Coverdale Cannot Do Long Tours
Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale admits the days of hitting the road for nine-month world tours are behind him.
But that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down – the veteran vocalist has big plans for the coming year, including work with former bandmates Glenn Hughes and Bernie Marsden, plus an unplugged album.
Coverdale tells Metal Shrine: “My last long tour was in 2011 and you’re going to see shorter ones now. I want to make sure I have the physical energy and power to be able to present shows as people want to see me. If I commit to a nine-month tour, I don’t think I’m going to be able to deliver.
“I’m 61 years old and I’m in great shape – but I’m still 61 years old. It’s going to be shorter tours and stuff.”
That’s one of the reasons he’s hesitant to commit to a follow-up to 2011 album Forevermore. He continues: “Believe me, I would love the challenge because Doug Aldrich and I and the band are so up for that. For me to commit for a new studio record will take a year out of my life – it’s just taking a whole fucking year to write new songs, and quality songs, because we’re very critical.”
Instead, he’d prefer to concentrate on a number of projects which take less time, but, he hopes, will be equally satisfying. They could include a reunion with former Deep Purple man Hughes, ex-Whitesnake colleague Marsden and more.
Discussing working again with Hughes, Coverdale reports: “One of the things we´re setting up with Whitesnake.com is that you’re going to be able to download new ideas that Doug and I are messing around with.
“ I’ve just done a song for Bernie; I want him to tell people what it is, but it was one of the songs that we wrote together many years ago in the early days. That was a lot of fun for me to do and it took no time at all.
“So it’s very likely Glenn and I could do a song or two, or even three or four, like the old EP.” And he adds: “I want do an unplugged record – we’re still talking about it, Doug, Michael McIntyre and I.”
Coverdale recently courted controversy by saying ex-Whitesnake guitarist Micky Moody had refused to shake his hand, leading Moody to release his own statement via Classic Rock.
Now the singer offers more detail as to why he’s been trying to settle his differences with those he fell out with in the past.
“It’s interesting, the amount of loss I had last year,” he reflects. “I lost my beloved Aunt Sylvia, who was like an older sister to me. She was the one who played me Little Richard when I was young. We just had a beautiful relationship; and I lost her, which was very difficult.
“My wife lost a brother – she’s from a large family and she’s lost two brothers, her mother and her father. She’s very young for that kind of loss. Then of course I lost Jon Lord.
“It was just one after the other, and it was extraordinarily difficult to process; but it also made me think how I wanted to reach out to Richie Blackmore to say personally, ‘Thank you so much for the opportunity you guys gave me.’ There’s been some unpleasant times in history with Mr Blackmore and I – but I really thought, ‘It’s just not worth carrying these grudges, bad feelings, bad blood. Life’s too short and too precious.’ Now we have a great relationship.
“ I’ve been through two very, very significant divorces. My first marriage I left with my old Gibson guitar – which used to be John Lennon’s – and a sock hanging out of the suitcase, like a fucking cartoon. I lost a lot of stuff. Some things you just have to let go of – it’s not my passion to go digging into the past.”