GhostofCain
Ancient Mariner
Not even a bag of Trooper-flavoured popcorn! Very underwhelming indeed.
News Burning Ambition Documentary
- Thread starter Spaldy
- Start date
Not even a bag of Trooper-flavoured popcorn! Very underwhelming indeed.
Iron Lurker
Apologist Maidentard
See? I'm actually not a complete Apologist Maidentard after all....
The_7th_one
Ancient Mariner
I think there is a very low expectation about it.
Interview with Bruce Dickinson about the documentary “Burning Ambition,”
Rock Hard Magazine, No. 467, May 2026
My translation
...
RH: The film is relentlessly honest about the highs and lows of your career. How do you feel about that?
BD: When the idea of making a documentary about our career first came up, we originally didn’t want anything to do with it. We don’t give a damn about the editing or anything related to it. We didn’t want to get involved. The point was to let an outsider tell the story.
There’s so much material that we could have made a ten-hour documentary, but then people would have died of boredom. The narrative
has to get to the point. Of course, there will be fans who accuse us of having forgotten this or that, but for people who don’t know the story of IRON MAIDEN, “Burning Ambition” is a great introduction. That’s why it was important to us to have this outside perspective. And then you can’t
come in every five minutes wanting to change something in the film. “Oh, my hair doesn’t look good in this shot, cut the scene.”
That’s not how it works. We’re not a bunch of poodles. That’s why this film is anything but perfect. And I love that. There’s nothing I would change about “Burning Ambition.”
So that means you handed over complete control to director Malcolm Venville? The documentary about Judas Priest came out just under two months before yours, and Rob Halford told me in an interview that handing over 100 % control was a prerequisite for the project’s success. How do you see it?
Yeah, when I saw the film for the first time, it was basically already finished. I’ll be honest with you: the problem I had with the film wasn’t the content, but the editing, especially in the first third. But that wasn’t Malcolm’s fault. So I took notes and gave my two cents.
Funnily enough, my notes matched almost one hundred percent with Steve’s, which he had made independently of me. And even more astonishing was that Ben Smallwood (son of manager Rod Smallwood - mm), who was the creative director of the entire project, had very similar criticisms as well. He said, “I’m relieved that you guys feel the same way I do, because now I can go to the production team and demand that changes be made. Without you, they wouldn’t have believed me at all.” It wasn’t about cutting out any specific scenes, but the context was simply missing. The first third of the film was incomprehensible in the original version. But with one or two minor adjustments to the presentation of the material, we had that sorted out in no time.
That made the narrative much stronger. I got into Maiden with “The Number Of The Beast” and that album was recorded with Clive (Burr, the late drummer - mm). But up to that point in the film, Clive hadn’t even been mentioned. He simply didn’t exist in the original cut, so I went over and said, “We need to include something about Clive.” We pushed for things like that. People who haven’t delved deeply into IRON MAIDEN wouldn’t have understood the strong feelings we have toward people like Clive or Paul Di’Anno. There was always a close bond between us, even though neither of them had been with Maiden for years and, sadly, are no longer with us today.”
In the film, the early days of the band’s career are described as a roller coaster ride. Do you still feel like you’re on a roller coaster today?
Well, yes and no. When we set out on a new tour, we still have the same feeling: Here we go, everyone buckle up. Since we’re still giving it our all physically on stage, our bodies have to be prepared to endure discomfort and pain for the next six months. But you hope that the fans’ reactions and the atmosphere will make the ordeal worth it.”
The main narrative of “Burning Ambition” is the band’s rise from tiny East End dive bars to the world’s biggest arenas. As the first rock band in the world, IRON MAIDEN will perform this summer at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan. Do you see this as another milestone in your career?
San Siro, well, I’m not an obsessive soccer fan; that’s Steve, not me. I enjoy watching people who are good with the ball, but that’s about it. I don’t have a favorite team, but of course I understand that many people do. For many fans, San Siro is the Mecca of Italian soccer - including my wife, who is half Italian. When she found out we were playing at San Siro, she totally freaked out: “Oh my God, my team plays in that stadium.” She supports the club that’s based there - whichever one it is, since there are two, right? (AC Milan and Inter Milan - make up your mind! - mm) It’s the biggest stadium in this city, and in that sense, of course, another milestone for IRON MAIDEN, just like our show at the London Stadium before. Those are always special events, no question about it. I just have to think back to our shows in the soccer stadiums of Madrid and Barcelona. These places were built for ecstatic audience reactions. It’s definitely going to be great.
...
Rock Hard Magazine, No. 467, May 2026
My translation
...
RH: The film is relentlessly honest about the highs and lows of your career. How do you feel about that?
