The Ritchie Blackmore Story Is Definitive Visual Retrospective of a Guitar Legend (DVD REVIEW)

blackmoreIt’s always been solely about the music. That is the most poignant statement that comes through the recent documentary, The Ritchie Blackmore Story. Through intimate interview clips with Blackmore and some of his guitar brothers-in-arms, personal photographs and video footage from Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmore’s Night concerts, it’s always about the music. Blackmore may stare into the camera lens with a stern, unsmiling, void of emotion face but his fingers do all the talking. They always have. Until now. Blackmore breaks his silence and tells stories about himself and the music he helped create. Fans will eat this up and rightly so.

As an unopened book, fans were left to draw their own conclusions about the man from myths, gossip, disgruntled former bandmates, disheveled journalists, peers in the industry and a sprinkling of interviews from the Somerset, England-born guitarist himself. “I have a bad reputation but I don’t mind,” he once famously said in a 1978 interview. To come out and call him an asshole may be a little presumptuous but he never did much to dispel the tag. “I won’t do what I’m told to do,” he says in the DVD with a straight face. He reckons he has always been that way, remembering a time when he was a five year old having his photo taken and feeling it was a ridiculous waste of time. The ensuing photo speaks volumes of the man he would become.

At seventy, Blackmore has found a contentment in the renaissance music he produces with his wife Candice Night, summoning up chords of yore while dressed in costume of a time and place that no longer exists in the modern world. Devoted fans of Blackmore get it, this music he pulls from perhaps a past life amidst the woods of Nottingham or the foggy moors. They have followed his changes, his experiments, and enjoyed the ride, while others have held fast to the bluesy rhythms of Purple or the piercing notes of Rainbow. Whichever incarnation you prefer, it’s all about the music.

Brian May calls him a “fireball” and Joe Satriani says he is “what a cool guitar player is supposed to look like;” but it is Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson who sets down the perfect description of Blackmore the guitar player: “He knows the value of daylight between the notes.” Anyone with a smidgen of knowledge of playing guitar will nod their head in agreement over that statement. In some footage, it never seems as if he even presses down upon the strings, his touch is so light and gentle.

The DVD is full-up with notable musicians who share their memories and theories of Blackmore: Phil Collen, Jon Lord, Steve Vai, Steve Lukather, David Coverdale, Gene Simmons, Glenn Hughes. They all have something positive to say. Yes, even Gene. But it is when Blackmore speaks that you pay the most attention. And the bonus interview pieces contain an even better treasure trove of antidotes with Blackmore actually smiling, even laughing a bit. Who would have ever thought that was even possible while he was seated only inches away from a camera and a journalist.

But whoever’s idea it was to finally get the man who conjured up that damn riff from  that would be every prepubescent boy’s idea of ultimate cool, it was a good one. Maybe it was just time to do it, knock it out, placate those grown men who had worshipped the Blackmore of Purple and Rainbow, and give them their long-awaited pleasure of hearing the stories from the guitar god’s mouth. They can now sit back in satisfaction. Finally.

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3 Responses

  1. Second to last paragraph: “…treasure trove of antidotes…” I believe that should be anecdotes. 🙂

  2. Got to check it out. Very interesting guitar master. And the lack of smiling part seems to parallel Robert Fripp. Weren’t they from the same area? Was it something in the water? I bet more mysteries will be revealed!

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