RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Dmitry Medvedev, a big heavy metal fan, has fulfilled a lifelong dream by getting to meet his favorite rock band, Deep Purple.

Classic rock bands enjoyed immense popularity in the Soviet Union, even though Soviet press in Cold War times would describe such a music as an attempt at spreading West’s “imperialist pop culture.”

The band members had tea with the Russian leader at his residence outside Moscow on Tuesday, where Medvedev told them they were his favorites since he was 12.

The 45-year-old Medvedev is known as a fan of hard rock bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, while his predecessor and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was reported to be a fan of The Beatles and ABBA.

“When I started listening to Deep Purple, I never imagined I would be sitting with you at this table,” the 45-year-old Medvedev told band members in remarks televised Wednesday.

He also revealed that as a DJ at his school in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, he would play rock music at discos, after first getting the approval of the Communist youth organization.

“We had quite a strict system then, you know,” he said.

Medvedev’s 15-year-old son Ilya, meanwhile, brought out his electric guitar and used the opportunity to jam with his dad’s favorite band, RIA Novosti news agency reported.

- AP