In a new interview with Las Vegas Weekly, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was asked how he handled lockdown. He responded: "I had just done two spoken-word show in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and that was the weirdest experience, because they were doing simultaneous translation of a semi-comedic show. You'd say what approximates to a punchline and get no response. Then you go, 'Anyway, on Tuesday,' and they'd bust out laughing. There was a 30-second lag on the laughter.
"I went from there back to Paris where I was staying with my partner, Leana," he continued. "I got back on Saturday, and then the president of France comes on the TV and says, 'Tonight, midnight, all bars are shut.' I went, holy cow, let's go out and get a beer quick. So we all go out to all the bars and then we went home. We were like, this is weird. I guess this is lockdown.
"The weather was nice," Bruce added. "I scrubbed our little balcony and started cooking and we would make breakfast on the balcony. It was sunny and we were doing little workouts and moving the furniture and watching TV, so life kind of slowed down. At first, I was, like, "I'm going to be bored,' but then I was, like, 'No. I kind of like life slowing down. It's not so bad.' Then, after a year of it, I was, like, 'I'm done with this now.' And now I'm really done with it. I've been vaccinated, had COVID, been boosted. Enough. Let's get on with it."
Dickinson, who tested positive for COVID-19 in August after being fully vaccinated, told the 103.5 The Fox radio station that he doesn't believe "people should be forced to have vaccines. Maybe in hospitals and stuff like that — people who work there," he said. "But honestly, it's a personal decision. But I just think people are nuts not to take protective action against something that really could kill them.
"It's not a nice bug," Bruce added. "It's not the flu — trust me. I've had it, and I had two vaccines, and I'm really glad I had the two vaccines. And I'm kind of glad I had [COVID-19] as well 'cause now I've got more antibodies and all the rest of it. But it is not a nice bug. And I know a lot of people who have had it and who've still got long COVID — like, 22, 23 [years old]. Fit people — none of this, 'Oh, yeah, he died 'cause he was 85 and he was sick anyway.' Well, yeah, there is that. But there's a lot of people getting it. It's not a nice bug. And it's not the flu — it's way more contagious than that."
Long COVID is described as symptoms continuing for more than 12 weeks after an infection — severe or mild — which can't be explained by another cause.
Dickinson previously told Rolling Stone magazine that he doesn't personally believe that fans attending concerts should be required to get vaccinated, calling it "a personal choice," However, he said that he hopes everyone will get the shot. "Personally, I think people are just very badly advised if they don't go and get themselves double jabbed as quickly as possible, not for the reasons of going into concerts, but for their own health," he said. "Having said that, even if you've had a double jab, you can still get COVID, and therefore you can spread it to other people who might not have been vaccinated and they might get very sick and die. Now you cannot legislate against mortality. There are many things in this world that kill people and they're not illegal but are unfortunate. Cancer kills a lot of people. Heart attacks kill a lot of people. Obesity kills a lot of people. Malaria kills a shitload of people every year… So at some point, we have to just go, 'We're probably going to have to live with this. And if we're going to live with it, then you have your vaccination.'"
Bruce's two-month North American spoken-word tour kicked off on January 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will run through the end of March.
Dickinson, who had a golf gall-size tumor on his tongue and another in the lymph node on the right side of his neck, got the all-clear in May 2015 after radiation and nine weeks of chemotherapy.
Bruce will hit the road with IRON MAIDEN for a new North American leg of the band's "Legacy Of The Beast" tour in September.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.