Ritchie Blackmore Countdown Interview TV Interview recorded in the Hilton, Rotterdam on February 2, 1980 for Veronica's Countdown Ritchie: This person here is Roger... Roger Glover. He used to play with me in Deep Purple and we both used to play in Deep Purple but we won't mention that for now because this is Rainbow. We have Don Airey who plays keyboards... sometimes, sometimes he doesn't. We have Cozy Powell playing drums and a new person called Graham Bonnet, he sings. Well, people were surprised when Ronnie Dio left the band Ritchie: So was Ronnie Dio. What happened? Ritchie: Well, with Ronnie it was a case of he had so many ideas, but they weren't ideas to do with music, but more about getting married and buying books and painting his toilet and things. He wasn't really what we had in mind for music then. Is that also the reason that there have been a few personal changes in Rainbow since '75? Ritchie: Well, normally it's because I asked a lot of musicians, I ask them to do things which is probably not what most musicians would do.... In the way of like I expect them to drop their trousers occasionally you know, I mean this is not asking too much and some people reacted in rather a violent way. They say I'm not going to do this, I'm not you know homosexual, and I say "Well, nor am I". Don't you mind working with all different line-ups? Ritchie: No, as I said before, it stimulates me to meet new people and have new kind of blood as they say in the band and I think this is very important. Is that why you have the injections every two weeks? Ritchie: Yes, I do have injections every two weeks with new musicians pumped into me Roger: Basically Rainbow is Ritchie's baby and so it's a question of what comes out of his mind. The only way it's changed a little is I think it's become more successful. Ritchie promised he wouldn't beat me up if I joined Rainbow Ritchie: That's true. Roger: I joined Rainbow actually as a producer first. Ritchie: I came round his house and I said "Will you join Rainbow" and he said "No way". And I said "Right, I'm going to get some people on to you and it's all this [shows his fist]" and then he said "Okay, I'll have to join in" and [to Roger] carry on.... Roger: And so here I am. Countdown, Dutch TV - February 1980