Metal Anarchy

During a recent interview with Uncut magazine, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan discussed the possibility of retirement. The singer also revealed that he only has “30 percent vision.”

Gillan said the following:

“It’s one of those things. I’ve only got 30 percent vision. That won’t get better. It makes life mysterious. The hardest thing is working on my laptop. I can’t see anything on the screen unless I use my peripheral vision; I pick up a line by looking at it sideways. But you find a way. You adapt. But it’s achingly tiresome. It takes a long time to do the work.”

He went on to say he still has a sense of humor:

“It’s hilarious this growing old thing. It’s a laugh a minute. Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I walk down the road and hear something drop off — clang, there’s something else gone. Nothing’s changed really apart from I can’t pole vault any more. Other than that, things move a little more slowly. But nothing’s changed.”

He also added the following about retirement:

“I think if I lose my energy I’m going to stop. I don’t want to be an embarrassment to anyone. We’re not far off that. It creeps up on you — you don’t really notice.”