Bernie Marsden Interview (1981)

In early May 1981 I met Whitesnake in Stockholm and conducted a few interviews at a press gathering with the whole band present at the Mosebacke Pub establishment. The chats I had with Jon Lord and David Coverdale are already archived on this blog (see dates below). Here follows the chat that I had with Bernie Marsden (lifted from my publication Deep Purple Magazine 23). It was the only meeting I had with him back in the day. Enjoy.

You are about to release a solo album, “And About Time Too”. Who is on it?

– “Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Cozy Powell, Don Airey, Jack Bruce, Simon Phillips, and a few singers…”.

I hear that David Coverdale is on it.

– “No, David is not singing…”.

I heard that he was involved in some way…

– “Yes, but he is not singing, we wrote five or six songs together for it, he contributed under the name “C.C Songs” on it. It will be out in about three weeks”.

Do you enjoy touring with Whitesnake?

– “Yes, the best part about being in a band is the touring, even now after having been out there for so long. I would go crazy if I only had studio work”.

Can you write songs while being on the road?

– “Sometimes I do it on the road, sometimes at home. It does not really matter to me that much. I can write whenever the inspiration is there. I like “Child Of Babylon” on the new Whitesnake album”.

David is credited on all the songs, apart from him it is mostly you and Micky Moody, the guitarists, that contributes.

– “They are good songs, that is all that matters. If I wrote more songs it would look like I did all the writing. If Bob Seger wrote us a good song, we would use it. If it is good we will use it”.

How do you rate Ritchie Blackmore as a guitar player?

– “He is very good. If you asked me for my Top 10 guitarists, he would not be on that list. Maybe on a Top 50 list. But nobody can knock him, he is good. But I am looking for more blues, people that are good in that field”.

And Tommy Bolin, how do you rate him?

– “Tommy Bolin was really good, he would make it on my Top 10 list. But Ritchie plays like I drive my car sometimes…”.

If you ever felt that Whitesnake is going down that path, would you quit the band?

– “I would think so, we are such good friends in Whitesnake. You will see what I mean tonight, it is real. The problem with most of the Metal players is that they lack feel, it is more based on image. If we ever lose what we have got now I would quit”.

Jimi Hendrix?

– “Number one. He was incredible. It is because of him, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck that I am sitting here right now. He did things with the guitar that nobody had done before. Or since. He was good”.

Who is the best drummer?

– “Ian Smith… No, Paice is unbelievable, I have been so lucky in that I have been able to work with him. I also like Cozy Powell and Jeff Porcaro in Toto. But Ian Paice is the best rock drummer”.

What kind of artists do you listen to?

– “I listen to quite a lot, Little Feat, Steely Dan, Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Bad Company…”.

Where you ever into Deep Purple?

– “I had hardly ever listened to Deep Purple before I joined Whitesnake. I had “Burn” when I was asked to join Paice Ashton Lord. The only records I have heard to this day is “Burn”, “Stormbringer” and “Come Taste The Band”. When Deep Purple was huge I was more into things like The Eagles, Peter Green and a lot of blues stuff. I think Purple were a little too tough for me”.

My opinion is that Whitesnake is pretty close to Deep Purple, it is not Purple but it is…

– “…close, yes. But Jon, Ian and David are who they are and they have a certain identity to what they are doing. This is another band but musicians are who they are. It is the same if I make a solo record, it will sound a bit like Whitesnake. Everybody wants to talk with David, Jon and Ian because they were in Deep Purple, but that was five, six years ago. They are in another group now. And I think that Whitesnake has far more feeling than Purple, way more connected to the blues”.

So where is your “No, I wasn´t in fucking Deep Purple” t-shirt?

(laughs) – “How did you know about that? I was going to wear it today. How on earth did you know? Has somebody told you about it?”.

I think it was mentioned in the UK fan club publication Stargazer.

(End of interview)

By Mike Eriksson (if quoted let me know about it) – Deep Purple Magazine 23 (1981) / Trinkelbonker (2023)

(My shot of said magazine and the page from it with Bernie´s message – Jon Lord & Bernie shots by Hasse Ivarsson)

