How Ian Gillan Wrote His Band's Obituary Without Telling Them

By 1982, the Gillan band was falling apart. Crippling debt, physical violence between band members and management, and a complete lack of American success had pushed the group to breaking point. Ian Gillan knew it was over, but instead of telling his bandmates, he wrote it all down in the lyrics of their final album, Magic, and said nothing. In this episode we cover the full story of Magic (1982), the hidden concept album about a band's own dissolution, the catastrophic financial collapse that caused it, the recording sessions with new guitarist Janick Gers, and the moment Ian Gillan pulled the plug and left his bandmates blindsided and furious. We also cover Janick Gers' remarkable journey from the wreckage of Gillan all the way to Iron Maiden, and the story of how John McCoy secured the master tapes and fought to get the musicians paid, years after the fact. This is part of our ongoing Deep Purple Family Tree series, tracing every branch of the Purple lineage from the late 60s to the present day. #Gillan #IanGillan #DeepPurple #DeepPurpleFamilyTree #Magic1982 #NWOBHM #JanickGers #IronMaiden #JohnMcCoy #ColinTowns #BritishHardRock #HeavyMetal #ClassicRock #RockHistory #albumreview CONTACT INFORMATION [email protected] *FAIR USE* Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.