Ian Paice, the drummer for the famous rock band Deep Purple, recently talked about how he keeps playing music even as he gets older. In an interview with The Guardian, he shared how aging has made drumming harder for him, but his years of experience help him find new ways to play.
Paice said that some things he used to do easily when he was younger are tough now. “It’s not simple anymore,” he explained. But he’s learned a lot over time, and that knowledge helps him keep going. Even after a small stroke, he’s figured out how to adjust. “You have to change some things,” he said. “It’s tricky, but I can do it. Anyone who thinks they can play the same way they did 50 years ago is crazy. Not many people my age are still playing loud, powerful drums like I do.”
While Paice has changed how he plays, he hasn’t changed his whole life. “I’m not super healthy,” he admitted. “I’m not eating lentils like some hippy!” He likes to keep things normal offstage.
Deep Purple has been rocking for over 50 years, and they’re not stopping anytime soon. Last August, singer Ian Gillan laughed off rumors that he was retiring. “That’s nonsense,” he told UCR. “I never said anything about quitting. Someone made that up!” He added that the band adjusts as they age, but they’ll only stop if they can’t perform well anymore. “When the energy fades, that’s when it’s time to quit,” he said. “But right now, we’re doing great.”
Paice agreed with Gillan in a 2023 interview. “We’ve never planned to stop,” he said. “We know we’re getting older, and one day it might be too hard to keep going. But we don’t worry about that. We’re still having fun!”
So, even though drumming gets tougher with age, Paice and Deep Purple keep rocking by adapting and enjoying every moment.