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CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS ON TRINKELBONKER: BRIDEAR 2023 (June 13 2023), STEVE LUKATHER 1989, Part 2 (May 29 2023), LADIES OF ROCK 2008 (April 25 2023), GLENN HUGHES 1993 (February 23 2023), JON LORD 1983 (June 26 2022), BLIND GOLEM 2022 (April 29 2022), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 2, December 24 2021), MURASAKI 2021 (December 3 2021), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 1, November 22 2021), CARINA LIROLA 2008 (November 9 2021), TOTO 1987 (September 17 2021), HEAVEN & EARTH 2001 (July 25 2021), STUART SMITH 1998 (July 4 2021), RAINBOW 1997 (June 28 2021), MARINA AMMOURI 2021 (February 12 2021), VISIONS OF ATLANTIS 2007 (November 10 2020), RITCHIE BLACKMORE & CANDICE NIGHT 2001 (October 27 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (October 18 2020), ACCEPT 1986 (July 17 2020), DEEP PURPLE 1996 (June 27 2020), EUROPE 1986 (June 16 2020), DEEP PURPLE PODCAST 2020 (April 6 2020), KIMBERLY GOSS/SINERGY 2002 (March 31 2020), RAINBOW 1997 (March 9 2020), RAINBOW 1996 (March 6 2020), MICHAEL BRADFORD 2003/MAKING OF DEEP PURPLE´S “BANANAS” (March 2 2020), URIAH HEEP 1988 (February 18 2020), ANNE-LIE RYDÉ 1984 (January 21 2020), CRYSTAL VIPER 2020 (January 16 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (January 12 2020), ARTOMUS FRIENDSHIP 2019 (November 10 2019), NAZARETH 1989 (August 26 2019), VELVET INSANE 2018 (September 11 2018), JON LORD 1981 (December 15 2015), DAVID COVERDALE 1981 (November 13 2015), GLENN HUGHES 1996 (May 12 2015), TOTO 1988 (March 31 2015), YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 1990 (March 1 2015), MARTINA EDOFF 2009 (December 4 2014), MICHAEL MOJO NILSSON 2014 (January 21 2014), THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT 2001 (December 29 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1996-1998 (October 9 2013), GLENN HUGHES & JOHN NORUM 1988 (September 21 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1994-1995 (September 9 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1993 (September 7 2013), STEVE LUKATHER 1989 (September 4 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1983 (August 22 2013), RAINBOW 1995 (July 19 2013), MICK UNDERWOOD/GILLAN 1982 (June 11 2013), DEEP PURPLE 2002 (May 2 2013), DEEP PURPLE 1998 ( February 25 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1986 (February 12 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1987-1989 (December 31 2012), JOHNNIE BOLIN 2012 (December 24 2012), MARTIN POPOFF & RICH GALBRAITH 2009 (November 12 2012), DAVID COVERDALE 2000 (October 14 2012), JON LORD 1984 (September 7 2012), JOE LYNN TURNER 1992 (August 31 2012), JUDAS PRIEST 1986 (August 22 2012), RONNIE JAMES DIO 2001 (August 20 2012), NIGHTWISH 2002 (August 14 2012).

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The Purple Album (Gold Edition)

David Coverdale has come up with another exclusive rerelease in the shape of an updated edition of the 2015 “The Purple Album”. Some really exciting bonus stuff on this set, including the four track audition tape that landed him the job in Deep Purple back in 1973, and demos of his that were made for the “Stormbringer” album back in 1974. Needless to say, this is like candy to a lot of Purple fans. Release date is set for October 13.

(1976 Oklahoma City DC shot by Rich Galbraith, used in Retrofuture 3 back in 2010 – this is only part of the original photo)

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Bernie Marsden Is Gone

Sad to hear that former Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden has passed away. I only ever met him once, at a press thing in Stockholm when Whitesnake was in town back in 1981, but he seemed to be a friendly fellow. They were certainly kicking some serious ass that night.

(My shot of Stockholm 1981 spread in Deep Purple Forever! 27, Marsden/Coverdale shots by Hasse Ivarsson)

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Conditioned

When I was a young lad – pre 1971 when I discovered hard rock – most of my Hollywood heroes (short of the Westerns) had long hair. The Three Musketeers, Robin Hood, Tarzan. Errol Flynn looked great as a pirate in a bunch of movies. No wonder then that I was drawn to hard rock when Deep Purple came into my life (which followed almost immediately by other bands of the day). Maybe there is a subliminal connection here? Rock did bring back a fashion that had been out of date for a very long time, and it is still here. I actually saw a band (opening for Purple) in 1996 that dressed up like The Three Musketeers and there was fencing going on on stage. Can not remember their name, but you have to admire the self confidence. Call me crazy, but I think I have spotted something here. Do not tell me that The Three Musketeers are not part of the DNA of rock´n´roll… They were certainly cool as f**k!

(My shot of Classics Illustrated 25, 2016 reprint, and Deep Purple Forever! 4 inserted)

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The Montana Blue Comic (Part 1)

I published the Montana Blue novel as a Retrofuture special in 2011 and in 2014 the first 18 pages of a comic book version saw print in Retrofuture 7. The comic was never completed and Retrofuture 8 was the last issue. What you get to see here (in these three parts that I publish on this blog today) is the surviving pages of said comic, all 18 of them. The ones I could find in colour is presented as the originals were created, the rest is scans from the Retrofuture 7 issue. Obviously this is in Swedish, but even if you do not understand the language, maybe you can appreciate the art. Good times.

