Bruce Dickinson Maiden Voyage The Biography

Bruce Dickinson is the instantly-recognisable frontman of heavy metal behemoths Iron Maiden. But there is so much more than a set of fine lungs to this hyperactive life-grabber, for whom it seems standing still is going backwards. The man once dubbed 'The Air Raid Siren' has also enjoyed hugely successful parallel careers as a fiction author, world-class fencing competitor, history expert, radio and TV presenter, movie maker, commercial pilot, inspirational speaker and entrepreneur. Since he re-joined Iron Maiden in 1999 they have continued to explore and develop, taking metal into ever more unchartered territories, as they blend a progressive outlook with a fearless approach that pushes at the very boundaries of the genre. In 2015, the voice, and the life, of Iron Maiden's singer were placed in the cruellest jeopardy as he was diagnosed with a golf-ball sized cancerous tumour on his tongue. Undaunted, Dickinson set to his recovery with the energy of one for whom a night's sleep is an irritant amidst the serious – and sometimes silly – matter of wringing every last drop out of life. There could only ever be one winner. Since his return to fitness, Iron Maiden have released an acclaimed sixteenth album, The Book of Souls, for which the singer changed hats between gigs, flying the band around the world as captain of Maiden's special airliner, Ed Force One. This first biography of Bruce Dickinson tells his story through exclusive interviews with those who know him best, including first accounts by ex-members of Iron Maiden including fellow one-time vocalists Paul Di'Anno and Blaze Bayley. From his formative days straddling the upsurge of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, through his solo years and up to his present day legendary status, this is the ultimate rock 'n' roll story.

Bruce Dickinson is best known as frontman for the multi-million selling giants of heavy metal, Iron Maiden, with whom he has enjoyed worldwide success for 25 years.However, his story outside of Maiden is equally remarkable. Prior to joining that band Dickinson enjoyed stardom with Samson, while his post-Maiden solo career has brought much critical success. Further away from his day job, Dickinson is a true renaissance man. A member of the British Fencing team, he also hosts his own show on flagship digital radio station, BBC 6Music, is a best-selling fiction author, and TV presenter for the Discovery Channel and Sky One. Dickinson is also employed by the commercial airline Astreus as a first officer, and even participated in a mercy mission to rescue British residents from Beirut during the summer of 2006. This book tells his story for the first time, through exclusive interviews with those who know him best: from his formative days to all his time in Maiden, through his solo years, right up to the present day, where Iron Maiden are rightly considered legends of music worldwide.

New York Times Bestseller “Illuminating and very entertaining…a compelling read about someone who is much more than just the guy who sings for Iron Maiden.” —Loudwire A long-awaited memoir from the larger-than-life, multifaceted lead vocalist of Iron Maiden, one of the most successful, influential and enduring rock bands ever. Pioneers of Britain’s nascent Rock & Metal scene back in the late 1970s, Iron Maiden smashed its way to the top, thanks in no small part to the high-octane performances, operatic singing style, and stage presence of its second, but twice-longest-serving, lead singer, Bruce Dickinson. As Iron Maiden’s front man—first from 1981 to 1993, and then from 1999 to the present—Dickinson has been, and remains, a man of legend. But OTT front man is just one of the many hats Bruce wears. In addition to being one of the world’s most storied and well-respected singers and songwriters, he is an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist, radio presenter, and film scriptwriter. He has also competed as a world-class level fencer. Often credited as a genuine polymath Bruce, in his own words (and handwritten script in the first instance!), sets forth many personal observations guaranteed to inspire curious souls and hard-core fans alike. Dickinson turns his unbridled creativity, passion, and anarchic humour to reveal some fascinating stories from his life, including his thirty years with Maiden, his solo career, his childhood within the eccentric British school system, his early bands, fatherhood and family, and his recent battle with cancer. Bold, honest, intelligent and very funny, his memoir is an up-close look inside the life, heart, and mind of one of the most unique and interesting men in the world; a true icon of rock.

Pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal, Iron Maiden have released a series of UK and US platinum and gold albums and are considered one of the most successful heavy metal bands in history, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. With a foreword by original Iron Maiden singer Paul Mario Day this book features many never before seen images of Iron Maiden from their early days, backstage, on tour and the group recording in the studio.

IN the early morning hours of April 15, 1912, the icy waters of the North Atlantic reverberated with the desperate screams of more than 1,500 men, women, and children—passengers of the once majestic liner Titanic. Then, as the ship sank to the ocean floor and the passengers slowly died from hypothermia, an even more awful silence settled over the sea. The sights and sounds of that night would haunt each of the vessel’s 705 survivors for the rest of their days. Although we think we know the story of Titanic—the famously luxurious and supposedly unsinkable ship that struck an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Britain to America—very little has been written about what happened to the survivors after the tragedy. How did they cope in the aftermath of this horrific event? How did they come to remember that night, a disaster that has been likened to the destruction of a small town? Drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished letters, memoirs, and diaries as well as interviews with survivors’ family members, award-winning journalist and author Andrew Wilson reveals how some used their experience to propel themselves on to fame, while others were so racked with guilt they spent the rest of their lives under the Titanic’s shadow. Some reputations were destroyed, and some survivors were so psychologically damaged that they took their own lives in the years that followed. Andrew Wilson brings to life the colorful voices of many of those who lived to tell the tale, from famous survivors like Madeleine Astor (who became a bride, a widow, an heiress, and a mother all within a year), Lady Duff Gordon, and White Star Line chairman J. Bruce Ismay, to lesser known second- and third-class passengers such as the Navratil brothers—who were traveling under assumed names because they were being abducted by their father. Today, one hundred years after that fateful voyage, Shadow of the Titanic adds an important new dimension to our understanding of this enduringly fascinating story.

With no fewer than nine members and a unique stage image based on grotesque masks and boiler suits, Slipknot retained a mystique that was unprecedented in the metal world, never allowing their faces to become known – so that the focus would remain on their music. The first edition of this book published in 2001 followed the band from their inception in Des Moines, Iowa in the mid-1990s through to the release of their second album: an updated edition followed in 2003. It’s now a decade since the first volume appeared, and in that time Slipknot have evolved into a completely different band from the one that first emerged into the limelight in 1999. Everyone knows their faces now. The band’s music is darker, deeper and more adult after four studio albums, three DVDs and a live release. Most strikingly, the sudden death of their bass player Paul Gray in 2010 has changed the face and the attitude of the group, although their commercial profile is, if anything, greater than it was before. Slipknot: All Hope Is Gone explores this unlikely and tragic evolution, with new chapters covering the band’s career to date – and it also asks what their future will be.