Eric - What happened to the US leg of the Chemical Wedding Tour?

Bruce - Well, basically I pulled it because CMC refused to support the tour. It's as simple as that. The South American tour, which I did in April, which the live album was recorded is going to come out in September, that was actually going to be the end of the US tour. The US tour was going to run for 5-6 weeks then go straight into the South American portion. Basically we pulled the plug on the US portion because it seemed we were just going to be wasting our time doing the tour. As regrettable as that sounds, we were looking at the usual for the situation with the tour losing money. You go to the record company and you say you're going to lose this amount of money, so can we do a deal and stump up some money or go 50/50 on it and they just refused point blank.

E - What was their reasoning for that?

B - Well, they just said that they didn't think that there was anything left to with the album. They refused to go to radio with the album. Cause they said that they weren't prepared to spend the money. Whether you call it stupid or devastating I was pretty devastating by that. For a record which acclaim The Chemical Wedding got I think the truth of it is that CMC is basically on making 10 cents on the dollar. All this stuff about they were gonna bring metal back was a load of crap. They saw metal as being easy bucks for not a whole lot of work. It left a bad taste in my mouth. Maiden actually bought them selves out and in my case we were able to get off the label with out having to do that. My only regret is that they have two of the best records I've ever made, Accident of Birth and Chemical Wedding. No doubt they'll be quite happy to keep the profits for selling them for some years to come.

E - How much longer do they have rights for them?

B - Well I think they have rights to them for a fair amount of time unfortunately. I'm kind of resigned to that. The only silver lining to this little cloud is just that having my own label in Europe has meant that I at least control Chemical Wedding in Europe and South America. If I could possibly import those records into the US, I would happily do so. And similarly, when the live album come out, I do not want to give away anything I do to anybody else anymore. I'm fed up with leaving chunks of my life lying around in the hands of people that just don’t seem to care. But that unfortunately is the way life seemed to pan out post 1993.

E - What label is the live album going to be released here or are you still trying to work that out?

B - We're still trying to work that out. There are a variety of options and actually we still have time, cause we're not looking to releasing until the middle of September. I'm actually going to be in LA and I'm going to be mixing the record on the days off on the Maiden tour. The way figures out I'll be in LA for quite a chunk of time. After Denver we're in LA for nearly 9 days straight. Roy is going to set up the first couple of days in the studio and I should come after the Denver show he'll probably have a couple of mixes for me to listen to. And because it's a live album it shouldn't be rocket science trying to mix it. It should pretty much go down in a straightforward manner.

E - The rumor is that Maiden is signed to Portrait Records. Can you confirm that?

B - I can't confirm anything at the moment. Even if I could confirm it I wouldn't. It's one of those things and particularly with the internet we have got to keep things under closer raps than ever, cause rumor control gets out and gets holds of things and distorts things. So, no I can't confirm who Maiden maybe signing with, have signed with or have not signed with.

E - Has the new producer of the album been confirmed as the one for Dream Theatre (Kevin Shirley)?

B - Nothing has been confirmed. We are still talking to several different producers. In our minds we have probably narrowed it down, but we still want to keep out options open and ditto with the studio cause we haven't even booked a studio yet. We kind of have an ideal scenario we are working towards which should come together pretty quickly. My guess is in the next couple of weeks we should be able to have some information, it just depends whether or not we figure there's any point in releasing the information. With the tour coming up there probably won't be any music for anybody to hear that is mixed until February or March of next year, at the earliest. So, in reality, it's all gonna be speculation

E - I am sure you have not thought about this but will Adrian still have a roll in your solo project?

A - Well, this is something I've already given a bit of thought too. I don't want to push Adrian on an answer on this one because it really is down to him. If he wants to be on board then the door is wide open, as far as I'm concerned. I love his playing and I'd love him to be involved but I also understand if he turns around as says look I'd love to work on a new record but he wants to do a Psycho Motel record. He's got the chance the now, and the funding. I wouldn't blame him at all if he went off and tried to make a go at the psycho thing. That would be equally fine. All of the stuff I've done 80% of those records and the song writing is me and Roy Z. When me and Roy did "The Zoo" together we did it all in the afternoon.

E - He used a drum machine on that?

B - He did everything. We just sat in the studio and goofed around and came up with all the bits and we self operated the desk. It was just the two of us. Nobody else involved in making that noise at all, except us. So we could come up with some pretty whacked out stuff.

E - I have no doubt.

B - As a duo (laughs). But obviously, Dave is a fantastic drummer and the first thing we would want to do is get real drums and stuff like that. My record company, Air Raid, actually I've got some projects on the go at the moment with that. Obviously there is a live album coming out in September next year I have a fair amount of unreleased material that no one has ever heard.

