Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore Slammed Taylor Swift And Modern Music

Legendary former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore has weighed in on the state of modern music, expressing particular difficulty relating to contemporary stars like Taylor Swift. He shared his views during an older episode of his YouTube series, “Tales From The Tavern.“

While discussing music tastes, Blackmore mentioned hearing Taylor Swift‘s music during family trips. “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 cuz I don’t like to travel – all I hear is Taylor Swift or something,” he explained.

Blackmore acknowledged the generational aspect of musical preference, adding: “I find it hard to relate to that, but it’s not wrong, it’s the new generation wanting to hear that. That’s probably as great to them as The Beatles and Cream and Jimi Hendrix was to me.”

However, this understanding didn’t stop him from voicing his general dissatisfaction with current popular music. “So I can’t really complain, but I do like to complain, and I will complain, and I think the cr*p that they’re playing on the radio today is bl*ody awful,” Blackmore stated.

The iconic guitarist revealed he now gravitates towards older music rather than contemporary rock. “I don’t listen to rock’n’roll so much anymore,” Blackmore said. “I listen to the old rock from the 50s when it was fresh. Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore‘s playing, James Burton with Ricky Nelson, the Everly Brothers, love all that stuff, Buddy Holly being my favourite at the time, of course.”

Comparing today’s sounds to the music of the 1970s, Blackmore reminisced about the depth he found in artists like Eric Clapton. “I feel like an old Granddad, you know, complaining about the music they’re playing on the radio at the moment. I feel that back in the 70s when Eric Clapton was playing Cream and that stuff it was thoughtful music. Eric of course started the whole thing.”

Concluding his thoughts on the matter, Blackmore expressed his general disinterest in what radio offers musically today. “There are so many types of music that I like, but very rarely do I hear it on the radio,” he said. “I don’t hear good music from my point of view. It might be good music, but it’s not something I want to hear.” He even noted he’d rather listen to talk radio programs.

Blackmore, who is 80 now, is facing several health issues, according to his wife, Candice Night. “Right now Ritchie is having a quite a few medical issues,” she revealed. “Believe it or not, he’s going to be 80… which is mind boggling, because he doesn’t look and he certainly doesn’t act it still. But you know at that age, some medical stuff starts catching up with you, and he actually had a heart attack about a year and a half ago, and he’s got six stents in his heart at this point. And we’re battling arthritis and some gout issues.“

These conditions, combined with a persistent back problem, significantly impact Blackmore‘s ability to travel and perform. Night explained the difficulties: “He’s still got his back problem that he’s had, so travel is difficult for him because of all that sitting.“ The physical demands of being on stage are also a concern.

Regarding the possibility of performing with physical aids, Night shared her thoughts on what Ritchie‘s perspective might be: “And standing on stage, even standing with the guitar is tricky, although I do see a lot of people even younger than him at this point in the industry, showing up in wheelchairs. I don’t think he wants to be thought of like that or remembered like that.“