“Whitesnake was...is...and will probably remain my most acknowledged public identity...”

“Whitesnake was never meant to be a fixed identity...regardless of whatever anyone else tells you...Although...I never really thought it was going to be such a revolving door...”

“I never thought of us as a ‘singles’ band…I still don’t…More of a 70’s style album band…We’d go in and make an album of songs we liked…send the finished record off to the record company…and let them worry about what should be the ‘single’…”

“The creative side of Whitesnake covers a multitude of sins...We can go from the blues to the hardest rock...to the softest ballad...”


“I prefer the two guitar, keyboard line-ups…It gives me a kind of mini-orchestra to work with…Altho’ one day...I will probably augment the traditional Whitesnake stage band with another keyboard player...and two girl singers...Yes...I would like that...very much...But, first I must clear it with my Missus if the girls can be ‘lookers’...I said...LOOKERS!!!”

“HMS Whitesnake...there are no passengers on this ship...”

“I feel Purple had a much more rigid musical identity than Whitesnake…Some bands find they paint themselves into a corner with a particular approach to their music...I would rather not find myself there...”

“After the relatively limiting aspect of writing hard rock songs for a band like Deep Purple I wanted a musical avenue that could fulfil as many of my musical needs as possible...Blues...r ‘n’ b...rock, soul...VOLUME!!!...So, Whitesnake became a kind of creative umbrella under which we could pretty much indulge in any of these avenues...As long as it had ‘feel’...emotion...and BALLS!!!”

“Bernie, Micky and I discovered much ‘fun’ was to be had in the creating…A somewhat unknown element for me in the latter days with Deep Purple…Get the work done…and have a good laugh at the same time…Not too shabby a concept…and still embraced today…”


"Neil Murray's bass playing...as I've said before...is the most melodic bass playing I've heard since McCartney and Entwhistle...He's a staggering bass player...but, I felt he was suffocated by certain members of the first chapter of Whitesnake in terms of being free to experiment and put on a show...” 

“I used to have a very high, pure, choirboy voice as a kid...But, that was before my throat had been bastardised with cigarettes and whisky...”

“I know originally I was very keen on the rhythm section of bassists Alan Spenner, DeLisle Harper, Chrissie Stewart, or Mickey Feat and a cracking drummer called Graham Broad…”

“At the very beginning, as I was putting Whitesnake together, one serious consideration was to involve two of the guys from Glenn’s old band, ‘Trapeze’...I can’t remember why that didn’t happen...tho’ I did have the good fortune to work with the guitarist, Mel Galley much later...”

“When Jon Lord joined us, halfway thro’ the recording of the ‘Trouble’ album…the whole place shook with the sheer power of his sound…I distinctly recall Micky Moody being shocked at how ‘heavy’ it sounded…and me being delighted!!!”

“With Ian Paice coming into the band…I felt that this was truly the beginning of Whitesnake…”

“More than a few people thought I had some kind of ‘master-plan’ to reform Purple under the Whitesnake banner…but, that really wasn’t the case…I was happier with Whitesnake than I’d ever been in Deep Purple...”

“Bernie’s incredibly melodic solos…precise and memorable still delight me to this day…”

“The rhythmn section of Ian Paice and Neil Murray was unbelievable...Unbeatable...”

“Jon Lord’s glorious sonic layers...that ‘sound’...Unique and unforgettable...His elegant musicality...”

“Micky’s slide playing growing from strength to strength...Biting and full of humour...and helping to make the Whitesnake sound identifiable from other bands around at that time...”

“I regard the albums ‘Ready an’ Willing’ and ‘Come an’ Get It’ as the absolute best that the early Whitesnake could offer at that time in our history...”

“In reality I always felt that Whitesnake was, and continues to be more compelling and real in concert than on record...”


“The determination to ‘have a good time’ was starting to blur the line between the serious songs and the “ooh, fondle my nipples, baby” fun tunes...”

“Now...instead of having a good, creative, fun time...and turning the ordinary into the extraordinary...it had somehow turned into a job...when no one was looking...”

“It seemed to me that some of us were content to cruise on our ‘gold’ status...and I was hungry to go further...”

“Some people were already writing our epitaph when the old band broke up...But, as usual they underestimated me...and the Whitesnake audience...They don’t realise the strength of the bond between us...”

“Getting our records played on the radio in the UK...or being favourably written about in the press was something that just didn’t happen back then...In fact...I’m still waiting for it to happen!!!”

“When I took over the Whitesnake ‘empire’, as it were...My assistant Jimmy Eyers and I were running the daily business from the ‘Lovehunter’...a beautiful cobalt blue, long wheel base Mercedes 450 SEL...and tho’ it was a modest beginning our determination fuelled our ambition...

“I had always been impressed with Cozy...He had an awful lot to say...for a drummer!!!”

