1) From: Alucard
Question: What do you think about the new Iron Maiden album?
I am immensely proud of our new album. Steve always says l am like an expectant father whilst they are recording and l always dread hearing a new album for the first time - in case l don't like it!! And they will never let me hear it until its finished. No-one hears a Maiden album before its finished except the band, Kevin and the studio engineers. Of course l always have thought some of our albums are stronger than others, as one would, but that varies person to person. What l found difficult first time with this was that there was no real standout track - because they are all so strong, so well played, so interesting and so well arranged. Every time you play it you get more into it and find a new favourite. And there are no fillers. On most of our albums l have thought a certain track was weaker, although l would sometimes find it was someone else's favourite. We all have differing tastes. On this one it really is a fantastic ride for the whole 70min plus, and l always get off most on the long tracks where the band can really extend themselves musically - and there are loads of long tracks on this album. Also the sound quality is stunning presumably as its now Kevin's third album with us and it just gets better as the band and Kevin get to know each other more and work more instinctively. This was recorded fairly quickly - we finished well before the expected time - and that's partly because its so live. l guarantee it, you are gonna love it. But l suppose l would say that wouldn't l, but believe me its true.
2) From: eddie_rules
Question: What serious advice would you give to any young band who are hoping to, one day, be as big as Iron Maiden and what kind of contacts are vital for such a band to have? Thank you.
Its much easier now in some ways for a new band due to the web. Demo a song, take a pic, maybe do a home video and put it up. There are sites - you probably know them better than I do - which are just great for this and you can start building a following. Of course this is down to the songs and for any rock band being good live - and being seen live - is vital. Contacts are always useful as they speed up the process by securing a gig , an interview or an introduction to a label. But most bands who make it have someone in the band to do be the initial driving force so if you are in a band be that driving force. Get yourself up on the web and hassle the local club/school/party and get yourself on stage. Everyone starts somewhere. Of course if there is someone around you with a few contacts that always helps if you can enlist their help, but if you really are good don't worry as if you have the energy and will to get yourself started locally on gigs and get some music and stuff on the web and maybe a bit in the local press you will be surprised how quickly that contact comes along. But then you have to make sure they are the right one - best advice, look them right in the eye when they are telling you what they can do for you.
3. From: Gummi_47
Question: Rod... if (or when), Iron Maiden decide to retire, what will you do??
Will you continue working in the business, or will you simply follow the boys to a simpler way of life?
When Maiden stop, l stop. I only manage Maiden although l do help out where l can with the managers of some of our newer acts like Funeral for a Friend and Bullet for my Valentine, and in Europe for our American managers on Slipknot , Mastodon and others. l do like working with great new bands but don't want to do all the travel that comes with it and all the time it takes. So l guess l have it quite good really. l do enjoy managing Maiden and always have and always get a kick out of the shows even though l see them a lot. When they finally hang up their guitars - and no l have no idea when but it will be a while as we are all really enjoying the less demanding schedules we work to now - there will still be Maiden stuff to do both with ongoing catalogue and tying up any loose ends and releasing final material. This could go on forever but if the fans are still interested that's fine by me. l will always be in touch with all the band as after all these years it really is family. But l guess l will get bored just working on record stuff and will drive them mad to go out and do some gigs again - that really is the best bit.
4) From: GhostofCain
Question: How do you choose the countries to play at?
On a tour like the end of this year its really down to the band telling me how long they wish to tour for and then my trying to use the time as effectively as possible to get them in front of as many fans as possible. Its not really about cities or countries, its really about getting to as many fans as we can in the time we have. And we really don't waste this because as you can see most of the shows are already sold out and in the main arenas. It means too that we want as many shows in the period as is reasonable to play properly so geography does come into it. If we can do 2 shows to a total of say 25,000 fans in an area in 3 days say as opposed to one somewhere else to 13,000 in those 3 days due to travel logistics, we will go for the 2. We announced some time ago that the tours would be shorter (although more regular) and some places would by the nature of things be missed out, we spent 20 years trying to get to everyone and playing long, long tours. Now we try to conserve the energy and treat every show as a major event which was hard when there were 100+ shows in a schedule. The tour length we do now works for us. l know it can disappoint but we do feel its the fairest way and we do try to balance things from tour to tour to try to get back most countries on a fairly regular basis. So if we aren't your way this time maybe next time but sorry no promises. We do our best to please as many as we can!!
