Ian Gillan Reflects on the Real Reasons Behind His 1973 Deep Purple Exit

Ian Gillan has shared new details about his first departure from Deep Purple in 1973.

Speaking on the Rockonteurs podcast, Gillan said that the reasons behind his exit were more complex than the often-cited heavy workload and personality clashes. He described how the band dynamic changed as Deep Purple's success grew.

"You start off with five guys in a van with your gear in the back," Gillan said. "Then you expand a bit, you get a truck, a couple of roadies, and things keep growing. But you're still a unit. I was Ritchie [Blackmore's] roommate for a long time. We'd go on holiday together. We were very much five guys."

He said the group started to drift apart as outside relationships and influences increased.

"At a certain stage, your party's expanded by personal relationships," Gillan said. "The outside influences don't mesh as well as the band does. One of the guys isn't staying in the same hotel, some people don't want to speak. That's the beginning of problems."

Gillan admitted he played a major role in the split, saying, "I was as much to blame as anyone, probably more." He also pointed to musical differences between himself and Blackmore.

"One of the key factors was a shift in the band's mentality," Gillan said. "Ritchie was moving toward what became Rainbow in terms of song construction. I felt the excitement and craziness were fading a bit."

Gillan rejoined Deep Purple in 1984 for the Mark II lineup reunion after more than a decade away. He said the band members had changed after time apart and starting families. When they met in Vermont to rehearse, their musical chemistry quickly returned.

"We did it secretly, because if it wasn't going to work, we didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Gillan said. "We sat in a basement, started a little jam, and I could see the smiles on faces. It was just like being back in Hanwell in 1969."