's a simple song, you can move around a bit. I never play the same bass part — it's very similar, but every now and again, you can have a bit of fun with it, and it doesn't alter things. It just makes it more interesting for you. But it's the audience's feeling that I get most from that."

Elaborating on the joy he gets from performing live, Roger added: "The magic thing about playing live is that time gets diminished into microseconds. You're so alive — you're never as alive until you're on stage, and you're very much alive… You're aware of the other musicians, the audience, the lights, the sound, your own playing. And it happens so quickly and instantly, you end up relying on instinct, hoping you get away with it."

Roger's latest comments echo those he made in a 2018 interview with Guitar World magazine. Asked if he was "sick of playing' "Smoke On The Water" after all these years, he replied at the time: "I never tire of it. I don't listen to the song, but rather experience the crowd's enthusiastic reaction to it. It's a very simple and fun song to play. It's a skeletal structure, which enables me to play different bass parts every night. I stand in awe and watch the audience's joy, whether it's youngsters who have never seen us in concert, or our older fans who have seen us many times."

Last year, Glover also told The Guardian that he still gets a thrill out of playing "Smoke On The Water" with his PURPLE bandmates. "Someone once said it's like having a button that you press to make the audience go nuts," he explained at the time.

DEEP PURPLE's new album, "Splat!", arrived on July 3 via earMUSIC. It is the band's sixth collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin, who has helmed every DEEP PURPLE album since 2013's "Now What?!".

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

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

DEEP PURPLE recently completed 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 headed to North America. The touring schedule includes 86 shows across 28 countries.