DEEP PURPLE's SIMON MCBRIDE: 'We Have No Intention Of Stopping'

In a new interview with Thomas Moser of Germany's Rock Antenne, DEEP PURPLE guitarist Simon McBride spoke about the band's heavy touring and recording schedule, nearly six decades after DEEP PURPLE's formation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Sometimes we take breaks. Well, last year was, I'd say a break from touring. We did some shows last year — not a lot — but [we made] a record last year. So last year was kind of like a little break. This year is just chaos because it's about 90, 95 shows or something this year. I don't know. I can't remember. Next year, there's talk of another record next year, and then some more shows next year.

"The thing is, everybody in life needs a purpose, I believe," Simon explained. "To keep going, you have to have a purpose. And I think the guys, they're obviously a little bit older than me, and I think it's really good for them just to keep playing music, 'cause they still can. It would be a different story if they couldn't play or anything, or couldn't sing or whatnot. But they're amazing at their instruments. And [DEEP PURPLE singer Ian] Gillan, he's adapted, obviously, over the years for his vocals, because you can't ask an 80-year-old man to sing what he sang when he was 20. It's like asking an 80-year-old man, an Olympic athlete, to do what he did when he was 20. It's just impossible. But he's really done a great job. He's a genius — he is, that man — he really is. He's just a genius. But we've no intention of stopping, which is the good thing.

"Music is like a drug. It's addictive," Simon added. "Once you start, it's like you cannot stop. It's one of those things. I don't ever see myself stopping. The thought of it, that doesn't compute in my brain."

Earlier this month, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover spoke to Paul Cashmere of Australia's Noise11.com about the possibility of the hard rock legends finally calling it quits, a decade after they announced their "The Long Goodbye" tour. Glover said: " Don [Airey, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist] was saying when [2017's] 'InFinite' [album] came out, he was doing an interview and someone said, 'Is this gonna be your last album?' And Don's reply was great. He said, 'I thought the last album was gonna be the last album.'

"We ain't gonna stop," Glover insisted. "We're not gonna have a final tour, a final gig and make a hoopla about it. Although that was actually Steve's [Morse, former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] suggestion years ago, which is why we started calling it 'The Long Goodbye' tour. Well, 'The Long Goodbye' got longer and longer, and we decided to ditch that in the end.

"I can't imagine doing a final gig, with all the hoopla involved," Roger explained. "The emotion, the place, the fans, the sorrow, et cetera, it would be too much to bear. And I think we all feel the same. We're just gonna carry on till we can't. That's it."

In July 2022, guitarist Steve Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who was battling cancer. He has since been replaced by McBride.

Last fall, Gillan was asked by Jono and Nats of Dubai 92's "The Big Breakfast" if there is "an end in sight" to DEEP PURPLE's six-decade career or if he and his bandmates just plan to "keep on rocking". Ian responded: "Well, no one's really thought it through. We don't talk about it that much. And as life gets on, the end is nearer than the beginning, that's for sure. We all know that. But at the moment we're getting a lot of joy from what we're doing. I think the band is rejuvenated since Simon joined us. And so we're looking a long way ahead. And you don't make long-term plans if you're thinking of stopping. So, we'll see what the future holds. I think probably human dignity is gonna be the deciding factor. Once you start going out and embarrassing people with your inability to do what you've done all your life, then it's time to stop. But until that moment arrives, then we're going good. And the band is hard and mean and hungry at the moment. I've never felt it so tight."

The 80-year-old Gillan admitted to Uncut magazine that he was unsure how much longer he and his bandmates would be able to keep performing live.

"It's one of those things," he said. "I've only got 30 percent vision. That won't get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can't see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision; I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt. But it's achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work."

Ian went on to say that he is grateful he still has his sense of humor.

"It's hilarious this growing old thing. It's a laugh a minute," Gillan said. "Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off — clang, there's something else gone. Nothing's changed really apart from I can't pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing's changed."

Contemplating the possibility of retirement, Gillan said: "I think if I lose my energy I'm going to stop. I don't want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We're not far off that. It creeps up on you — you don't really notice."

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 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.