Translated and edited by Carlo Antico.
Interview originally published on Roadie Crew.
drummer Ian Paice, who began his professional career playing in his father's band, became a reference on the instrument for his performances not only with Deep Purple, but also with Whitesnake , Aston & Lord , and Gary Moore , in addition to guest appearances with Ken Hensley, Pretty Maids, Keith Emerson, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Jim Capaldi, Peter York, Bernie Marsden, MKII returned , Paice remains the only original member of Purple, which, since 2022, has consisted of Ian Gillan (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Steve Morse (guitar), and Don Airey (keyboards).
Promoting Whoosh , the band's 21st studio album, Paice spoke with ROADIE CREW about some details of the work and the partnership with producer Bob Ezrin.
Roadie Crew: Whoosh! is quite an unusual title for an album. Please tell us more about the idea and concept behind it, as well as its meaning.
Ian Paice : "Woosh !" is an idea Ian Gillan had, and the lyrics talk about many of the things we're doing wrong in our civilization. We're here on this beautiful globe that is the planet, and "woosh," suddenly, we won't be anymore. If we manage to stay around for 10% of the time the dinosaurs did, that's already more than enough. So, the lyrics reflect what he sees around him at the moment. He's been doing this for years, writing lyrics with social commentary. "Child In Time" is a lyric in that style. He points things out without saying what to do, only that we should be attentive. I think they're very relevant.
RC: How would you describe Whoosh! musically? Are there any new elements?
IP : There are no new elements in Western music. Everything we do has already been done before. Artists just do it differently, and that's the genius of human imagination. You can take identical bricks and build something with a different shape. So, we try to explore the possibilities of this limited genre we have, since there's a limited number of notes and chords, and find new ways to do old things. In some of the songs, I think we succeed very well, and when that wasn't the right thing to do, we resort to what we've already done. We use whatever works for that particular song.
RC: What are your favorite songs on Whoosh !?
IP: I listen to a new album almost like anyone else who buys it and listens to it for the first time. Of course, I'm biased and I'll always choose the songs where I think I did a good job. “Throw My Bones” and “Man Alive” are very interesting. “No Need To Shout” is another pretty obvious rock and roll jam, but I love how it came about. Roger [Glover, bassist] showed up with a riff in the morning that he couldn't get out of his head, and by the end of the day, the song was ready. One of those moments where you get something out of nothing. I really like those three. You should strive to never repeat yourself, so if you can create something different that you feel you haven't done before, that's interesting. And it keeps your mind occupied too.
RC: For the third time, you've teamed up with producer Bob Ezrin. What is his role in the band's dynamic?
IP: Every time you drop a bunch of musicians into a studio, they all end up scattered, doing what they want and not exactly what needs to be done. It's like an army without a general. Someone has to organize things: we'll do this, we start at this time. And when you're in the process of recording the first basic tracks for a song, you might have something that sounded wonderful in rehearsal, but Bob is in the control room listening to everything, clearly. And if he notices something that isn't working, or that sounds a little off, or that the intensity is lost, he tells us, in a very musical way. He explains why, for him, it's not right. We don't always agree, but nine times out of ten he's right, so we listen. He has the background and the musical knowledge, and if you're not going to listen to what he has to say, don't have him in the studio. It's all quick and spontaneous, and when that happens, you usually get a good album, when you don't have to suffer over a song. Bob doesn't let you do that. 3, 4, maybe 5 takes and that's it. If you want another one, Bob won't let you because he already has everything he needs. And then he makes you move on. Otherwise, you risk spending two or three hours and getting nowhere.
RC: You've been working and playing together for many years. Is there a certain routine to recording an album, or is it a new challenge each time? How do you manage to stay inspired?
IP: It's always fun knowing you're going to create new music. Especially if you have ideas you hold dear. Aside from that, nothing much changes. The fun is on stage. That's where there are no limits to what you can do. You can play more, play less, adjust the tempo however you like. In the studio, it's much more constrained, in a way that isn't the case for recording other forms of music. In classical music, the flow of time depends on the conductor—whether it's fast, slow, loud, or soft. Jazz is the same. What matters is virtuosity, not detailed perfection. Rock music today follows a mechanical tempo. 99% of songs are recorded with a metronome because we're all programmed to listen to music with perfect, perfect timing. And that's limiting. You find a way that works, but it's different. And for a long time, it was difficult for me because I treated the metronome like an enemy. I really didn't like it. I'm still not head over heels for it, but now I see it as a casual friend. And also, you should realize that if you have something that makes you proud and happy, it doesn't matter if the timing wasn't perfect during those five minutes. What matters is that it works when it comes out of the speakers.
