Bruce Dickinson’s unusual challenge: from Iron Maiden to ABBA imitator in a horror film

At 65 years old, Bruce Dickinson He says he’s in a great moment, having released the seventh album of his solo career, which he calls The Mandrake project.

Unlike his previous works, and also his great career as a singer Iron Maiden since 1981 (with some interruptions), this time the brilliant artist surprises with the sound path he chooses: it is a list of dark, heavy songs, probably not very commercial for the times, but which at the same time are a glimmer of hope for lovers of heavy and dense heavy metal, who already express conformity and gratitude to the musician through social networks and fan pages around the world.

What is striking about this great classical artist is not only his musical face, but also his wisdom in various fields of work: airline pilot, university professor, screenwriter, historian, fencer And the list goes on.

Without a doubt he is a true “one man band” who always approaches his tasks with precise objectives: the horizon is always in sight, that’s what it’s all about.

Also an actor

On the other hand, the heavy metal icon is not currently focusing only strictly on music: he has now completely immersed himself in cinema, but this time in the role of leading actor within the film’s cast. Bjorn of the Deadwhich has not yet been released.

His argument focuses on an ABBA tribute band who finds herself trapped in a nightclub at the beginning of the apocalypse. The feature film, written by Austin Dickinson, the musician’s son, and based on an original story by Andrew Prendergast, has a plot that is both funny and terrifying.

Regarding the film, Bruce adds only a few details relating to the plot: “Bjorn is the lead singer of Abbatoir, and his bandmates, Benny, AnniFrid and Agnetha. They spend their weekends performing ABBA classics in bleak venues, from nursing homes to empty pubs. Benny, the oldest member, discovers that a tribute band competition is being held at Nincy Dimey. When the band arrives to load the equipment, things start to go wrong.”

A conversation via Zoom

Survivor of a throat cancer and after a short musical break, Dickinson today translates with her words the happiness and absolute agreement for this present with an album that took her time, but which only a few weeks after its release is already a success on the platforms and also on sale in physical format.

The chat with the person who replaced Paul Di’Anno as Iron Maiden’s frontman and established himself globally with that song The name of the beast Back in the 80s, it was produced via zoom.

However, there is no possibility of seeing his eyes through the screen: the musician simply resorts to a round of questions and answers; Your name appears where your live image should actually appear. In the end it’s like a telephone conversation.

As soon as the interview begins, Bruce gets completely hooked on talking the backstage of his new album from the artistic idea and the narrative (the work also has a comic), which for him are fundamental details.

“I started thinking about a comic in 2014, but over the next seven years it took on a life of its own,” says Bruce, referring to the conceptual idea that would eventually be accompanied by music.

He adds: “At first it was just going to be a twenty-sheet comic and the album would tell the story, but as I developed the story and the characters, I realized that they couldn’t be directly connected to each other because it was very restrictive for the album sounded spectacular and the comic promised to be longer. In any case there is a relationship between one and the other.”

The aspect that stands out is having worked on the comic together with the famous screenwriter Tony Lee.

“Working with him on the screenplay we created was no small matter. As soon as I saw his stuff, I immediately thought “this guy is brilliant”, as was Staz Johnson, who did the illustrations. Ours is a strong team, I am very happy for this,” he says.

The difference with Iron Maiden

Then, after a short break, he speaks again to underline how fundamental it is for him to record with the same musicians he worked with from the previous album within his solo format.

“Slightly different in terms of interpretation and narration and also style, there are also different registers, but I don’t deny that it generates something concise to carry out a work with people you trust”.

Likewise, in parallel, the musician adds an analysis on his solo career and his work as frontman of Iron Maiden:

“What are the differences between making a solo album and working with Maiden? The answer is simple, this is not the iron maiden, here you are aware that it has a style to respect, a legacy, a history and an everything. After all, all I have to respect with my solo material is the authenticity of the voice in terms of the song and the way it is presented,” she points out.

At the same time, he further argues this idea of ​​himself and his search for comfort in the artistic field.

