Ritchie Blackmore Interview Options

[Dinaga]

This is *very* old stuff, but it's always interesting to read.

Love him or not, call him an egomaniac but Ritchie was a legend in rock music and this has to be one of the most honest musician interviews I've ever read I disagree on some parts but respect his honesty!

http://www.thehighwaystar.com/interviews/b...rb199102xx.html

And this has to be the most hilarious part

GW: What do you think of Yngwie Malmsteen? He's often credited you as an influence.

BLACKMORE: He's always been very nice to me, and I always get on very well with him. I don't understand him, though - his playing, what he wears. His movements are also a bit creepy. Normally you say, "Well, the guy's just an idiot." But, when you hear him play you think, "That guy's no idiot. He knows what he's doing." He's got to calm down. He's not Paganini - though he thinks he is. When Yngwie can break all of his strings but one, and play the same piece on one string, then I'll be impressed.
In three or four years, we'll probably hear some good stuff from him.

This post has been edited by Dinaga: Jun 12 2012, 11:43 AM

[Sensible Jones]

Love that quote!!!

[Ben Higgins]

I've never seen that quote from him before about Yngwie but I do remember another one where he said that Yngwie was a great player but that he needed to calm down and maybe see a therapist !

[Gitarrero]

that quote is priceless...now I wonder what Yngwie says about Ritchie...

[Dinaga]

that quote is priceless...now I wonder what Yngwie says about Ritchie...

He didn't spare Hendrix and SRV either... not even B.B. King!


GW: Around Fireball and Machine Head [1972], your playing took on a blues and funk edge. Did Hendrix have anything to do with that?

BLACKMORE: I was impressed by Hendrix. Not so much by his playing, as his attitude - he wasn't a great player, but everything else about him was brilliant. Even the way he walked was amazing. His guitar playing, though, was always a little bit weird.
Hendrix inspired me, but I was still more into Wes Montgomery. I was also into the Allman Brothers around the time of those albums.

GW: What did you think of Stevie Ray Vaughan?

BLACKMORE: I knew that question was coming. His death was very tragic, but I'm surprised that everybody thinks he was such a brilliant player when there are people like Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Peter Green and Mick Taylor; Johnny Winter, who is one of the best blues players in the world, is also very underrated. His vibrato is incredible.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was very intense. Maybe that's what caught everybody's attention. As a player, he didn't do anything amazing.

GW: Following your departure from Purple, you drifted back to a slightly classical direction in Rainbow.

BLACKMORE: I was never sure what I wanted to be. I found the blues too limiting, too confining. I'd always thought - with all due respect to B.B. King - that you couldn't just play four notes. Classical, on the other hand, was always too disciplined. I was always playing between the two, stuck in a musical no-man's land.

[Ben Higgins]

He didn't spare Hendrix and SRV either... not even B.B. King!

Yeah I love his honesty.. isn't afraid to criticise guitarists who are regarded as 'sacred'. Although some of it might be due to him not wanting other people to have credit.. ? Who knows, bit of both maybe. But I still quite like Ritchie and always have

[Cosmin Lupu]

Well, I never agreed with the fact that being on top of the glory tower should allow you to bash on people no matter how good you are, you can't just go smashing all the people who did achieve something in life. I mean, SRV, Hendrix and BB are all monsters, just because of the passion they put in what they've done - you don't need to be Guthrie to be recognized as a player - it's about transmitting the message, right?

Now, on the other hand Yngwie must, but MUST have a thing to say about this quote if he knows about it for certain and let's not forget that, without Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore's notoriety wouldn't've probably reached those heights, while Hendrix, BB and SRV did it on their own

Nonetheless, I respect all of the dudes above and that's all folks