With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony just over two weeks away, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was recently asked by Billboard if he regrets not attending the ceremony in 2016 when Deep Purple was inducted.
He says, "I have no interest in that type of thing. I don't believe in people being in the position where they can say who is in and who is out in the music business. Rock and roll is all about freedom, not having a panel of phantom arbiters discussing who is going to be in and who is going to be out. I think Steve Miller said it best when he was inducted. Check YouTube for that."
Miller ragged against the Rock Hall and its practices when he was inducted the same year as Purple -- 2016.
This year's ceremony is on April 14th in Cleveland, and this year's big holdout is Mark Knopfler, the founder, singer and guitarist in Dire Straits.