GMT - Pub Rock From Gillan's Inn Page 3
by Martin Popoff

Summing up his years with Gillan, spanning three of the greatest albums ever recorded in the heavy metal field, Mr. Universe, Glory Road and Future Shock, Torme quips that, "the albums kind of operated in stages of enjoyment. I enjoyed Mr. Universe, and then Glory Road less, and then I didn't enjoy Future Shock at all. That's all I can kind of say about it. Having said that, it was a great experience and it was incredible playing with Ian. He's an awesome singer; he really is. And you know, it's a great shame that it hasn't panned out that we haven't been able to do an occasional follow-up album. I mean, the atmosphere is still pretty terrible. It's sad, I think. It would've been nice to make peace, really."

But life goes on... "I do a fair amount of production and engineering; I enjoy that. In the past, I've worked in photography, because my wife is a photographer; we did a lot of library things, in the '90s. Because I took a break from playing after the Desperado stretch (a debacle of a major label experience, with Dee Snider left holding the bag). Because I was a bit jaded on it all at that point. I felt that I wasn't really contributing in the way I wanted to contribute. Because to me, it hasn't ever been about being in a big band. Luckily enough, because I spent most of my life not being in a big band (laughs). But it's been about doing something that I thought was genuine and real and true, and was something that I was able to do that no one else was able to do. And really, after the Desperado album, I started to feel that I was becoming a tiny bit generic, if you know what I mean, as a player."

Are you making progress toward a new GMT album?

"Yes, but it's been patchy because Robin is tied up in an awful lot of things, basically paying his bills. John and I live far apart. As it is, we have about six tracks down and six tracks to go, really. So it's going well. We are hoping to get it out this year, and if not this year, early next. It isn't the kind of band that is amenable to pressure, really (laughs). You know, it happens if it happens."

GMT - Pub Rock From Gillan's Inn Page 4