Maiden’s political silence

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____no5

____no5

Free Man
I see some people being disappointed with Maiden’s silence regarding Russia invasion to Ukraine.
My understanding of Maiden is that this silence didn’t just happened, it’s designed. And I’m not the least surprised or expected otherwise now or in other cases in the past. To be clear I mean them being contemporary and specific.
The way they probably see it is that they are running a business and it’s a business decision to not taking sides.
And they have been following this, all the way up to now.

Though there were some exceptions. Eddie killing Thatcher was quite political. And quite early.
Songwriting wise there were a few lukewarm attempts like Mother Russia, Be Quick or Be Dead (due to the single’s cover) & Afraid to Shoot Strangers. In my opinion the latter is their closest ever of taking sides. All three mentioned from the same period. And I can’t think anything else from the top of my head.

Nevertheless, I may be wrong in my assumptions and there may be some other cases that indicate otherwise, so I am starting this thread to shed some more light into this.
 
I'm disappointed with Maiden's silence in general. Well…it is what it is. But I'm not disappointed with their silence about this because they're usually talk about war in general in their songs. I'm sure Bruce will be asked about this in his show and he'll give his opinion. Harris? I didn't hear his voice about the album/ Covid / war or anything in 2 years. The last time I hear is voice was in a US Morning tv show promoting British Lion tour.

In terms of business They have cancelled the shows like other bands and rest of shows. It's not safe for the fans and it's not safe for them obviously they don't put risk their lives in the middle of a war. Maybe they could make a special gig and give all the money to help refugees or reconstruct the Ukranian country. I don't know…
 
The dynamics of these matters have changed over the years.
In the old days public figures mostly kept silent on hot-button topics in order to avoid pissing anyone off.
These days keeping silent pretty much pisses everyone off.
 
^Exactly. In this regard I value Maiden silence.
You can be Michael Jordan (Republicans too buy sneakers) you can be Mohamed Ali (No Vietcong has ever called me nigger) and it’s fine. Just be clear with your stance.

I find there’s a dignity in that silence. It’s constant. And against the flow.
 
You can defend them all you want... But deep down you know the truth.
In this instance they acted as COWARDS AND HYPOCRITES, no more, no less. It's not just business. Period.
And I love them. But truth must be told regardless.
 
If they are cowards they have been all along. But how exactly are they hypocrites? They haven't changed their stance. They did not speak then when it was not fashionable, they do not speak now that it is. Thus no hypocrites.

And I don't think they are cowards; there were plenty of injustices in the World during the last 30 years, it didn't just happen last week. They have been silent all the way.
They made a conscious business decision not to be political long ago, they just follow that decision. And forget not that right now they are not going with the flow. And it's takes a kind of courage to not do as all others.
 
I think that Maiden simply avoids to talk about the situation in Ukraine because of wisdom of older people. When people are young, they always rebel against the world order and take the side of one or another. When they're older, they are more quiet, more peaceful and don't want to be involved in a conflict that is not theirs, or don't want to be forced to stand on a side or another, because they know that the reality of the world is more complex than people obviously think... It's not all black or white, sometimes that's grey... That's why Maiden has not communicated about this war and doesn't want to... And I understand that. The band members are not experts about wars and geo-politics. They are just musicians who write emotionnal songs about what they think about wars, that's all. ;)
 
You must be joking regarding "The world is more complex" and "it's not black or white". I guess defending the world as we know it is just for soldiers, politicians and protesters. It's not like we all share a responsibility for the values and way of life we all shielded by. The responsibility belongs to someone else. Someone else should speak up, preferably people without power, or with lots of power. The inbetweeners should sit tight, so they don't risk shit.
Yax said:
Culture, sports, business, politics and war are intertwined. It's not just a matter of virtue signalling, every damn company to exit russia, any sports competition which bans Russia is in a very small, but still real way, affecting the state of Russia, the aggressor.
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I still think this is valid. Maiden are taking a comfortable situation when others don't. Look at Russia, Putin is affected by the world turning on him the sanctions and the fear of the russian people knowing what's going on. The less to speak out, the better for Putin. A lot of companies, bands, celebrities, some nations etc are doing him that favor. I had hoped Maiden wouldn't.
 
