Iron Maiden and those Incestuous Musicians
A Metro North Train. . .
I was on a Metro North Train taking my mid-evening nap on the way home from the big city. It is kind of nice to just collapse for half an hour. Tonight however, I got this guy and gal going at it about bands and metal, Iron Maiden and all. Never in all my travels up and down the Harlem Line have I heard such a conversation. Rarely is there a conversation. It was simply amazing and refreshing!
I imagine it is kind of like someone who speaks English, but whose native tongue is God knows what. . .metal? And then one day after years of neglect you hear something faintly familiar to “metal”. Perhaps it is a slightly different dialect, but damn-close enough! That was very much the case tonight. I am not really a Maiden fan but it was nice to hear people talking about such bands. And the woman was a serious fan talking bout Killers and specific shows and songs. It was all very cool.
Robin Guy and Bruce Dickinson I believe performing at that Clive Aid show in London in 2007. I wish I recalled what they called themselves.
Now luckily they were right behind me and after turning around a few times I had to finally interject. They had seen me turning around and probably were expecting at some for me to ask them to shut up about Iron Maiden. Instead I turned around, apologized for the intrusion, and told them how cool it was to hear such a conversation on the train! I went onto to say I had seen Maiden a few times way back. That Killers was their best album. Boasted about seeing both Paul Di’Anno and Bruce Dickinson on the same stage in London a few years back. Noting that the show was a benefit for Clive Burr, the original Maiden Drummer, who struggled with MS and has since passed.
And I did go on. . . and on. I had to continue the story. For anyone familiar with this site, it just goes without saying, and this is where we get into the incestuous component too. I went on to say that I liked Maiden, but what had gotten me to London for that show was who was playing at that Benefit. It was in 2007 and the band was Guy, McCoy, Torme (GMT). I had came to see Mr. Bernie Torme and his new band, GMT. Featuring his compadre from Gillan, John McCoy, and kick ass drummer, Robin Guy, who Bernie had been introduced to via some folks in his studio out in Kent.
Oh yeah, in the matter of two minutes I went on to share about Bernie, who is most known as the first guitarist to fill in for Randy Rhoads on Ozzy’s ill-fated Diary of a Madman tour in 1982. I jumped to Desperado, which again featured Bernie, along with Clive Burr on drums, and of course Dee Snyder singing. And then I commented that this all so incestuous musically! Just look at a little known band called Girl I said. Phil Lewis, who started in Girl, moves on to Torme, and then jumps from London to LA to a band he is still fronting. LA Guns. And that is only half the story for Girl. Phil Collens, the guitarist for Girl, went on to join a band call Def Leppard. And I believe continues on there.
I neglected the Samson, and Jannick Gers, and the Robin Guy connections and stories, perhaps more relevant to Maiden, but just not my stories. Besides I felt I was intruding. Oh and yes I did drop the WildWestRocks.com site, though honestly it barely touches on these topics.
It was simply a pleasant exchange on the Metro North, and does highlight what was an interesting if not an amazing period of music history. And now I am recalling bout how good that dude’s bass was and his love of Jethro Tull. Damn.
