Ian Gillan

“I grew up moving from one council flat to another and finished up in a three-bedroom semi-detached on a council estate in Cranford, a suburb of Hounslow. This was in the days when there was still rationing, and we had to be thrifty.”

“The Hall Of Fame thing, it's an American thing. We don't have that in England or Germany or Australia or Russia or anywhere in the world apart from America. And it's an institution. What's that got to do with rock and roll?”

“I know in my heart of hearts that Ritchie Blackmore is one of the great guitar players of all time. He's a fabulous technician, and he's got incredible skills, and he was a great showman.”

“Glenn Hughes is one of the most naturally talented musicians, but he's still copying Steve Wonder to this day, so I can't call him a bona fide member of Deep Purple.”

“I think you function much better when you trust people and when you've got a sort of relationship where you can develop ideas within a framework.”

“I have to think that 'Nessa Dorma' is the greatest rock ballad that's never been recorded as such.”

“I was in a band called Episode Six with Roger Glover, which was more of a harmony band, really. At one gig, there were a few dodgy characters leaning up against the wall of the venue - and we ended up joining their band. Purple was the talk of every musician in the country - they had something new and very exciting.”

“When I was a kid, every street had a band, and we'd steal members from each other.”

“An album represents an artist or a band or a group of musicians at any given moment in time. You just produce the music that you feel good about and hope that the audience shows some interest in it.”

“We've been touring ever since we were able to afford to buy a van, and I don't think we'll ever stop until something falls off or is irreparable.”

“One of my greatest pleasures is writing on my Web site.”

“We always used to describe ourselves as an instrumental band. Basically, the music was always instrumentally based, so the songs always came later.”

“There's very little you can do these days about having any impact at a launch for a record unless you keep it very secret, because communications are so immediate, and YouTube and everything else kind of spoils the party.”

“I love extended solos. I used to like them in the old days a lot, because it used to give me time to go to the pub for a drink.”

“We've never gone into the studio with prepared material... we never have.”

“The thing about a band is, it's not so much how good the musicians are - it's the blend of personalities and characters. It's the human chemistry that makes up a good team.”

“Our partying was governed by licensing hours. When the pub or club shut, that would be it.”

“For a rock band, I didn't see the point in live albums. To my mind, you've got to be there.”

“I have got a good imagination.”

“I've tried to avoid the rock & roll highway and have taken the scenic route. I think all the guys have been more concerned with the music and the band's legacy than with the commercial aspects of life.”