TheMercenary said:
I think that Maiden simply avoids to talk about the situation in Ukraine because of wisdom of older people. When people are young, they always rebel against the world order and take the side of one or another. When they're older, they are more quiet, more peaceful and don't want to be involved in a conflict that is not theirs, or don't want to be forced to stand on a side or another, because they know that the reality of the world is more complex than people obviously think... It's not all black or white, sometimes that's grey... That's why Maiden has not communicated about this war and doesn't want to... And I understand that. The band members are not experts about wars and geo-politics. They are just musicians who write emotionnal songs about what they think about wars, that's all. ;)
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We all knew Bruce was into fencing, but not that he was also into sitting on fences.
 
There was an artist I used to like back home. He was non political for many years. Then for 3 -4 years he took a strong stance against one of the political parties. I disliked him immediately. Many people did. After 30 years of building a non political identity, the fact that he took sides so abruptly, made many people feel at best uncomfortable and sometimes angry.

People are sensitive. What if Maiden are conspiracists, pro Trump (and Putin) and anti -vaxx? How many people here or out there would have disliked them? Or the opposite?

GhostofCain said:
I guess it is much easier to take a stance against barbarity 40 years after it has taken place.
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^This is the way Maiden chose to be. They didn’t do it overnight it’s 40+ years.
Wondering why they do not speak out is like wondering why they don’t use double pedal or having a riff based sound.

Maiden are simple, honest, ordinary working men and that’s why we love them. Harris being happy of doing gigs of 200 people, Janick shopping in discount shops.
Bruce, the more elegant of the pack does speak from time to time, only to praise Churchill. Or Brexit.

:D
 
For a contrast check out Deep Purples recent heartfelt condemnation of the war, with individual statements from band members
 
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Boroking said:
For a contrast check out Deep Purples recent heartfelt condemnation of the war, with individual statements from band members
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Was just coming here to post this. I have always been a huge Purple fan .. now I am a bigger one

Spoiled because of the size
Sweet child
In time you'll see the line
The line that's drawn between
Good and bad
See the blind man Shooting at the world
Bullets flying
Taking toll
If you've been bad
Lord I bet you have
And you've not been hit
By flying lead
You'd better close your eyes
You'd better bow your head
Wait for the ricochet
As a rule, Deep Purple is apolitical, but on this occasion…
Words of Roger Glover:
‘Like many performers, we have occasionally performed private concerts for fans in various countries.
We are an apolitical band and in no way, was our intention ever political. It was music. These days are different. We condemn Putin's military for the atrocities to innocent men, women and children in Ukraine. and we apologize to our Russian and Ukrainian fans that the shows have been cancelled. We live in hope that we can fulfill those dates in the future. ‘
RG
Words of Don Airey:
Watching the news that Russian missiles have just destroyed the Opera House in Freedom Square Kharkiv, where DP played almost exactly 20 years ago, memorable for Ian Gillan donning a tutu he found in a dressing room cupboard and proclaiming himself “Deep Purple in Frock”, for the gear arriving at 7pm and somehow the show starting at 8pm, for an old apparatchik single-handedly trying to make the young audience sit back down during the set with such zeal that he had a seizure, and next day on the way back to the airport my asking about a statue ”Is that Lenin?”, Roger Glover replying, “Well it’s definitely not McCartney”. A different day today I have just written to Dmitri Medvedev, former President and now head of the Russian Security Council, returning the autograph he gave me at the dinner for Deep Purple at the Gorky Palace in March 2011, in protest at his various statements post invasion.
DA
Words of Ian Gillan:
If speaking out means we shall never see our Russian friends again, then that is a big sacrifice, but nothing compared with never again seeing our Ukrainian friends who are being killed to satisfy the psychopathic ambitions of the Russian leader. I would like to see Russians on the streets in their millions, to show their disgust at the Ukrainian invasion, and I’d like to dream that very quickly, Russia can find some modern leadership that will bring them back into the world as friends. We have so much in common.
IG
Words of Ian Paice:
What’s happening is beyond distressing. It’s criminal and should be treated as such. The invasion of Putin’s army into Ukraine, (because that’s what it is), I hope will turn out to bring his ultimate downfall. And that someone who is “functioning mentally in the 21st century”, can lead the Russian people back into the fold.
IP
Words of Steve Morse:
I've always thought music should be non-political, and cross every border as the universal language. As a citizen of a deeply divided country, one thing here that everybody agrees on is: Stop this attack on a Country who voluntarily disarmed their nukes to satisfy all the big players. Stop, lower your guns, turn back, help others on the way back!
SM
 
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