NO SERIOUSLY: Maiden, North Dakota
“Beware,” Mike told me, as he handed me a copy of Chuck Klosterman’s Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota. “He has really bad taste in music.” And although the book turned out to be an insightful and unflinching examination of the 1980’s heavy metal experience, Mike was right. The book does focus more on the “glam” metal aspects of the genre more than anything else, which can be somewhat of a disappointment for those that dabble in more musically challenging subdivisions of metal. For my tastes, Klosterman spends way too much time defending the legitimacy of bands like Poison and Bon Jovi. His arguments, particularly for Poison, are the same arguments that the hipsters he criticizes had used when they went through their heavy metal fascination years back. He uses the “it’s so bad, it’s good” defense. This argument is traditionally more punk than heavy metal and suits the Sex Pistols perfectly. But Poison is something entirely different. You can write until you’re blue in the face, you’ll never convince me they did anything else but suck. But everyone has the right to his or her own tastes, which seems to be one of the main themes of the book. And honestly, if I was writing a book about my teenage heavy metal experiences, I’d easily include Twisted Sister, who, although they definitely had a better singer and drummer than Poison, weren’t that much better in the talent department.
My trouble with Klosterman’s book, more than anything, is his brushing over of the band, Iron Maiden. He briefly mentions Iron Maiden when addressing whether or not certain bands were considered satanic or not, discussing the band’s infamous LP, The Number of the Beast. And, before moving on to discuss Marilyn Manson and his dance with the darkside, he states, “As far as I’m concerned, Iron Maiden is the funniest band in the entire metal genre,” citing “The Number of the Beast” as camp and “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter” as laughable. How a writer who dedicates chapters to defending the artistic merits of Poison and Bon Jovi can call Iron Maiden “the funniest band in the entire genre” is beyond my comprehension. It displays only a minimal understanding of the band. Klosterman mentions Iron Maiden once more, briefly, when discussing the modern day arguments he has in defending his record collection. This time around, he brings up The Best of the Beast, which is a “Best of” collection and not a particularly exhilarating one at that either. If he truly wanted to defend Maiden’s merits, he would’ve picked any of the records recorded before and leading up to Powerslave, their last great record. And although I think Klosterman’s book is a stellar piece of writing and will live on as a defining defense for the heavy metal argument, I feel it’s time someone finally and properly comes to Iron Maiden’s defense.
Council, call your first witness.
“Street” Metal vs. “Fantasy” Metal
My friend, John, used to say there were two eras when it came to Iron Maiden: the “street” metal era and the “fantasy” metal era. These two eras can also be differentiated by the first two singers of the group, Paul Dianno and Bruce Dickenson. Dianno, the band’s first vocalist, had a voice like gravel and it was as rough and rugged as the streets he sang about:
Death call arises, a scream breaks the still of the night,
Another tomorrow, remember to walk in the light!
-“Killers”
Obviously, Dianno is addressing the fear one feels when walking the streets alone in the middle of the night. Like many horror movies that address the theme of fear and its connection to possible violence, Dianno is articulating (at least during this point of the song) a real life concern. The twist comes, however, when Dianno assumes the voice of the killer that lurks behind every corner. Klosterman refers to this as the “perspective” song, when addressing the merits of Iron Maiden. He is correct in making that connection. And no one does this better than Maiden. Whether its Dianno or Dickenson singing, they usually take the perspective of the darker characters, in the same way movies do when the camera turns to the subjective view of the killer (e.g. Jason in Friday the 13th) or when writers assume the voice of their more evil characters (e.g. Shakespeare and Richard III).
Getting back to comparing Maiden’s “street” metal and “fantasy” metal eras, when Bruce Dickenson is on the mic, the lyrics tend to be more about the supernatural, the historical or the mythological:
His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings burn to ashes to ashes his grave
-“Flight of Icarus”
These lyrics are based on the “Icarus” mythology, in which a boy and his father make a pair of wings out of wax in order to escape imprisonment. The boy, excited by experience of flying, soars too close to the sun and his wings melt, causing him to perish. This a long way from the urban settings in which the Dianno-era Maiden liked to dwell.
Finally, these two eras can also be defined by the two drummers that played for the band. Early on, it was Clive Burr that bashed his way through their repertoire. And although Burr remained in the band for The Number of the Beast (Bruce Dickenson’s first LP), the band’s second drummer, Nicko McBrain, is mostly associated with the “fantasy” metal era.
Technically, McBrain, is easily the better of the two, as any Madien freak will tell you. Burr, however, still tends to the favorite, simply based on the fact that he hit the drums a thousand times harder than McBrain. This is an argument that continues in the Iron Maiden world, in the same way people like to compare Keith Moon and John Bonham. Again, Bonham being the more technical yet he sometimes loses out to Keith Moon based on Moon’s ability to smash the drums like Animal from The Muppet Show.
