Blackmore bowed out of Purple in 1993. Recent attempts by David Coverdale to reunite the MkIII lineup as a tribute to late keyboardist Jon Lord failed to work out.

Gillan tells Radio Rock: "I love extended solos. I used to like them in the old days a lot - because it used to give me time to go to the pub for a drink. I used to have to tell one of the roadies, 'When Ritchie looks like he's nearly finished, come to the pub and let me know.' Every night; I'm serious."

He describes Blackmore's solos as "his personal orgy" and adds: "In England there used to be pubs near the stage door. But when we started playing bigger places, of course, you can't leave the building." Read more - here.

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