In an interview by the time of the release of Chemical Wedding (1998), Bruce Dickinson talked about how he composes his songs, his anxiety to go on stage and the person who inspired the song Tattooed Millionaire (and that person is not who you think).
ZN 84 Bruce Dickinson Interview
ZN: Hello Bruce. You'll go on tour with your new album "Chemical
Wedding" in November. Which countries are on the program?
BD: It's a worldwide tour. We start in Helsinki, then come to Central
Europe and continue the tour after Christmas in Japan, South and North America.
ZN: Pink Cream 69 is on the road with you. Will they support you on the
entire tour?
BD: No, they are only doing the European part,
they are not going to be part of Scandinavia either.
ZN: Which of your albums has sold best so far?
BD: Oh, I should know that, but ... I think it was
"Tattooed Millionaire".
ZN: You've been very long in this hard music
business. How did you manage to survive this business without being damaged?
Other musicians take drugs or drink to death, but you look dazzling.
BD: Thank you, this is an illusion! I live very
well, never had any deaths or so and I have no appetite to destroy myself.
ZN: We learned from your agency that you came here
by plane and that you flew it yourself. How long have you been flying?
BD: Six years. I am using a rented plane here. I
use the airplane when I am on tour and have now 1200 hours of flight practice.
ZN: As far as I remember, you are very fond of it.
BD: Right, whenever I have the opportunity, but
this is not so often since I am the father of three children, which means a lot
to me. My leisure time is very limited. I was now three months away from home
to make the new disc. Now I am on a promo tour, I am perhaps, if I care
carefully, two days a week at home, which is very hard.
ZN: Where do you live?
BD: I've been living in London for 18 years.
ZN: Where were you born?
BD: Near Sheffield / England.
ZN: Have you ever taken singing lessons?
BD: No, but that does not mean I'm not dealing
with it. Of course, I talked with people about it. I also read a lot about singing
and I have analyzed the voices of my favorite singers.
ZN: And who are your favorite singers?
BD: Oh, there are a lot of singers who I like.
Arthur Brown, Ian Gillan, Paul Rodgers, and Robert Plant. When I started to
sing, I naturally tried to copy these singers and I think these singers still
affect all rock singers in any way.
ZN: How is it for you today when you meet one of
your earlier idols?
BD: Well, I'm not speechless or something like
that when I meet Gillan or Plant. Over the years, I have developed my own style
and found my own identity. I'm doing my thing.
ZN: Can you actually write notes or how do you
compose?
BD: No, I cannot make any notes at all. I keep
melodies in my head and as soon as I have a text, I do not forget them. Then I
sing the idea to the band so that they can get a picture, and then we go to
the studio and take the whole thing.
ZN: What did you actually do before you were
famous?
BD: I've studied History and finished this course.
ZN: In a press release I read that you have now
founded your own record company.
BD: Right. Air Raid Records. All the companies I
have been up to now were shit in any way. When my last record company suddenly
had financial problems, I saw the time had come to take the thing itself into
my hands.
ZN: Do other bands also have the chance to be
contracted by you?
BD: Maybe.
ZN: What conditions do a band have to fulfill to
get a deal with you?
BD: The music of the band has to put up my neck
hair. The band must be so horny that I think, I must buy the record absolutely.
Nevertheless, there are not many of them.
ZN: What records have you been listening to
lately?
BD: The new Garbage, the new Monster Magnet as
well as the acoustic Medieval Disc by Ritchie Blackmore.
ZN: As far as I know, Ritchie is on tour with this
album.
BD: What, in Germany, in the vicinity? I have to
go there! I even pay entrance! Does he play tonight?
ZN: We do not know the exact date.
BD: I have to see that! It is a wonderful album.
ZN: What has changed for you since your exit Iron
Maiden?
BD: I'm trying to keep the gigs as small as
possible, because I cannot afford to have millions of people around me who tell
me how great I am and all this bullshit. I love to keep things small, compact
and powerful, although this of course means less security. Maiden has a great
piece of security. You can hide behind Iron Maiden. However, I can hide behind
nobody and certainly not behind my own name. All that counts is to make a good
record, otherwise I'm not doing well.
ZN: When you go on the stage, are you still
nervous?
BD: Yes, from time to time. What I like is that
feeling right before the performance. I sometimes cannot wait to enter the
stage.
ZN: When you're on tour, do you get anything from
the cities you're in?
BD: Yes, of course. I have lived in Germany for a
while.
ZN: And where?
BD: In Bonn and in Munich, I had girlfriends
there. Unfortunately, I speak little German, but many people in this country
speak the English language well. So I was never forced to speak German.
ZN: Is your song "Tattooed Millionaire"
an allusion to your former band mates of Iron Maiden?
BD: No, not at all, this one is dedicated to Axl
Rose. He is a...
ZN: Why?
BD: I have never met such a selfish and ruthless
person as he is.
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