Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Talks His Joy of Frequenting Graveyards

Inspiration strikes from the strangest of places. Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson likes to take strolls through graveyards. Cemeteries give him the isolation that the singer needs for inspiration. He said that graveyards actually make him happy in their own strange way.

“Sometimes I go off and just take a wander around the graveyard,” Dickinson told the YouTube channel EMP. “I find that cheers me up.”

Dickinson admitted that inspiration can strike him at any time. While it can be rewarding as an artist, it can also be frustrating for his dinner guest. Dickinson said he’s been late to dinner due to having to write down lyrics when the mood struck him.

“I think if you’re creative, then you just have to be aware of when creativity may strike and be prepared to abandon all those ordinary things that everybody else thinks are important for that special moment,” Dickinson explained, “which can be very frustrating for the rest of humanity when they want you to go to dinner, but you actually want to write the last page of something because you just happen to be in the mood.”

Sometimes, it’s even inconvenient for him as well. For instance, Dickinson found himself pulling over to write something down so he doesn’t forget it.

“It happens to me when I’m driving around, which is very inconvenient because you want to pull over and write something immediately, and often you can’t,” the rocker noted. “Or sitting on trains, strangely enough. But then somebody starts making a noise and distracting you, and you just get very inconvenient.”

Bruce Dickinson Talks Album

Loud noises often distract him from his creative process so graveyards make for the perfect writing spot. The singer also previously opened up about his album The Mandrake Project. He said it’s something that he’s really proud of.

“For me, it’s a really special record,” he told Loudwire. “I’ve done some records which I’m particularly proud of — The Chemical Wedding being one of them — and this one is really something different, different than anything I’ve ever done with any band ever. I can’t stress how cool I think the record is.”

Dickinson confessed that he can’t wait for the album.

“I can’t wait for it to get out,” he said. “The album kind of spins between different worlds and I quite like that it’s varied, it’s eclectic — but it hangs together as a kind of musical story.”

[Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images]