Ritchie Blackmore

There are too many idiots on the streets




With "Highway Star," Deep Purple legend Ritchie Blackmore wrote the ultimate speed anthem. He still owns his first car, a Mercedes. But he loves Germany even more.

He was the Fast and Furious of his profession: Ritchie Blackmore, co-founder of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow, was always very fast, wild and unpredictable. A guitar god who regularly turned his Fender Stratocaster into kindling and shaped generations of guitarists with riffs and solos.

Blackmore has co-composed several hymns to speed. "Highway Star" by Deep Purple: "Eight cylinders all mine, alright, hold tight, I'm a highway star." Or later on Rainbow, "Death Alley Driver" with a guitar intro like a roaring engine: "Livin' at high speed."

Blackmore performed for the last time with Rainbow in 1997, then founded the group Blackmore's Night with his future wife Candice Night and has been playing Renaissance rock ever since, especially in German castles and palaces.

In the summer, the 70-year-old Englishman is taking a break from the Middle Ages - and is giving two concerts with his newly formed band Rainbow: at the Loreley (June 17th) and in Bietigheim-Bissingen (June 18th). Reason enough to talk to him about the tension between speed and deceleration and about his first car.

PS WELT: Mister Blackmore, how come you only got your driving license at the age of 39?

Because I just didn't care before. I always do things that other people wouldn't do. It's probably because I've always been a difficult, and some say stubborn, person. To hell with what others say about me.

PS WELT: At 39 you were a global star. With Deep Purple you were flown in private jets or helicopters or chauffeured to gigs. Pleasant life?

We used the helicopters and jets during Deep Purple's big tours when we played to 100,000 or more people. It was already fun. When I give concerts today, it's on a much smaller scale. Sometimes I have a driver - but I also like to drive myself.

PS WELT: Do you remember the first car you bought after passing your driving test?

Sure. I really wanted a German car. I have always loved Germany and lived in Hamburg for a while. I am particularly fascinated by German palaces and castles. So, I bought a Mercedes. That was more than 20 years ago and I still have it today. Many of my acquaintances sometimes tease me: "Ritchie, you have to buy another car." But I don't want to. Unfortunately, on Long Island, where I live with my family, it is difficult to find someone who can still repair such an old Mercedes.

PS WELT: What is so special about this old Mercedes?

My Mercedes is like an old friend. It's a 300 SE. I like it a lot, even if it no longer runs the way you would expect from a car. People think I'm crazy for not scrapping it yet. "You often can't even start it anymore," they then complain, "just buy a new one." I always counter: "It's okay. I got used to it."

PS WELT: But it's stupid when a car doesn't start, right?

Something always works with sensitivity. For a while, I only drove short distances in my Mercedes - only enough so that I could walk home if necessary if the car broke down again.

PS WELT: How far have you ventured out with your car?

Four or five kilometers. If I have to drive further afield, I take the family car, a Ford SUV, with my wife Candice and our children. With the Mercedes, every journey is a game of chance because I never know how I'll get home (laughs).

PS WELT: Have you now taught yourself how to repair cars when there are hardly any suitable mechanics?

No. There is a mechanic in the area who will repair my car - but he charges an incredible amount of money every time. That he isn't ashamed! If you drive a Mercedes, everyone thinks they can rip you off because you must have a lot of money.

PS WELT: Which in your case cannot be completely dismissed.

For me it's about the principle. I think that's bad - the Mercedes group should take care of the fact that certain workshops are charging so much money for repairs.

PS WELT: In recent years you have regularly toured Germany with Blackmore's Night, playing music from the Middle Ages - mostly in castles and palaces. Helicopters are a thing of the past, how do you travel through Germany today in a bus or in a car?

Sometimes I ride on the bus with the band, often my wife and I have a driver. Sometimes I drive myself. When I'm behind the wheel, I usually consciously choose longer routes. I want to see something of the area while driving, but that's not possible on the highway.

PS WELT: Do you have any favorite routes in Germany?

I prefer to drive on country roads that lead through German villages. I particularly like the area around Nuremberg. I like to arrive slowly at the next performance venue. On the highway the panorama is always the same. And: I don't like the traffic jam! When I'm stuck on the highway, it always seems like an eternity.

PS WELT: Do you listen to music while driving?

Sure, I always have CDs of medieval music with me.

PS WELT: No high-speed rock?

Nope, not in the car. If I have a driver and play Renaissance music, he goes crazy (laughs). Sometimes I don't want to hear anything while driving. Just silence. I really appreciate the silence, even in the car.

PS WELT: With Deep Purple you boasted at the time that you were the loudest band in the world.

We live in a world with an incredible amount of noise, acoustic pollution. I like to have some peace and quiet there. Today, everyday life has become much louder than it was back then. Everyone is constantly connected to their smartphones via headphones and staring at the displays at the same time. Everyone is constantly on social media checking whether the photo they posted of their breakfast is going viral. Crazy!

PS WELT: You have your own Facebook page.

Others do that for me, my wife for example. I often don't even look at it. I've lived long enough now that I don't have to deal with this stuff anymore.

PS WELT: In the summer you'll be loud again: you've gathered young musicians around you and are giving three concerts under the name of your old hard rock band Rainbow - one of them at the Loreley. Have you already chosen a route there?

Not yet, the Rheinstrasse is of course very nice to drive on. I could look out the window for hours. I have already stayed overnight in most of the castles on the Rhine.

PS WELT: You probably know more about German castles and palaces than I do.

A lot of Germans tell me that (laughs). German castles and palaces have been my passion for 40 years. I should write a travel guide. I was already interested in castles when we were still on tour in Germany with Deep Purple. As often as I could, I looked around for castles in the area and stayed overnight there.

PS WELT: Are you the human navigation device for castles and palaces?

Yes, hehehe.

PS WELT: Let's play a game: I'll name you a major German city and you tell me which castle you can recommend nearby.

Yeah. Get started.

PS WELT: Cologne.

Let's think about it, from Cologne I would probably drive further north to the Schlosshotel Hugenpoet near Essen. I always loved the Grugahalle in Essen great acoustics, great rock'n'roll crowd. Although Hugenpoet is actually a bit too pretentious for my taste. I prefer the Gothic or Baroque style.

PS WELT: Hamburg.

I would choose Tremsb ttel Castle near Ahrensburg, which is about 30 kilometers northeast of Hamburg.

PS WELT: Munich.

From Munich I would make my way to Eggersberg Castle in the Altm hltal.

PS WELT: Stuttgart.

I book Haigerloch Castle, south of Stuttgart.

PS WELT: Nuremberg.

From Nuremberg I would also go to Eggersberg Castle, which is only an hour away to the south.

PS WELT: And Berlin?

Berlin is a problem, there are hardly any castles there. In previous years I have recommended Cecilienhof Palace.

PS WELT: With "Highway Star" you have composed the ultimate rock song about cars and speed. And that's how you play the guitar in the song - as if you wanted to break the sound barrier...

Yeah, that's fun too. But: speed isn't everything. With my solos, it was never just about the tempo, but also about the melody and the phrasing.

PS WELT: So driving fast isn't fun either?

After I got my license, I liked driving fast. But after a while you downshift. When I drive myself, I tend to drive slowly, whether in Germany or America. Is a precaution: there are too many idiots on the streets.


PS Welt (Car Magazine), Germany - April 28, 2016