But it's not THE Bruce Dickenson.
Posted on 05/02/2012 3:05:21 AM PDT by AnAmericanAbroad
Rock star Bruce Dickinson has vowed to create 1,000 jobs at a “centre of excellence” for British aviation.
The Iron Maiden frontman, a fully qualified pilot, yesterday bought 132,000sq ft of old RAF hangars in South Wales.
He aims to use the site at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, to service Boeing 737s, train pilots on simulators and, one day, build airships.
His firm, CARDIFF AVIATION, hopes to take on the first 50 to 60 staff this July. Hundreds more would follow as contracts come in.
(Excerpt) Read more at thesun.co.uk ...
Good luck in your venture, Bruce.
Oh, and UP THE IRONS !!
Now this is a prime example of good work. Obviously, he has a passion for flying (as well as music). I admit I don’t know much about their music but what a fanstastic effort. Wow.
(A far cry from an American Bruce (ala Springsteen) who would rather host commie poets and play rock star to loser Presidents)
There is more of that going on than you might think. Rick Nielsen, of Cheap Trick, is heavily involved in local development in his struggling hometown of Rockford, Illinois.
Love maiden!
The human air raid siren is indeed one of the greats, on and off the stage. Considering some of his altruistic actions for Britain and others over the years, he is deserving of the knighthood far more than ‘Sir Elton” and others.
Plus he’s damn good with a sword ;)
There is more of that going on than you might think. Rick Nielsen, of Cheap Trick, is heavily involved in local development in his struggling hometown of Rockford, Illinois.
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That’s very good to hear; it’s nice to know some celebrities out there who give a d@mn about something more than just their fame.
While heavy metal is not for everyone, here’s a clip of Iron Maiden performing “Aces High” at a concert in Mumbai: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COvCPJGjaiE&feature=g-hist
The sheer energy these guys have is absolutely epic.
I completely agree; heck, I’d like to see the whole band knighted! Aside from their individual altruistic actions, the band has done a lot to promote British culture and understanding of British history. Personally, I’ve long considered them the U.K.’s unofficial cultural ambassadors.
I understand Duran Duran is going to perform at the upcoming Olympics; to hell with that. Put Iron Maiden on the stage, and start the 2012 Olympics on a truly British note!
Impressed as always with Bruce. Not just another rock star waste case. Love the Maiden seeing them for the 17th time in June. Up the Irons!
But it's not THE Bruce Dickenson.
I was able to meet and talk with Bruce after a show during the World Slavery Tour. I was a young teen at the time and I remember saying bye to him and thinking, “wow, he’s a really nice guy.”
I’ve always been a Maiden fan. Their music may not be for all but the subject matter is historical for the most part.
UP THE IRONS!!!
Up the Irons!
Maiden fan since 81 here.
And had it not been for the music and flying, he would probably have competed on the British Olympic fencing team. He used to be a world class fencer.
Mark
Gak!! My ears! My ears! My day is ruined. I bought a Black Sabbath album once in high school and that was the end of that crap for me. I still regret wasting$3 on that piece of junk vinyl.
Iron maiden wants you for dead! Good to see Bruce doing some good for aviation. Greatest live band.....ever.
The first Maiden song I played in a band was Killers with Frank DiAnno on vocals. They got kind of hokey when they made the line-up changes. But I find the British Metal bands to be more patriotic than the American ones.
Good for them.
The music isn’t for everyone; but what impresses me about Iron Maiden is their lyrics.
“Aces High”; The Battle of Britain
“To Tame A Land:” the novel “Dune”
“Flight of Icarus”; Greek mythology
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner”; the epic poem by Coleridge
“The Trooper”; Tennyson’s ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’
“The Longest Day”; The D-Day Landings
“Phantom of the Opera”; self-explanatory
Granted, the music itself may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but their lyrics reflect a broad range of literary, cinematic, and historic allusions and influences, which, even though you may not be fond of the music itself, is, I hope you will agree, a damned sight better than songs about bitches, ho’s, and shooting up the neighborhood with an AK47 and a Glock.
