Following the tabloid media bullshit over the ‘Maiden riots’, Hammer were lucky enough to be out in South America with Iron Maiden, and below is the first exclusive interview with the band. Adrian Smith talks about the next Iron Maiden album, one-upmanship between members and whether they will call it a day after 15 records.
MH: Talking to everybody else, the attention seems to be now turning to a new album…
Adrian Smith: “Yeah, we were talking about it briefly the other day and I’ve been thinking about it every day since because there are so many ways we can go with it. It’d be nice if we had the songs now and we could come off tour and go straight into the studio match-fit, as it were. Usually we have a long time off, and the way we play in the studio is as live, so it’s always a bit tense at first because we haven’t played for six months. I’d ideally like to go in [soon]. Again, it’s a day-to-day thing, you go in, take it as you find it, try and do the best job you can.”
MH: We’ve noticed one thing that was different from 12 months ago, when we interviewed Steve, he said “we’ve always said ‘we’re only going to do 15 albums, we’re coming up to it, there’s going to be an ending point.’” Is everyone seeing things a little differently now?
Adrian: “Look, we write music, we’re musicians, we’ll carry on. The great thing is that there’s clearly a huge audience out there waiting to hear what we’re going to do right now ; and in the real world that’s not a very common situation so you have to appreciate it. It’s not always easy to make an album, you’ve got six guys with their own ideas and focusing it into one outcome is quite difficult.”
MH: Is it the case that you use up every idea for an album each time, and that there’s never anything left over from that for next time?
Adrian: “I know a lot of bands who demo stuff from 30 songs or something and then break up when they’re trying to pick 10 because you get the ego and the each guy wants to get their ideas in, so we just try to write 10 or 12 songs, and get everybody’s best ideas in there. You soon know when you start playing it whether it’s going to fly or not. You just have to do the best you can. It’s difficult for everybody to be happy with the album: there’s always a compromise, but as long as you can get through it and come out the other side and still be a band that’s what it’s all about. Sometimes creative conflict is good in songwriting, it brings out the best in everyone.”
MH: Is there a bit of one-upmanship though?
Adrian: “I’m thinking about the album now. So yeah there is a bit of competition, of course there is, you want to see your stuff included on there, but its not bad natured. It means the world to me when someone comes up and says ‘I really like that song’ or ‘that’s a great riff’. You play the song you’ve created, everyone’s playing it and they’re excited and that’s the main buzz for me. Of course everybody wants their songs on there and that slap on the back. It’s like any job really, getting a bit of job satisfaction, there’s the motivation . One thing you don’t do is to turn up with a load of half-arsed ideas to rehearsal; you turn up with something you think is pretty good.”
MH: I can imagine ‘your peers’ can be really quite brutal about half-arsed ideas….
Adrian: “I wouldn’t even bother taking any! Showing people your new songs is where you earn your money really because it takes a lot of nerve to sit down and say ‘I’ve got an idea boys.’ I cheat a bit, I usually make demos sound quite good (laughs). But I grew up in an era before you could do that , so I’ve been through all the thing of sitting down and bearing your soul to someone else and that’s why it’s such a great rush when you do it and it works. It’s almost like a relief.”
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