Metal Rules!!
IRON MAIDEN Interview
With Bruce Dickinson
Interview
by David Lee, January 2000
Bruce Dickinson is one of the more entertaining
personalities to speak with in this business and never more so than when
he is "feeling his way." The celebrating in the IRON
MAIDEN camp must have been furious this week. The happiness
with this new Millennial MAIDEN is intoxicating in and of itself but
when Bruce has obviously been with the grape; well that makes for an
altogether different interview. Not one to hold out from peer
pressure (or for lack of a better excuse!) I popped myself a can of suds
or six and got to the point, as much as was possible by the end of this
drunken verbal marathon we were on. Fact is, there is quite a bit
of business in both the Bruce Dickinson and IRON MAIDEN camps, time to
get serious.
Dickinson has recently released yet another solo album,
this time a live disc, and as faithful metalheads would expect from
Bruce, it is top shelf material all the way. Representing the
largest portion of setlists from concerts in several Brazilian cities,
"SCREAM FOR ME BRAZIL" showcases the Bruce Dickinson Band at
their rocking best. No MAIDEN numbers here, the focus is on solo
material, as Dickinson will explain, there was no need to because he is
once again back with MAIDEN. So, what we have here are songs
representing the best of Dickinson's solo catalogue performed in front
of a teaming arena of crazed Brazilian metalheads. The tour book
sized CD insert documents it all and is itself so incredibly well done
that special mention should be made of it and, I guess, just has been!
Kudos to the art director for the mass of photos and other documentation
included.
In addition to the live solo record, issued under
Dickinson's own AIR RAID RECORDS imprint, there are to be several other
releases. At least three SAMSON releases that feature Dickinson,
the reappearance of the "METAL FOR MUTHAS" series and a
compilation of rare and unreleased solo tracks and by years end another
solo studio album, whew! Combine all that with a full-blown MAIDEN
album/tour cycle and it looks to be yet another busy year for Mr.
Dickinson to say the least.
Bruce phoned in from France where he was finishing up
the new MAIDEN epic. We covered a lot of ground as the hour we had
planned to speak slipped into two and then quite nearly three.
Here are a few feet of that territory, as for me, next stop is the
aspirin bottle.
Metal Rules!!
Are you still in Paris recording?
BRUCE DICKINSON
We are in fact still in Paris, yes.
Metal Rules!!
What are you recording?
BD
The new IRON MAIDEN record.
Metal Rules!!
Oh, I thought that you guys were still rehearsing and writing
that one.
BD
Oh, no, no, no, no. That is why a few of these interviews have
gone slightly awry, because every now and again there has been the odd
conflict of interest between interviews because of the IRON MAIDEN
record and I am a bit long winded. (laughs)
Metal Rules!!
With the end of your relationship with CMC International and the
forming of your own label I am thinking that you are going to buy back
the records you did with them and re-release them, am I right on
this?
BD
No. They want too much money.
Metal Rules!!
In time will you get them back?
BD
I would love to get my records back but the thing about all of these
guys is that, my experience so far has been that they are not interested
in doing sensible deals. They are just like bloodsuckers and they
just want to chisel as much cash out of you as they can. All I am
interested in doing is making new records so why should I buy back my
old records? I mean, if they are selling records on my behalf, they have
to pay me and that is fantastic. On the other hand, why should I
part company with a big chunk of money which would pay for me to make a
new record? I have got to be kind of realistic about the whole
deal. The important thing for me is that I can make new solo
records and IRON MAIDEN records as well. Spending stupid
amounts of cash buying my old records back, I mean, as long as they are
releasing the records and people are free to buy them, I am happy.
If they are not doing that then they are probably in breech of some kind
of contract or something and words like, "Lawsuit" fall to
mind. I don't know, it is really not occupying my mind terribly at
the moment. The most important thing that is occupying my mind at
the moment is my live album and the new IRON MAIDEN album.
Metal Rules!!
I was looking at the back of this record and I noticed that it was
"Air CD 4", what were the other three or did you start at
number four?
BD
No, we have Air CD 1 was "THE CHEMICAL WEDDING" and then we
had "TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE" and "BALLS TO PICASSO and then
this one. We are going to have four SAMSON CDs released next year
along with "METAL FOR MUTHAS 1 + 2" which were the original
albums that started the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Also next
year I am going to release an album called "CATACOMBS" which
will be a sort of compilation of unreleased and rare footage from the
last ten years.
Metal Rules!!
Is this stuff that was sitting on tape and was finished or stuff
that was incomplete that you are now completing?
BD
No, actually not even. For example, the very first version of
"Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter."
Metal Rules!!
With Janick from the soundtrack of "NIGHTMARE ON ELM
STREET?"
