The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hack

This is a good book. I checked it out from the library a few years ago and loved it. I recently bought it from Amazon and am reading it again

Summary

Five strangers from all walks of life one day receive a mysterious invitation. It's inviting them to the Fifth Avenue Story Society. No one has heard of this mysterious literary society. Thinking it's some sort of practical joke, they all go, just to satisfy their curiosity. They talk and get to know each other and before they know it, they're coming back, week after week, to find out more about each other. Curiosity and loneliness keeps them coming back each Monday night to find out more about each other. In the process, they are able to rewrite their own lives and even write new stories into their lives

33 Unwritten Rules of Cincinnati

Known as The Queen City (named as such after the poem "Catawba Line" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), Cincinnati is a quirky, mixed bag of cultures and traditions. The unique cultures of other countries reside here, resulting in the interesting blend of languages, cultures and even international restaurants. There are interesting events that occur every year, such as the Cinco De Mayo Festival on Fountain Square, a large entertainment area in the heart of downtown Cincinnati that celebrates the Mexican Independence Day. Or the Flying Pig Marathon, a large race run every year. The "Flying Pig" moniker comes from a story involving runaway pigs from a slaughterhouse when the city of Cincinnati was first starting up and a lot of slaughterhouses resided here. Oktoberfest is gigantic here because the vast German population that once resided here. In fact, the Oktoberfest here is said to be one of the biggest in the world, outside of Germany. Then there is the WEBN Fireworks, sponsored by the local hard rock / heavy metal radio station 102.7 WEBN.

From left to right: Great American Tower, building that looks like it has steps was formerly Convergys, but now Omnicare Insurance. Building in center is First Financial (it even says it on the building). The two white cap buildings are the twin towers of Procter & Gamble. The tall building with orange top is Carew Tower. The building next to Carew Tower, with the blue stripe is Fifth Third Bank, the main tower downtown

CityBeat is a local magazine dedicated to all things Cincinnati. They always have interesting articles about what to do, where to eat, what to go see, where to stay and more. Here is an article they released about the 33 unwritten rules of Cincinnati.

Of course, I'll add my own take on that. Because quite a few, I do not agree with, and I'm a resident of Cincinnati. I'll also add in a few of my own that I've noticed in the years since I've moved to the Queen City.

1. Everyone feels that Skyline Chili, the local Cincinnati-style chili, is the best.

Skyline Chili is the local chili place here. Of course, there are other, smaller chili places that are just as good, such as Price Hill Chili or Blue Ash Chili, but Skyline is the major one, with locations all over the Queen City and even in Northern Kentucky. Even down south as far as Florida, there are Skylines. They're just under the name Cincinnati Chili Company. Then there is the Northern Kentucky equivalent called Gold Star Chili

This is called a four-way. It consists of your choice of onions or beans, chili, cheese, spaghetti

2. Most residents of Cincinnati think the local NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals, are undefeated.

Like most if not all teams, you win some, you lose some. The players are almost constantly changed out due to signing contracts with other teams. It's a sort of hit or miss if they win or lose. There does seem to be strict rivalries between the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. But, luckily, the Bengals are doing better. They just need to keep the good work going and then, fingers crossed, they can make it to the Super Bowl and also, fingers crossed, they can win. If they win the Super Bowl, this city will explode with excitement! There will be parties for days!!

3. Your boss knows Opening Day is a day off from work

A lot of people in the city of Cincinnati take off work to attend Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds. The local MLB team, when they open for the season, hundreds of thousands of people flock together in their red and white Reds gear to celebrate the start of baseball season. You can't move for inches downtown without running into someone. Also, it won't just be Cincinnati Reds jerseys you'll see. You'll also see jerseys for other teams outside of Cincinnati, like the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs or whoever that person supports in baseball

4. Supposedly, all Cincinnati residents have a crush on Bengals player Joe Burrow

Whoever wrote this article must think everyone loves him. This person does not. I do not have a crush on him. To me, he's just another football player. Not only that, I don't think he's even on the team anymore. I think he was traded to another team. Not everyone has a crush on Joe Burrow. His fashion choices are quite questionable. One time, he was shown wearing this "interesting" suit that had flowers on it. Not sure what was going on there....

