NOISE

You've been running a "Smoke This!" contest in which one musician in each city joins you onstage for "Smoke on the Water." Why take such a big risk every night, and what happens if the guest player can't really play?

I remember when I was a kid in my first semi-pro band, and I used to go and watch my favorite bands in England, Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, The Big Three, etc. I used to be pressed up against the front of the stage thinking, "I'd give my right arm to be able to get up there and sing one song." So it kind of evolved into, why don't we make that happen? We've had some interesting people come up: a theremin player a couple of weeks ago, various guitar players—some good, some not so good—a Mongolian nose flautist. There was even a girl in Argentina who did a samba version of "Smoke on the Water" ... her name was Yvonne the Tigress and she was a stripper. But we get them in for the soundcheck in the afternoon, and we go over it pretty thoroughly. When singers come up, I give them the second verse because obviously the crowd wants to hear me do the first verse. If a local guitarist is a little below standard then we just let them play the chords along with everyone and they just sort of melt into the general sound. And if they're pretty good, then we give them a solo.

In other countries, Deep Purple gets credited for launching the hard-rock movement alongside Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Do you think Purple gets its proper due in the U.S.?

In America we kind of get lumped into that classic rock thing, and people just go, "Well, those are those guys who did ‘Smoke on the Water' " or maybe they remember "Highway Star," but apart from that ... And the band, in the last 15 years, has dramatically improved its reputation and gained a new, young audience in Europe, South America, the Far East, Russia, Australia, really everywhere else in the world. But in America we do notice we get mostly older guys, and that's something that's hard to fight against.

If Purple gets selected for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, would you be able to get onstage and jam with departed guitarist Ritchie Blackmore after the publicized clashes you two had over the years?

No, I never want to see that guy again. As far as I'm concerned, the day Ritchie left the band the clouds disappeared and the sun came out and we've had 15 glorious years since. It's not that I've got any bitterness. I just don't want to reopen people's expectations. We hope Ritchie's happy. We recognize what a great guitar player he was during his time with us and what a great contribution he made to the foundation of the band. He was my buddy, but things changed. I think everyone else matured in a way you really expect people to mature, but Ritchie got darker. So it would be insincere to accept anything on the condition that we would get up and play with him. It's a dead issue. It's not gonna happen.

105 Words on The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Forget for a moment the whimsical band name, the wink-and-a-nod album titles referencing Dylan and The Stones, the Dig! documentary war with The Dandy Warhols and the self-sabotaging antics of Anton Newcombe. Forget for a moment what you've heard about The Brian Jonestown Massacre and actually hear the music: the poppy perfection of "When Jokers Attack," the druggy haze of "Anenome," the guitar downpour of "Swallowtail," the chilling drone of "Wisdom" and the crescendoing simmer of "You Have Been Disconnected." Forget for a moment the spicy back story, and you've still got plenty of flavor, prepared by one of rock's unparalleled and underappreciated master chefs.

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, guitar: Like recently departed guitarist Buckethead, Thal has a goofy nickname and is best known for his albums of virtuosic guitar work. He does not, however, wear a KFC bucket on his head.

Robin Finck, guitar: Finck was Trent Reznor's go-to guitarist for Nine Inch Nails tours for years, and even took time off from the endless Chinese Democracy sessions to tour with NIN in 2000.

Richard Fortus, guitar: A veteran guitarist-for-hire, Fortus has played with The Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love, and is a low-key counterbalance to the flamboyant Thal and Finck.

Tommy Stinson, bass: Formerly of influential indie rockers The Replacements, Stinson has been one of Rose's staunchest supporters since joining GNR in 1998. He's also found time to record a solo album, tour with Soul Asylum and reunite with The Replacements all while continuing to work on Chinese Democracy.

Dizzy Reed, keyboards: Other than Rose, Reed is GNR's longest-standing member, having joined in 1991 for the Use Your Illusion albums. He's outlasted not only the original lineup, but also latter-day members including Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke.

Chris Pitman, keyboards: A studio wizard and multi-instrumentalist, Pitman played in a number of LA-area industrial bands before hooking up with GNR.

Bryan "Brain" Mantia, drums: The former Primus drummer replaced Josh Freese in 2000, and maintains his place in a side project with ex-guitarist Buckethead to explore his funkier tendencies.

THE ADORED

A NEW LANGUAGE (2 stars)

CASS MCCOMBS


PREFECTION (3 stars)