Deep Purple vocalist Ian Gillan has revealed that a former Mayor of Moscow once made a forceful attempt to persuade him to reunite with his estranged bandmate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Speaking in a 2026 interview with The Telegraph, Gillan recounted how the politician physically grabbed him in a Moscow bar and offered a large sum for a performance in Red Square, only for Gillan to refuse outright once he learned Blackmore would be involved. The anecdote illustrates the enduring friction within one of the most celebrated line-ups in 1970s rock.

The line-up in question — Gillan, Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice — was responsible for the band's signature hit "Smoke On The Water", and fans have long hoped to see it reunited. Tensions between Gillan and Blackmore reached breaking point in the early 1970s, with Gillan departing after a tour in Japan and Blackmore leaving two years later. The mayor reportedly offered one million dollars for the Red Square gig, but Gillan turned it down; he has likened reuniting after such an acrimonious split to going back after a divorce, arguing it is better to preserve the good memories than risk damaging them.