Deep Purple's Ian Gillan talked to u3a magazine about his career, his beliefs and his enduring, positive approach to life.We present some fragments from the interview

What were you like as a youngster?

I was extremely volatile. I had a temper and I didn’t fit in. I grew up on a council estate, but my mum spent everything in order to send me to a minor private school. I got a good education, but I was stuck between worlds. At school, they called me ‘the kid on the reservation’, and on the estate I stood out in my pale blue-striped uniform. I didn’t belong anywhere. Things only settled when I found my ‘gang’. We bonded over music — mainly Elvis — and that gave life meaning.

Do you think confi dence grows with age?

Yes, but it’s a lifelong thing, and it’s all about balance. In your teens, you’re still finding your feet — that’s why people hang out in gangs. When we were young, confidence came from being together, taking on the world. 

Ian Gillan

Photo: Ian Gillan's official Facebook page

But it’s a balance — there’s a lyric I wrote: ‘A real fine line between an orgy of destruction and a wonderful time.’ Youth gives you that sense of immortality, and people often confuse confidence with arrogance. The rough edges get smoothed out with experience.

How has your approach to life changed over the years?

I once wrote a song called Not Responsible, which sums me up philosophically. There’s a saying, ‘charity begins at home’, and I believe that. If you’re not okay, you can’t help anyone else. Give when you’re able, not when it breaks you, so I follow my instincts and look after myself first. 

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I’m generally joyful. I think to be happy, you need two things: a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. If you’ve got those, you can handle life’s ups and downs. I try to keep my emotional frequency low. Some people are constantly riding highs and lows — I prefer mild contentment

and mild disappointment: it makes life smoother. I love understatement.

What brings you peace?

I started meditating at the age of 20 just to get control over my emotions. Over time, it became more like contemplation. The goal is to be in a constant state of calm — not as a ritual, but as a way of life. It’s about simplifying, getting the confusion out. Like anything else, it takes practice: you need to learn the basics before you feel the benefits.

How does Deep Purple stay so relevant?

Relevance is something people chase in this business — trying to be accepted in terms of style or fashion. The band have always avoided that. We decided not to be fashionable: chasing trends only keeps you ‘in’ for a short time. That’s what you see in pop music a lot. Our kind of music is harder to define, but the key is being true to ourselves. 

Ian Gillan

Photo: Ian Gillan's official Facebook page

We have to express what’s inside, not follow trends. Deep Purple is a mix of five very different people with particular musical and creative influences, but these combined have given us a broad musical palette, and we’ve embraced our differences. No awards for fashion, I’ll admit, but our authenticity and chemistry kept us going. So, staying relevant? It’s about being honest with yourself. In terms of the band, if that happens to line up with public taste, that’s a bonus.

Are you inspired to write when the recording starts?

I write every day - I’ve got shelves full of notebooks. I call it ‘colour and rough gibberish’. I jot down everything: what people were drinking, how the wind was blowing — anything that adds detail. I remember seeing the phrase ‘boots of Spanish leather’ before hearing the Bob Dylan song, and it just lit something in me. Great writing is about capturing feeling with very few words – you have to make every word count. It’s like writing in an impressionist

way, and a constant process.