Ritchie Blackmore: ‘I Think a Lot About Death’
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From his days with Deep Purple and Rainbow to his current gig fronting Blackmore’s Night, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has always forged his own trail. It’s something, as he recently explained during a Russian television interview, he attributes to his fondness for daydreaming.
Blackmore and the band — which includes his wife, singer and multi-instrumentalist Candice Night — were in Russia for a special show that included the debut of a new song, ‘Troika,’ dedicated to the nation. As Night enthused during the interview, “I think he’s writing incredible songs and playing better now than ever before. I’m happier seeing him happier, so it works in a cycle.”
“They used to complain at school that I looked out of the window for long periods of time — that sums up my life,” mused Blackmore. “I like to look out the window, do nothing, daydream. And this is the perfect vehicle to do that.”
But while Night said she was happy that Blackmore is “getting inspiration from a positive place” these days, Blackmore admitted that he’s still drawn to darkness. “I think a lot about death more than life, because we’re going towards death,” he explained. “Death is going to happen to most of us. Most, not all. Some of us might get away with it, which is what Bob Dylan said. Bob Dylan came up to me once and said: ‘Hey, who the hell are you?’
“I admired him for that,” continued Blackmore. “I just walked away with my head down and continued to look out of the window. He was looking out of the window a lot too. I think it’s important. People don’t do it enough anymore. They’re too busy having a contraption in their hand. They walk across streets pressing buttons and sending e-mails. Then a car runs them over and they wonder why.”
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