“ I enjoyed Mel Galley’s straight forward guitar work very much...and had considered approaching him at the very beginning for the first chapter of Whitesnake...”

“As long as I’m there conducting the orchestra...there will always be a Whitesnake...”

“ I wanted the blues element in the band’s identity to rock more...I never saw Whitesnake as a pure 12 bar blues band...

“John Kalodnar definately embraced a hands on philosophy...unlike most of the record company executives I had worked with up ‘til that time...”

“JDK had an annoying habit of walking around with a notepad during a show...making copius notes...Very distracting...He told me that if I took the original ‘Slide It In’ band into the studio it would be a big mistake...Oh, dear, I thought...who does this guy think he is...so, I completely ignored him...It was sooner, rather than later, that I realised his perception was as sharp as a carving knife...”

“In 1982 Mel Galley had helped in the construction of the Donington stage...the next year...1983...he was a member of the headlining band!!!”

“I listen to stuff like ‘Still of the Night’ now and think...’Wow...that was a kick arse band’...but, to be honest, I believe we would have self imploded had we tried to take the studio band on the road...”


EARLY DAYS...LOCAL BANDS...


“Of course, I grew up on British pop music…It wasn’t ‘til later, in my early teens, that I was introduced to the real American stuff…I heard Tommy Steele before Elvis…and thought he was the greatest…’til I heard Elvis!!!…and there was no one…NO ONE who was singing like Little Richard!!!…He blew me away!!!”

“The Fabulosa Brother's success was limited to local scene...With some decent equipment and somebody steering us it could have been as fine as the Average White Band...it was very much that way...It was difficult then because when you're a semi pro musician...you have to play what the audiences want...But, we got away with so much because we took established standards and twisted them about a bit...
"Some of the ideas we had were terrific...but, there were so many restrictions as far as employment was concerned....Members of the band had businesses...and I'm not going to turn around to anybody and say stop what you're doing and go on the road...because I know it can be a heartbreaking experience...and a financially breaking one, at that...But...I'll be eternally indebted to the people I worked with because they were on the audition tape for Purple...they made me sound much better than I was… I was drunk...Very drunk..."

"I'd heard so many rumours in my career from when I was seventeen onwards...The Alan Bown Set was apparently interested in me, but, when I was approached...it was done in such a lax way I thought my local band manager was kidding me...but, it was serious...I would have loved to have worked with the Grease Band when Cocker left...that was my idea of a perfect band....The Island Record’s boss, Chris Blackwell, was supposedly interested at one time, but, nothing came of it...”

DEEP PURPLE...

“After a couple of weeks we got a phone call from one of the secretaries at Purple's office who asked me to send a tape and photographs...I thought I might as well forget it...I didn't have any photographs...and the vocals I did at Strawberry Studios sounded great on the night...after a drink or two...but, they were so bad in the cold light of day that when I heard them I felt just dreadful...The band sounded great, but, I just turned round and thought 'forget it'...because it was so bad...There were a lot of good parts...but, with me being so drunk it sounded terrible...So I sat there thinking 'dreadful' and then I had a brainwave when I was recording a copy tape...
"I turned down the volume on the bad bits to make it look as if there was a fault...and it worked...the band (Purple) were attracted to my tone...We did a couple of old rock things at the audition...which was embarassing because I didn't know the words...I wasn't around at the time...I had learned 'Smoke on the Water'...which I didn’t particularly care for...other than the guitar intro...and 'Strange Kind Of Woman'...which I liked...and they didn't want to play either of those...We did, however, jam on ‘Strange Kind Of Woman’ and Ritchiw very nicely told me that the way I sang it was how he heard it in his head when he initially wrote it... ” 

"It was supposed to be a two hour show audition, but, we played for hours just blowing like hell....The was the first time I met them so I was meeting people I had just been reading about in the music papers...STARS, mate!!!...They were great...very natural people...that, coupled with the Bell’s whiskey I had brought....helped me immensely..."

“I can’t remember who said it...but, someone said...”...it was that loud...even the QUIET bits were loud!!!”...I thought was marvellous!!! 

Ian Gillan had quite a stronghold on his audiences and l asked David how it felt to step into his shoes..."To be quite honest I never considered it...I never considered myself as a replacement...it was a new thing...As far as they were concerned it was a new band...They just had a reputation to live up to...and an excellent one, at that...”

“A bunch of moody bastards is totally correct..." deadpans David Coverdale...

“At times it degenerated into 5 ego maniacs fighting for the spotlight...It was there before Blackmore left...but, without his, at times, dictatorial role, it became relatively rudderless...Neither Jon, nor Ian Paice, had the strength of leadership to stop Purple’s reputation from being ground Into the carpet...I knew in my heart it was the beginning of the end...An unfortunate and unsavory end to a rather delicious meal...”