5. Despite the fact it's technically considered CUF, The University of Cincinnati is in Clifton

CUF stands for Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview, three neighborhoods practically on top of one another. Corryville is right on top of Clifton too. Clifton is the Cincinnati neighborhood that calls itself home for the University of Cincinnati. Not only is UC Medical Center here, but also very smaller outpatient care facilities under the UC umbrella are located here. The UC Medical Center is said to be the best medical center in the area. It's where Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin was taken when he collapsed on the field during the Cincinnati Bengals-Buffalo Bills game last year. In fact, at any time, you could pass an educational UC campus building going anywhere in Clifton. You pass by the UC Gardner Neuroscience Center en route to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. You pass by many of the buildings housing classrooms and frat houses / sorority houses en route to Good Samaritan Hospital and TriHealth. Nippert Stadium, where the UC Bearcats football team plays, is right on the next block up from the classroom buildings and right up the road from the local STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) / college preparatory high school Hughes High School. This particular school is a college prep school, meaning you better have good grades to get in.

6. Northern Kentucky is also Cincinnati

I'm not sure who at CityBeat included this, but Northern Kentucky is in the state on the opposite side of the Ohio River, KENTUCKY! It's right there in the name! Most Northern Kentucky residents go to Ohio for various reasons as most Cincinnati residents go to Northern Kentucky for various reasons. That's why there are so many bridges spanning the Ohio River.

That odd-looking building that looks like a shard of glass is actually an extremely high end apartment building. Very expensive! Needs lots of $$$$ to live there

7. Everyone knows, by heart, the local attorney Blake Maislin's number

It's hard to forget a phone number that consists of all the same digit. 444-4444. Every billboard features the attorney in boxing gloves, as if he's about to step in to the ring with Muhammad Ali instead of taking a case. Some people think he's an ambulance chaser, which is a term for attorneys who look for injured people to help sue those who injured them, such as car wrecks and more. This city does have a high percentage of law firms scattered about. And where the main court house is, located on Court Street, there's a major law firm called O'Connor, Acciani & Levy. Up on Fourth Street and Main Street, near where the Federal Reserve is, there is a firm called KMK Law. Then further back on Main Street, near the Central Bridge coming in from Newport, Kentucky is the Great American Tower, named after the local insurance company, Great American Insurance. In that tower, on floors 27-36 are three law firms, one on top of another: Frost, Brown & Todd, Dinsmore & Shohl and finally, on floors 34-36 Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease

8. It's Cincy, not Cinci!

People misspell the shortened version of the name on a frequent basis

That white building you see with the stripe of red is the Montgomery Inn. A local wing and rib restaurant

9. Everyone has a most favorite and least favorite Kroger location

Kroger is the local grocery store chain in Cincinnati. There are locations in Kentucky and Ohio. Everyone has a most favorite and least favorite location. In my case, my least favorite is the one in Delhi Township, where I live. I have to worry about being able to find things because that Kroger location serves Price Hill, Sedamsville, Delhi, Sayler Park. And, unfortunately, there are low income people who come in when their food stamps come in and they take everything up, even though they probably don't need it. Not only that, but a lot of rude people tend to shop there. They'll push their way in front of you, run into you because they are too busy on their phones to pay attention or they'll just stand there until you move. And if you say something to them, they provide dirty looks and foul language in addition to non child friendly comments. Not only that, but a lot of people will steal from that store by putting items into backpacks and walking out when they're done. Luckily, security has gotten better at stopping thieves. There are security cameras EVERYWHERE! Saturdays and Sundays tend to be crazy, especially when it's the first of the month and social security / food stamps come in or it's the weekend of a holiday or worse still, reports of bad weather. Everyone panics about the bad weather and they flock to the store and start buying everything, not leaving anything for anyone. It's especially headache-inducing when weather reports come in about possibility of heavy snow. That's what I mean by bad weather. People have lived here all their lives, they know what it's like every winter and it's like they get amnesia every year.

