GROLLYWOOD, PARIS

The Battle Rages On!

Both on the same street in Ballycastle in Ireland!  Spotted by Gary Poronovich, who reports he did look for the owners but was told they were both abroad.

Purple Magazine

Amazingly this is for real. NOT a magazine devoted to Purple Records, but an American men’s magazine from 1978 discussing the Watergate affair. With the world’s least convincing Richard Nixon lookalike. He’s over there on the right. Spotted on a retro site by Tom Dixon.

AC/DC Drummer Sentenced to Whitesnake

We are indebted to the Evening Harold online newspaper for this exclusive (sent to us by reader Tim Summers):

Why didn’t Mummy ever…

We’ve been told of an online list of baby names which parents have admitted were inspired by well known rock songs.  Or less well known, as one couple named their daughter Rosemary after Why Don’t Rosemary on Purple’s third album. They’re probably hoping she’ll never get to read the lyrics when she grows up!  Thanks to Dave Brown for spotting it on the fabulously well managed website below:

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1026033/baby-names-inspired-by-popular-songs?preview=1

Blackmore’s Raincoat

Wasn’t it David Coverdale who used to refer disparagingly to his former guitarist’s new band as this? I wonder if he’s had his iPad painting app up and running to rework one of their sleeves accordingly?  Tim Summers spotted it on the web (and wants to make sure I understand it was not him what did it).

Glenn Hughes

In his days with The Village People apparently…!

Here’s A Fridge Magnet for Ya!

April (a cruel month) 2014 happenings:

This has been spotted on a mural on a wall in Weston-Super-Mere recently! I doubt it’ll trouble any Banksy collectors with their chisels but nice to see the man acknowledged locally (alongside John Cleese, Roald Dahl and others), although without his Strat etc. I’m not sure how many people would make the connection. Thanks to Tonny Steenhagen for the photo.

Bruce Payne jacks it all in and opens a Chemist in Cromford! Well he had when I took this photo. Drove past the other day and it’s closed, so I guess he’s back with the band now. Poor old Cromford, stunning little town totally wrecked by two major A roads charging through it, and now not even anywhere to by your pre-gig ear plugs. Photo Simon.

Jan 2014 • This rare early photograph of Blackmore’s Night has been unearthed by a researcher in Ripon. Details of the line-up are unknown, although Candice had yet to join (or maybe she was taking the picture?). Ritchie is stood in front of the stone pillar. If you recognise any of the other musicians do let us know.

November 2013 • I’ve always fancied running a Purple museum of some sort (there is a Ramones Museum in Belgium, so maybe they’d be more up for the idea over there).  Now the ideal property has come on the market on Uxbridge Road in Middlesex.  The entire interior is painted in Shades Of Deep Purple, along with matching fabric for the furniture, carpets and curtains.  So if you’re a DP nutcase with £400K burning a hole in your pocket head on over to Right Move now!  The decor was flagged up by the Independent newspaper, who noted that the estate agent details make no mention of the paint scheme whatsoever!  Our thanks to Jamie Woodwood for passing it along.

September 17 2013 • I know Gillan is something of an Elvis fan, but maybe this is taking it a bit too far?!  Lisa Presley’s album of the same name came out in 2005 (and got to number nine in America).  Shall we have a vote on which cover we prefer, hers or Purples?  Actually we reckon a duet should be sorted out asap, she lives in the UK now too.

August 30 2013 • You know how it is; one or more of the Deep Purple guys is in town and you really must have your entire vinyl and CD collection autographed. But how to lug it to the back-stage door / hotel bar?  Happily Grollywood can now offer you this exclusive limited edition uni-wheeled transport system. Also ideal for picking up the increasingly massive number of different editions of each new archive title from the record shop.  Or carting the California Jam Limited Edition Book around the house. In stock at the Steenhagen Garden Centre.

May 30 2013 • Nice to see the band branching out and supporting the high street shopping experience, even though you need to go to Holland to check them out!  Michel De Pourcq spotted this in Wijk Bij Duurstede.

April 19, 2013 – I’ve no idea what’s going on here – is there a social media craze to recreate famous album sleeves in Lego? I hope so. But if not this fine effort which I found on a Japanese website deserves a reposting – though sadly due to language issues I could not find anything about who has done it or why.

GRAND OPENING – Our original Grollywood site has done so well that – due to the band’s amazing popularity there right now – we’ve been able to get investment (any rumours that this has come from banker’s bonuses will be subject to the attention of our lawyers) to open a brand-new Grollywood in Paris, France! Please book well in advance before visiting otherwise the gates may be closed and enquiries met with a Gallic shrug of the shoulders at the on-site ticket office.

Right now our artist in residence has been inspired by recent twitter posting from Glenn of himself in a fetching girlie top to compose an all time Top Ten Cross-Dressing Deep Purple chart:

1. And the Black Dress
2. Gettin’ Tights On
3. Rapture of the Deep pile of the crushed velvet evening gown
4. Black and White (is the new black)
5. Tweed King
6. Our Ladieswear
7. You Fool No One (you’re never a size 8)
8. Lady Double-D Cup
9. Stockings at your back door
10. You Keep On Moving (have you considered a sports bra?)

Then there’s the album ‘Deep Purple In Frocks’ of course. Black Nightie? Cloak On The Daughter? (I wouldn’t be seen) Dead Or Alive (in that)?

Blackmore of course famously set the trend for this in 1980 back in his Rainbow days by appearing on the front cover of Sounds in stockings.  He’s now switched to tights.