“I will be eternally grateful to Deep Purple for the incredibly brave decision they made to give such an extraordinary opportunity to an unknown singer...Such balls...”

LIFE...

“Meditation is the key to everything…”

“I have always felt an emotional connection to my audience…”

“I think the emotional and physical release of a good rock show has untold healing qualities…It’s great therapy!!!”

“I embrace the East Indian philosophy of being a musician…”Before you take on the affairs, or the concerns of the day…commune with your instrument’…for me it’s the acoustic guitar…”

“Balance...a most necessary ingredient...I am still learning to balance work & family...For most of my life it was all work & no play...or the other way around...Balance is essential for a fulfilling life...”

“Hollywood...It's like going into a relationship with somebody you know is going to be repeatedly unfaithful...It's a very silly place...”

“I've never had any aspirations to act...There's enough drama in my life without pretending...”

“No…I don't avoid anything…I don't avoid confrontation…people should know that…”

“ I’m a Virgo...we’re supposed to have great difficulty with ‘confontation’...I’ve had no bloody choice, mate...I deal with confrontation in some way, shape or form every day!!!”

“Going platinum is touching a million people...and that's what it means to me...it's not "I've sold a million units"...It is an indication of how many people you're connecting with...it's not in terms of gluttony or greed...far from it...”


“If I offered to buy somebody a drink I was a flash bastard...if I didn't...I was a tight bastard...”

“Confidence without arrogance...Always welcome...”

“One thing you should know…Everything I ever say, and even to the press…is the truth at that time…and as you must know in your own life…sometimes things, or circumstances, simply change…Paint peels…Seasons change…leaves fall from the trees…and one must roll with the punches...”

“Compassion and detachment …I’m still working on that concept...”

“I believe opportunity happens for everybody...it’s having the awareness to grab hold of it...and hang on tight...”

“What anybody else thinks of you is of no consequence...it’s what you think of yourself...”

“With all the highs and lows I’ve had in my life...I wouldn’t change anything...I’m the Edith Piaf of Rock!!!...No Regrets!!!”

“When you control what people think...There’s no reason to point a gun at them...”

“Basically what you've got to look upon in relationships with musicians is the same as you would look upon relationships with friends...When you first meet...everyone's on their best behaviour...and then once they get comfortable, certain things or aspects of them that you didn't really know start to manifest...and sometimes it's uncomfortable...I've never been one to compromise what I want to do to accommodate someone else's ego, drug problem or whatever...I stand by everything I've done...I have a feeling, quite honestly, that if my original members had stayed consistent and creative...they very likely might have been with me for the entire journey...”

“There are two things you can do at the end of a relationship...whether it's private or professional...You can turn round and say "what did I do to contribute to getting the sack?"...which people very rarely do...because it's much easier to turn round and say, "that bastard Coverdale!!!"

“Nobody gave me a contract when I was born saying it's going to be a walk in the park...because it isn't...and it never has been...”

“Most of my life I've had a career with my life bubbling around it, but, now I've got a life...and my career bubbles around it...”

“Accidents can be gifts...run with them...see where they take you...”

“Revenge is basically over dramatised anger...Such a waste of energy...”

“I make music for the glory of God and recreation for the mind and body...”

“I disagree with Clint Eastwood...a man doesn’t have to know his limitations...Cos’ there are NO limitations!!!”

“I feel so good that if you stuck an electrical cord up my arse, I’d probably be able to light up a good sized city!!!”

"If I am directly involved, then I should accept the responsibility, and be accountable for the circumstances…Whether it was a successful enterprise, or not..."

"If I am directly involved, then I should accept the responsibility, and be accountable for the circumstances…Whether it was a successful enterprise, or not..."

“There’s a difference between scratching your arse...& tearing a lump out of it...”

“Please...don’t piss on my back...then tell me it’s raining...”

LIVE SHOWS...

“My feeling is...go right ahead...let it all go...you’re safe here with us...”

“Every show is important to me...all of them have something special to remember...”

“It is incredible to think that someone would fly in from as far away as Japan or the States to see the band play...It’s very humbling...”

“We are very fortunate that our audience wants to be involved in the show...to be a part of it...from the moment we take the stage...& that suits me just fine...”

“You have no idea how fulfilling it is to be standing there...doing what you love...& being appreciated for it...” 

MUSICIANS I WOULD LIKE TO WORK WITH...


“If I had the time I would love to do an album like the one with Pagey, but, with Jeff Beck, whom I've loved from the beginning...I adore Jeff...The other one would be to do a serious power blues trio with Eddie Van Halen....But, not taking significant time away from our respective careers in order to do this...just when there was a bit of time here and there...You're so restricted when you get contractually involved with the big corporate companies that half the time it's not worth the grief that you go through to try to do something like that....And I wouldn't be talking about doing a big glossy commercial record...I'm talking about nuts and bolts...blood, sweat, passion...that kind of thing...Not sitting down and going, "we must have a single"... but, just a meeting of powerful musicians...and see where it could go...”

