Guitarist who made history with Deep Purple and Rainbow even quotes Taylor Swift, but avoids blasting her; comment is more general
Ritchie Blackmore became notable not only for his undeniable talent and for the classics recorded with Deep Purple and Rainbow. The guitarist has one of the fiercest tongues in rock and whenever he is asked, he never fails to express his opinion on other styles and even artists.
To this day, at age 79, he continues to speak his mind. And the target this time was current music as a whole.
In a video available on your channel YouTube (via Blabbermouth), Blackmore revealed that, these days, he doesn’t listen to contemporary artists. It’s far from that: his passion is for music from the 1400s and 1500s, as well as some bands in that vein that perform in Germany, the Czech Republic, Finland and Sweden.
“I don’t listen to the radio in the United States, where they play the latest news and things like that. As we progress and change generations, I can’t relate to what they play on the radio. I don’t listen to that much rock and roll anymore either. I like old rock from the 1950s, when it was new: Elvis Presley with Scotty Moore playing, James Burton with Ricky Nelson, The Everly BrothersI love all these things. Buddy Holly It was my favorite at the time.”
Ritchie recognizes his “ungrateful” position in this dilemma: his comments sound as if he is fighting modernity alone. However, he once again praised old music.
“I feel like an old grandfather complaining about the music they’re playing on the radio at the moment. I feel like in the 70s [nota da edição: na verdade, 60]when Eric Clapton was playing on Cream and things like that, it was a song that made you think. Did you listen ‘White Room’ or something like that, you didn’t need repeated knocks. You could really say, ‘Wow, that’s a great song’.”

The musician emphasized that he likes different types of sound, but rarely listens to the radio. The problem is that sometimes you end up having to listen.
“I don’t hear good music on the radio — from my point of view. It might be good music, but it’s not something I want to hear. When the whole family gets in the truck and we go on vacation, which is probably 20 miles away — because I don’t like traveling — all I hear is Taylor Swift or something like that. I find it difficult to identify with that.”
“I like to complain”
Ambiguous comments ended Ritchie Blackmore’s statement on contemporary music. The guitarist understands that the fact that he dislikes current artists does not necessarily mean that the sound is bad. However, he defines all of this as “shit”.
“It’s not wrong [se identificar com Taylor Swift]. It’s the new generation wanting to hear this. That’s probably as good for them as Beatles, Cream and Jimi Hendrix were for me. So I really can’t complain. But I like to complain and I will complain. And I think the crap they’re playing on the radio today is horrible.”
Ritchie Blackmore has criticized even the heaviest rock
In a recent interview with New Jersey Stage (via Igor Miranda website), Blackmore directed comments even to the heaviest rock, where he made a career. The musician credited his departure from Deep Purple in 1993 to being “bored” with the way he worked in that segment.
“I’ve always been interested in melodic rock – melodies in general. At the end of Purple, it was just loud for the sake of being loud, so when I heard Renaissance music, there were so many incredible melodies, and they touched me. That was a big relief in a lot of ways, so I skipped it just to play some melodies more organically.”
He, who since 1997 has commanded the Blackmore’s Night — neo-medieval music project — with his wife, Candice NIghtadds:
“The stress came from traveling related to rock ‘n’ roll, from the continuous attempt to create different riffs that were always heavier, which could be boring. I was getting tired of playing the same kind of music: heavy rock for the sake of heavy rock.”
Ritchie Blackmore surprises by revealing that he loves Abba
Source: Rollingstone

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.