As an example;
‘Move into fire at the mainstream of bombers
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away
Roll over, spin round and come in behind them
Move to their blindsides and firing again
Bandits at eight o’clock move in behind us
Ten ME-109’s out of the sun
Ascending and turning our Spitfires to face them
Heading straight for them I press down my guns’
Which, I daresay, is very likely far more intelligent than pretty much anything Eminem has ever put to paper.
I credit Iron Maiden for developing in me, at a young age, a taste for classical literature and history, as well as inspiring me to emulate their strong work ethic, their sense of dedication, and their professionalism.
As far as I’m concerned, there are far worse celebrities to serve as role models. I have no kids (though I’m working on that), and if my would-be son, or daughter, ever came to me and said, “I wanna be like Bruce Dickinson or Steve Harris when I grow up!”, I’d probably say, “Oh, thank God.”
Up the “Geedy Capitalistic Pigs” Irons, lyet Duran-Duran plays the Olympics, lol
I met him once and got to talk and work out with him an hour or so at my gym when they got into town a day before their concert. The rest of the band showed up later and hung out for a while. These guys were total class acts back then, and it looks like they’ve kept it up over the last couple decades.
I met him once and got to talk and work out with him an hour or so at my gym when they got into town a day before their concert. The rest of the band showed up later and hung out for a while. These guys were total class acts back then, and it looks like they’ve kept it up over the last couple decades.
And Iron Maiden.
I like their stuff. Speed metal was never my thing, but I can certainly appreciate good musicianship when I see it.
Oh, lucky you!
The last time I saw them was in 2009, in Prague, and when they come around here again, oh yeah, I’ll be there.
I have the concert film, “Flight 666”, and yes, they do very much seem like they’ve kept up the class act over the decades, which is so refreshing in these days when folks such as Kim Kardashian pass for “celebrities”. All those wannabe’s who perform on “American Idol”, “The Voice”, and a host of other programs could learn a thing or two from Iron Maiden on how to be a real celebrity. Maiden has achieved global success, and they did it the hard way, through hard work and striving for professionalism, and with minimal radio or TV support.
I’m trying to imagine Kim Kardashian, or Paris Hilton, or Courtney Stodden doing something truly notable that genuinely benefits the lives of others, like, you know, opening an aviation services company and putting people to work in an area that really needs it.
Nope.........can’t do it. The thought of it, however, is almost enough to make me laugh myself to death.
Epic.
Duran Duran. LOL.
The first convert I brought over to Iron Maiden was a Durannie. I had tickets for the concert (back in 1987) but no ride. Luckily, she had a car. She accepted on the grounds of “Hey, free concert, why not?”
This was on the Somewhere On Tour. Like she told me, she really didn’t like heavy metal. Long story short; 2 minutes in, her eyes were the size of dinner plates and her jaw was hanging open, and 15 minutes in she was screaming herself hoarse.
After the show, I asked her (being as she was a loyal, card-carrying Durannie) what she thought, and I still remember her exact words; “Blew Duran Duran right out of the f*****g water!!” We keep in touch, and she’s planning on going when Maiden comes to her neck of the woods this year.
And she’s taking her kids. How awesome is that? Two generations of Iron Maiden fans!! Up The Irons!
When I first brought home “Powerslave” and played it on my stereo, my father (a U.S. Navy WW2 vet) immediately recognized Churchill’s voice. He looked at the lyric sheet, and after reading through the lyrics for “Aces High”, and then seeing the band photo, he commented to me, “Pretty damned good song for a bunch of longhairs.”
Thanks for posting! Great clip!
LOL!
*possibly ping of interest*
(Sir) Eric “Clapton is God.”
Donated a lot of time and mone to alcohol/drug recovery.
Thanks for the insights. Just goes to show you can’t judge music by the rhythm and harmony (or lack thereof). I would certainly agree with you about the lyrics...but how in the world did you figure that out with all the unintelligible screaming and grunting?
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