VAN HALEN...

“The last time I saw Edward Van Halen was in a hotel in London in '93…I had a cup of tea..he had a beer…”

“There was never…I repeat…never...any discussion between the band Van Halen and I about working together…I heard the same rumours as you lot…”


SONGWRITING…

“In the beginning with Bernie and Micky it was much more innocent…and we had a hell of a good laugh writing together…Micky wasn’t really a rocker, but, brought an interesting eclectic, blues vibe to the party…Bernie loved rock and good pop…so, he brought a nice melodic sensibility to the proceedings…John Sykes was out and out rock, bordering on metal…Dynamic…electric…Not a fan of traditional blues playing…but, he has his own way of expressing his feelings…More musically aggressive than anyone else I’ve worked with…and I liked the combination of his attitude and my approach…well…most of the time!!!…Adrian is a very accomplished composer…It was probably the easiest working with him…He was a fan of Whitesnake from the start…so…he knew the direction and style I favoured working in…We got on extremely well as people…and maintain a strong, supportive friendship…Jimmy Page was a blast to work with…I learned a great deal from him…Extraordinary man…Gifted beyond…Exceptional and visionary…Probably he and Ritchie Blackmore were the most inspirational and motivating guitarists for me to write with…I wanted very much to impress them…”

“Micky, Bernie and I adjourned to a smelly cellar, just around the corner from the Purple office at 25, Newman St…in London’s West End…We immediately dubbed it the Cat Piss Cellar…Quite horrid…but, it definitely contributed to us working fast…just so we could get out of there...breathe...and cut a dash across the street to the Newman Arms…A fine watering hole…and pretty soon the songs; ‘Come On’… ‘Bloody Mary’…’Trouble’… ‘The Time Is Right For Love’…’Lie Down, I Think I Love You’…’Steal Away’…’Don’t Mess With Me’, etc…started to take shape…”

“It's completely and utterly important for every generation to have their own music...totally important...I had it, you've had it...The groups that survive are the people that focus on songs...not image...Songs are what connect with people...And even the music business forgets that the base...the whole foundation of the music business, is, and always will be...songs...”

“Please remember I was involved in writing and performing ALL those old WS tunes…so, I’m not negating anything...or anybody I was involved with from that time…it’s just not in me to sing some of them now…”

“On the ‘Restless Heart’ tour...in ’97...I thought it would be fun to do 20 years of Whitesnake...but, a lot of the old songs got ‘old’ for me...really quickly...Some of those songs simply didn’t represent me anymore...and that makes it difficult for me to present them to an audience...”

“As a writer I was always being responsible to the band…whereas now I want to be responsible to the song and see what happens…If it's coming out of me it's evidently something that's supposed to come out… so I shouldn't be stopping it to accommodate the band…I should let it flow and see where it goes…”

“A lot of my songs are firmly tongue in cheek…That's the sad thing with a lot of people…especially elements of the media…where they look immediately for the ‘Slide It In’ track…as opposed to the more substance…”

“Slow and Easy was recorded at 4 in the morning after a night on the razzle…Most of the vocal is just a live ‘jam’ lyric…I juggled the lyric later to try and make some sense of it…” 

“You can always tell when a band is keen…they research the chord structure and try to improve on it…which suits me and my modest chord sequences just fine…”

“I find myself consistently drawn to the blues for inspiration…Soul…Tamla Motown…the original R ‘n’ B…and I mustn’t forget my pure love for classical music…I need my daily fix of the baroque…Mozart…and Bach…”

“If the song is any good, you should be able to dress it…or undress it…anyway you want…”

“All my songs are relatives...brothers...sisters...cousins...of each other...”

“I LOVE good riffs…funk and soul music…”

“Strangely enough...songwriting is easiest for me when there’s personal emotional conflict...a kind of block I want, sometimes subconsciously, to UNblock...Something in my life I want to change...& don’t have the balls to physically confront...”

"I would LOVE to have a hit song about how bloody happy I am...All my best known, most successful songs, are about heartbreak & pain at sometime in my life!!!...Probably that's why they connected so deeply..."

“All I know is that I very rarely sat down to write a love song…and ended up writing a love song…I gave up questioning why, years ago…Obviously part of my life mission is to write love songs…Look out…here comes one now!!!”

“’Slip of the Tongue’ - was originally called Dominatrix Blues....This was the first song we came up with when Adrian and I sat down to write,...We were trying to identify the musical aspects we felt were missing from Whitesnake....Steve Vai rearranged the centerpiece...”

“There’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek that goes along with the sex, the drama and the physical and emotional themes I write…”

“Slide It In???...It's actually not about bananas...