Adrian Smith

[harrisdevot]

I have nearly finished reading the book and I am enjoying it more than I was expecting! I have no interest in fishing, but Adrian can write some nice stories and the Maiden-related bits are quite interesting and well interwoven with the narration.

That being said, I am not sure I would read the book again and, although this is not a competition, I found Bruce’s autobiography much more interesting.

Nevertheless, Adrian's book is well-written and the content flows really well (might be all the talk about waterways ).

I wonder if the flow would be that good if Steve ever writes his own book. I mean, we might end up with something like this:

Chapter 1. The Early Days

Some bits about being born in the East End, his formative years and then some footie talk, followed by:

I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham
I trained for West Ham

Woohoo Woohoohoo Woohoohoo

The most important thing is the information given by the book. Steve's autobiography would obviously be centered on Maiden. I'd rather read a bad-written book about Maiden than a litterary masterpiece about planes and fishes.

 

[GhostofCain]

The most important thing is the information given by the book. Steve's autobiography would obviously be centered on Maiden. I'd rather read a bad-written book about Maiden than a litterary masterpiece about planes and fishes.

Of course. The more information about Maiden the better.

Let’s hope if Steve ends up writing a book no chapters would be lifted from Beckett’s autobiography.

 

[srfc]

Let’s hope if Steve ends up writing a book no chapters would be lifted from Beckett’s autobiography.

In fairness, it would be more like a sentence or two.

 

[harrisdevot]

Of course. The more information about Maiden the better.

Let’s hope if Steve ends up writing a book no chapters would be lifted from Beckett’s autobiography.

Well, he wouldn't be the only one to follow the same path again and again

 

[Jer]

Also, a Harris autobiography would have to start and end each chapter with the exact same paragraph. And many sentences in the middle would need to be repeated for emphasis.

 

[GhostofCain]

In fairness, it would be more like a sentence or two.

Not for the chapter entitled The Rider So Mysterious.

 

[GhostofCain]

Just joking, obviously.

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

I have no interest in fishing either, and if I had then I think Adrian's book would have put me off (it's far too complicated!) but what I really took from it was why Adrian loves his fishing and what he gets out of it. Here's an example:

The four of us sat, with Spug, Master of Ceremonies, wielding the spatula, turning over sizzling steaks and pork chops while seated in his bivvy doorway. An ideal scene it was. Four anglers, out doing what they loved doing best, their contented expressions lit by the glowing fire, their head torches cutting swathes through the night. Also cutting swathes through the air was the banter between Lawrence and Spug. Lets say it was "lively". Nothing wrong with a bit of banter among friends.

A group of friends enjoying each other's company while pursuing a common interest - I think pretty much everyone can relate to that. The actual interest in question is irrelevant.

I also like how Adrian doesn't bamboozle us with terminology, but neither does he assume we're stupid. There's some terminology used, but he doesn't spoil the flow of the narrative by stopping to explain everything in words of one syllable (which would also be quite condescending), and it's perfectly possible to follow the stories without understanding every word. There's a glossary in the back if you're really interested.

All in all it's a very well-written book. I really enjoyed it.

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

Another thing that comes across very pointedly is what he went through during his first tenure with the band and why he was relieved to spend a few years away from it. I really hope this pours cold water on all the nostalgia nuts who insist that he should never have been allowed to leave/what the band really, really needs is a fast-track back to those heady, "glorious" days ...

 

[Saapanael]

I caught a glimpse of a TV series where one of the characters was named Adrian Smith.

 

[Black Abyss Babe]

I caught a glimpse of a TV series where one of the characters was named Adrian Smith.

I once stumbled on an article about an American politician called Adrian Smith. At the bottom of the article was the usual selection of tags, one of which (obviously) was "Adrian Smith" and if you clicked on it you found yourself back in much more familar territory

But yes, it is an odd experience when a name you associate very much with one individual suddenly turns up attached to someone else entirely ...

 

[Kalata]

The most important thing is the information given by the book. Steve's autobiography would obviously be centered on Maiden. I'd rather read a bad-written book about Maiden than a litterary masterpiece about planes and fishes.

I would like to have a Steve's autobiography. He knows everything about the band and can give us detailed info about all songs.

 

[The_7th_one]

It could be turns into a disinformation book if he still thinks that invaders was played live

 

[TheTalisman]

His best solo

 

[Kalata]

His best solo

Awesome solo. One of his bests for sure. I have many favorites...

TWM, Wasted Years, Different World, No More Lies, CSIT, SIASL, ATG, SOM, The Trooper, The Prisoner, HBTN... actually, all of his solos are always great.

 

[PhantomOfTheOpera]

I somehow missed the original signed book from Adrian (when it was released) but now I ordered it finally from the FC.

 

[GhostofCain]

Short interview with H about his time with Bruce in the 90s:

IRON MAIDEN - Were ADRIAN SMITH And BRUCE DICKINSON Concerned With What STEVE HARRIS Was Thinking When They Joined Forces In The Late '90s?

BraveWords recently caught up with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith, who has released his first book titled, Monsters Of River And Rock, via Virgin Books. The 290-page memoir has some music in it, but its focus is on his love of fishing, something that began as a youth growing...

bravewords.com

 

[PhantomOfTheOpera]

Iron Maiden's Adrian Smith: The Fascinating Balance of Rock Stardom + Fishing

An exclusive interview with the Iron Maiden legend.

loudwire.com

During your time away from Maiden, you wrote and performed a little bit, but mostly shied away from music. What did you miss most about the band or even the job of being a professional musician in a massive band?
I didn’t do anything musically for a couple years and I gradually got back into it and realized I needed to do it as it’s a big part of my life. I didn’t really follow Maiden because I didn’t want to get hung up about it and start feeling bad. I got married, had kids, got a house and started writing my own music, and I was happy.
I did go and see Maiden at Donington in the early ‘90s. Steve Harris rang me up and said, “Why don’t you come down and play ‘Running Free’ with us?” So I went down there and I didn’t expect to feel the way I felt. The tour manager brought me up to the side of the stage and I watched a few songs. I got really, really emotional. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was overwhelmed — the guys are playing the songs I used to play in front of thousands and thousands of people.
It was nice to get a chance to rejoin and have a second bite of the cherry.

It is a peculiar thing to see your own band after you’ve left. The down side of being in Iron Maiden is you can’t just go catch and Iron Maiden show like the rest of us, so watching them had to be quite unique.
I saw them again at another show and it did give me a different perspective on it. I could look at it as an outsider. When I rejoined the band, I remembered seeing them and remembered some things I’d like to put into the band to cover those things. I brought something I saw that was maybe missing before.

 

[GhostofCain]

 

[The_7th_one]