Steve Harris and “the Ride to Victory”
In his book, Klosterman gives most of the musical credit to Iron Maiden’s guitarists. He states, ”Part of the reason Maiden was tagged for being so intelligent was the guitar work of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, two classically minded musicians who loved to go for baroque.” Although his writing is swift and his pun delicious, Klosterman seems ignorant to who is truly responsible for the genius that is Iron Maiden. If one were to pick up any Iron Maiden CD and read the credits, they would find that bassist, Steve Harris, has either written or co-written most of the songs. And, in regards to playing ability, the solos that both Murray and Smith play are sometimes impressive but never come close to deserving the label of “intelligent.” They rock. Certainly. But they’re nothing compared to Harris’ intricate bass playing, which is easily the highlight and most challenging element to their music.
What makes Harris’ playing so impressive is the fact that he plays their fast-paced rhythms and complex arpeggios with his fingers, as opposed to using a pick. If you’re not a musician, you may have trouble comprehending how difficult a task this really is. Many bassists have tried to do what he does and have failed miserably. To use the parlance of the genre, it takes a “metal master” to pull of what Steve Harris does. When watching a live video of Harris performing, one is able to see that he sometimes uses all four of his available fingers to pull off a song. And if you ask anyone who has tried that on the bass, they will tell you without blinking an eye that it’s nearly impossible and that Steve Harris is, unquestionably, the best bassist in the genre. Period.
Possibly the most famous and most common rhythmic challenge for Harris is “the Gallop” or, as I like to call it, “the Ride to Victory.” These are the rhythms that, when played quickly, create sounds reminiscent of a horse galloping. In musical terms, they usually consist of an eight note followed by two sixteenth notes repeated quickly and consistently. Technically, for a bassist that doesn’t play with a pick, this can be difficult. And although bands like Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy had dabbled in this technique earlier, influencing Harris, it was Harris that made a name for himself by perfecting these types of rhythms with the slickest of precision. And together with Dickenson’s visual images of cowboys and Indians “galloping hard on the plain” or British soldiers fighting the Russians on horseback (the bugle sounds, the charge begins…), Harris’ gallop became part of a larger picture, when the marriage of words and music make for an almost perfect song.
The one drawback, however, is that eventually, after five albums or so, Harris’ gallops do become repetitive and monotonous. Iron Maiden, one of the most innovative bands in the history of metal, eventually became a shadow of their former self. In fact, that was one of the problems I had with Klosterman’s examination of the band. When referencing their material, he sometimes refers to songs like “Fear of the Dark” and “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter,” which belonged to an Iron Maiden long past its prime. Again, if he knew what he was talking about, he would’ve stuck with everything up to Powerslave.
666 and the Stereotypical Madien Fan
Within the brief paragraphs Klosterrman took to mention Iron Maiden in his book, he was able to make one or two valid points about the band. More specifically, when addressing whether or not Iron Maiden could be considered “devil worshippers,” he brings up the “perspective song” and its relation to the “The Number of the Beast.” He states:
This allowed bands to sing about virtually any subject imaginable
without personal responsibility for what they said, which was
especially important to groups who wanted to specifically occultism
in the first person. For five minutes the singer became the equivalent
of a character in a novel, and the audience was supposed to view his
espoused subject with the same kind of aesthetic distance (Klosterman, p. 139-140).
Although Klosterman seems to be interpreting Maiden’s approach to the subject of occultism with skepticism and even some sarcasm, the truth is, he hit the nail right on the head, in regards to their approach, delivery and acceptance. What he is describing above was exactly what Iron Maiden were 
doing. Even as a fifteen-year-old teenager, I remember thinking, “These are characters that are playing around with Satanism, not Iron Maiden themselves.” I recognized the aesthetic distance created by their first person approach and accepted it as a valid form of storytelling. If one were to make charges against Iron Maiden for dabbling in the world of the devil, they would also have to make the same charges against Roman Polanski and John Cassavetes for writing and creating the film, Rosemary’s Baby, a film that explores the culture of Satanism in an urban setting. Also, if one was study the cover of LP, The Number of the Beast, they may find an image of the devil using man as a puppet but they will also find Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, who has donned every Iron Maiden cover since the beginning, controlling Satan himself as a puppet, which may help prove the argument that Iron Maiden are not followers of anyone, not even the devil. Here, Eddie, longtime representative of the band, displays the band’s power to control its own destiny.
Another generalization about Iron Maiden that Klosterman makes that comes pretty close to the mark, is his description of the typical Iron Maiden fan. He states:
They had a very bizarre fan base—a lot of musicians, along with an
army of loner outcasts who didn’t drink or smile or talk to anyone who
was still alive (Klosterman p. 139).
