One of the earliest and most influential heavyweights of hard rock, Deep Purple is a band haunted by dysfunction and dissatisfaction. Since the group's founding in 1968, it has survived a multitude of member changes, an eight-year hiatus, and decades of binge drinking and substance abuse. The band's most notorious lead guitarist, the ego-centric Ritchie Blackmore, was an overwhelming source of conflict and fled and rejoined the band on numerous occasions. Other band members who thought themselves irreplaceable soon learned they were simply cogs in this fan-driven machine.