DEEP PURPLE Singer Talks Money

March 12, 2009

Mark Anstead of Telegraph.co.uk recently conducted an interview with DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan about money. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

Telegraph.co.uk: Are you good with money or irresponsible?

Gillan: I'm completely irresponsible, I'm afraid. I'm ignorant about money as a commodity — I have never really understood it. Years ago I decided to delegate running everything to my management because I'm only home three months every year and the rest of the time on tour. I need people paying my bills while I'm away or I'd come back to find everything cut off. Now if I want to buy something I simply ask my manager, Phil Banfield, whether I can afford it. His team looks after my bank account and I haven't seen a bank statement in 30 years. I've been with him since the Seventies and I trust him completely.

Telegraph.co.uk: How do you invest?

Gillan: Hand on heart. All I can tell you is apparently I'm doing OK. I assume I must have a pension, but I don't know for sure. I have heard of Isas, but I can't tell you if I have any. I called my managers last year and asked if my assets were OK in the recession and they said I was doing fine, so that was good enough for me.

Telegraph.co.uk: Now that you are better off are you happier?

Gillan: I don't think happiness comes with money but if you are hungry you can't be as happy as if you aren't hungry. I think there's something about having a purpose in life and a sense of belonging that is more important than money for any human being. And helping other people — my daughter opened a restaurant recently and I gave her a few grand for that, which was very fulfilling.

Telegraph.co.uk: Has your income been affected by the recession?

Gillan: No and it's bizarre. We are playing to larger audiences nowadays than we were in the seventies and we are doing more gigs. The average age of the audiences now is 18 and I haven't seen any long hair in a very long time. Record sales have been steadily declining, but people are prepared to pay a lot for concert tickets and we certainly give them a good night out.

Read the entire interview from Telegraph.co.uk.

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