5) From: GhostofCain
Question: Dear Rod,
I am a Spanish Iron Maiden that has been following the band during the last 15 years. This year I was really looking forward to the chance of flying with Bruce to one show but I must say that the high price has made it impossible. Do you know what are the reasons for the huge increase of the flight price compared to Bruce Airs of previous years? I guess that this initiative won't be a profitable one (I assume that it will cover the costs) as that would be really disappointing and will place Maiden among Kiss, Aerosmith and Motley Crue and their platinum tickets and corporate shit. I really hope that is not the case here, as it wouldn't make sense after all these years of the ""Maiden care for their fans"" message that we have been given.
I am really looking forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for your Maiden loyalty these past 15 years, and I am sorry the touring schedule did not allow Bruce to incorporate a Bruce Air flight from/to Spain.
For your info, these latest two trips (Gatwick to Stockholm, and Stockholm to Milan) were based not only on Bruce's availability but those of the aeroplane. Sadly Stockholm is one of the most expensive gateways in Europe, and this is reflected in the price of both trips - which this year include hotels, and in the case of Milan - 2 admission tickets to the Maiden show. You might not be aware, but the previous BA 666 flights were to relatively inexpensive cities to fly to (Dublin and Reykjavik) and were in and out the same day so did not involve standing time for the airplane or incur hotel or extensive transfer costs.
As it happens, we were not involved in the set up of the first trip (to Dublin) which was not priced properly and ended up making a loss for Bruce, so any comparison with this trip is not valid.
Bruce Air is Bruce's passion (and not related to Iron Maiden the band). Nicko as a fellow pilot joined the Iceland and Ireland trips last year and made a very big impression with all the passengers. In his absence this year, Bruce wanted to avoid comparative disappointment and so devised the idea of having a photo on stage with him (not the other band members) and the passengers before the venue doors opened. As advance entry to the hall to facilitate the photos had been organised, it made sense to keep the passengers there and let them have advance access to the security barrier. This advance stage barrier access is something that is still on offer to 60 existing fan club members (plus a friend) for all the European shows via a special lottery which will be run out of the Fan Club in August.
Until we have a take up on the tickets (and this is why deposits are subject to a travelling assessment at the end of this month) we wont be in a position to know how much margin there is in the flight. Breakeven for the trips is close to capacity but, Bruce was very keen to offer as much special value for money as he can, which is why the ticket price also includes a special Bruce Air Goodie Bag, which will be compiled nearer the event. In essence, the more seats sold, the better the goodie bag.
I do hope this makes sense to you. Its very disappointing that you would even think Maiden would follow the path indicated in you last few lines. Its just not the way we do things, l am always getting hassled to start “golden circles” and “premium bloody tickets” and we put both in the same box as Reality bloody TV. We want our fans to be able to afford to be at the front – see a later question on tickets is Germany too.
PYTANIA I ODPOWIEDZI: Rod Smallwood
Moderator: Administracja i Moderacja SanktuariuM
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WICKER MAN
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Re: PYTANIA I ODPOWIEDZI: Rod Smallwood
6) From: WrathGirl666
Question: What was your reaction towards the b-side "Sheriff of Huddersfield"?
l was living in LA at the time and the band managed to have all my staff and all EMI put this together on the single without me knowing so it genuinely was a real surprise. The band all thought l should get back to the UK, which of course l later did having had a lot of fun in LA while being based there to beat up the label to break us in America, which we also managed to do (our label at that time Capitol was based there). l guess the single was an affectionate request for me to come home, though some of the other stuff is obviously libelous and legal action is still pending, although moments of revenge have appeared now and again over the years.
7) Name: Queen of Hearts
Question: Since you're on the road a lot with the guys, how does that affect your family & the life with them?
Must be tough being apart for such an amount of time.
I admire you & your business-skills!
