Decades-old tensions between Deep Purple and former members Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale have come again to surface, with Hughes revealing details of his ex-bandmates’s disrespectful behavior at the 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
In a recent interview with Guitar Interactive, Hughes unloaded on Deep Purple‘s core lineup of Ian Gillan (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), and Ian Paice (drums). Hughes, who along with Coverdale replaced Gillan and Glover from 1973 to 1976, claims the band members were “rude” and “hurtful” towards him and Coverdale during the induction.
“I will never speak to any of them again,” Hughes declared, elaborating on a specific incident with Gillan: “Gillan was rude to me on stage, accepting the award. I went to congratulate him. He looked at me in the eyes like I didn’t exist.”
Hughes maintains he’s attempted to reconcile with Gillan over the years, but to no avail. “I’ve tried to make some kind of friendship with him over the last 40 years,” he explained. “He doesn’t want to know. David Coverdale and I don’t exist to him. I wish him only the very best, but I have no time left for that behavior.”
While Hughes paints a picture of one-sided animosity, Gillan has publicly disputed this narrative. In a 2021 interview, Gillan insisted the band was “very kind to everybody” during the induction ceremony, calling claims to the contrary “opportunistic remarks.”