E - All of the b-sides?

B - No. Yea sure there are b-sides.

E - I know there were a couple of songs off The Chemical Wedding "Wicker Man" and another song that I don't think anyone has heard this side of the world.

B - That's right. Those are the ones that we are talking about. There's about half a dozen that nobody's ever heard and there are quite a few other tracks, which only if you were in Brazil you heard, or you might only have heard if you've got the Japanese version. Plus, there's several songs which are on the album "The lost album" the Keith Olsen album "No way out" and a few others that nobody's ever heard and there's the original version of "Tears of the Dragon," with the orchestra, that nobody's ever heard. Plus there is the original version of "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter."

E - From the Nightmare on Elm Street?

B - Yea.

E - Some of those songs are on the Internet that I've heard.

B - Never been released in there full mastered glory on CD. So those are the kind of things that I am thinking about putting out as an album, next year sometime, which I think will kind of be appreciated by people that bought my records. I am thinking of doing it next year at some point when it's convenient, i.e., obviously around the Maiden release is kind of dumb time to do it, cause there's going to be so much hoopla about that. But also, next year, I am tentatively moving towards possibly signing a band in Europe.

E - Any idea who that would be?

B - Well, I don't want to say who it would be cause if I don't sign them then everybody will say why didn't you sign them. That' sort of on going. I've got Tattooed Millionaire and Balls to Picasso re-released on Air Raid, in Europe. So if there are any mischievous importers out there they can import it off of Air Raid. Ditto the Samson material will be coming out later this year. The four Samson albums. Plus, we are negotiating and I think we've got the rights to re-release Metal for Muthas, which has never been released in America ever. So the original version of Metal for Muthas will be out on CD on Air Raid.

E - These are certain things that fans have been dying to get.

B - So I've been hunting around and I've been pretty picky and I think I can build up a really cool catalog of interesting stuff on the label. But also next year, well actually this summer, hopefully it happens, I'm supposed to be in a movie.

E - What movie?

B - Well, there are still working on the title. But basically you have to accept the premise that since the 1800's zombies have been trying to take over the earth. Once you accept that premise everything is okay. Because there is a team of people who have been trained to stop them over the years. Basically it's like a remake of The Seventh Samurai or The Magnificent Seven, in which one guy puts together a team of old gun fighters to go an take out the bad guys on kind of a suicide mission and I play one of the seven guys. A bezerk swordsmen in my case, which is kind of approprate. It’s a good all action type of film.

E - Is it going to be released in the US?

B - Oh yea, it’s a US company that is funding it. It a British movie. It's got the guy from Superman, the TV series. So that's what I heard is the lead. So anyhow we are shooting this thing in Prague, in August, supposedly. We've had a lot of meeting about doing the soundtrack, so Air Raid I think is going to pick up the soundtrack for Europe.

E - So is there a chance that you are gonna do multiple songs for that?

B - There are some unusual request for music. I know so much great music that never gets picked up by anybody. So I went around and I took the guy and sat him down and I didn't tell them who it was and I just said well you know how you were talking about this scene, this scene and this scene let me just play you this stuff. I actually had two or three songs by the Tribe of Gypsies. I played them and the guy freaked. He was like this is amazing stuff, who is this band. I said, well you are never going to believe this but they're not signed to anybody, but we can put it on the record. I, obviously, would stick a couple of tracks on probably something from the live album but I am planning on writing one unique song for the movie, as well. Plus, if it goes well and I do decide to sign this band I'd try to get them and write a unique song for it as well, so there's a soundtrack album coming out. We're gonna try and make it a pretty a funky deal with it. I've got some special marketing ideas that I don't think anybody has ever done on a soundtrack album before, so you really get something cool. For example, when the live album that's coming out. Basically you are gonna get a CD-ROM, when you buy the album, so you'll get the CD but you're gonna have a couple of live videos on it, as well, and there will be a photo gallery in there and a list of the gigs I ever did. Well basically anything else I can find that's of interest that will fit on the da&n thing is gonna go on.

E - So, it gonna be a list of all the gigs you ever did even Tattooed Millionaire?

B - Hey that a good idea yea. I think that’s what I gave them instructions to do and the guy called back and said there fu**ing hundreds of them.

E - You have to do every tour you've ever done to make it complete.

B - In terms of the solo stuff I'm thinking of putting all of the solo shows I've ever done down in a list. I think that would be interesting.

E - What are Maiden's plans for the internet site during the tour?

B - We are planning to do some really spectacular internet stuff this tour. Really quite revolutionary stuff.

E - Fans want to see a picture of you and see saw, yea this is a great show etc….

B - They may be able to do even better than that. I can't release anything at the moment. We're looking at some pretty special stuff.

