DOUG Talks to GLENN HUGHES from DEEP PURPLE about the 50th Anniversary of BURN and the upcoming show in Detroit

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Yeah, Hi, there the Detroitchwheels. Okay, Oh, there you
go, Glenn Hughes, the voiceof rock and roll. It is good
to talk to you, my friend. How are you? I am doing
well and we're all looking forward,Glenn to having you here in the Motor
City on Friday, February the ninth, coming in to do the Yeah,
fifty years of the Burn album withDeep Purple. I can't believe it's been

(00:24):
fifty years, but here it comesright. I know it sels like yesterday.
Well, I'll tell you the musicstill holds up and it still sounds
like it could be something that comesout today. But just to recap a
little bit, people should know,you know, the voice of Trapees.
You also worked with Tony Iomi inBlack Sabbath for a while, and Glenn,

(00:47):
I saw you not too long agoat the Token with the Dead Daisies,
So I thought you brought Yeah,I thought you really brought some you
know, credibility to the band.Did you enjoy your time with them at
all? I did? It wasyou know, Doug. It was three
years, but eighteen months of thatwas through COVID, But you know I

(01:08):
did. I did make and wrotetwo albums with the days. Yeah,
I had a great time. Itwas good to change give every artist does
it from time to time. Butfor me it was a good opportunity to
work with my friends and another anotherin ensemble. But now I'm back doing
my own work, and of courseback with Black Country Communion. Yes,

(01:29):
and uh, you know this DeepPurple album burn you You did three albums
with Deep Purple, but this onehas always been special to me. But
at the time, Glenn, whenyou joined the band, Deep Purple was
one of the biggest bands in theworld. I mean they had they had
come off you know, the MachineHad album, and and the Tokyo album

(01:52):
and then the Live in Tokyo album, and uh you know, I mean
Richie Blackmore was like a guitar god. And then and all of a sudden,
what happened there right around nineteen seventythree, seventy four to those guys,
Well, what happened, Doug,This is you know, public knowledge.
Ian Gillan wanted to leave the bandand kind of go into some sort

(02:14):
of semi retirement and he bought ahotel and some motorcycles and it was definitely
left field for all of us.So I think he gave his notice in
six months before he actually quit,so there was a time for kind of

(02:34):
replacing him. And at that sametime, I think Blackmore thought, well,
if Ian's going to go, maybewe should Unfortunately let Roger Globble go,
and you know, the rest iswalking wrong history. Yeah, well,
the band did kind of retool.They were doing songs, you know,
eleven minute songs, and then whenthis album came out, they were

(02:55):
much shorter, much tighter, moreprecise, and certainly harder. I think
would you agree with that? Yeah? I think it was more you know,
rooted in. You know, itwas as you know, more bluesy,
you know, and it was aI think it would have been heavier,

(03:15):
you know. Yeah, I definitelythink that it sounded well, certainly
burn sounded, you know, sogreat. It still sounds great on the
radio today. We still play somuch deep purple around here. But you
were with the band from seventy threeto seventy six and a number of good
albums came out of that. Butwhat was that like coming into the band

(03:38):
as a new bass player singer,But then they brought in David Coverdale.
What was your relationship with with David? Oh, you know, when they
asked him to join at the EssexHouse in New York, I thought they
were going to ask me to singon play bass, and Blackmore said no,
we want to have you know,elite singer and a bass playing lead

(04:00):
singer. So I thought, well, hang on a minute, and then
I said, now we want paulsto sing, a good friend of mine.
We all know about Paul, andbasically I basically joined the band too
able to sing with my friend Paul, which would have been remarkable, but
you know, he wasn't available becausehe was forming Bad Company. So we
went about finding a replacement for aGillan and we ended up with Coda and

(04:27):
David Coverdale. Well, now therethere's a character for you right there.
Uh yeah, So your relationship wasgood with him and Richie and and everybody
got along pretty good for a while. How much how much involvement did you
have in writing and uh and reallyforming the new direction of Deep Purple.