My most favorite is the Harrison Ave Kroger. It's further to go, but at least there will be a slightly higher chance of finding what I need. But sometimes even this location can be a dud. Honestly, I'm not sure why people from Sayler Park come to the Delhi Township location. They have a Kroger location 10-15 minutes down the road from them in Cleves, which is, by all means, a very nice area, a slightly affluent one too. I've been in that one before. Clean, well stocked, a dream Kroger location. Me and my family stopped in that one on our way to Lawrenceburg to see comedian Bill Engvall.

10. As a resident of Cincinnati, you know who George Clooney is

Everyone knows who George Clooney is. He's an actor and his dad Nick Clooney ran for government office in Kentucky, where he's from. Unlike what this article says, just because you're from Cincinnati, it does not mean you have a relationship with him. You just know he, his dad Nick Clooney and grandmother Rosemary Clooney are from the Kentucky town of Maysville

11. The Beast at Kings Island will shake you to your core, but leave you wanting to repeat that experience

The Beast is a massive, monstrous wooden roller coaster at the local theme park, Kings Island, in Mason, Ohio. This massive monster of wood and steel has been there since 1979 and shaking riders to their core and has even attained mentioning in the Guiness Book of World Records for longest, fastest roller coaster. Every year, during the annual Halloween event, Halloween Haunt, The Beast is one of the rides open for business and riders can ride it at night, which intensifies the spookiness of it because the ride is set back far in the woods. At night, with all of those towering trees around you, the darkness is overwhelming. This ride has seen hundreds of thousands of riders and continues to rise each and every year when the park officially opens for the season in April.

That massive hill you see is the first hill of the ride

12. Saying you're from Cincinnati means you live within at least 30 minutes of downtown Cincinnati

Like most if not all cities, Cincinnati has outlying neighborhoods that allow for easy access to downtown Cincinnati. In Kentucky, the cities of Dayton, Newport, Bellevue, Fort Thomas are within easy distance of downtown Cincinnati. In Ohio, the neighborhoods of Sayler Park, Delhi Township, Price Hill, Addyston, Sedamsville are within easy distance of Cincinnati by jumping onto US-50, known to locals as River Road because it runs along the Ohio River.

13. Weather changes its mind frequently

Weather in Cincinnati is like a bad case of bipolar disorder. It goes from one extreme to another in a matter of minutes. It could be snowing, high of 45 degrees one minute and then be 65 degrees and sunny the next. It's a running joke with the city of Cincinnati that you can experience all four seasons- winter, summer, spring and fall- all in the same week

Weather at one point...

...five minutes later

14. Kids like to hang around the abandoned subway tunnels

Back in the days of WWI-WWII, there was a proposed idea for Cincinnati to get its own subway system. Unfortunately, prices of steel went up, causing the project to fall through. As time went on, the roads started getting clogged with people using their own personal vehicles to traverse the city and the project remained abandoned. To this day, you can see the portals for what would have been the subway tunnels in various parts of the city, including one near the Western Hills Viaduct, which takes you into Clifton near Hughes High School

15. Beer is the official beverage of Cincinnati

A lot of craft breweries have started popping up in Cincinnati. Such as Moerlein Lager, 50 West, Rheingeist, Mad Tree, Braxton. These breweries all sell their products in local bars and restaurants. It's kind of good that Cincinnati is getting on the map with all of their local breweries

16. Blue ice cream at Kings Island will always be Smurf ice cream

When Hanna Barbera had their own Hanna Barbera Land there, The Smurfs were all the rage. Blue ice cream was introduced and it was a hit. Even now, when Hanna Barbera Land was formerly Planet Snoopy and will change its name to Camp Snoopy sometime this year, blue ice cream is still a hot seller at the park. You just need to know where to find it.

17. Don't talk garbage about Norwood

Whoever came up with this article must be from Norwood. I can tell you Norwood is not the safest area of town. There tend to be a lot of shootings and home invasions there. It's right on the borderline of the East Side of Cincinnati. It borders the more affluent neighborhood of Hyde Park. Norwood is okay, but not the safest place in town. There's really nothing major in the way of industry there other than a shopping complex called Rookwood Pavilion and a couple hotels and the local Mayfield Brain & Spine Center, which is a medical facility specializing in spine and neuro care.