The travelling and being away from the family isn't too bad. We don't tour now for the long periods we used to. I always go to the first few shows to ensure everything is working fine and looks good production-wise. We sometimes make adjustments to the set we play and the production during these first few shows as you don't always know what really works until you see/hear it, so l like to be there to supervise and have an input into that. From there on l will go out to most of the major gigs but of course the way we now tour they are nearly all major gigs. But we do keep to a sensible schedule as we don't want to burn out - every show is so important. In Europe we often fly back after the show going to the airport straight off stage so if we have say 2 gigs in Europe together l would for example leave home around 2 the day of the first show and be home say 2 in the morning the day after so the kids don't really notice l am gone especially if they are at school.
8 ) From: gor
Question: Will the smaller VHS releases be rereleased IN THEIR ENTIRETY? I am talking about Behind The Iron Curtain and 12 Wasted Years. Many fans want to have them on DVD as much as all the major VHS which are going to be transferred on DVD.
It is certainly our intention that these will both be used in the appropriate part of the history series along with a lot of other stuff too of course. We would expect to have part 2 available towards the end of next year.
9) From: CaMaiden
Question: As the manager of Iron Maiden what was one of your proudest moments of the band?
Its obviously great to have number 1 albums but l always get a much bigger kick out of the live end. In all this probably the proudest moment is unusual as it could have been so negative. This was when the band defied all the bullshit of turning off our PA and the wankers who were planted at the front to throw stuff at us at Ozzfest San Bernardino last year. Through all the interruptions the band stood their ground and ploughed on through the set despite all the distractions. All the crap just made them more and more angry and determined and the performance was immense, one of our best ever. I was also proud of the fans, the huge crowd who were also immense giving us incredible support and singing on, especially in Hallowed after the power was cut one of the times. They were a credit to metal fans everywhere and showed what they thought of the pathetic antics by many leaving. Despite the frustration and bullshit there was no violence or stupid behaviour. l think the kids respected the fact that Maiden didn't want that and didn't want anyone hurt.
Besides this, the most memorable shows are often the really big ones where a sea of people are getting off on the music. Normally l am on the mixing desk at our shows but at the big shows l go on stage so l can see the audience. It always make me very proud to see the joy and commitment of so many fans. So l guess the top 3 of all these shows would be Donington 1988, Rock in Rio 2001 and Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg last year.
10) From: The Artificer
Question: Hullo Rod: pleasure to talk to you. I live next to a village in Cheshire called ""Smallwood""
). Anyway, my question is this: we all know the band like various sports and have hobbies like fishing, conjuring tricks and so on, but what does ROD do to chill out? What's your favourite pastime whilst trying to escape from the busy schedule of keeping those boys in order?
My family keeps me sane, my wife Kathy and four kids Tom 15, Ben 14, Laura 13 and Jake 9 - well, most of the time anyway. When l get chance l play golf occasionally (hopefully a few rounds with Nicko and Dave on tour) and every year l do a charity bike ride. These usually take about 10 days and so far l have undertaken these in Kenya, Russia, Egypt, China and Vietnam/Cambodia. It’s a real mental break and its great to see parts of the world we don't get to touring. Glad to say the band are generous sponsors!! My obsession is probably rugby. l used to play a lot but retired effectively when we really hit the road full on in the early eighties. I go to all the England home games and went to the World Cup final in Sydney in 03 - which of course we won!! Cricket is always a big interest too, especially being a Yorkshireman (had the great pleasure to spend time with Geoff Boycott last year - a great occasion!) Not much into football though much to Steve's bemusement - England world cup performance was as lame as l expected it to be. Bring on Martin Johnson!! Also an evening down the pub is always welcome of course but l was never much of a clubber. And like everyone else l probably spend too much time in the evening at home watching TV – some good current stuff is Boston Legal, Waking the Dead, CSI (but not Miami as they have that stupid girl in it) and especially My Name is Earl (if you haven’t seen it you have to check it out!). Looking forward to the new 24 DVD too.