BD: When the idea of making a documentary about our career first came up, we originally didn’t want anything to do with it. We don’t give a damn about the editing or anything related to it. We didn’t want to get involved. The point was to let an outsider tell the story.
There’s so much material that we could have made a ten-hour documentary, but then people would have died of boredom. The narrative
has to get to the point. Of course, there will be fans who accuse us of having forgotten this or that, but for people who don’t know the story of IRON MAIDEN, “Burning Ambition” is a great introduction. That’s why it was important to us to have this outside perspective. And then you can’t
come in every five minutes wanting to change something in the film. “Oh, my hair doesn’t look good in this shot, cut the scene.”
That’s not how it works. We’re not a bunch of poodles. That’s why this film is anything but perfect. And I love that. There’s nothing I would change about “Burning Ambition.”
So that means you handed over complete control to director Malcolm Venville? The documentary about Judas Priest came out just under two months before yours, and Rob Halford told me in an interview that handing over 100 % control was a prerequisite for the project’s success. How do you see it?
Yeah, when I saw the film for the first time, it was basically already finished. I’ll be honest with you: the problem I had with the film wasn’t the content, but the editing, especially in the first third. But that wasn’t Malcolm’s fault. So I took notes and gave my two cents.
Funnily enough, my notes matched almost one hundred percent with Steve’s, which he had made independently of me. And even more astonishing was that Ben Smallwood (son of manager Rod Smallwood - mm), who was the creative director of the entire project, had very similar criticisms as well. He said, “I’m relieved that you guys feel the same way I do, because now I can go to the production team and demand that changes be made. Without you, they wouldn’t have believed me at all.” It wasn’t about cutting out any specific scenes, but the context was simply missing. The first third of the film was incomprehensible in the original version. But with one or two minor adjustments to the presentation of the material, we had that sorted out in no time.
That made the narrative much stronger. I got into Maiden with “The Number Of The Beast” and that album was recorded with Clive (Burr, the late drummer - mm). But up to that point in the film, Clive hadn’t even been mentioned. He simply didn’t exist in the original cut, so I went over and said, “We need to include something about Clive.” We pushed for things like that. People who haven’t delved deeply into IRON MAIDEN wouldn’t have understood the strong feelings we have toward people like Clive or Paul Di’Anno. There was always a close bond between us, even though neither of them had been with Maiden for years and, sadly, are no longer with us today.”
In the film, the early days of the band’s career are described as a roller coaster ride. Do you still feel like you’re on a roller coaster today?
Well, yes and no. When we set out on a new tour, we still have the same feeling: Here we go, everyone buckle up. Since we’re still giving it our all physically on stage, our bodies have to be prepared to endure discomfort and pain for the next six months. But you hope that the fans’ reactions and the atmosphere will make the ordeal worth it.”
The main narrative of “Burning Ambition” is the band’s rise from tiny East End dive bars to the world’s biggest arenas. As the first rock band in the world, IRON MAIDEN will perform this summer at the legendary San Siro Stadium in Milan. Do you see this as another milestone in your career?
San Siro, well, I’m not an obsessive soccer fan; that’s Steve, not me. I enjoy watching people who are good with the ball, but that’s about it. I don’t have a favorite team, but of course I understand that many people do. For many fans, San Siro is the Mecca of Italian soccer - including my wife, who is half Italian. When she found out we were playing at San Siro, she totally freaked out: “Oh my God, my team plays in that stadium.” She supports the club that’s based there - whichever one it is, since there are two, right? (AC Milan and Inter Milan - make up your mind! - mm) It’s the biggest stadium in this city, and in that sense, of course, another milestone for IRON MAIDEN, just like our show at the London Stadium before. Those are always special events, no question about it. I just have to think back to our shows in the soccer stadiums of Madrid and Barcelona. These places were built for ecstatic audience reactions. It’s definitely going to be great.
...
That is interesting. I saw that rumour (that the documentary is being delayed because Steve isn’t satisfied with it) in a lot of Facebook groups.
It was mentioned here too, on page 110 of “Run For Your Lives World Tour 2026 Rumors and Speculation,” but no one believed it.
So the rumour was not entirely off the mark.
And Bruce again with the half-Italian. He has mentioned that before, too, to defend his stance on Brexit. But I still haven’t understood the logic behind it.
Is the show in San Siro also promoted as "first rock band playing there"?
It was mentioned here too, on page 110 of “Run For Your Lives World Tour 2026 Rumors and Speculation,” but no one believed it.
So the rumour was not entirely off the mark.
And Bruce again with the half-Italian. He has mentioned that before, too, to defend his stance on Brexit. But I still haven’t understood the logic behind it.
Is the show in San Siro also promoted as "first rock band playing there"?
dickinson1978
Ancient Mariner
I got thr ticket to see it. I think its not true