18. Seasonal allergies are 365 days a year

Because of the up and down weather, seasonal allergies don't take a hike when the cold weather hits. Allergies exist all 365 days a year, all 7 days of the week, all 29-31 days of the month. It's not uncommon to see / hear people sneezing or blowing their noses, drying their watery eyes or hearing asthma attacks in full force

19. Fiona is a local star

At the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Fiona is one of the resident hippos. Everyone is obsessed with this portly hippo and the obsession grew intensely higher when she had her fist baby, Fritz. Now everyone flocks to the zoo to see the animals. And Fritz. And Fiona.

20. The Crosstown Shootout is practically a major holiday

The Crosstown Shootout is a major local event that occurs every year. It's a major basketball game between the basketball teams of two of Cincinnati's biggest universities, Xavier University Musketeers and University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Xavier University and University of Cincinnati are next door neighbors. UC is in Clifton while in next door Evanston is Xavier. These two teams duke it out on the courts to see who brings home the trophy every year. The last few years, it's been Xavier who has been winning.

21. Everyone has their own idea of where the dividing line is between the East Side and West Side

I'm not sure. I live on the West Side of Cincinnati, but I have to travel to the East Side to work.

22. The Chicken Dance is practically the national dance of Cincinnati.

At every year's Oktoberfest, the chicken dance is required to be performed. It's said most Cincinnati residents know how to do it.

23. I-75 will be under constant construction

Interstate 75 is always having work done on it. Whether it be filling potholes, fixing the lines or something else.

Interstate 75 at Paddock Rd

24. Frisch's tartar sauce should always be in your fridge

Frisch's is the major burger chain restaurant in the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky area. Famous for their "Big Boy", which is two hamburgers separated by two buns, cheese, lettuce, pickles and that famous tartar sauce. Almost everyone on both sides of the Ohio River have a jar or two of that famous tartar sauce in their fridge. My stepdad refuses to eat no other tartar sauce except Frisch's.

25. Goetta is a breakfast essential

For those who don't know what this is, it's a breakfast meat made of oats and pork. It's entirely German and introduced to the city of Cincinnati by German immigrants who settled here years ago. There's a local goetta company called Glier's who makes goetta and it's consumed by tons of people. In fact, every year, there is a festival called Goettafest, where this German breakfast staple is put on to anything you can imagine.

26. You already know which church fish fry has the best fish

Cincinnati is a city of churches. There are more churches here than you can imagine. During the season of Lent, which is big amongst the Catholics of the city, you can't eat meat on Friday, in accordance to your faith. You must eat fish. A lot of the local restaurants, such as Frisch's, Arby's, serve fish during these times to handle overflow from the churches. That's why the drive thru's tend to be backed up to the nines. And the local churches have fish frys. You pretty much know what church to go to to get the best fish, cole slaw, hush puppies and more. Depending on where you live, you can easily win a bet that there's going to be a church nearby having a fish fry on Fridays. In fact, around the first or second month of each year, the signs start going up everywhere advertising fish frys. And later in the year, the signs go up once more, this time advertising church festivals

27. Italianfest is a major event for the city

Italianfest is a major local event taking place on the banks of the Ohio River in Newport. This cultural occurrence celebrates the rich, vibrant Italian heritage of Newport. Italian restaurants from both sides of the river come together to sell food. A tent is set up to showcase pictures and family histories of Italian families who settled here years ago. It's a festival celebrating Newport's rich Italian heritage. And here in Ohio, there's something similar to that called CinciItalia. It takes place in Harvest Home Park in Cheviot and celebrates the Italian heritage of Cincinnati. I prefer the one in Newport because I'm originally from Northern Kentucky. I don't particularly care for the Cheviot one because that neighborhood is not the safest in town. Especially when you could be driving through, just minding your own business and suddenly your car gets a dent in it from a passing bullet from someone's gun

