Bruce Dickinson

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
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His father died 2(!) days before the interview. Does his work ethos know any bounderies?
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Bruce Dickinson, did fly yourself to Zurich?

Bruce Dickinson: No, no. Quite normal as a passenger. I'll fly back soon, too, because I have to go to a funeral. My father died two days ago.

Oh, I'm sorry, heartfelt condolences! Did you get close?

I believe that you are always close to a father. There was never a real emotional bond between us. I think my dad wanted to make me a better person by arguing and arguing with me. I would have rather wished him to hug me.

How old was he?

82 years old. He had a very aggressive lung cancer. At the end of last year, I visited him for the last time in the hospital in Germany, where he lived with my mother. The disease progressed rapidly. He had smoked his whole life.
 
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Forostar said:
His father died 2(!) days before the interview. Does his work ethos know any bounderies?
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I don't want to speculate too much on Bruce's personal feelings, but some people make a point of focusing on work in periods of grief to better deal with it.
 
It happens often. And I'd say it is not uncommon for workaholics.

Too deal better during that period. It depends on the relation and matter of grief (and the person who mourns of course). I cannot know how it feels (to lose a father, but I fear it) but, as you, I have known immemse grief of a more rare kind of loss where it was wise to take a break (at least from work), in order to make a good start with coping with the loss. I am glad I did and would advice anyone to not (try to) be (or as short as possible) in a state of suspended bereavement.
 
Forostar said:
It happens often. And I'd say it is not uncommon for workaholics.

Too deal better during that period. It depends on the relation and matter of grief (and the person who mourns of course). I cannot know how it feels (to lose a father, but I fear it) but, as you, I have known immemse grief of a more rare kind of loss where it was wise to take a break (at least from work), in order to make a good start with coping with the loss. I am glad I did and would advice anyone to not (try to) be (or as short as possible) in a state of suspended bereavement.
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Yes I remember. I think your advice is good - my Dad died four weeks before I started University. I still sometimes wonder if I was wise to go ahead with it then.
 
Well in my case I went ahead because after the funeral all three of my Dad's closest friends separately took me aside and said "you must do it, it's what he would have wanted". But I feel like I've been on my back foot to some degree ever since, because of not starting from a position of stability. I suppose, looking at it philosophically, it worked out all right in the end (although not the way I originally wanted).

But one consequence I had entirely failed to forsee is that it was a very bad time to be trying to make new friends, because when you meet new people it's only natural for them to enquire about your background and your family. And so many people got all awkward and appologetic on learning that my Dad had died recently. Like, I was going to expect them to know and avoid the subject? Of course I wasn't. But in the unspoken rules of sociallising (which is what we were doing, at that stage) no one is allowed to get upset. And in the early days I did get upset sometimes, and they wouldn't know what to do. The truth was I didn't need them to do anything - I was fine with the fact that I got upset, I just saw that as something I needed to go through. But with hindsight I suppose it wasn't really fair on them. So now I don't think it was a good time to be meeting new people, I think it would have been better to have been surrounded by people who already knew me well.

So I think it may be significant that Bruce's interviewer, on learning that Bruce's Dad has just died, doesn't immediately change the subject but is quite comfortable proceeding to ask Bruce if he was close to his Dad, and Bruce seems quite comfortable discussing the subject in some detail. It suggests they know each other. I suppose what you decide to do in the way of "work" depends on the nature of the work and who you're with, as well as the kind of person you are. I'm sure Bruce has perfectly good reasons for whatever way he decides is right to proceed.
 
Black Abyss Babe said:
So I think it may be significant that Bruce's interviewer, on learning that Bruce's Dad has just died, doesn't immediately change the subject but is quite comfortable proceeding to ask Bruce if he was close to his Dad, and Bruce seems quite comfortable discussing the subject in some detail. It suggests they know each other. I suppose what you decide to do in the way of "work" depends on the nature of the work and who you're with, as well as the kind of person you are. I'm sure Bruce has perfectly good reasons for whatever way he decides is right to proceed.
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As an interviewer you're supposed to strike up a rapport with the person you're interviewing and encourage them to express themselves openly. If they mention a personal tragedy, you do as a counsellor would do, enquire about their feelings and about the person they've lost, of respect to that person. In some cases, the interviewee appreciates the chance to speak and get things off their chest. That's why it's not unusual for people to talk at length to reporters who turn up on their doorstep after a tragic death. Bruce seems to be a person who finds it easy to express himself anyway and appreciates a chance to be open.
 
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