A guest post from Brian Currin

We all came out to Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline

Deep purple

Some places enter your consciousness through the most unexpected channels. For me, Montreux in Switzerland wasn’t discovered through a travel guide or a friend’s recommendation – it was burned into my memory by one of the most iconic guitar riffs in rock history.

The First Spark: 1973

I was just fourteen when Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” first burned itself into my brain in 1973. It was the electrifying live version from Made in Japan that absolutely devastated me – this album has secured its place among my top ten albums of all time. While I think I may have heard the live version on the radio, I know for certain the studio version dominated the airwaves, climbing to number 7 on the Springbok Radio charts and an impressive number 3 on LM Radio.

duh duh duh, duh duh duh-duh, duh duh duh, duh duh

Like countless others, I found myself mesmerized by that unforgettable opening riff. But beyond the hypnotic guitar work, it was the story within the song that captivated me. The lyrics painted a vivid picture of a real event: a fire at the Montreux Casino during a Frank Zappa concert, with smoke literally drifting across Lake Geneva, and the band recording the album Machine Head using The Rolling Stones’ mobile studio truck. To my young mind, Montreux became this almost mythical place where rock legends gathered, where music history was made, and where dramatic events unfolded against the backdrop of Swiss mountains and pristine waters.

The name itself sounded exotic, sophisticated – so different from my South African suburban surroundings. Deep Purple had recorded Machine Head at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, and somehow that detail made the location feel even more legendary. Here was a band creating timeless music in what seemed like a fairy-tale setting.

The Long Wait

Years passed. Decades, actually. Life happened – career, family, responsibilities. Montreux remained a distant dream, a place I’d think about whenever I listened to “Smoke On The Water” in its various live versions through the years. I’d wonder if I’d ever actually see those Swiss shores that had inspired one of my favourite songs.

Travel took me to many places over the years, but somehow Montreux always felt just out of reach. Too expensive, too far, too much of a luxury. The dream stayed alive but dormant, filed away in that mental folder marked “maybe one day.”

An Unexpected Path: 2025

Sometimes life has a way of bringing things full circle when you least expect it. My son Christopher’s career took an international turn, and when he announced that he and his wife Pam would be moving to Lausanne for work, I felt a familiar flutter of excitement. Lausanne – just a short distance from Montreux along the same Lake Geneva shoreline that Deep Purple had immortalized in song.

What had seemed impossible for so many years suddenly became inevitable. A visit to my son would naturally include a pilgrimage to the place that had captured my imagination over five decades ago.

With my other son, Michael, living in The Netherlands, our family had become wonderfully scattered across Europe, creating new opportunities for connection and discovery.

The Pilgrimage

Standing on the shores of Lake Geneva in Montreux for the first time was surreal. The mountains rose majestically from the water just as I’d imagined, but they were somehow more beautiful than any mental picture I’d constructed. The town was alive with energy – I had timed my family trip to coincide with the 59th Montreux Jazz Festival.

I walked along the lakeside promenade, past the spot where the old casino once stood (now replaced by a modern casino), and tried to imagine that night in December 1971 when everything changed. The fire, the smoke, the chaos – and later, the musical inspiration that would reach a teenage me halfway around the world.

The Montreux Jazz Festival, which had been such a draw for Deep Purple and countless other musicians, still thrives today. The town proudly celebrates its musical heritage, with a statue of Freddie Mercury overlooking the lake and tributes to the many artists who’ve found inspiration in this Alpine paradise.

Full Circle

What struck me most was how the reality of Montreux enhanced rather than diminished the mystique I’d carried for so long. Yes, it was a real place with real people, real shops, and real daily life. But it was also everything I’d hoped it would be – a place where natural beauty and musical history intertwined in the most beautiful way.

My sons, amused by their father’s long-standing obsession with this particular Swiss town, joined me for a walk along the shoreline. As we strolled, I found myself humming that familiar riff, and for a moment, I was that teenager again, discovering Montreux through the magic of rock and roll.

The journey from first hearing “Smoke On The Water” to actually standing by those Swiss waters took fifty-two years. But some dreams are worth the wait, especially when they arrive through the most unexpected and wonderful circumstances – like a son who chose to follow a work opportunity in the shadow of the Alps, unknowingly completing a circle that began with a guitar riff and a story about smoke drifting across a lake.

Sometimes the universe has a sense of timing that’s far better than our own.