Ian Gillan on One-Off Reunion With Ritchie Blackmore: "It's Not Gonna Happen"

In July, former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore toldRocknRoll Reporter that he'd be willing to play a "single show" with his former bandmates. Today, Ian Gillan—the band's frontman—shot down this possibility in no uncertain terms, saying "it's not gonna happen."

Speaking to The Vinyl Guide podcast, Gillan said “Ritchie was a difficult character—there’s no denying that. Ritchie and the band got divorced. He walked out in the middle of a tour, and the rain stopped and the sun came out for the band."

"As Ian puts it best: Why would I go back to that misery again?," Gillan continued. "It’s like somebody saying, ‘You’re happily married now, but we want you to get back together with your divorced wife, with which there’s been much bitterness over the years.’"

"Just for the sake of the fans. It’s not gonna happen.”

Deep Purple are currently in the midst of their Long Goodbye tour, and are fresh off the release of their new career-spanning anthology, A Fire in the Sky.

For tour dates and more, head on over to deeppurple.com.