Question: What was your reaction towards the b-side "Sheriff of Huddersfield"?
l was living in LA at the time and the band managed to have all my staff and all EMI put this together on the single without me knowing so it genuinely was a real surprise. The band all thought l should get back to the UK, which of course l later did having had a lot of fun in LA while being based there to beat up the label to break us in America, which we also managed to do (our label at that time Capitol was based there). l guess the single was an affectionate request for me to come home, though some of the other stuff is obviously libelous and legal action is still pending, although moments of revenge have appeared now and again over the years.
7) Name: Queen of Hearts
Question: Since you're on the road a lot with the guys, how does that affect your family & the life with them?
Must be tough being apart for such an amount of time.
I admire you & your business-skills!
The travelling and being away from the family isn't too bad. We don't tour now for the long periods we used to. I always go to the first few shows to ensure everything is working fine and looks good production-wise. We sometimes make adjustments to the set we play and the production during these first few shows as you don't always know what really works until you see/hear it, so l like to be there to supervise and have an input into that. From there on l will go out to most of the major gigs but of course the way we now tour they are nearly all major gigs. But we do keep to a sensible schedule as we don't want to burn out - every show is so important. In Europe we often fly back after the show going to the airport straight off stage so if we have say 2 gigs in Europe together l would for example leave home around 2 the day of the first show and be home say 2 in the morning the day after so the kids don't really notice l am gone especially if they are at school.
8 ) From: gor
Question: Will the smaller VHS releases be rereleased IN THEIR ENTIRETY? I am talking about Behind The Iron Curtain and 12 Wasted Years. Many fans want to have them on DVD as much as all the major VHS which are going to be transferred on DVD.
It is certainly our intention that these will both be used in the appropriate part of the history series along with a lot of other stuff too of course. We would expect to have part 2 available towards the end of next year.
9) From: CaMaiden
Question: As the manager of Iron Maiden what was one of your proudest moments of the band?
Its obviously great to have number 1 albums but l always get a much bigger kick out of the live end. In all this probably the proudest moment is unusual as it could have been so negative. This was when the band defied all the bullshit of turning off our PA and the wankers who were planted at the front to throw stuff at us at Ozzfest San Bernardino last year. Through all the interruptions the band stood their ground and ploughed on through the set despite all the distractions. All the crap just made them more and more angry and determined and the performance was immense, one of our best ever. I was also proud of the fans, the huge crowd who were also immense giving us incredible support and singing on, especially in Hallowed after the power was cut one of the times. They were a credit to metal fans everywhere and showed what they thought of the pathetic antics by many leaving. Despite the frustration and bullshit there was no violence or stupid behaviour. l think the kids respected the fact that Maiden didn't want that and didn't want anyone hurt.
Besides this, the most memorable shows are often the really big ones where a sea of people are getting off on the music. Normally l am on the mixing desk at our shows but at the big shows l go on stage so l can see the audience. It always make me very proud to see the joy and commitment of so many fans. So l guess the top 3 of all these shows would be Donington 1988, Rock in Rio 2001 and Ullevi Stadium Gothenburg last year.
10) From: The Artificer
Question: Hullo Rod: pleasure to talk to you. I live next to a village in Cheshire called ""Smallwood""
). Anyway, my question is this: we all know the band like various sports and have hobbies like fishing, conjuring tricks and so on, but what does ROD do to chill out? What's your favourite pastime whilst trying to escape from the busy schedule of keeping those boys in order?My family keeps me sane, my wife Kathy and four kids Tom 15, Ben 14, Laura 13 and Jake 9 - well, most of the time anyway. When l get chance l play golf occasionally (hopefully a few rounds with Nicko and Dave on tour) and every year l do a charity bike ride. These usually take about 10 days and so far l have undertaken these in Kenya, Russia, Egypt, China and Vietnam/Cambodia. It’s a real mental break and its great to see parts of the world we don't get to touring. Glad to say the band are generous sponsors!! My obsession is probably rugby. l used to play a lot but retired effectively when we really hit the road full on in the early eighties. I go to all the England home games and went to the World Cup final in Sydney in 03 - which of course we won!! Cricket is always a big interest too, especially being a Yorkshireman (had the great pleasure to spend time with Geoff Boycott last year - a great occasion!) Not much into football though much to Steve's bemusement - England world cup performance was as lame as l expected it to be. Bring on Martin Johnson!! Also an evening down the pub is always welcome of course but l was never much of a clubber. And like everyone else l probably spend too much time in the evening at home watching TV – some good current stuff is Boston Legal, Waking the Dead, CSI (but not Miami as they have that stupid girl in it) and especially My Name is Earl (if you haven’t seen it you have to check it out!). Looking forward to the new 24 DVD too.