E - What was your feeling going into this big meeting? Did you have butterflies?

B - I was a little nervous, cause I was like what's this going to be like. You know what, it was great. The instant I walked in the room I was like this is fantastic this is perfect. No tension, no stress everybody was cool.

E - So everyone was in there and then you walked in?

B - Yea. I think the thing was Steve was pretty burned out, after the last tour.

E - Burned out from the fact that everything with Blaze was not going the way they wanted to?

B - No. I just think the whole scenario of, yes there were stressful things about Blaze, but the CMC thing wasn't going right and there was load of screw ups on the tour and all kinds of stuff and there was a lot of pressure on Steve. Basically he was really fried, at the end of it. He really wanted to chill out. The beginning of January he gets summoned to this meeting and I show up. I guess what the deal was they had to have a band meeting to discuss Blaze and everything to do with that. And that's something I have never been involved with and that's just something I don't discuss with the guys because has nothing to do with me and I think the more I stay out of that the better off I am. That way when people ask me leading questions about Blaze I can't answer them cause I don't know.

E - I know you won't remember this, but back on the Balls to Picasso tour the night before your first gig in the US, when you opened up for Jackyl, you told me that if you rejoined Maiden there would have to be three guitarist.

B - Did I say that back then?

E - You did.

B - I'm usually consistent for me (laughs). I always felt that. I gave some thought to it and said how are we gonna get round this. In rehearsal I don't even notice that there are three guitarist. It's that together.

E - How is the rehearsal going?

B - It's going great. I just got finished going through the set today. It sounds fantastic. We are basically at the point now where we are going in and running through the set. We're making the odd change here and there, just swapping the odd song around, but basically the set is really solid it sounds great. We are at the point now where we are getting ourselves into shape, like in terms of playing. Embarrassingly enough we've all taken up jogging and going to the gym and getting ourselves in good shape.

E - This is a big stage I expect you to run like you did in 85' and 86'.

B - I'm gonna run around more, ya kidding me!

E - How are the non-Bruce songs going?

B - Yea know what, "The Clansman" is the one the absolutely blew me away. "The Clansman" sounds great.

E - Everyone is happy with the way it sounds?

B - Oh yea. Everyone is running around with big smiles on their face.

E - And "Futureal" and "Man on the Edge" are all going well?

B - To be honest with you, "Man on the Edge" I just came straight out of the box and sang it and went ok how's that and everybody went "Fine". Clansman was a little tricky cause there were some real specific timing things that Steve wanted to get in terms of the delivery of some of it. That was just a question of sitting down for 10 minutes and figuring it out, but it sounds really good. I'm going to have make sure the people in America understand that the Clansman refers to people in Scotland not people with white pointy hats and silly fu**ing sheets.

E - When I had spoken to Adrian he said with "Phantom of the Opera" that may add an extra solo for Janick?

B - Actually, I know some of the solos have swapped places. So the solos have all been divvied up. None of the songs have changed lengths and we haven't extended any of the songs for the purposes of giving people extra solos. Everybody has been free and easy with dishing out the solo chunks and sharing it all around. Everybody seems pretty happy. I actually don't really notice somebody's playing a solo and I'm like oh that sounded cool.

E - Adrian said that he would do play the solos from 1980-88 and Janick would play the solos from 90-98 and Dave would play all of his. Has it been changed a little bit from that?

B - A little bit. Broadly speaking that's how it's more or less panned out. There is enough solos, of Janick's, on the new stuff that sort of compensates for Adrian's on his stuff. I think it works out that they play the same amount of solo's each. They are such mellow characters, as guitarists, it's completely unheard of. Basically they just sort of locked themselves away for three days and came out of their little cave and sort of went we've done it. They sorted out all guitar parts out, which is great. For three lead guitarists to go in and all cooperate and do all the harmonies and come out still smiling without black eyes is fantastic.

E - How has the writing coming for the new album or have you taken a break?

B - We've been taking a break this last few weeks because we have been rehearsing for the tour, but effectively we have got a sh*t load of ideas. We've got ideas coming out of our ears. It’s a question of sitting down and organizing them. We do have, probably, about 2/3 of an album already written. The songs were all put together with all of us sitting together in a room. All sitting around in a circle all with equipment switched on playing quietly playing the songs through.

E - Even Nicko?

B - (laughs) Even Nicko. Nicko got these special drumsticks made like little bundles of twigs. There almost like brushes. They're called bundle sticks. He's been using bundle sticks so we can all play and try the song out and still be able to hear and talk to each other afterwards, then we get loud towards the end, when we bash through it. We actually got a bunch of songs together like that and they're sounding great, really punchy.

E - So, will there be Dickinson/Smith/Gers/Murray/Harris song?

