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Is there any question that you’ve always wished someone would ask you in an interview, but no one ever has? If so, what would be the answer? 
Ritchie Blackmore: Why do I not have a lower back tattoo. The answer is that it is called a tramp stamp, not that I have anything against tramps. We are all tramps at heart.Realms of Fantasy, December 2009 [For the full interview click here]  You don't look 67 anyway, but don't you think that it's time to do another Rainbow album? 
Ronnie James Dio: Also, it's the Rainbow question, eh? No I will never do another Rainbow album. I'll never ever do that again. I want no part in doing it; I want no part in doing anything with Ritchie at all. I respect him, he's a genius, he was a great part of my life, but I don't need to go through that hell. Especially, when you get to be this age, do I need to suffer more? I think life should be easier as you get older and not more difficult. And Ritchie is too difficult a person for me to deal with, because I like to have control of my own life. When I'm not in this band, I'm in the Dio band. We think the same. So, there is no problem with not liking each other or demanding that I have to do something that I don't want to do. So, it's not a place I want to go to. I'm happy for Ritchie that he's happy doing what he's doing. I wish he were not doing it and I wish he was still making rock 'n' roll music. But maybe he's too old… He's pretty close too.Rockpages.GR 2009 [For the full interview click here] Ritchie Tried To Ban Son Jürgen From Using The 'Blackmore' Name 
Joe Lynn Turner: At first Ritchie was fine about it all. Then certain people – two of them – who are very close to him started to put ideas into his head. Then Ritchie suddenly became very antagonistic. Things got so bad that he insisted Jürgen – his own son – couldn't use the name "Blackmore". Jürgen's full name is Jürgen Richard Blackmore – it says so on his birth cerificate. So, he ended up sending a copy of that to Ritchie, to prove he had every right to the name. Thankfully, that's all behind us now, and everything's back on an even keel.Classic Rock Magazine, August 2009 According to Lisa Walker(Executive Asst. to Over The Rainbow): This article contains some information that is not correct. Joe never said that the name "Blackmore" was prohibited from being used. He said the name "Richard" was the name that they did not want to be used because it might confuse people. Jurgen's name is "Jurgen Richard Blackmore" as Joe says. However, when we promote Jurgen's name we use "Jurgen Blackmore" or "J.R. Blackmore" as to not confuse people. We do not want people to think they will be coming to see Ritchie Blackmore perform with Over The Rainbow. That was NEVER the band's intent. The band wants to be perfectly honest. Joe Stump, a big Ritchie Blackmore admirer, talks about his new album "Virtuosic Vendetta". 
Joe Stump: My work room looks like it belongs to a 16-year-old; I've got these cool Blackmore pictures up, shots of Yngwie and Jimi, I have all kinds of guitar DVDs, racks of Blackmore bootlegs, so I made a record that I, as a huge fan of playing guitar, would love to buy. Some of the tunes hold up if you're into power metal but not into the whole guitar thing, because they've got the riffs and melodies. It's music, it's very old school and straight ahead. It's not one of those guitar records where I'm dabbling in all kinds of different styles. Hendrix, Frank Marino, the baroque Malmsteen stuff, and there's always been that heavy Blackmore vibe in my playing, but on this record is much more pronounced.Brave Words, June 2009 Stump went so far as to compose a track entitled 'Blackmore's Boogie' celebrating his idol's trademark sound of yesteryear. Makes you wonder what he thinks of Blackmore drowning himself, and many would say his credibility, in the medieval Renaissance currents of Blackmore's Night for the past twelve years.
Joe Stump: I have a lot of respect for him because he's loved that kind of music his whole life, and he did make a really serious commitment to his new music. "It's like he picked up a new instrument. I listen to a Blackmore's Night record and there are moments of brilliance, but the whole thing starts to wear me down by the end. It's sort of similar with the live show. It's quite good, but he doesn't play nearly enough electric and it's almost as if he's doing it out of spite. Everybody's waiting for him to throw down on the Strat. He does a couple tunes, but he'll play a lot of those solos that were done on an electric acoustically. There are some brilliant tunes on those Blackmore's Night records, though, and a lot of the melodies are very Rainbow-esque.Brave Words, June 2009 People blame you for making Ritchie Blackmore give up playing rock. 
Candice Night: Can anyone make Ritchie Blackmore do anything? Ha-ha! Everybody knows that Ritchie does what Ritchie wants to do.There's also a cover of an old Rainbow song on your new CD; Rainbow Eyes. Candice Night: First and foremost Ritchie needed to get away from the Deep Purple and Rainbow monsters that were breathing down his neck. Now that he's been away from it for so long he can revisit those songs, hear them through fresh ears and really start enjoying them again. Classic Rock Magazine, November 2008 Ritchie Blackmore's opinion about Jimmy Page.
Ritchie Blackmore: I first saw Jimmy in the very early 60s. I saw him playing with an old friend of mine, Jimmy Evans and Neil Christian and the Crusaders. He was playing a Gretsch guitar and wore a high polar neck as they used to do in those days. I was very impressed by his sound. Also very impressed by the high polar neck. I thought at the time that he would become a very well known guitarist because he was so good and exuded a lot of confidence in his playing.Classic Rock Led Zeppelin Special, November 2008 You were such a massive influence as an electric guitarist during your days in Deep Purple and Rainbow. Do you have one or two rock tracks from that time of which you are particularly proud?
Ritchie Blackmore: I like "Gates of Babylon" by Rainbow and "Stargazer." By DP I thought "Perfect Strangers" came out well, though I couldn't play a good solo over it. So I gave the solo to Jon.UltimateGuitar.com, 8 December 2008 [For the full interview click here] Do you ever see yourself making another rock album?
Ritchie Blackmore: I don't know. I like playing heavy rock blues. I still play it to myself. Haven't gotten around to being in a studio playing hard stuff yet. Maybe next time.ZME Music, 9 December 2008 [For the full interview click here] I guess you are aware that Blackmore's manager is now his mother-in-law... And she rarely lets him give a solo interview. 
Ian Gillan: Well, I don't know why that is... I've got some naked pictures of her... (snickering).Rock Pages.gr, October 2008 [For the full interview click here]  |