28. Being a parrothead is a badge of honor

Fans of musician Jimmy Buffet are known as parrotheads. Whenever Jimmy Buffet was in town, people tailgate outside the venue, partying it up until the concert, then they head over and dance and sing and enjoy the concert. You'll often see a lot of Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats. The basic rule of thumb is that if you do not personally identify yourself as a Parrothead, then you know someone who does

29. Everyone has their take on the Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar

I've never been on it because it doesn't go where I need to / want to. Why would I drive downtown, find somewhere to park and pay for that to go somewhere I have no desire to visit? It's expensive and annoying because you have to make sure that thing is not coming when you have the right of way to cross the street. I personally think it was a waste of money to put that it. It goes to the neighborhoods that have nothing to see

30. Whoever gets the biggest chocolate chip from Graeter's wins

Graeter's is the local ice cream shop. Known for their extremely thick, almost concrete-like French Pot ice cream, they have shops all over Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A hands down customer favorite is their black raspberry chocolate chip. Sometimes people hold competitions amongst themselves and friends that whoever gets the biggest chocolate chip wins

31. When you meet someone new, the first question you ask is "Where did you go to school?"

Most if not all Cincinnati residents have one of two options for schooling. It's either public school or Catholic school. If you went to a Catholic elementary school, then for high school it's these options, Elder (all boys Catholic high school) or Seton (all girls Catholic high school), St. Xavier (co-ed high school), Purcell Marion (prior to the merge of two schools, there were two Catholic high schools in Walnut Hills: Purcell (all boys Catholic high school) and Marion (all girls Catholic high school). The two schools merged to form Purcell-Marion). Then there's the new Mercy-McAuley high school, which is a merge from Mercy High School and McAuley High School. This is an all girl Catholic high school in the College Hill neighborhood. There's also Archbishop Moeller High School in Montgomery. This is on the East Side and you can see some high end cars, such as Mercedes, Lexus, Audi, BMW parked in the lot. This is a very massive high school. Right next door to it the elementary school part of that school system, called All Saints Elementary. Then in Montgomery's next door neighborhood of Blue Ash there is the all male La Salle High School.

If it wasn't Catholic school you attended, which usually started at a church elementary school, which goes from kindergarten to eighth grade, and then moved on to one of the above-mentioned high schools or another one not mentioned here, then it was public school for you. There are specific high schools in the city that are college-prep high schools, which means you better have the smarts and the good grades to get in. The schools in this category include Hughes High School in Clifton, the same exact neighborhood dominated by the University of Cincinnati, Walnut Hills High School in the Walnut Hills neighborhood right next door to Clifton, Western Hills High School in the neighborhood of Western Hills. Then there are the basic high schools that take care of multiple areas, so they end up being huge. On the West Side, around the area of Green Township, Bridgetown and Delhi Township, residents of those three areas have but one option for high school-Oak Hills High School. It's massive; it has to be to take students in from Delhi Township, Green Township (which is a big area in itself) and Bridgetown. This school does not offer bus service as some schools do. It's up to the parents or students themselves to get there in time.

Hughes High School in Clifton. A college prep high school

Then there are the schools that, in certain areas, are predominantly of one race or another. What I mean is that in certain neighborhoods of the city, there are high schools where the student body is predominantly black, like Withrow High School in Walnut Hills. This high school is massive because Walnut Hills is a massive neighborhood. Withrow High School is one of the best in the city because they offer tons of programs for the students in case they are unsure of what to do for careers. Then there is Dohn High School in Cincinnati, which is predominantly black and also gives students the chance to get the education they need to attend any university they want, no matter the circumstances preventing them from getting a good education. Then there's Taft High School, a predominantly black high school in downtown Cincinnati near Music Hall and right next door to Cincinnati's District 1 Police Department. If you're in downtown Cincinnati, around lunchtime and at any of the restaurants, you can easily spot the Taft High School students because of their letterman jackets or hoodies. This school offers information technology as one of the courses in case students find IT to be an exciting future career.

