Ian Gillan of Deep Purple: ‘Simon McBride has been amazing’
Ian Gillan was questioned about DEEP PURPLE’s declaration in 2022 that he and his colleagues have accepted guitarist Simon McBride as an official member of the group in a recent interview with Qobuz. He replied, as BLABBERMOUTH.NET transcribed, “It was funny.” After we left a pub one evening, after he had been with us for almost a year, I asked him, “Are you in the band yet, or what?” He stated, “I believe so.” “Yeah, I guess,” I replied. Thus, that is how it was.”
Gillan went on, “Simon has been incredible. After replacing Steve Morse, he made a number of changes. In the sense that human chemistry allows one small thing to alter everything else, he is a catalyst.
The singer said, “I think Simon’s style of playing makes us all feel very relaxed.” It’s pretty straightforward and fits in well with how we started. The platforms are easy to use. First-rate virtuosity. It’s not like bragging comes first, then. That is really exquisite playing. For him, everything comes naturally, like second nature. He’s also a fantastic rhythm musician, so they added a lot of vigor to the rhythm section. That’s why it’s so thrilling when he sits in there with drummer Ian Piece and bassist Roger Glover of DEEP PURPLE and they start to jam. It’s very amazing. He is not a faker. No pretense is present. He really does play every note perfectly, and I believe that’s what we need. I believe that’s a characteristic of DEEP PURPLE guitarists. Right at the top of their tree, that is. He is well esteemed within the guitar community.”
About McBride’s official joining PURPLE earlier this month, Paice said to ClassicRockHistory.com, “Well, we’re a democratic outfit.” Luckily, we always receive a decision when there are five [members]. His vote is just as significant and meaningful as any of the other four of us.”
“We knew very, very quickly, and we had an impossible situation with our friend Steve Morse [DEEP PURPLE’s previous guitarist],” Paice recalled when speaking about how McBride ultimately joined the band. Because of the sorrow in his family [his wife’s cancer battle], he was unable to travel. First and foremost, family. We couldn’t have said, “Hey, we might do a tour in the summer,” when we were in that predicament. You want to reserve it right away. We’ll update you later. No one is going to pursue that. Steve, then, had his predicament. And we realized that if we paused and waited for him, we probably wouldn’t pick up the pace at this point in our lives and professions. Most likely, it would be the last. You are not allowed to take a year or two off. Not right now. It’s not as if you’re 21 again. It isn’t equivalent. That put both of us in an impossible situation. We came to the conclusion that we had to go on.
Simon has previously collaborated with Don Airey, the keyboardist for DEEP PURPLE, and I believe he has also worked with Ian Gillan on their respective solo ventures. And they simply exclaimed, “This guy is amazing.” He will easily assimilate into the band’s philosophy. ‘If he’s good enough for you, he’s good enough for me,’ I responded. And after the first day of simply jamming together for, I don’t know, thirty minutes, it was clear. Not only was he competent enough, but he also held himself in check and showed respect for some of the things that had come before him. But playing with him was a lot of pleasure. It is still the same.”
Regarding the impact of playing with McBride’s arrival to DEEP PURPLE on the sound of the group, Paice remarked: “To say it’s like a breath of fresh air would be a disservice to Steve’s genius and his contributions over the last twenty-odd years.” It’s just different, and sometimes it’s critical to take a different route. And I believe Simon has provided it for us. He approached the songwriting with a more riff-oriented style. Steve had written some far more intelligent stuff. It took a lot of effort to figure out where he was headed. Steve, what a brilliant mind he has. He comes up with ideas that no one else can, and they’re elegant and witty. Simon seems a bit more — I understand that right now. And that’s OK because, once more, it’s only a small shift in course. Nothing that we haven’t already done. It reminds me a bit of the early ’70s stuff, if anything.”
The 19-year-old DEEP PURPLE album “=1” was made available through earMUSIC on July 19. The record is DEEP PURPLE’s debut collaboration with McBride.
Simon has already performed for DEEP PURPLE crowds totaling over half a million people since 2022.
Reunited with producer Bob Ezrin, “=1” evokes the iconic sound of the pioneering band without leaning too much on nostalgia.
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