When Bruce Dickinson left Iron Maiden in 1993, the band was at a high point in their career, following the release of the acclaimed Fear of the Dark .
In March 2022, a fan asked the vocalist why he decided to leave Iron Maiden at that time. The interaction took place during one of spoken word , where he talks to the audience, answers questions, and tells stories.
“Honestly, I was as surprised as everyone else,” Bruce replied. “I think people didn’t believe it at the time. Sometimes you just need to change things up a bit in your life.”
Speaking further about his decision, Bruce Dickinson clarified that he left Iron Maiden because he wanted to know what life was like outside the band. “I thought that if I stayed in Maiden forever, I would only know what it’s like to be in Maiden,” he explained. “To learn what it’s like to be outside of Maiden, you need to leave, because if you don’t leave, nobody will take you seriously. It would always be, ‘Oh, geez. He’s doing a solo album. But it’s not important, let’s let him have fun so he can come back to Maiden.’”
“I hated it, you know. So I thought, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to quit,’” he said. “And then people asked what would happen to me if my solo career didn’t work out, and I said, ‘It would be God or fate telling me it’s for the best. Maybe it’s better to do something now than to sit around in some fantasy world and end up just grumpy.’” The full answer can be seen in the video below starting at minute 2:44.
Bruce Dickinson wanted Iron Maiden to have a female vocalist.
Bruce Dickinson gave an interview to Classic Rock in 2017 where he said he wanted a female vocalist to replace him in Iron Maiden .
“I told someone at the time: 'Why don't they do something absurd and scandalous? Call a woman! There are some Finnish female vocalists out there with incredible voices! Do something to really impress people,'” Bruce recounts.
The vocalist then commented that if Iron Maiden had accepted a female vocalist, it might have meant the definitive end of his days in the band. "I'd be screwed. I would never have come back," he joked.
After Bruce Dickinson's departure, Iron Maiden invited Blaze Bayley to join the group. Together, they released The X Factor and Virtual XI , and then Bruce Dickinson returned in 1999. While away from Maiden, the vocalist released four solo albums: Balls to Picasso , Skunkworks , Accident of Birth , and The Chemical Wedding .
READ ALSO: Bruce Dickinson says Iron Maiden has no intention of retiring: "We're going to drop dead on stage"
