The announcement that Deep Purple would finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has done nothing to squash the controversy linking the two together. The next issue to contend with was which members, both former and current, would be inducted and then who would show up. Noted tension exist between certain inductees and Ritchie Blackmore was informed via Deep Purple's management that they would like for him not to attend the ceremony. Now, former Rainbow and Deep Purple singer Joe Lynn Turner has offered his thoughts from the outside.

Turner spent a total of seven years playing alongside Blackmore, four with Rainbow and three with Deep Purple, and thinks the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ordeal is getting out of control. When asked about Blackmore's current Rainbow lineup, the singer offered his thoughts and Rock Overdose then asked if he has any contact with the guitar icon. He replied, "No one contacts Ritchie. We communicate with his manager. You don’t communicate with Ritchie." He goes on to explain, continuing, "As witnessed by the whole [Rock and Roll] Hall Of Fame that is happening now that he is not allowed. Because if he comes, Ian Gillan and the rest of the band won’t come. If you ask me, they’re acting like children and it’s a mess and a shameful situation. It’s terrible that it happened."

Disgusted, Turner adds, "For me, it shows you exactly what is happening over there. That these people don’t know how to grow up and be friends. Just stop the bulls--t. It’s a shame and it makes a circus out of the whole thing." Making his opinion of the Rock Hall in general known, the frontman said, "It’s a Hollywood event, and it really has not much to do with rock 'n' roll anymore. It’s more of a celebrity event. In the early days it was a true rock 'n' roll organization. But now, it is turning into a circus show. It’s more like Grammys or something stupid like that. People make the band. And I’m writing songs for the fans and the people. That’s who makes the cases. Not these organizations. It took them how long to put Deep Purple into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? It should have been in the Hall Of Fame 25 years ago."

The list of Deep Purple inductees includes Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, Jon Lord and Ian Paice. The current lineup of the band — which includes keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse in addition to Paice, Glover and Gillan — will perform at the ceremony on April 8 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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