Dohn High School

Taft High School

Withrow High School

32. If you want prime real estate for the WEBN/Riverfest fireworks, you better stake out your spot a day prior

This is a massive yearly event, usually referred to as "The last big finale of the summer" or "the official last fiesta of summer". After that, it starts sliding towards fall and then winter. Everyone stakes out spots for the fireworks, which get launched off of the Purple People Bridge (strange name, I know) and off of the Rozzi's Fireworks barges on the river. The residents of Cincinnati know the name behind the art: Rozzi's Fireworks. They are a Cincinnati institution. People in this city know that family will deliver bigger and bigger bangs each year. Watching it on TV / being there, each firework is set along with music. Each year being a theme with its own music for each loud show of colorful fireworks

33. It's okay to wear a bib at Montgomery Inn

This is a local restaurant that serves racks of ribs, wings and more. The wings and meat are usually sopping wet with their own in-house barbecue sauce and it's more than okay to wear a bib to protect your clothes. This restaurant is on the road known as Eastern Ave in Cincinnati. It tends to flood easily when the river rises.

Driving is best described as "qualifying" for NASCAR, IMSA, Formula 1

The driving patterns of most of the residents in Cincinnati and beyond are described, at best, as "qualifying". You'd think that everyone was trying to win the last lap of an auto race because of how much they are speeding, swerving in and out of lanes, etc. Depending on the type of auto racing you prefer, some people consider themselves to be Jeff Gordon trying to win the Dayton 500, Max Verstappen trying to win the US Grand Prix or Ricky Taylor trying to win for the Wayne Taylor team in IMSA. There basically are no rules for driving in Cincinnati. If this city had to be summarized by traffic violations, it would be: broken headlights / tail lights, tail lights / headlights not even on in bad weather or early morning dark hours, illegal lane changes (not using turn signals), swerving in and out of cars and trucks (also known as reckless driving), tailgating (driving too close to the bumper of the car in front of you), aggressive driving (flashing the headlights in a vain attempt to force a driver to go faster). That is why Ohio is said to be one of the states with the worst drivers. There's even a Facebook page called Ohio Drivers Suck (I follow that page and crack up laughing. People add their own horror stories and it's amazing to see how bad Ohio drivers are).

The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott

This novel, written by Kate Alcott, takes place in the 1950s and centers around Swedish film star Ingrid Bergman and the world of 1950s Hollywood, the Church and McCarthy-related Communist paranoia

Summary

-Los Angeles, 1950. Ingrid Bergman is a Swedish film star whose star is rising with the success of Casablanca. Her publicist is Gabriel Malloy, whose own seventeen year old daughter is Jessica "Jesse" Malloy. Jessica idolizes Ingrid for her elegance, beauty and as a second mother where her own devoutly religious mother falls short. One day, it's revealed that Ingrid Bergman has conducted an illicit affair with Italian film director Roberto Rosselini and had a child out of wedlock. Suddenly this scandal rocks Hollywood and the legions of fans are shocked. But none more so than Jessica, whose father is more or less demonized for trying to sell Ingrid Bergman in Hollywood. Over the years, Jesse has fleeting encounters with the film star and realizes that, over the years, there were a lot of secrets in her own family that stayed hidden for good reason

Blaze Bayley looks back fondly at his time in Iron Maiden

Most would think that being let go from one of metal's biggest acts just to make room for a reunion of the old lead singer would make anyone bitter. Not Blaze Bayley. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in Iron Maiden and actually it helped him launch what would prove to be a highly successful solo career that is still going strong today

This interview was part of Rolling Stone's mini project King for a Day. Where senior writer Andy Green would interview singers who had to step into the difficult shoes of fronting major rock or metal groups after their iconic vocalists had left. Some stayed in the band for years, others lasted only a short time. Even replacement singers can be replaced. This edition centers on 1990s-era Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley

It would be easy to understand if Blaze Bayley was a little bitter about being let go from one of the biggest names in metal just so the second vocalist could return after a solo career. Now Blaze Bayley has his own backing band, touring Europe to play out of the way places, such as Blast from the Past Festival in Kuurne, Belgium

But during an online Zoom meeting at his home in England between tour breaks, he was radiant and positive. "I'm not a wealthy man. I have an ordinary motorcycle and an ordinary car and I live in an ordinary house, but I spend my time on tour and I perform in wonderful places. In so many ways, I'm living the dream."

