Articles below is an interview done by Metal Hammer and Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden
Metal Hammer continues its exclusive chats with Iron Maiden about their forthcoming movie, ‘Iron Maiden: Flight 666′. ‘Iron Maiden: Flight 666′ is released worldwide on official Iron Maiden Day - April 21st.
We continue our series of exclusive chats with iron Maiden with a chat with Iron Maiden drummer and all-round diamond of a man, Nicko McBrain!
Metal Hammer: In the film, Bruce says, “You play South America and it makes you want to up your game to match their expectations”
Nicko McBrain: ”Yeah, it’s difficult to explain, because when we go onstage we give it 100 per cent plus. One show isn’t different from any other in terms of what we put into it, but this passion down here in South America, and like Bruce says the further south you go, the hotter it gets. You don’t want to disappoint them so you feel you have to be a little bit more on edge. We don’t go on and play any better or worse. It’s Iron Maiden and you get what you get. But with the audience, they get so emotionally involved, the cheering and the chanting between songs and five minutes can go by”
“We control the way we behave on stage. It’s noticeable. Last night, Steve and I were talking in the dressing room about how we were both feeling with the altitude…he had a dodgy tummy and wasn’t feeling 100 per cent. We have two expressions in the band when someone’s not feeling well, we say it’s a Ronnie Scott’s gig tonight or a Holiday Inn gig. And you say that…I said to Steve “You know that ain’t gonna happen, but we know we’ve both got to pace ourselves”…a little nudge to each other not to spend ourselves too early. But as soon as you get up there, that intro tape stops and off I go on Aces High, you can’t sit back and have a Ronnie Scott’s gig…but pacing yourself is very important.”
“The great thing is, the crowd takes over for you. You get a little breathing time between songs because the kids are going crazy and you’ve got to let them vent. That’s what happens in South America. You can see it in the movie. It’s such passion. We love playing everywhere in the world. People ask ‘Where are the best audiences in the world’, but they’re all the same. Some are louder than others but the passion is there everywhere. There’s just this difference here, and I don’t know what it is.”
Metal Hammer: Was that part of the point of the film…to capture some of that on tape?
Nicko: “Of course, yeah. The Colombian audiences and the Costa Rican audiences…but the Colombians, they just tell you what it’s like. You can see that passion, not just from the audience’s point of view while we’re playing and we finish the song and the reaction we get, but at the end of the show, you see the passion and the true love that these fans have for Iron Maiden. Having said that, doesn’t mean to say that Japanese audiences aren’t the same. They just show it in a different way.”
“It’s a stunning movie actually. It really captures primarily the essence of what we do as band and what we’re doing in between the shows, and a lot of the family vibe. It was mentioned before when we were talking about doing it, that we’d have these cameras in our faces 24/7, and there was some grumbling going on about it. But Sam and Scott were absolutely amazing guys to work with and I think it made what we have…they weren’t really in our faces that much. I did tell them to fuck off a couple of times, usually when I was closing the toilet door. But it really, really captures that whole…if you haven’t been a fan of Iron Maiden and you see that movie, then you’re probably going to want to buy a record or come and see us live.”
Metal Hammer: It was a big undertaking…
Nicko: “It was a daunting proposition, especially for Sam and Scott, because they had so much. Rod was very keen to work with them and get the continuity and flow right. Taking the 757, doing what we’re doing, we needed to document this because it’s a first, it’s very historic. So we thought ‘How can we do that?’ We didn’t just want to make another music DVD, as such, like a concert. If we’re going to do it, let’s make it about the family and that includes the audiences as well as what we’re doing in our down time. As you probably noticed, it’s a bit more subdued. It’s a busman’s holiday now. All the crew, they’re a bit quiet!”
“When I first saw the film, I didn’t know what to expect. I was more thinking ‘I wonder how they captured me and my playing’. It’s very difficult to film because it’s such a humongous drum set. I wondered how it would all turn out. Did I embarrass myself? That’s what I normally do. There was some nerves beforehand, but when I got to watch it I was stunned by the quality of the filming and Kevin Shirley did an absolutely phenomenal job with the mix. I only had the stereo version. I haven’t heard the 5.1 surround sound version, so I’m looking forward to hearing that in its glory.”
“They’ve all done such a great job. I was really surprised. I showed it to my mate in Florida and he said ‘This is it. It’s a taste of Maiden. This is what you guys are all about’. It’s something that I think appeals…people will go and see this with maybe their parents. It’s not just concert footage. It’s everything around us. I don’t think we made this to get people into the band or to capture.”
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