“I’ll give you a concrete example: there’s the song Resurrection Menwhich I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it sounds like the beginning of some kind of Quentin Tarantino movie and that makes me really proud, I’m happy, it makes me very happy,” he boasts.

Surviving cancer

More than a decade ago, the news that Dickinson was suffering from throat cancer sent shockwaves through the heavy metal world.

The truth was this he fought and survivedhe returned to the stage and recorded new albums.

After his recovery and in the midst of promotional interviews for the album The Book of Soulsthe singer released his version of how he contracted that damn cancer: “The cause was a virus, the human papillomavirus,” he explained.

Regarding those years of illness, the singer responds in a somewhat evasive way.

“From that moment I prefer to see everything only from a distance, because throat cancer came, then I felt better and immediately we went on tour like crazy, then came The Book of Souls“It was the precise moment I started making that album, now something like a distant memory,” he says and asks for silence for a few seconds.

Screenplays for the cinema

On the other hand, in the midst of all the artistic bustle and after his recovery, he immediately focused on new challenges that caused discussion, as in the case of the film Chemical weddingwhose authorship of the screenplay was his, in terms of comedy, horror and science fiction.

“The truth is, those are just experiences. It’s like someone wanted to write a screenplay about me. At the same time, I’m working on another script at the moment. Today I prefer to focus on what we bring to the stage, on some kind of reality. And the reality is the music. That’s all. I mean, this is my reality. I mean, six people doing everything, giving everything, that’s the great script today, but it was good, why not say it, “she explains with some reservations.

Apparently Dickinson, despite all his other activities, He never stops combining his life with music. To the point that when asked who he would be willing to play with, he immediately gives a scoop.

“I’m interested in those who have a disruptive spirit, as is the case with Trent Reznor, lead singer of Nine Inch Nails. I think it would be cool to meet him just because he recorded one of the greatest songs ever recorded by an artist in history. I mean, when Johnny Cash did his version of your song Bad”, he enthuses.

And goes on: “It would be cool to sit in a room with Trent Reznor and just talk about how he does what he does, what his motivations are. I like it when you can meet people without working, exchange ideas and get inspiration from them.”

Current recital prices

As for analyzing the music industry and changes in the way we listen to songs, Dickinson has ambiguous ideas.

“I would welcome the new generations into my analogue world, it would be a shock for them”, he lets out a long laugh and continues.

“They should think of music as a 50-minute piece to be enjoyed from start to finish. Listening to a complete album is the only way to understand it. Then you can choose which song to listen to, but at least once you have to listen to it in its entirety, without interruptions, without distractions, sitting on a sofa in front of your music system,” she argues.

In another sense, the English singer-songwriter presents his vision of the market and how much does it cost to get a ticket for a show today in every corner of the planet.

“First of all it depends on the show in question and the audience attending. Let’s see, most artists get paid well. For example, the U2 show in Las Vegas cost $1,200 including an exclusive VIP package. What matters is maintaining a type of ticket at an adequate price, at least this is my criterion”, he takes a breath, reflects and takes up his idea again.

“The tickets near the stage, the ones that everyone says should be more expensive, in reality for me they should be the most reasonably priced tickets, because those who can go there are the real fans, people made up of children, people who cannot afford money crazy people. “They are the ones who will keep the music alive.”

-What do you think of artists like Taylor Swift, Bud Bunny or Miley Cyrus, who intertwine the musical with the media, achieving positive results?

-Each to their own. I know I’m famous when I show up to do a show. But I don’t walk around in a t-shirt saying, “Hey, I’m famous!” It’s not my method. I like to be as anonymous as possible off stage. Because for me everything revolves around the stage when I talk about music, when I sing or if I write; obviously it is private and therefore I make it public.

I am convinced of one thing: fame is a byproduct of creativity.

-Finally, are you planning a tour in Latin America to present the new material?

-The tour is currently touring Great Britain, France and other European countries. Of course there will be dates for Latin America, we will be in Mexico and Brazil, the tour would end, in principle, also in the city of Sao Paulo. Dates will definitely be added as the months go by.