In a new interview with George Dionne of Metal Express Radio, former IRON MAIDEN singer Blaze Bayley spoke about how he has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “The first part of the lockdown, that was a challenge, because gigs were getting postponed and disappearing, and you can’t help but think about the future. The second part of the lockdown [consisted of] actually making a record, doing something positive, not really thinking about the future, just staying in the moment and getting through every day. And in this third part, journalists have got the album, we’ve got two singles out that fans are listening to, and people are getting the vibe of what we were trying to talk about and the message that we were trying to get over. So it’s worked really well.
“On this lockdown, I’ve been thinking less about the gigs — and I really miss my fans — but on this lockdown, I’ve been thinking more about sleeping on the floor in the airport,” he continued. “And I’ve been thinking, ‘You know what? Getting up at home and having a choice of food that’s not a flavor of pizza, actually, that’s not so bad.’ And waking up in my own bed and being able to go to bed almost anytime is so much better than lying on the floor in the airport, waiting for the check-in desk to open because the weather stopped a flight. And it’s so much better than running across the airport in Frankfurt, or being told to, which is full of armed police.
“So in this lockdown, I’ve focused on the good side of being at home, and not having to climb onto a tour bus and sleep in a bunk, not having to sit in a van for hours, not sitting at airports for hours. So all of that time when you would be sitting and waiting, I’m not waiting for anything. I’m actually at home and I can do stuff. So that’s been a good side of it, really.
“I’m very, very lucky I’ve had incredible support from all of my fans around the world,” Blaze added. “They’ve gone online and gone to BlazeBayley.net, they’ve bought direct from me and their support has really kept me going.
“I am so lucky to be in this situation, because there are so many people that are suffering, especially in the music business — at different levels, people are really, really struggling. And I’m lucky I’ve got these incredible, wonderful, loyal fans that, through thick and thin, good and bad, they have supported me and kept me going. And I’m so grateful and I’m so lucky to have that support.”
The 57-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left to join MAIDEN, with whom he recorded two studio albums — 1995’s “The X Factor” 1998’s and “Virtual XI” — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group. The MAIDEN albums he appeared on sold considerably less than the band’s prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group’s home country since 1981’s “Killers”.
Since leaving IRON MAIDEN in 1999, Bayley has released a number of albums, including several under the moniker BLAZE and more than a handful under his own name. He also appeared on 2012’s “Wolfsbane Saves The World”, the first album of new material by WOLFSBANE since the group’s self-titled 1994 effort.
Blaze will release a new studio album, “War Within Me”, on April 9. All songs were written and produced by Blaze and guitarist Christopher Appleton.
