Metal Shock Finland's Mohsen Fayyazi spoke with DEEP PURPLE founding bassist Nick Simper (JOHNNY KIDD & THE PIRATES, WARHORSE, NASTY HABITS) recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Metal Shock Finland: You’ve worked with so many musicians throughout your long and varied career, do you have a favourite time? And why was that time special to you?

Simper: "Working with Johnny Kidd And The Pirates still remains my favourite memory, probably because he had always been my musical idol, and to join one of England most highly rated bands turned a dream into reality!"

Metal Shock Finland: How do you feel the music business has changed over the years?

Simper: "The changes to the music business since those great days are huge! Today there are only a fraction of the amount of venues left, where bands could play and learn their craft. The road as we called it has almost disappeared, resulting in bands appearing either in pubs or stadiums, with nothing in between. Some aspects have changed for the better with bands keeping bigger percentages of their income than in the sixties, but in England it is difficult to attract audiences without a proven track record. The majority of bands prefer to work abroad, particularly in Europe where audiences are more enthusiastic for live music.'

Metal Shock Finland: As one of Deep Purple’s founders, how do you feel about the fact that there is only one of the original members left in Deep Purple now? And who do you think was/were the most influential musicians in the whole of the Deep Purple history?

Simper: "I do feel that the constant changes in the band have diluted not only the music, but the whole ethos of a band that held such promise, but all the musicians are good and still draw the crowds, which is what counts. I am sure that most Deep Purple members have inspired others, but Blackmore will always stand out as a unique talent who pushed guitar playing to greater heights."

Metal Shock Finland: I personally and our audience would like to know what are your next plans?

Simper: "We will continue to do more gigs, hopefully breaking into new territories. We have slowly begun to introduce our own songs into the show using material already written. We are about to start recording the next album which will be all new songs."

The entire interview can be read at this location.