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WICKER MAN
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Re: PYTANIA I ODPOWIEDZI: Rod Smallwood
11) From: Another Life
Question: Do you have any tatoo?
No l don't personally have any tattoos. l can appreciate some amazing artwork on people but its not for me. cant stand pain!! As you probably know Steve has a Trooper on his forearm and some others, Davey has some and Nicko has some cool oriental stuff but Bruce, H and Jan are bare like me.
12) From: Kevmisterg
Question: What do you think the best line up for Iron Maiden was?
For me the current line up has to be the best as the music really does work with 3 guitars and it gives us such a big live sound. Also the chemistry within the band is really very good, everyone gets on well and have a lot of respect for each other's talents. All the key line ups had something different to offer but to me the band are at the peak of their powers right now. l thought we had a terrific band right from the beginning but l would never have thought in the early eighties that we would reach our best 20 years later. l think the new album really demonstrates this. Not many bands manage a creative tour de force on their 14th studio album so far into their careers. it shows how much the band really want to do this.
13) From: Suse
Question: Which was your most emotional moment with the band?
In 1988 we headlined Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington on the Seventh Son Tour. We had never played it before despite an offer every year. l wanted to wait until we could really make it something special. Kiss supported us which was great as we supported them in Europe in 1980 and got on really well with them. Also Dave Lee Roth, Megadeth and Guns n Roses so we put together a pretty good bill. Advance tickets were at a record breaking 75,000 the morning of the show and it was a glorious day. Incredibly over 30,000 more people turned up to get tickets on the day, so many that the promoter actually ran out of tickets and started using raffle tickets!! Everything was going well until later in the day when l was told that two young fans had tragically been killed when they fell in the crowd towards the front of the stage. Since then there have been many changes to the barriers and safety aspects of big shows but sadly these were not in existence at that time. l considered whether or not to tell the band but decided against it as it would serve no purpose and make it immensely difficult for them to play with their hearts in it which would let down an awful lot of fans. So l ensured there was no access to the band so they could not hear about this. The show was a major triumph. It was the first of our really big shows and l will never forget standing on stage seeing a huge sea of raised arms. Afterwards l went in the dressing room and understandably they were on a real high. Of course when l told them what happened to these 2 poor kids they were devastated. it was very emotional indeed. whenever we look back we think of those kids.
14) From: metal monkey
Question: Getting ready to head out and headline shows around the world, how do you go about selecting support bands, if any? Is that something the Maiden boys decide, a management decision, solely on the venue/fest? I would like to add that Maiden was awesome in Columbus, OH Aug 2 for Ozzfest. I was in the front rows, thank you so much for playing there.
For our own shows the band and myself decide who supports us often following proposals from our agent John Jackson . Of course l do try to use bands l am working with. Bullet for my Valentine are touring America with us - they joined Sanctuary a few months ago and l assist their manager Craig wherever l can. Trivium on the other hand l am not involved in. l became aware of them last year and approached them to do the European Tour as l thought they would be a band our fans would like to see and who would have had some success prior to the tour - which of course they have. We try to get great new bands and both of these l think are exceptional bands who will be flying the metal flag high for many years to come. We prefer to give relatively new bands a break rather than using ones who have been around a while and generally have had a shot. i think it gives fans value for money too and its great when fans of these bands in future years recall the first time they saw them was with Iron Maiden. Over the years many of our supports became hugely successful, like Metallica who did some Spanish shows with us, Motely Crue who toured Europe with us, Slayer who have played a number of times ,Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot who we took round America many years ago or Funeral for a Friend a couple of years ago. The list is endless after so many tours!