(04:50):
This is also a public knowledge.If you look at the Burn album,
not not the real issues from thecertainces, you'll notice my name wasn't credit
as I was to another company.So the manager of Deep people said,
well, what about if we youknow, we won't put the you know
the story Doug either, so butI did write eighty percent of the of

(05:15):
the song on the album with theguys, you know. So we were
down in that castle, in thecrypt in the dungeon making that album,
writing that album, and it wasremarkable events. So yeah, definitely it's
good to see that with the reissuesthey have included you in there, because
you know, yeah, when whenyou're working that hard and you're doing that

(05:35):
much, you deserve some credits.There's no question about it, you know.
You know, in the in thenew reincarnation of Deep Bubble mark three
five guys, two new guys,and it was a real family orientated I
find. They told me it wasthe first time they felt a family orientated

(05:56):
feelings. David and I from theNorth of England and we are you know,
we've funny so so we had agreat time together. So you're going
to do the fiftieth anniversary of Burn, You'll do the entire album. Who's
in your band these days? Andhow difficult was it to you know,
kind of reacclimate yourself to all ofthese songs. Well, you know,

(06:18):
these songs are special to a lotof people and if I'm going to do
the show jog, if I'm goingto bring the show around the world.
I did it an eight months tourlast year. I'm going to do nine
months this year. And by theway, at the end of November,
I will retire this particular show andthen go back to being Glenn Hughes again.
So look, these songs, thesesongs. I've been playing these songs

(06:41):
on and off for quite some time. I take it real serious and a
lot of fun doing this, butI got to honor these songs, you
know. And I've got a greatband son Anderson, who you've seen required
in the twenty four He's still withme. I have a new people player
from Amsterdam, Bob for Simma,and a great great drama from England called

(07:03):
Ash. All right, so thoseguys will be with you on once again.
February of the ninth, You'll beYou'll be at the Token Lounge and
and Enough's Enough is going to beopening up. I see. So that's
great double bill yet there. Yeah, Chip's a good friend, you know.
I wanted to take some people Iknew with me, you know,

(07:25):
make it a bit of a partyatmosphere. And look, look as I
said when I was getting inducted inthe Hall of Time. I was born
in Britain, but my soul wasborn in Detroit and that stands firm today.
Wow. All right, well,it is an extensive tour, but
we are glad that you're going tobe here. Let's talk about the Rock

(07:45):
and Roll Hall of Fame because youknow, boy, you're sure lucky to
be in there, because if ifthey were looking at the band right now,
I don't know if you know,you'd be able to get in with
the criteria the way it's changed atthe Rock Hall. But so what was
that experience like with you and DavidCoverdale and the rest of the band.

(08:07):
Well, I spoke to some ofthe people at the Hall of Fame and
they said David and I were includedbecause Burn was such a big record in
America and sing so they are thepeople who are voting on the committee court.
It was only, you know,just fair to include David and I.
And let me just say very clearly, David and I had a great

(08:28):
time. We did work really hardin the bund at that time, so
we had a great evening. Ohokay, yeah, definitely. Well it
was great to just have you know, at this point in time, rock
bands that we can look back onand go, yeah, they're in the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,but so many won't get in or you
know, or are going to haveto wait forever to get in, and

(08:52):
they may not know it because theycould be long gone by this. H
Yeah, it's it's a strange setup over there. You know. Some
of it might personal. I don'tknow. I I'm quite good friends as
the president, but I like saythat I'm just very grateful to be in
there. I can't believe some ofmy friends aren't in there, such as

(09:13):
my dear friend Paul Rodgers. Ican't believe it. Oh my god.
Yeah, many people still shaking theirhead. So hopefully one day, Yeah,
definitely. I think if there's anybodywho deserves to be in there,
I mean, he's one of thegreat voices of rock, just like you
are, and he should definitely bein the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

(09:33):
So you you you worked with Tonyi Omi and Black Sabbath. That
was kind of another situation where youhad to come in and kind of,
you know, reinspire the music andthe band and the legacy. I mean
that's a lot on somebody's shoulders.What was that like going into Black Sabbaths

(09:54):
At the time, Ronnie Diahot hadleft the band in a before and I
think he and Gylan came in foran album and then he left again to
go back to Jepp boards. I'mreally really close, tell you one of
my old I've known Tony since nineteenseventy from the paranoid period. So and

