Bruce Dickinson

My dad had the first two albums and I listened to them a lot, not knowing Bruce made other albums. Started going on Maiden forums later on and realized that not only were there more, but the ones I hadn't heard were considered his best and up there with Maiden's best.
 
Apart from the Tattooed Millionaire album, which I heard for the first time in (probably) early/spring 1992, when I was about to finish hearing all Maiden studio albums (I knew the title track and vid when it came out though!), I bought everything else on the date of release, including the singles.

Especially my Tears of the Dragon-single is very dear to me. I was so over the moon by this music, the long solo section, way longer than in the video clip and I loved the b-sides at least as much! Bruce signed it last year when I spoke briefly with him in Paris.

I guess I should be glad (or "lucky") that I heard everything in the right order. I had time to appreciate the different strengths of every release.
 
Forostar said:
I guess I should be glad (or "lucky") that I heard everything in the right order. I had time to appreciate see the different strengths of every release.
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Exactly this. I heard the albums (mostly) in order too and I feel that I appreciate the first two albums more for it. I can imagine hearing Chemical Wedding for the first time and going back to Millionaire being pretty disappointing, to say the least.
 
I had the most trouble with Skunkworks, when it came out. It was so unexpectedly different, also in terms of melodies (or lack thereof), that in the first weeks I could only like 3 or 4 songs very much. Now, Back from the Edge might be my favourite Bruce song, or at least top 3.
 
I hardly talked as well. Bruce was busy getting out of there. :)
I just managed to ask him to sign two things and mentioned that I like the b-sides from the Tears of the Dragon single very much and that they were so different from the album (hoping he'd say something more about them).
 
Here's the full story from Chris Dale about the Sarajevo trip if anyone's interested: http://metaltalk.net/columns/20100821.php . That was a truly brave effort from the guys; during the Balkans war in the '90s Bosnia (including Sarajevo) was a fucking madhouse, including such "nice" stuff as ethnic cleansing of some areas.

@Forostar and @jazz from hell , when did you guys meet Bruce? Now recently or during his solo gigs?
 
Ranko said:
@Forostar and @jazz from hell , when did you guys meet Bruce? Now recently or during his solo gigs?
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At the Bruce Air trip to the studio in Paris. August 2015.
(I'd like to think I might have been the first to have had an autograph since he got ill, assuming that this trip was his first activity since.)

I saw Bruce solo two times in 1996 (Skunkworks) and 1998 (Chemical Wedding Tour).
 
Forostar said:
At the Bruce Air trip to the studio in Paris. August 2015.
(I'd like to think I might have been the first to have had an autograph since he got ill, assuming that this trip was his first activity since.)
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'Fraid not. I'm led to believe someone accosted him on his way into the building too, before he got to the piano.
 
Hmm. He appeared very suddenly behind the piano, all the fans were stuck on the stage, not wanting to miss anything.
 
Yes, but he was lightning quick and I can't imagine people could stop him when he was A: late and B: had his mind set upon his surprise arrival/piano play. Unless you've seen people having an autograph before he arrived at the piano, I keep on thinking that it was not likely to happen. :D
 
He was out and about in public quite a few times before you guys saw him in Paris; not with his Maiden hat on, granted, but he was certainly photographed & was interviewed. Hardly unlikely that someone at one of these events would have asked him for an autograph?
jazz from hell said:
Just read above. Me Balls tour. I didn't ever wash my hand since.:)
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Your balls, you've washed them since I hope?
 
He was not out and about. He was running all the time. Rush, rush, rush, while not being in the plane or on the stage. He was very unapproachable, as disappointing as it may sound. When he popped up he came, speeched and was gone again. I don't think he's the type (anymore) to take more time when he's in a hurry, traveling. Of course he had more time for everybody in the plane, but didn't really leave the cockpit entrance. People made photos of him, listened to him, but didn't actually have the luck of stopping him. We even got a letter in advance that were not allowed to take photos with him.

After the flight to Paris he didn't travel with us to the studio. Probably, he had some business to do after the landing and was just traveling all the time afterwards.
 
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Forostar said:
He was not out and about. He was running all the time. Rush, rush, rush, while not being in the plane or on the stage. He was very unapproachable, as disappointing as it may sound. When he popped up he came, speeched and was gone again. I don't think he's the type (anymore) to take more time when he's in a hurry, traveling. Of course he had more time for everybody in the plane, but didn't really leave the cockpit entrance. People made photos of him, listened to him, but didn't actually have the luck of stopping him. We even got a letter in advance that were not allowed to take photos with him.

After the flight to Paris he didn't travel with us to the studio. Probably, he had some business to do after the landing and was just traveling all the time afterwards.
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I'm not referring to your Paris trip at all. I'm saying Bruce was in public before this. Was he not? Remember him being interviewed (& you commenting on his voice) here & there, the moustache, etc. This is why I said "not with his Maiden hat on". Were these public appearances not before the studio trip? Could the odd person not have got an autograph?
 
Ahh alright. Yes. But these were business appearances. I don't think many Maiden fans were to be found, and even if, they probably hardly dared to ask an autograph in these circumstances. Again these are moments when Bruce is doing something else. You should see him move when that something is over, or just before it starts. It's like "beam me up Scotty", the man is very fast, focuses entirely on what he planned to do and doesn't want to waste a moment around it.
 
I get the impression that Bruce probably signs something for someone pretty much everywhere he goes to be honest. I can easily imagine ground crew and other airport people asking for this & that to be signed for their son/daughter, etc (when it's actually for themselves).

Just saying, it's pretty unlikely you got the first autograph after his illness...
 
I do not think it is highly unlikely. Unlikely perhaps, but not more than likely. It could be his first flight, it was his first fan meeting. The public appearance you're talking about was business related, it was at his own company/hangar, within his own circle. Everybody knows him at Cardiff Airport as well.
 
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