For festivals the promoter puts the bill together but we have approval of all the acts on our stage that day. We generally go along with them as most promoters do know what they are doing but if we think they dont fit musically we ask them to be changed. We try to be generous on this and its not often we would ask for a band to be removed as it can be a bit insulting to the poor band.
15) From: Really Ancient Marnr
Question: How difficult is it to manage Maiden's publicity with the image and beliefs they have. They shun publicity and the vast majority of TV networks and radio stations seem to be delighted with this as it gives them every opportunity to ignore the phenomenon that is Iron Maiden. As their manager does that get frustrating and difficult at times.
Yes l guess we don’t suffer from over-exposure!! I sit sown with the band and they let me know how many days l can have and l work out the best International schedule l can. This time it was 4 days plus 3 for video and photos!! But between them they covered about 120 interviews. They like recording and touring but after so many years of having to do it they hate doing videos, photos and interviews. We concentrate on the rock press as that’s what the fans read and it is fair that they know what is going on and what the band think of a new album, say. We don’t do profile press for the sake of publicity – no life style stuff, no reality shows and the like – and believe me we get a lot of offers. Usually it is not that we are ignored just we would rather use the time talking about the music than what we had for dinner and where Bruce is flying to next.
16) From: The Underdog
Question: Hi Rod! We all know 'Arry's the big boss in Maiden, but a lot of times you also have your say. Have there been times when you have had a serious conflict with Steve about something? Can you give us any examples?
We both have strong views so we are always arguing!!! Too many to mention!! In the end though we both want what is best for the band and generally whoever keeps going longest wins – out of sheer will power and belief. One lasted about 8 hours about Steve producing X-Factor as l thought he was taking too much on and wouldn’t be objecitive. I lost!!
17) From: mrpjambo
Question: How has the industry changed over the years & do you think that Maiden could have achieved the level success that they have if they had been starting out today?
Its changed massively. From a seven inch vinyl single and 12 inch album plus tour and a couple of T shirts to cd, dvd, video, online sales, all the web stuff etc etc bloody etc. There seems to be more interest in profile than content and the label talk is about “where to position an artist”. Bloody 'ell, position them on stage. There is just such a vast amount to deal with now it takes much of the fun away. If l was thinking about management now l would not do it – it’s a business now, a lot of the fun has gone. But a great band will always find success – l would hope.
18 ) From: Cads666
Question: Your house is about to swallowed up by the rising sea levels... you can take with you (apart from your family and pets!): What would you pick before losing them to Davey Jones' locker?
1 CD – Dark Side of the Moon (sorry l was a hippy!)
1 Book - Bill Bryon – A Short History of Nearly Everything – it would take me years to take it all on board but it is truly fascinating, Check out the section on particle physics – mind blowing (ok stop now – ed)
1 Film - Hard, The Godfather maybe. l never get bored with it, Apocolypse Now?
1 Item from your wardrobe – Don’t care
19) From: The Hammer of Thor
Question: What were the reasons that made you decide to become the manager of Maiden?
The songs, the playing and how they looked the audience (all 30 of 'em first time) right in the eye. The commitment!!
20) From: robert the clansman
Question: Hello to you Rod,
My question have you / band had to cancel a gig because of the weather, I am thinking back to Dynamo 2000 that was a crazy day.
I don’t recall ever doing that. If we did it would be safety reasons. I remember Dynamo though, l was on the mixing desk. Never saw so much rain and the lightning right behind the stage was immense.
AS THIS WAS LATE COMING TOGETHER HERE ARE A FEW EXTRA SHORT ONES!!
21) From: smokester
Question: Which album cover artwork is your favourite??
POWERSLAVE
22) From: aculard
Question: What to you has been your most favourite tour and most favourite album and why?
Album – the new one of course!! When you hear it you will know why. If not Piece of Mind
Tour – Powerslave – it was just so spectacular and breathtaking with all the Egyptian imagery. Our old lighting guy Dave Lights put it together and it was inspired. One day we may take it out again!!!
23) From: Wetlandsorc
Question: What becomes of all the various Eddie props you've toured with over the years?
