Bruce Dickinson Explains Why People Feel ‘Actively Threatened by Metal’

Bruce Dickinson offered an alternative take on why non-metalheads find heavy music so threatening – and it had nothing to do with the usual accusations of Satanism or moral depravity.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, the Iron Maiden singer argued that the establishment wasn’t comfortable with music that was created to last rather than be thrown away.

“Some people feel almost actively threatened by metal,” Dickinson said. “Not by the nature of the music, but by the fact that it doesn’t conform to their worldview of what pop music should be, which is: ‘Pop music is disposable, darling.’ Well, we don't make disposable pop music.”

Iron Maiden was nominated and passed over for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, marking the second time they’ve missed out. But the vocalist isn't concerned: “We don’t give a monkey’s because the people that get us are not the people that run the music business establishment – whatever that is – because that is largely run by people that can’t make a living doing anything else.” He added: “I don’t want to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Because we’re not dead yet!”

Dickinson also detailed Maiden's alternative approach to serving live audiences. One way was by playing arenas rather than stadiums to ensure a higher-quality performance. Another was deliberately keeping ticket prices lower than other bands of a similar stature.

“That’s one of the reasons why there’s so many young kids at the shows,” he explained. “We try and keep everything under everybody else’s [price point]. If a ticket for Maiden is £100, kids are gonna go, ‘I can’t afford that.’ But if you get down to £60, that makes a huge difference. We are basically in that regime.”

He also observed: “You can’t sell the number of tickets that we’re selling to only old people – there aren’t enough old people that can be bothered to go out of the house!”

Iron Maiden’s Future Past Tour is currently progressing through Europe, with a handful of North American dates announced for September and October.