It’s impressive how many activities Bruce Dickinson, 65 years old, gets involved beyond music. The pilot side is the best known, as commander of Ed Force One, the Boeing 757 that took Iron Maiden on some tours. Retired from aviation, he continues to practice fencing. On Wednesday (24/4), in Curitiba, where he received the title of honorary citizen, he faced Alexandre Camargo, fencer for the Brazilian National Team.
The British singer and songwriter also produces beer, is a speaker (he was the star of Campus Party MG in 2016, at Expominas), and has written novels and screenplays for films. Given this, it is no surprise that “The Mandrake Project” is a project divided into three: it is Bruce’s seventh solo album, a graphic novel in series format and a tour that brings him back to Brazil.
This Sunday (28/4), Dickinson presents the new show at Arena Hall. In the following interview, he explains how the project was developed during the time he gained during the pandemic. The current season, which will take him to seven cities, is only the first he has done this year in the country. In December, he will be back, with Maiden, for two shows in São Paulo on the “The future past” tour.
“The Mandrake project” is an album, a tour and a graphic novel. What was the starting point?
I started thinking about this a little over 10 years ago. There was a big gap due to cancer (on his tongue, which he was cured of in 2015), but during the pandemic I developed the idea for the comic better. That’s when I realized I had to separate the novel from the album. Everyone has their own story. Even though they are related, they are independent. We have already released two episodes of the soap opera, and I have just written the script for number four. It is an ongoing three-year project. The album has a life of its own and tells a story that is not literal, but musical. It starts very heavy and ends with a sonata. The world has changed, you know, so it’s very sad and lyrical, a big emotional journey. I’m very proud of what we managed to do on the album, because it’s a little different from what we know about metal. Roy (Z, guitarist and composer) composed the first two songs on the album (“Afterglow of Ragnarock” and “Many doors to hell”), which were our starting point. We re-examined others we had until we discovered the format of the album. It wasn’t something we sat down and thought about very logically, it was more instinctive.
Has the pandemic changed your perspective?
The fact that I now had time to think changed. Before COVID, I was busy running around: one minute doing one thing, the next, something different. Not there, I could think. Or not think about anything. Even though that period was difficult, there was one good thing: appreciating the value of time.
“The Mandrake Project” is his first solo album in almost two decades. Didn’t Maiden give you time for another one?
Really, I was very busy with Maiden, but I saw the opportunity for another album about five or six years after “Tyranny of Souls” (2005). But I had cancer and I stopped. When I came back, I had to stay with Maiden for two or three years straight, to make up for the time we lost. Then came the pandemic. So many years passed (between the previous album and the new one), which was never my intention.
Read: In 2016, Iron Maiden’s show thrilled Mineirão
The trajectory of “The Mandrake project” on stage began recently. What can you say about the show?
It’s a lot of music and an incredible band, but you can’t explain it until you’ve seen it. Keyboardist Mistheria played on all solo albums; drummer Dave Moreno played on this and the previous one. I did some jams in Los Angeles with the two guitarists. Swedish Philip Näslund, also a composer and Grammy winner, is a friend of my son (Austin). He was the one who suggested the name to me. And Chris Declercq, a Swiss who lives in Los Angeles, recorded the single “Rain on the bass” with me. There are two guitarists, because this album has a lot of twin guitars. And there’s also bassist Tanya O’Callaghan. The sound is immense. We’re going to play a lot of songs from everything I’ve ever done and, obviously, the news from the new album.
What made you decide to pursue a solo career? Was there a turning point?
There were two, actually. The first was the album “Tattooed millionaire” (1990), my first solo, which happened accidentally. I composed “Bring you daughter…to the slaughter” (originally written for the soundtrack of the film “Nightmare Hour 5”, from 1989) and the record company asked me if I had others for an album. I said yes, but it was a big lie. We had two weeks to write the entire album. But all for fun, it wasn’t really a start. What really started my solo career was “Balls to Picasso” (1994), when I left Maiden. That’s why the first two albums sound so different. “Tattooed millionaire” was a collection of songs that weren’t exactly a cliché, but sounded similar to everything that was happening at the time. From “Balls to Picasso” and the following, “Skunkworks” (1996), each album was treated differently.
You are one of the great rock vocalists. Who inspired you?
Ian Gillan, from Deep Purple. And also Arthur Brown, who with the band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown released “Fire” (1968). The vocals are incredible. He was the first guy I said “wow” to, you know?
“THE MANDRAKE PROJECT”
Bruce Dickinson Show. This Sunday (28/4), at 8pm, at Arena Hall (Avenida Nossa Senhora do Carmo, 230, Savassi). Tickets from R$300, on sale at ticket officedigital.com
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