B - So far, we've got a Harris/Gers/Dickinson, a Murray/Harris/Dickinson, and a Smith/Dickinson/Harris and one other of those combinations. It's conceivable that is Nicko comes up with a song writing idea that we could get all six of us on something.

E - I don't think that's been done since "Nodding Donkey Blues," if I'm not mistaken?

B - I think that the reason all five of us got put down for that was no one wanted to take the full responsibility (laughs).

E - So is the new album going to be heavy?

B - Oh yes!

E - Is it going to be like Chemical Wedding heavy?

B - I don't think its gonna go heavy quite like the Chemical Wedding heavy. I don't want to prejudge the record, but there will certainly be some newish elements on the record but at the same time we are not gonna lose that Maiden sound. Cause when it's right it's da*n good and there are very few bands on the planet that sound unique and I think Maiden's one of them.

E - I read in Metal Hammer that you made a very bold statement about Metallica.

B - Yea, it's true.

E - I agree with it but this is something that you haven't walked that fine line in a long time.

B - No, but it's true. I thought should I go ahead and say this and I thought f**k it.

E - I guess it's maybe part of being back in Maiden and having that Maiden attitude because that's not something you would have said being solo, am I right?

B - Well, being solo, it wouldn't come across right. You're a solo artist and you're a little guy and Metallica could just look down at you and sort of piss on you from very high. Ha he's a piece of s**t and he doesn't sell any records and who gives a f**k about him anyhow he's washed up and he's a has been, right. So they just play that kind of media game, but all of a sudden Maiden, who everybody is excited about, so you in this position where you can go, just a minute guys (laughs). It's causing a little bit of mischief and you know the reason is it's true. I want Maiden to be back as number one. You don't rejoin a band like Iron Maiden and hope that you finish in the last one hundred. You go in there with the intention of going for heavyweight champ and I don't see any reason why we can't be that. I don't see any reason at all. Live, the band is good enough, playing live, the band is young enough, and the musical chops are well together. I think that with our song writing history I think that the band very very easily slot it self right back in the top slot or if not in the top slot pretty da*n close.

E - Is there going to be a Donington 2000?

B - It wouldn't surprise me if we didn't end up somewhere like that. I am not sure whether it would necessarily be Donington. The actually choice of venue is basically down to the combination of circumstances and the promoter.

E - There would be no other bands to fit that bill but you guys.

B - We are already lined up for a lot of the biggest festivals in Europe next year and we are planning on doing a massive tour next year. The whole of the aim of the tour this year is really to wind people up. It's to make people aware and to let people see it. The tour is already sold out in Europe.

E - And it's already selling out in America.

B - It's already sold out New York for one show and the second one and they are asking for a third and we're just saying no, you have to wait till next year. I think LA sold two thousand tickets in one hour. Detroit is going to be over 12,000. The whole of America is going to be pretty much a lock out in terms of tickets. That's great. To do that really sticks it to people. It's like, let's get real here, this is Maiden. It's a serious force, musical force. Same in Europe, we are out selling Metallica. I think, next year, with a new album, the momentum and the huge amount of interest it's going to make the first round of festivals, we did on the Seventh Son tour, pale in significance compared to what we are going to get up to next year. I think it's going to be huge.

E - Is there a chance that the Tribe of Gypsies will play at the LA show?

B - No. The problem that we have there is that for a band a the size of Maiden playing the kind of size shows we're doing, we really have to have acts supporting us this time around, that have record deals and who've sold a significant number of records. And regrettably the Tribe doesn't drop into that slot right now. Although, I've heard a couple of tracks off their new album, that they are doing right now, to my hears it fu**ing incredible new record.

(At this time I was told to wrap up the interview)

E - Sorry about that. I hope I'm not keeping you from anything.

B - I don't know even know if I have another interview after this. I actually don't know if I have another interview or not anyway carry on, sorry. The short answer is no, but they will be back stage.

E - You had said that Sanctuary would be selling a bunch of old concert stuff. Is it still in the works?

B - So I understand. Again, it's on the web site.

E - I've seen stuff from this tour but nothing from Balls to Picasso.

B - Right. I actually haven't been tending to that aspect of it. Unfortunately, It’s a bit difficult over here, at arms length, trying to handle all that kind of stuff.

E - As far as the set list goes, are there going to be some additions?

B - We discussed it. We were planning on doing something like that but the feeling at the moment is not for right now. But that may change.

E - Is there any song on there that you thought would have made it that didn't?

B - I am kind of surprised that "Heaven Can Wait" didn't make it. Only because it has been in the set list for so long and all of these punters get up on stage and sing and all of the rest of it. So I would have thought that as a live crowd pleasing memory it would have been in there, but it not.

E - I appreciate your time and thanks again.

B - Bye.