This is a fairly accurate assessment of who was listening to Maiden back in the day. In regards to my friends and why we loved Maiden, we were all musicians and loved that they could play their instruments well and their songs were musical odysseys that took us to the Wild West, on the battlefield, in a World War II fighter plane, and so forth. And if you happened to see someone in high school wearing a Maiden shirt, you figured they were either a fellow musician or they at least understood that Maiden soared much higher than most metal bands in that department.
In regards to the outcast that didn’t drink or smile, there were definitely some of those walking the halls as well. In fact, none of my friends drank during the peak of our interest in Maiden. We were so psyched about the music, we didn’t think alcohol could ever make you feel as good as their music did. We weren’t loners though. The loners would usually nod to you as a sign of recognition, that you both “got it,” in regards to why Maiden was so fierce. These guys usually let the intense imagery of Eddie decorating the front of their Iron Maiden t-shirt do the talking for them. That’s how they projected their fears, anger and excitement upon a world afraid of rock ‘n’ roll.
Caught Somewhere In Time
Although Iron Maiden can be chronologically linked to the Eighties, mostly because that’s when they were most popular, their best songs will last forever and are just as good now as they were twenty five years ago. I’ve seen Iron Maiden in recent years and musically they are just as fit as back in the day. And when they play “The Trooper,” “Wrathchild,” “Running Free” or “Hallow Be Thy Name,” I feel equally, if not more excited than when I was fifteen because at some time during that performance, I realize how timeless these songs are and that makes me feel as if I, personally, can also live forever.
The one problem with Maiden though is that, like I mentioned previously, they reached their songwriting peak with Powerslave and never recovered the genius that once made them infamous. Their follow-up to Powerslave, Somewhere in Time, did not sit well with Maiden fans, mostly because the band experimented with digital guitars, which for the most part made them sound “whimpy.” The single off the album, “Wasted Years,” was the poppiest song the band ever released and a good majority of the rest of the songs were just plain boring. The follow up to that, Seventh Sign of the Seventh Son, faired only a little better and after a couple of other unimportant LPs, Bruce Dickenson finally quit the band.
The following period of Maiden, with the singer whose name I know not, was a dark time for the band, as far as record sales and ticket sales were concerned. By this time, my interest had long disappeared and from what I understand, they released an album or two and continued to tour, playing old and new songs.
Eventually and not surprisingly, Dickenson rejoined the group and they hit the stage playing only the old songs again and people like me and my friend, John, were going bananas. Maiden was back. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. Not knowing when to say when, they not only recorded a couple of worthless new albums, they would insist on dedicating entire performances to their new albums, only obliging people there to hear their old songs with “Run to the Hills” and “The Trooper” for an encore. This sent many of their fans to, once again, “run for the hills.”
The truth is, their new material is nothing compared to their old stuff and not worth listening to at home or in concert. It’s lifeless and corny at best. What the band needs to realize at this juncture in their career is that people want to hear “Run to the Hills,” “The Trooper,” “Number of the Beast” and “Revelations,” not only because it brings them back to when they were young but because those songs are better. Period. If one was to go see Smokey Robinson and he didn’t sing “Just My Imagination” or “Tears of a Clown,” there would be a riot. The same should apply to Iron Maiden. Again, good music is eternal so there should be no shame in playing old songs, especially if those are your best songs.
In regards to Kosterman’s book, again, it’s a fantastic piece of writing and thorough in many senses. Though, as I pointed out, his coverage of Iron Maiden is limited and somewhat weak. Still, thanks to Klosterman, I actually do have a new found respect for Guns ‘n’ Roses, as well as Motley Crue. I haven’t yet but I’ve actually considered listening to Shout at the Devil again, which is a record I haven’t touched in a good fifteen years. If you haven’t read Fargo Rock City, you should. He may not have lived my “heavy metal odyssey” or your “heavy metal odyssey” but he definitely lived his own “heavy metal odyssey.”
-Good Game, Kevin Egan, editor
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Great article. I love Klosterman but would rather pack my ear canals with ticks than subject my ear drums to his CD collection. Up The Irons!!!!
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Eagan great post. You had to let fools know the true facts. I didn’t realize this was your blog until I saw the Street Metal vs Fantasy Metal perspective and knew it could be no other than Gos’s argument. You really broke it down and I do love the quote about maiden fans being musicians and loners. Thats really the truth. I work with this insane Russian dude who gets all the new Maiden albums and learn every song as if Powerslave just came out. I can’t really get into the new Maiden but I understand his love. Hope everything is good with you. I’m playing lots of guitar these days. Peace .
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Joe, I couldn’t have written this article without those hour long conversation about Maiden with Gos.
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