(10:16):
we were able in La and hehad come down the studio and sing a
song. So I went down thestudio and son I sang and wrote a
song with him, and he said, well can you come back tomorrow and
tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, Andthen we had an album. So it
was just like that. Well yeah, but then but then the record company
stepped in because it was supposed tobe like a Tony Iomi solo album,

(10:39):
right, but then they said,well it's got to be Black Sabbath.
And how did you feel about that? Did you feel comfortable taking over that
position at that time? Well,you know, when when we were writing
that album in the studio, wewere actually making to Tony Iomi album,
and on the very last day ofrecording, his manager came in and said,

(11:01):
I've got a meeting with Warner Brothersand they want to call it for
obviously business reasons, to get peoplecoming to see tickets. You know,
let's call it Black Saba featuring Tonamirather than calling I mean, Tony was
quite upset, but there's nothing todo about it. Well, do you
now when you get done with yourfiftieth anniversary album, you know, during

(11:24):
the performance, do you then launchinto some other stuff from the other albums,
and do you do any Black Sabbathat all? I might do.
I mean, let's just say whenI'm done with this legacy tour in twenty
twenty five. Well, now it'sa long way from now, but I'm
making the new album in June,and that would come out in the spring

(11:46):
of twenty twenty five, okay,and at that time I will be touring
under my own name, of course, with a retrospective of Glenn's hughes,
you know, from all the fifthto five decades of music. I mean,
I I don't know, maybe onehundred albums, so I've got so
many songs to choose from solo aswell as you know. Yeah, so

(12:07):
that was one of the questions Iwas going to ask have you continued to
write and record for yourself? Butyeah, it looks like you got one
in the canon ready to roll herein twenty twenty five, So the plans
are made already. I love that, you know, we always I'm booked,
you know, pretty much two yearsin advance. Now. I think

(12:28):
anybody that has some sort of successthese days have to map it out like
that, you know. So I'mbooked all the way pretty much to the
end of two and twenty fidd allright, Well February the ninth, you'll
be at the Token Lounge. Thishas been an extensive tour for you.

(12:48):
Were you, you know, atthis time, prepared to you know,
be out on the road that long? Did you know, COVID? Cause
that I mean, what was theitch that got you going here for such
an extensive tour? When I leftthe Dead Days in November of twenty twenty
two, I said to my man, I said, well, let's go

(13:11):
out there and put some shows together. And he came back to me around
Christmas and as well, yeah,you know, we've got a lot of
work if you want to do it? Do you want to do all that
work? And I said, Isaid so, but last year was like
eight months of solid working and youknow, as time went on, I've
gotten that groove on the road youget in a group. So for me,

(13:35):
I think my voice gets better andstronger the more shows I do.
Yep. No, you know,my friend Ozzie has a problem singing two
shows in a row. I've toldhim, if you could just keep singing
and don't think about it, yourvoice will get stronger. For me,
that is the case. Yeah,I think with Ozzie. One of the

(13:56):
things that I had read Glenn wasthat, you know, if he can't
you know, actually tour and perform, but he still can't sing, So
he'd like to get in there anddo a solo album. That would be
great to see you possibly produce arecord like that for him. Uh,
you know, he's a friend ofmine. Yeah, you know, anttle

(14:20):
kind of story is about Alfie.But again, Samy Tony, I mean
we grew up together in the middleof you know, back in the in
the sixties. So I've known theseguys forever. You know, John,
I call John for me. He'sI'll just a really nice stoy. Well,

(14:41):
it sounds like you guys are prettyclose, pretty family that's that's awesome.
All right. Well, Glenn,we're going to see you here February
the ninth, that's a Friday nightat the Token Lounge. I'm definitely going
to make my way out there.The fiftieth anniversary of the Burn album from
Deep Purple. Truly one of theirbest. I mean, it's certainly in
the time three of their catalog,and I can't wait to see you do

(15:05):
all those great songs live. Solet everybody know I'm coming there because I've
been there a couple of times.It's always been an outstanding evening, and
I believe it's a Friday evening,so yeah, there'll be a lot of
rock and rollers out there having togo with me. So I'm looking forward
to coming to see you. Detroit, Detroit rock city. They love you,
Glenn. Glenn Hughes from Deep Purple, Fame and all the rest,

(15:26):
Thank you so much for your time, and we'll see you here. Thank
you. I have a great day, all right, you two now,
bye bye.