RC: It's been over a year since you started composing and recording Whoosh!. Looking back on the process, what was the easiest part and what was the hardest?
IP: Well, to begin with, it's never easy. You try to create something from nothing. The first few days go slowly, there are only those basic ideas. Almost never does someone show up with a complete song. It happens once in a while, but generally not. Someone plays something that sparks the imagination of others and that transforms into something that could become a song. It's never easy, but after a couple of days, you get into a routine and unleash your imagination. From that perspective, it wasn't any different from any other album. The problem is that the more albums you record and songs you compose, the more difficult it is to avoid repeating yourself.
RC: Last year marked the band's 50th anniversary. Did you feel any pressure recording and writing your new album?
IP: I can say with 99% certainty that none of us even thought about the 50th anniversary. It was other people who brought it up. We don't think about it that way. I think many people would like us to think about it, to establish a connection, but no. It's just another day, another year, another number. It's not important.
RC: The media and fans are speculating that Whoosh! might be the last album.
IP: The [previous album] Infinite could have been our last. This one has a good chance of being our last and a very small chance of not being it. But we have a year with nothing to do, our next show is in July 2021. If someone suggests going to a studio to write new songs, I won't be surprised. Nobody has come forward yet, but twelve months is a long time to be doing nothing. And we could do something like that. So, who knows? Look, I can't imagine any of us doing nothing for a year. Something might happen.
RC: Will they do a tour to promote it?
IP: Well, everything is set for next year. 95% of what we had scheduled for this year has already been rescheduled, thankfully. And, as usual, we'll try to play two or three songs from the new album at the show. It's always difficult to include as many new songs as possible because we have a glorious catalog, all these compositions that people paid to see. If you surround the new ones with the most famous ones, it's possible. But you can't throw six or seven new songs at the audience; they're not there to see that. It's a matter of balance; it's never easy, and you have to focus on the ones you think will work live.
RC: Did you develop any new hobbies or interests while in isolation? Did you start working on any new projects?
IP: When you have this much free time, you have to find something to do with it. I probably wouldn't have even thought about it, but my youngest nephew, like most kids his generation, is very into online things, like YouTube. He told me that with the amount of stories I have, I should start a channel on that platform. At first, I agreed more to see how it would go, and now it's been running for four weeks and it seems like people like everything we do. But it demands a lot of time. So, yes, I ended up finding something to do that I wouldn't have done if it were a normal year. A lot of it is fun, but it's hard work. I'll definitely continue until the end of the year, because maybe I'll just do a few shows in small clubs with some friends, just to get back into the rhythm. Playing in the studio is good, but you don't play the same way as in front of people, when you have to do everything right.
RC: Do you practice at home even when you're not on tour?
IP: Not in the same way that most musicians consider practicing. I don't practice the fundamentals of what I do. What happens is I go to the studio and test some idea that interests me. Or something I did in the past and want to do again, but I have no idea what it is. If there's something I did three decades ago and I don't remember how it was and maybe I want to use it again in a different way. But that's it. 90% of what I do is natural talent, I just do it. The other 10% are things I learned or copied from other people and tried to transform into my own. So, for me, practicing, unless it's a couple of days before starting a tour, is useless, I lose interest, so I can't compete with these young, technical drummers.
RC: What does performing on stage in front of multiple generations mean to you?
IP: This has been happening for quite some time now. The most incredible thing about it is that you can see the different generations. In the front rows, the younger ones want to get as close as possible, and then the 25-year-olds, 35-year-olds, and so on. But when you do something for an audience, their reaction, whether it's laughter, applause, or a shout, is the same. The generational difference means nothing. The emotion of that moment is the same for everyone. It's like a goal in a football game. The reaction of the five-year-old is the same as that of his father and grandfather. It's the same thing. Young people will always be affected by the music of their generation because they are bombarded with it. But when they get older, they start to discover their older brother's or father's record collection and realize that there are other things.
RC: Speaking of generations: Is there any advice you would like to give to younger people?
IP: Don't have such a narrow view. Don't see the world that way. That's all. And not just socially, but in art as well.
RC: If you were going to space in a rocket, what would you take on board?
IP: As many kegs of draft beer as we could fit! (laughs) And taps to pour from, bottles of Jack Daniel's, and my family. That's it. We'd starve, but we'd be happy! (more laughs)
RC: If you encountered alien life on an unknown planet, which Deep Purple album or song would you play for them?
IP: I really don't know. Any of them could be taken as an insult and they might shoot you!
