Sent
By David L Wilson :
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.
DAVID
LEE Are you still in Paris recording?
BRUCE
DICKINSON We are in fact still in Paris, yes.
DL
What are you recording?
BD
The new IRON MAIDEN record.
DL
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)
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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."
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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)
DL
You have to give yourself a bit of a refractory period?(laughs)
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?
DL
(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.
DL
It is all in the timing. . .
BD
That is right but it is tremendously difficult!(laughs)
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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 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 judgement,
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.
DL
You are living for that 1% then?
BD
I am just living for that 1%.
DL
But working for the weekend?(laughs)
BD
Yeah, precisely! Yes, a LOVERBOY quote! Working for the
headband!(laughs)
Living for the skin graft!
DL
I am sorry, that just slipped out, I don't know what came over
me!(laughs)
BD
That is quite alright.(laughs)
DL
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!
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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)
DL
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!"
DL
It must be hell getting replacement parts.
BD
Yeah, well you know.(laughs)
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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.
DL
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.
DAVID
LEE WILSON
IAN
SCOTT ENTERTAINMENT
9773
SANDYPOINTE
FAIR
HAVEN, MI USA 48023
810-725-6471