Rock legends Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) and Rock Aid Armenia founder Jon Dee have arrived in Yerevan to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Rock Aid Armenia charitable project. Ahead of the gala event scheduled for June 5, they talked to the press about future plans and recalled previous visits to Armenia. 

Mediamax has collected several remarks from the press conference. 

The visit to Spitak 

Ian Gillan: I remember a lady holding a photo of a family of 28 people. It was her family, and she was the only survivor. I spoke with the Mayor of Spitak, and he told me that all the music had stopped: there was no music on the radio, in the church, and even the birds stopped singing. We thought that music could be symbolically a way of restarting life in the city. That is how we got involved with the music school renovation project. It became a symbol of new life in Armenia.

Ian Gillan and Ara Tadevosyan

Photo: Mediamax

That night, after the concert, the guys in the dressing room asked me what happened, why I looked so bad. But I couldn’t explain. I just burst into tears because of the emotional impact it had on me. That is why I feel so personally involved in all projects related to Rock Aid Armenia. It has been a privilege for me.

30 years later 

Ian Gillan: When faced with the power of nature, natural disasters, all we can do is build and repair. It has to be not just physical, but spiritual as well. Imagine a congregation in the church, uplifted by a good sermon. It’s the same with music in a way, and just being together though music is so powerful.

It is also encouraging to see the new generation creating. When I first visited the music school in Gyumri, there was snow inside and the teachers were valiantly trying to conduct their classes with broken instruments. They have normal, warm environment now, so yes, music is the restart. The birds are singing again.

Jon Dee

Photo: Mediamax

Jon Dee: When I first started talking to the media about who we pulled together for “Smoke on the Water”, some people asked me why I was working with “rock dinosaurs”. “Does anyone listen to them anymore?” they said. And I said that these guys would outlast any pop star in 1990. Tony Iommi’s last Black Sabbath album is number one in America, and Ian and Tony still sell out big venues. It shows the timeless appeal of rock. In fact, the “Some on the Water” video will hit 10 million views on YouTube this month.

Armenians and Armenia 

Ian Gillan: I was mostly impressed by the unity and integrity of the Armenian culture. Armenians are everywhere: New York, Beirut. People live their own lives, but they are still united, which is amazing; maybe you can compare them with English people (laughs-Mediamax). 

Jon Dee: One thing that impressed me in communication with Armenians is how rich the Armenian culture is. Brian Eno was the one to introduce me to the Armenian music and tell me that I should listen to the performance of Djivan Gasparyan. “It will be one of the most powerful performances you have enjoyed,” he said. That is why we are so excited to release our “Mashtots” album. Rock Aid Armenia isn’t just fundraising; it is about uniting people and introducing them to the incredible Armenian culture. 

Future plans 

Tony Iommi: Black Sabbath doesn’t plan any concert tours in the future, we may play some things in the process. My personal plan is living my life fully; one can perceive life from another perspective after 50 years of concert tours throughout the world. 

Tony Iommi

Photo: Mediamax

Ian Gillan: I like roads, and I plan to travel in the coming 50 years, not necessarily on this planet. I will slow down the pace a bit, but traveling is my passion. We used to hold live performances even before recording in studio, and we will continue the same way. Certainly, I will have more time for recreation. What can be better than attracting new audiences and motivating them? 

New initiatives of Rock Aid Armenia 30 

Jon Dee: There aren’t any invitations left for the event today evening, which proves that Armenians attach importance to this event. 

We will launch a new webpage next month, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of Metropolis Studios. The page will feature the cassettes and videos that haven’t been released so far. “Smoke on the Water” will be revived around the world, and the revenue will be used for acquisitions of new tools for Gyumri Music School. 

We will also release a new CD, which will contain not only rock, but also Armenian music. In fact, we return to our roots, as the first album that our organization released was the recording of Djivan Gasparyan and Brian Eno in 1989. 

Photo: Mediamax

We will release a joint album called Mashtots with Vahan Artsruni and Hasmik Baghdasaryan, which features Armenian spiritual music of the 5th century. 

I call on Armenians to aquire this CD, as the whole revenue will be provided to Fund for Armenian Relief for acquiring tools for the music school. 

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The visit and celebration of the anniversary are organized by Mediamax Media Company and DoSomething (Australia). Co-founder of DoSomething Jon Dee initiated Rock Aid Armenia in 1989 to support Armenia after Spitak Earthquake. The sponsor of Rock Aid Armenia’s 30th anniversary celebrations and the rock stars’ visit is IDBank. Koor Wines is the partner of the event.

Amalie Khachatryan 

Photos by Emin Aristakesyan