BD
Yeah with Janick but this one was never released. And then an
entire album that was never released that was recorded with Keith Olson
plus various versions of other songs. There are about a half a
dozen songs that were recorded during "ACCIDENT OF BIRTH" and
"CHEMICAL WEDDING" that were never released.
Metal Rules!!
They just didn't make the cut?
BD
We didn't even have the time to finish them actually and I finished some
of them up last year and we decided that they were pretty cool songs.
Metal Rules!!
It seems as though you are going through another prolific spurt in
your career?
BD
It is true, I did but the prolific spurt has passed. (laughs) I
have spurted my prolificness! I have squirted my whatever from the
whatever, the acatalectic record of mankind and have decided to repose
myself until after the new IRON MAIDEN record. (laughs)
Metal Rules!!
You have to give yourself a bit of a refractory period?(laughs)
|
" I shall no
longer be known as the prism; I shall be known now as "that
strange collection of rainbow looking bollocks that appears in the
distance."" |
BD
Refractory! Yes, what a good word! I shall refract myself, yes, I
shall no longer be known as the prism; I shall be known now as
"that strange collection of rainbow looking bollocks that appears
in the distance." (laughs) Yes, what were we talking about?
Metal Rules!!
(Laughing) I think you were on about needing a break until after the
MAIDEN thing is finished.
BD
I am taking a break but not a huge break because the MAIDEN record is
actually happening right now and I am recording it as we speak, well not
right as we speak but close. (laughs) I will be out by next spring
so really we are talking about a new solo record 'round about the year
2001 which sound like a good giggle to me really, it sounds like good
fun. Especially if between boughts of drunkenness you can occasionally
achieve sobriety and being a musician, which is marvelous.
Metal Rules!!
It is all in the timing. . .
BD
That is right but it is tremendously difficult! (laughs)
Metal Rules!!
Is it too far off to say whether it will be a Roy Z type of
Dickinson
solo album?
BD
Oh, no I definitely want to work with Roy. A lot of people have
asked me if the band will be largely the same and the only answer that I
can give is "Well, I hope so." I can't give guarantees
only because I don't know whether they are interested or not. I
mean, I hope that they will be terribly enthusiastic and that includes
Adrian (Smith) but my guess is that at least some of them will have
musical lives of their own which is perfectly fine and that gives me
tremendous encouragement and optimism for the human race in general,
that people choose to go off and do their own things.
Metal Rules!!
The solo band is not on any type of salary at this time, I would
guess, and therefore they do have to find some way to eat while that
band is inactive?
BD
Yeah. Although I guess that the salary that they get when they are
working with me is, like, it beats working at McDonalds so it has got
some things going for it. A lot of the guys do a lot of good stuff
with other musical projects and, you know, they are very good players.
Even the guys that are not the Roy Z's of this world, like Dave and
Eddie, they do really well as musicians.
Metal Rules!!
The track listing from this live album is pretty heavily form
"THE CHEMICAL WEDDING," is that close to being representative
of the actual live show, minus the MAIDEN numbers?
BD
Well, all we did was took the existing live show that we were doing
normally through the whole world and removed the IRON MAIDEN tracks and
the "TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE" tracks. The reason that we
did that is because we didn't need to do the IRON MAIDEN tracks because
I am already in IRON MAIDEN! (laughs) It is as simple as that.
Metal Rules!!
What about the stuff from "TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE?"
BD
The "TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE" stuff has already been covered, in
a sense, because there was a live video and also it was also, of all the
albums that I have ever done I have always felt that "TATTOOED
MILLIONAIRE" is the odd one out. Although it is a good album
it is just a little strange. It is the unusual one.
Metal Rules!!
Is that possibly due to the fact that it was recorded when you were
still a functioning member of IRON MAIDEN?
BD
Yeah. Well, I recorded that album largely, well, I suppose it is
fair to say that we were a little derivative when we recorded that
album. We had
|
"99%
of my life is shit, with IRON MAIDEN, with my solo stuff, whatever
it is but if I am really lucky 1% of it will be a little weenie
bit of genius and that is the bit that sustains it all." |
two weeks to write the album and the album was
commissioned by a publishing company who said "Wow, this
"Bring Your Daughter tot he Slaughter" stuff is terrific, do
you have any more?" And I lied and said "Yes!"
I said "I have loads of this stuff." And so I called
Janick and went "Janick we have to write another album of this
shit, quick!" and he said "What shall we do?"
