Perth and Australia has been gearing up for so many days now Steve and here we are on night one before the first British lion show of the tour. The anticipation is huge!
As I mentioned last time we spoke we had a beer launch in the lead up to this first show that was packed out, and when we caught up at the football and I gave you that comic it got me thinking about the whole merchandising side to the band.
Eddie of course has become an icon, and Maiden seems to choose its partnerships wisely unlike some other bands who throw their name on anything – Maiden always seems to look at quality?
Steve: Well we try to keep everything quality – the artwork, the show, everything – the music though is the most important thing of all and everything is then derived from the music.
The show isn’t just a show for shows sake, it has to tie in with the songs, and all the artwork is tied in as well.
Sometimes it might be a loose tie-in but it all has to be connected.
Mark: So how much do you get involved Steve?
Steve: Oh I get very involved. The last couple of albums the artwork took quite a while to get where I wanted it to be.
It’s difficult explaining the concepts – I always think I’m talking pretty much common sense, or whatever when I’m talking to an artist.
So I give them the concept and if it’s not quite there I’ll explain it.
I’ll ask them to change one little thing, and they’ll change that but then change ten other things as well! (Laughs) So I’ll say.
“Well I didn’t ask you to change them” and you go backwards and forwards, and you get there in the end, but it’s not easy to get the ideas across sometimes.
I’ve done artwork myself on a lesser level so sometimes its just a communication thing.
Mark: It’s always been something that the fans love with each new album and new Eddie and it all spills over wonderfully into the merchandise.
One of the things we talked about a few weeks ago was the 50th .
Anniversary being just around the corner and picturing that day in 1975 when it all began. Can you take us there?
Steve: Well the band wasn’t formed on Christmas day as such, it was just around the Christmas period where the name was settled.
It was a few months before that really when we got the band together, but people think of it as that, and some think of it was 1976, there’s all these things.
There seems to be a market for it these days everyone wants to know one thing more than the next person.
So you get all of this information out there and all the experts claiming “it’s not this it’s that,” But I always think how can you know that?
How can you come out and say all these things and be such an authority on things?
I find the desire to know a bit bizarre really, it’s just a little odd.
