Ian Gillan said he was unaware that Deep Purple’s classic track “Child in Time” had been used by the producers of “Stranger Things” until he was asked about it in an interview.
The song, from Deep Purple’s 1970 album “In Rock,” was featured in the trailer for the Netflix series’ upcoming fifth and final season earlier this year.
“Stranger Things” has included music from a range of rock artists, including Kate Bush and Metallica, throughout its run. The use of Deep Purple’s music was perhaps not a surprise to fans.
However, it was news to Gillan, who was asked about it in a recent interview with Classic Rock magazine.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gillan said.
When told “Stranger Things” is a Netflix show, Gillan replied, “I don’t have Netflix. I don’t have a television. So yes, in that respect it’s a surprise.”
Gillan, who is 80 and facing eight months of touring, also reflected on his evolution as an artist.
“Throughout your entire life, you’ve had to deal with this thing – you get older every day,” he said. “It’s a slow process, but it happens. When you’re a kid, you write about fast cars and loose women and that sort of thing, or at least we did in those days. And it’s very rock ‘n’ roll and had a lot of attack and youthful energy.”
“But I started thinking in my thirties, ‘This is ridiculous; this feels uncomfortable.’ So you have to find other things to write about – stuff that’s interesting and off-the-wall. You have to adapt, otherwise you look like a fool. But you can write a song about anything, at least in my experience.”