Deep Purple’s Ian Paice ‘Wouldn’t Put Money Either Way’ on Ritchie Blackmore Playing at the Band’s Rock Hall Induction

The members of Deep Purple have rarely minced words about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they're not about to change their tune now that they're one of this year's freshly inducted acts.

Drummer Ian Paice told Rolling Stone he's "pleased" to hear the news of Deep Purple's inclusion, but as he pointed out recently, the long list of musicians who've been part of the band at various points makes the question of exactly who's inducted a fairly thorny issue — and even though he sees the logic in the Hall's decision to induct himself, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes and Jon Lord, he feels for everyone who's being left out.

"Realistically, you'd like to think that anyone who was ever in the band made a contribution and should really be listed. It doesn't matter if they were there for an album or two; everyone who was in the band actually contributed to the fact we're still there," said Paice. "All these people, from the very beginning to the current lineup, [have] helped maintain Purple as a viable touring entity that a lot of people around the world really enjoy. So to pick some over others, I wouldn't have done it that way."

Insisting he hasn't even thought about whether any former members might be invited to play at the induction ceremony next April, Paice reiterated his recent acknowledgment that the Deep Purple fraternity isn't always a happy one, and admitted he really doesn't know whether the various personality clashes behind the scenes can be set aside even for an evening. And as for Blackmore, who hasn't played with the band since 1993 and remains at odds with Gillan, Paice truly has no idea what to expect.

"He can confuse you sometimes. You think he'll do one thing and he'll do the other. I wouldn't put money either way on that one," said Paice. Adding that "some" members of the recent lineup probably wouldn't be open to performing with Blackmore, he kept the door to a Rock Hall reunion open while making it clear it would have to be a decision made by current members.

"It depends how it's presented and what everybody's individual feelings are," said Paice. "But precedence must now go to the guys that are still working the name and keeping it alive. Their choice is final."

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