Hughes plans tribute to dead bodyguard

Former Deep Purple member Glenn Hughes will return to Jakarta for a show to mark the 40th anniversary of his bodyguard’s death in the city.

Patsy Collins was a member of the band’s crew when he fell down a lift shaft in the Indonesian capital on December 4, 1975. He initially survived two three-storey drops but later died of his injuries.

Hughes and three other crewmen were originally suspected of murder and spent a night in jail, before authorities released them. The following night, Purple abandoned their second of two Jakarta shows after heavy-handed police officers began assaulting members of the audience.

Hughes recalled last year: “That shit was flying – we were in a time bomb in the midst of war that had just started in the country. All of us were lucky to escape alive.”

Now he tells Metal Shock Finland: “40 years after the death, I’m going to play that city again, to commemorate the loss of my friend, and go to a place I could never go to.

“They threw me in jail for murder and they let me out. We had to pay money to get out. It was a horrible event.

“I’m going back to do what I do – play a concert and film, so that’s going to be a special moment for me.”

Hughes is currently on tour with a solo band featuring ex-Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich and drummer Pontus Engborg. The trio play the UK later this month. He’s planning to remain on the road with them for most of next year, before turning his thoughts to recording. Purple this week received another nomination for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.