Ian Gillan on Deep Purple’s New Era, Ritchie Blackmore Reunion and the Stories Behind “Smoke on the Water” and “Highway Star”

The Deep Purple frontman joins Joann Butler to talk Splat!, making music live in the studio, old wounds healed and the wild moments that became rock history

From the LifeMinute.tv Team

September 10, 2026

Ian Gillan is still very much in the moment. In a new interview on Joann Butler in Studio With..., the Deep Purple frontman says the band’s current tour is “probably the best we’ve ever done,” calling the schedule intense, even “insane,” but still exciting after all these years.

One of the biggest moments came when Ritchie Blackmore joined Deep Purple onstage in New York. Gillan says Blackmore reached out beforehand asking if he could “step up in ‘Smoke,’” a request that instantly made him smile. He describes the reunion as warm and magical, adding that whatever problems existed between them had been put behind them years ago.

Gillan also gets into Deep Purple’s new album, Splat!, and why the current lineup feels so connected to the band’s classic sound. He says guitarist Simon McBride has brought a more grounded approach and that the new songs fit seamlessly alongside the older material live. The band’s creative process remains refreshingly old-school too: they jam together, shape the songs as a group and record much of the album live in the studio.

Of course, Joann also takes Gillan back into Deep Purple history. He recalls “Highway Star” coming together on a bus ride to Brighton after a journalist asked how the band wrote songs — and says they played it that same night. “Smoke on the Water,” meanwhile, grew out of the real-life Montreux fire and eventually became one of the most played rock songs on radio.

He also looks back on the early days of Deep Purple coming together, the instant chemistry he felt with Roger Glover, the story behind Child in Time, how the band reunited over curry and a phone call to Jon Lord, and the camaraderie that once connected Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.

This is a LifeMinute with Ian Gillan.