70s rock legend, 79, slates ‘bloody awful’ radio music and names Taylor Swift-Brooke Ivey Johnson-Entertainment – Metro

Ritchie Blackmore has made a strong statement about modern popular music (Picture: Gutchie Kojima/Shinko Music/Getty Images)

Deep Purple and Rainbow front man Ritchie Blackmore has taken a strong stance against modern popoular music.

The 79-year-old guitarist recently shared a three-minute video in which he hit out at contemporary acts, saying that none of them can compare to older music.

The video, which Blackmore titled, Tales from the Tavern, was posted to YouTube.

He discusses how when he says he’s into old music, he means really old – like the 1400s and 1500s.

‘I obviously don’t listen to the radio in America where they’re playing the latest, whatever it is,’ Blackmore said.

‘I suppose as we progress and change generations, I cannot relate to what they would play on the radio. And I don’t listen to rock and roll so much anymore. I listen to the old rock from the ’50s, when it was fresh — Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore playing James Burton with Ricky Nelson, The Everly Brothers, I love all that stuff. Buddy Holly being my favourite at the time.’

He went on to say that he’s aware that each new generation looks down on the music of the next, and he probably sounds cantankerous complaining about pop music.

But that didn’t stop him from continuing: ‘I feel that back in the ’70s, when Eric Clapton was playing Cream and that stuff, it was thoughtful music. You would listen to White Room or something, you didn’t need that (makes drum sound). You didn’t have to hear that (drum beat).’

He then went on to get more specific about the kind of modern music he dislikes, calling out Taylor Swift by name.

The guitarist said he just struggles to connect with modern music (Picture: Frank Hoensch/Redferns)

He said: ‘I don’t hear good music from my point of view. It might be good music, but it’s not something I wanna hear. When the family all get into the truck and we go on a bit of a holiday, which probably is like 20 miles down the road, because I don’t like to travel, all I hear is maybe Taylor Swift or something.’

He went on to say that while he knows its natural that the newest generation has different taste, that won’t stop him from continuing to complain.

Blackmore is perhaps best known as a member of the rock band Deep Purple, which first formed in 1968 and was made up of vocalist Rod Evans, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, bassist Nick Simper, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice. 

Blackmore is best known as a member of Deep Purple (Picture: Keystone/Getty Images)

Releasing their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple, the same year, they saw industry success in America, reaching number four on Billboard’s Hot 100 with a cover of Joe South’s song Hush.

However, their upward trajectory did not continue, and their self-titled second album saw low sales. 

In 1971, however, the band underwent a transformation. In addition to recruiting a new lead singer, Ian Gillan, and bassist Roger Glover, they adopted a heavier sound and leaned into the world of rock. 

In the years since, the band has seen four different lineups and an eight-year hiatus, but they have since gone on to release 23 studio albums, with their most recent in 2021, and are considered one of the ‘most influential bands ever’ according to Planet Rock. 

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