Japan PM tells Deep Purple: ‘You are my god’
Japan’s first ever female prime minister Sanae Takaichi told British rock band Deep Purple “you are my god” during a meeting in Tokyo.
According to the BBC, Takaichi, who has said she has listened to the band since primary school, met the group’s drummer Ian Paice at her office in the Japanese capital, where she presented him with a pair of signed Japanese-made drumsticks.
An avid amateur drummer herself, the 65-year-old conservative leader said she played in a Deep Purple tribute band as a child after first becoming a fan in primary school. She added that she used to play Burn when arguing with her husband, describing it as a way of casting a curse on him.
The band met Japan’s first female prime minister as they returned to tour the country where they recorded their 1972 live album Made in Japan, widely regarded as one of the most influential rock records.
Takaichi said she could not believe Deep Purple were in front of her, and expressed respect for the band’s continued ability to evolve while producing music that remains compelling. Speaking through an interpreter the BBC reports she said she hoped the tour would excite fans across Japan and strengthen cultural exchange between the UK and Japan.
Paice said it was always a pleasure to visit Japan, describing the meeting with Takaichi as an added bonus.
In a post on Instagram, the band said Takaichi was a lifelong fan of hard rock and heavy metal, and had often named Deep Purple among her favourite groups. It also noted she had told them she bought their Machine Head album while still a student.
Formed in England in 1968, Deep Purple became one of the so-called unholy trinity of British heavy metal alongside Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Their best-known track, Smoke on the Water, appeared on the 1971 album Machine Head
No comments:
Post a Comment