{"id":489624,"date":"2026-03-22T17:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T17:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/489624\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T17:47:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T17:47:12","slug":"the-classic-rock-band-ritchie-blackmore-called-idiots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/489624\/","title":{"rendered":"The classic rock band Ritchie Blackmore called “idiots”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ritchie<\/p>\n

(Credits: Far Out \/ Gladstone~dewiki)<\/p>\n

Sun 22 March 2026 12:08, UK <\/p>\n

To stand up on your own and be counted takes a lot of guile in any field, let alone music.\u00a0To eschew tradition and do\u00a0something genuinely original with sonics has always been the forte of the bravest of creators, those who match natural talent with ample self-belief and a touch of arrogance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While John Lennon of The Beatles typifies this notion, the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain also provide stellar examples, as does\u00a0Ritchie Blackmore<\/a>. One of the more extreme versions of a rock star not afraid of their own talent, using it to bash some contemporaries. <\/p>\n

In the era of the guitar hero, it took a lot to cut through the noise and hammer out a unique lair, and that was exactly what the Deep Purple wizard did. Becoming a mainstay on the stage, Blackmore would create a whole new sense of songs that push forward his hard rock outfit into a new start. Without Blackmore, Deep Purple would be nowhere near the powerhouse classic rock out fit they are today.<\/p>\n

Weaponising the Fender Stratocaster just as the finest players of his generation also managed to do, his furious playing and ear for an infectious riff, as well as his propensity for dive bombs, string-tapping, and noisy soloing, meant that the clamour of noise he produced, saw him quickly rise to the top of the game. He promptly took a seat at the table alongside\u00a0London\u2019s other foremost axemen<\/a>, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck.<\/p>\n

This deeply innovative sonic essence\u00a0has always\u00a0been supplemented\u00a0by his fearlessness in character.\u00a0Like all truly great musicians, Blackmore knows what he likes and\u00a0what he\u00a0doesn\u2019t, and this augmented all of his most significant artistic moves in that he could see a clear path ahead and was undeterred in following it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Mick<\/a>(Credits: Far Out \/ Alamy)<\/p>\n

While Blackmore has demonstrated his outspoken nature on numerous occasions, such as the time he brutally took down Sting and The Police<\/a>, he\u2019s also been unrestrained in how he deems the work of his most renowned peers from swinging sixties London. One band that hasn\u2019t been safe from his wrath is The Rolling Stones, whom he dislikes significantly because of what he deems their immense lack of originality, which is anathema to him.<\/p>\n

The \u2018Black Night\u2019 icon revealed all when speaking to Trouser Press<\/a> in 1978. This was a period when he had achieved enormous commercial and critical success with Deep Purple and had left to form his celebrated supergroup, Rainbow. He arrived at his account of The Rolling Stones by recalling how he got into rock music.<\/p>\n

Early rock and roll stars such as Tommy Steele, Elvis Presley, and Duane Eddy first showed him the way. Later, just like the rest of his generation\u2019s forward-thinking stars, Hank Marvin, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, James Burton, Buddy Holly, and Les Paul were the guitarists who demonstrated just how impactful the instrument could be to him. <\/p>\n

However, in a show of that unique character, Blackmore maintained that from 17, he \u201cdidn\u2019t have any idols\u201d and was \u201cmostly practising\u201d his own style. He explained: \u201cThen I was on my own. I didn\u2019t have any inspirations from guitarists; it went more into inspiration from violinists. I don\u2019t listen to too much rock \u2018n\u2019 roll really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hendrix and Cream were good, but vocal-oriented groups such as The Beatles and The Hollies did\u00a0absolutely\u00a0nothing for him. Finally, he arrived at the \u201cidiots\u201d in The Rolling Stones.\u00a0Outlining\u00a0his disdain for Mick Jagger and the band, he asserted: \u201cThe Stones?\u00a0I considered them idiots. It was just a nick from Chuck Berry riffs. Chuck Berry was OK. Sometimes\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0outspoken, but I don\u2019t have any time for the Stones. I can see why they\u2019re respected\u00a0and\u00a0their rhythms are\u00a0very good, very steady on record. I respect them, but I don\u2019t like them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group have released 26 studio albums and while there are certainly some dull moments or songs that have no place in the Stones canon, by and large, their discography is quality and quantity combined, so, idiots or not, they delivered a career that was smarter than most give. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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