(Mike Eriksson & Richard Svensson for Retrofuture)

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The Montana Blue Comic (Part 2)

Here is an additional 7 pages from the Montana Blue comic, from here on colour originals have not survived in the archives, but the the pages that were published in Retrofuture 7 has…

(Mike Eriksson & Richard Svensson for Retrofuture)

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The Montana Blue Comic (Part 3)

Final pages of the existing Montana Blue comic, as seen in Retrofuture 7…

(Mike Eriksson & Richard Svensson for Retrofuture)

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Montana Blue

On Monday I will present the Montana Blue comic that saw print in Retrofuture 7 back in 2014 on this blog. It will be in Swedish, and partly in colour.

(My shot of Montana Blue model Nina)

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10 Awesome Glenn Hughes Moments

Well I did the 10 Awesome David Coverdale Moments list the other day so it only seems appropriate that Glenn Hughes is treated with one too. He may have had a longer career than David, but he too was thrown into the limelight bigtime when Deep Purple called 50 years ago (and he is certainly paying homage to this fact himself on the road these days). Glenn has an amazing career but here is 10 moments to be proud of.

TRAPEZE – “Coast To Coast” (from the 1972 album “You Are The Music… We´re Just The Band”)

DEEP PURPLE – “Holy Man” (from the 1974 album “Stormbringer”)

DEEP PURPLE – “Gettin´ Tighter” (from the 1975 album “Come Taste The Band”)

GLENN HUGHES – “Space High” (from the 1977 album “Play Me Out”)

HUGHES THRALL – “I Got Your Number” (from the 1982 album “Hughes Thrall”)

PHENOMENA – “Dance With The Devil” (from the 1985 album “Phenomena”)

BLACK SABBATH FEATURING TONY IOMMI- “Danger Zone” (from the 1986 album “Seventh Star”)

GLENN HUGHES – “I Don´t Want To Live That Way Again” (from the 1996 album “Addiction”)

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – “Cold” (from the 2011 album “BBC II”)

THE DEAD DAISIES – “Far Away” (from the 2021 album “Holy Ground”)

(Top image shows Deep Purple Forever! 16 with Glenn Hughes shot by Ola Bergman, published in March 1997 – image of Glenn holding “Made In Europe” Picture Disc with MK4 cover by Christer Bolin in Stockholm 1993, hours before The Voice Of Rock met Purple at the Johanneshov Isstadion arena – interview archived on this blog on February 23 2023)

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TOP 10 LISTS ON TRINKELBONKER: 10 AWESOME DAVID COVERDALE MOMENTS (August 15 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 4 (August 15 2023), 10 AWESOME GILLAN SONGS 1978-1982 (July 29 2023), 10 AWESOME BLACK SABBATH SONGS 1980-1995 (July 28 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 3 (July 27 2023), 10 BRUTAL BABYMETAL SONGS (July 26 2023), 10 AWESOME SOLOS BY JON LORD (July 24 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 2 (July 23 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 1 (July 20, 2023)

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10 Awesome David Coverdale Moments

It has been 50 years this week since David Coverdale auditioned for Deep Purple so I thought that a Top 10 list of great songs would be kind of fun to put together. Obviously, there are countless awesome moments in his catalogue, but here is 10 that we can certainly celebrate…

DEEP PURPLE – “Mistreated” (from the 1974 album “Burn”)

DEEP PURPLE – “Soldier Of Fortune” (from the 1974 album “Stormbringer”)

DEEP PURPLE – “Love Child” (from the 1975 album “Come Taste The Band”)

DAVID COVERDALE – “Only My Soul” (from the 1978 album “Northwinds”)

WHITESNAKE – “Love Ain´t No Stranger” (from the 1984 album “Slide It In”)

WHITESNAKE – “Still Of The Night” (from the 1987 album “Whitesnake”)

WHITESNAKE – “Sailing Ships” (from the 1989 album “Slip Of The Tongue”)

COVERDALE PAGE – “Over Now” (from the 1993 album “Coverdale Page”)

DAVID COVERDALE – “Slave” (from the 2000 album “Into The Light”)

WHITESNAKE – “Forevermore” (from the 2011 album “Forevermore”)

(Top image shows Deep Purple Forever! issues 18 and 30, published in August 1998 and November 2001 – cover shots by Ola Bergman and Jörgen Angel)

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TOP 10 LISTS ON TRINKELBONKER: 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 4 (August 15 2023), 10 AWESOME GILLAN SONGS 1978-1982 (July 29 2023), 10 AWESOME BLACK SABBATH SONGS 1980-1995 (July 28 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 3 (July 27 2023), 10 BRUTAL BABYMETAL SONGS (July 26 2023), 10 AWESOME SOLOS BY JON LORD (July 24 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 2 (July 23 2023), 10 AWESOME SONGS OF THE 2020s PART 1 (July 20, 2023).

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