Mostly in Steve’s garden – if not our infamous warehouse – storage for the wild and wonderful.
24) From: meeshie
Question: Hello, Rod. Have you spoken to Patrick McGoohan since ""The Number of the Beast"" album or was that it?
That was it – great series!!
That’s it!!! Phones going again!!!!
Question: Do you have any tatoo?
No l don't personally have any tattoos. l can appreciate some amazing artwork on people but its not for me. cant stand pain!! As you probably know Steve has a Trooper on his forearm and some others, Davey has some and Nicko has some cool oriental stuff but Bruce, H and Jan are bare like me.
12) From: Kevmisterg
Question: What do you think the best line up for Iron Maiden was?
For me the current line up has to be the best as the music really does work with 3 guitars and it gives us such a big live sound. Also the chemistry within the band is really very good, everyone gets on well and have a lot of respect for each other's talents. All the key line ups had something different to offer but to me the band are at the peak of their powers right now. l thought we had a terrific band right from the beginning but l would never have thought in the early eighties that we would reach our best 20 years later. l think the new album really demonstrates this. Not many bands manage a creative tour de force on their 14th studio album so far into their careers. it shows how much the band really want to do this.
13) From: Suse
Question: Which was your most emotional moment with the band?
In 1988 we headlined Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington on the Seventh Son Tour. We had never played it before despite an offer every year. l wanted to wait until we could really make it something special. Kiss supported us which was great as we supported them in Europe in 1980 and got on really well with them. Also Dave Lee Roth, Megadeth and Guns n Roses so we put together a pretty good bill. Advance tickets were at a record breaking 75,000 the morning of the show and it was a glorious day. Incredibly over 30,000 more people turned up to get tickets on the day, so many that the promoter actually ran out of tickets and started using raffle tickets!! Everything was going well until later in the day when l was told that two young fans had tragically been killed when they fell in the crowd towards the front of the stage. Since then there have been many changes to the barriers and safety aspects of big shows but sadly these were not in existence at that time. l considered whether or not to tell the band but decided against it as it would serve no purpose and make it immensely difficult for them to play with their hearts in it which would let down an awful lot of fans. So l ensured there was no access to the band so they could not hear about this. The show was a major triumph. It was the first of our really big shows and l will never forget standing on stage seeing a huge sea of raised arms. Afterwards l went in the dressing room and understandably they were on a real high. Of course when l told them what happened to these 2 poor kids they were devastated. it was very emotional indeed. whenever we look back we think of those kids.
14) From: metal monkey
Question: Getting ready to head out and headline shows around the world, how do you go about selecting support bands, if any? Is that something the Maiden boys decide, a management decision, solely on the venue/fest? I would like to add that Maiden was awesome in Columbus, OH Aug 2 for Ozzfest. I was in the front rows, thank you so much for playing there.
For our own shows the band and myself decide who supports us often following proposals from our agent John Jackson . Of course l do try to use bands l am working with. Bullet for my Valentine are touring America with us - they joined Sanctuary a few months ago and l assist their manager Craig wherever l can. Trivium on the other hand l am not involved in. l became aware of them last year and approached them to do the European Tour as l thought they would be a band our fans would like to see and who would have had some success prior to the tour - which of course they have. We try to get great new bands and both of these l think are exceptional bands who will be flying the metal flag high for many years to come. We prefer to give relatively new bands a break rather than using ones who have been around a while and generally have had a shot. i think it gives fans value for money too and its great when fans of these bands in future years recall the first time they saw them was with Iron Maiden. Over the years many of our supports became hugely successful, like Metallica who did some Spanish shows with us, Motely Crue who toured Europe with us, Slayer who have played a number of times ,Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot who we took round America many years ago or Funeral for a Friend a couple of years ago. The list is endless after so many tours!
For festivals the promoter puts the bill together but we have approval of all the acts on our stage that day. We generally go along with them as most promoters do know what they are doing but if we think they dont fit musically we ask them to be changed. We try to be generous on this and its not often we would ask for a band to be removed as it can be a bit insulting to the poor band.