"Oh well, we will write sort of a freak sort of tune and a ROLLING
STONES kind of a tune and an AC/DC kind of a tune and we will just have
a laugh because these guys just have loads of money and they will pay
for us to make a record so just shut up and have a laugh!" So we
did! So, two weeks one summer we had a great laugh and made a
terrifically fun sounding record and unfortunately everybody took it
seriously. Everybody was like, "Aha! The singer from IRON
MAIDEN has made a new solo record and it sounds like this." I
was like "No, you don't understand, I didn't take this record
terribly seriously." There are odd tracks that I think,
"Oh, that is cool." I actually think that "Tattooed
Millionaire" is actually a really good pop metal track and I think
that "Born in 58" is a great tune as well and "Gypsy
Road" I like and things like that. There are a lot of stuff
on the record that I am thinking is generic but actually it is just as
good as everybody else who is putting stuff out at the time. If I
were to sit there in judgment, like the great and Powerful Oz, I would
go, "A lot of this album is kind of generic so you are condemned to
the pit of Generic hell!" I have this theory that is very
brutal and I call it "99% is shit!" This goes for every
aspect of human endeavor which is 99% of everything that we ever do is
shit and the tiny 1% of originality is the only thing that keeps us
going. I don't mean that 99% of everybody's life is worthless but
it is shit. It is the same shit that we all have to do. 99%
of my life is shit, with IRON MAIDEN, with my solo stuff, whatever it is
but if I am really lucky 1% of it will be a little weenie bit of genius
and that is the bit that sustains it all.
Metal Rules!!
You are living for that 1% then?
BD
I am just living for that 1%.
Metal Rules!!
But working for the weekend? (laughs)
BD
Yeah, precisely! Yes, a LOVERBOY quote! Working for the
headband! (laughs) Living for the skin graft!
Metal Rules!!
I am sorry, that just slipped out, I don't know what came over me!
(laughs).
BD
That is quite alright. (laughs)
Metal Rules!!
Let me jump off topic for the rest of the time we have, I know that
you are very much into science fiction and I have always meant to ask
you about a bit of English sci-fi that I am really into, DR. WHO.
BD
Oh, fantastic!
Metal Rules!!
Having grown up being able to watch that show every week was there a
particular Doctor that you like over the rest?
BD
Yes, there several actually, Patrick Troughton with the Daleks,
"The Invasion of the Cybermen" series, "Death to the
Daleks" and basically anything with Cybermen and Daleks in
it. That was my big trip. I have a Dalek in my house, you
know.
Metal Rules!!
No, a real one from the show?
BD
Yeah. I have it in my hallway. I found it in this second
hand magazine and it was on sale, I won't even tell you how much money I
paid for it because it is really sad and embarrassing! (laughs) I
remember talking to Martin Birch about it and going "I am really
sad and embarrassed about this but I am going to pay this for a Dalek."
And he turned 'round and went "A Dalek? A real Dalek?
You have got to do it!" So I went and got the money out of the cash
point and went and paid the guy cash for this Dalek. It is
absolutely awesome.
Metal Rules!!
Is it a rolling model?
BD
Oh, yes. It is a real full size Dalek and you can get into it.
You have to be a real midget to get into it but my oldest kid can get
into it and he walks around and operates it. The head moves and
the little eye moves and he goes "EXTERMINATE ALL
TEACHERS!!!"(Laughs)
Metal Rules!!
How did you get it home? Did you have it delivered or did you
have to put it in the passenger seat for the drive home?
BD
I had to stuff it in three sections in the back of a car and you should
have seen the looks! I was driving and all of a sudden people
would see this Dalek stareing at them out of the back of this 4X4 and
they would be going "Oh my god it is a Dalek!"
Metal Rules!!
It must be hell getting replacement parts.
BD
Yeah, well you know.(laughs)
Metal Rules!!
Alright, back on topic now, the title of the CD, "SCREAM FOR ME
BRAZIL," has that phrase become the equivalent of "everything
louder than everything else" for Bruce Dickinson?
BD
Yeah, pretty much. It is like "Scream for me Long
Beach!" except it is Brazil.
Metal Rules!!
I think that you used exactly that phrase when you were last in town
with MAIDEN and it got a great reaction.
BD
Oh, I have said it several times, it has become my catch phrase.
Metal Rules!!
At the end of the day it seems that Bruce Dickinson is quite a happy
fellow?
BD
It rocks! I am still going to continue doing solo records, the new
IRON MAIDEN album is going to sound unbelievable, honestly it will be
really, really good.
Metal Rules!!
Is this a real, real classic metal record?
BD
Oh, better than that. I mean, I don't even think that you can call
IRON MAIDEN 100% real metal. IRON MAIDEN is beyond that and always
has been. That is one of the things that America has always had a
problem with but right now we might be moving to a point where by
America may actually understand what MAIDEN is all about. We'll
see.
©2000 Metal Rules!!