Glenn Hughes has vowed he will “never speak to any of [Deep Purple] again”.
The 72-year-old bass player played with the ‘Smoke on the Water’ rockers – whose current line-up includes 78-year-old vocalist Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, 78, and 75-year-old drummer Ian Paice, the last remaining original member of the band – from 1973 to 1976, covering two eras of the group’s chequered hostory.
Glenn reunited with Deep Purple when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, however, the experience was not a positive one with the musician describing Ian and Roger’s behaviour as “very, very hurtful” towards both him and fellow Deep Purple alumnus David Coverdale, 72.
In an interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine, he said: “I will never speak to any of them again, simply because they were rude.
“Both Roger, Ian and Gillan were rude to David and I. Very, very hurtful.
“I didn’t give a f***, actually, because I knew they were rude to begin with.”
Hughes hit out at Gillan for being “rude to [him] on stage” at the ceremony, but he is happy to “let him run with it”.
He continued: ”I was the only sober man there. I don’t care about those guys.
“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. The guy has a problem with me, period.
“I’ll let him run with it. I feel bad for him. I’m really sorry about his wife. I’ve tried to reach out to him. He doesn’t want to know.”
Glenn emphasised he had tried to rekindle his friendship with Gillan – whose wife Bron passed away in 2022 – but he just doesn’t want to know.
He said: “I’ve tried to make some kind of friendship with him over the last 40 years.
“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 behaviour.”