15) From: Really Ancient Marnr
Question: How difficult is it to manage Maiden's publicity with the image and beliefs they have. They shun publicity and the vast majority of TV networks and radio stations seem to be delighted with this as it gives them every opportunity to ignore the phenomenon that is Iron Maiden. As their manager does that get frustrating and difficult at times.
Yes l guess we don’t suffer from over-exposure!! I sit sown with the band and they let me know how many days l can have and l work out the best International schedule l can. This time it was 4 days plus 3 for video and photos!! But between them they covered about 120 interviews. They like recording and touring but after so many years of having to do it they hate doing videos, photos and interviews. We concentrate on the rock press as that’s what the fans read and it is fair that they know what is going on and what the band think of a new album, say. We don’t do profile press for the sake of publicity – no life style stuff, no reality shows and the like – and believe me we get a lot of offers. Usually it is not that we are ignored just we would rather use the time talking about the music than what we had for dinner and where Bruce is flying to next.
16) From: The Underdog
Question: Hi Rod! We all know 'Arry's the big boss in Maiden, but a lot of times you also have your say. Have there been times when you have had a serious conflict with Steve about something? Can you give us any examples?
We both have strong views so we are always arguing!!! Too many to mention!! In the end though we both want what is best for the band and generally whoever keeps going longest wins – out of sheer will power and belief. One lasted about 8 hours about Steve producing X-Factor as l thought he was taking too much on and wouldn’t be objecitive. I lost!!
17) From: mrpjambo
Question: How has the industry changed over the years & do you think that Maiden could have achieved the level success that they have if they had been starting out today?
Its changed massively. From a seven inch vinyl single and 12 inch album plus tour and a couple of T shirts to cd, dvd, video, online sales, all the web stuff etc etc bloody etc. There seems to be more interest in profile than content and the label talk is about “where to position an artist”. Bloody 'ell, position them on stage. There is just such a vast amount to deal with now it takes much of the fun away. If l was thinking about management now l would not do it – it’s a business now, a lot of the fun has gone. But a great band will always find success – l would hope.
18 ) From: Cads666
Question: Your house is about to swallowed up by the rising sea levels... you can take with you (apart from your family and pets!): What would you pick before losing them to Davey Jones' locker?
1 CD – Dark Side of the Moon (sorry l was a hippy!)
1 Book - Bill Bryon – A Short History of Nearly Everything – it would take me years to take it all on board but it is truly fascinating, Check out the section on particle physics – mind blowing (ok stop now – ed)
1 Film - Hard, The Godfather maybe. l never get bored with it, Apocolypse Now?
1 Item from your wardrobe – Don’t care
19) From: The Hammer of Thor
Question: What were the reasons that made you decide to become the manager of Maiden?
The songs, the playing and how they looked the audience (all 30 of 'em first time) right in the eye. The commitment!!
20) From: robert the clansman
Question: Hello to you Rod,
My question have you / band had to cancel a gig because of the weather, I am thinking back to Dynamo 2000 that was a crazy day.
I don’t recall ever doing that. If we did it would be safety reasons. I remember Dynamo though, l was on the mixing desk. Never saw so much rain and the lightning right behind the stage was immense.
AS THIS WAS LATE COMING TOGETHER HERE ARE A FEW EXTRA SHORT ONES!!
21) From: smokester
Question: Which album cover artwork is your favourite??
POWERSLAVE
22) From: aculard
Question: What to you has been your most favourite tour and most favourite album and why?
Album – the new one of course!! When you hear it you will know why. If not Piece of Mind
Tour – Powerslave – it was just so spectacular and breathtaking with all the Egyptian imagery. Our old lighting guy Dave Lights put it together and it was inspired. One day we may take it out again!!!
23) From: Wetlandsorc
Question: What becomes of all the various Eddie props you've toured with over the years?
Mostly in Steve’s garden – if not our infamous warehouse – storage for the wild and wonderful.
24) From: meeshie
Question: Hello, Rod. Have you spoken to Patrick McGoohan since ""The Number of the Beast"" album or was that it?
That was it – great series!!
That’s it!!! Phones going again!!!!