He continues on. "I'm not trying to be huge. I've been huge. I've been in the biggest band in the world. I don't need to go back there."

He was born Bayley Alexander Cooke in Birmingham, England. He was raised in a mobile home. His parents divorced when he was three and for a while he lived with his mother. "We had next to nothing. We had an outside toilet. We had no running water. You had to go and get your water in a bucket and bring it back in. But we never felt deprived. That was just the way we lived."

Blaze states the first music he can remember hearing is "Be My Love" by 50s crooner Mario Lanza. It was a favorite of his grandmother, but he states his life changed completely when, in the late 70s, he heard Motorhead, The Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. At the time, Birmingham was the center of the metal world, and Bayley surrounded himself in this music during his teens. Blaze said "It's an industrial town. It's a lot of working-class people doing minimum-wage jobs in dirty, horrible circumstances." To support himself financially, he got a job working the night shift at a hotel and started to consider a future as a hotel manager. That all went away when he saw an ad in a local newspaper for a group called Wolfsbane. The ad read "Heavy metal singer wanted. No experience necessary."

Blaze's first thought was "I thought I could sing like Ronnie James Dio. Actually, I was just screaming in a nonsensical way. But they couldn't get anybody else, so I got the job."

What were Wolfsbane trying to accomplish when you guys started?

Our ambition was to be the biggest band in Tamworth. And we did that by sheer determination and being the most outrageous band in Tamworth. Then we wanted to be the biggest heavy metal band in Birmingham. And we managed to do it with the same attitude. We were so competitive. If we had been in a football team, we'd have done well.

You guys signed to Def American with Rick Rubin. That must have been incredibly exciting. He was a kingmaker and he'd just worked with Slayer and Danzig.

Yeah, that's how it seemed. It was very odd to receive that phone call. "Hello, It's Rick Rubin." "Who?" "Rick Rubin, from America. From Slayer." We went "What? Why are you phoning us?"

How did he even hear of you?

We opened up for King Diamond at the Hammersmith Odeon. There weren't many people there, but we got a little insert review in Kerrang! Magazine. It was next to a review of Slayer with a big photo. Rick Rubin opened up the magazine since he was interested in Slayer. He sees the little insert review of Wolfsbane. He asked his friend George Drakoulias, "Have you heard of Wolfsbane? No? Can you see if you can find a demo?"

They tracked our demo down in New York, and on every demo we did, we had our phone number. He called the number on the demo and got us at home. That's how we started.

What was it like going to Los Angeles to make the album?

It was total culture shock. Their expectations and the way we lived was totally alien to us as four working-class guys from England. In New York, we would have been fine. In Los Angeles, it was a bit of an adjustment to make.

Why do you think the band didn't break in the States?

Timing is everything. When we were coming through, just around the time of our video for "I Like It Hot", grunge exploded. And remember, the U.K. was much more fashion-conscious than the U.S. In the U.S., people were revered for being around a long time. In the U.K., it was like "That must be boring. What's new?" In the U.K., they were like "Grunge is the new thing. Iron Maiden is a dinosaur." And we were one of these bands. Everybody wanted to be depressed, look at their shoes, and think about suicide. In Wolfsbane, we were the antithesis of being self-obsessed and wanting to commit suicide. [screaming] We were the antithesis! We were like "Here is life, enjoy it! We're on tour! We don't know if we will be again. Enjoy it! Let's sing and be in love with performing. Let's go onstage and be like 'Yes! We're here!' There was no chance for Wolfsbane, really. We had the joyous abandonment of living and loving playing, but the people wanted to be miserable. That wasn't our fault.

Were you a big Iron Maiden fan back in the Eighties?

Yeah. I loved it. And this is difficult to believe, because I'm so old, but this was before arenas. This is why I'm so lucky to have experienced it. It's a thing that so many fans now won't be able to experience for some bands. Bands played theaters back then. The theater in Birmingham was the Birmingham Odeon. It was 1,500 seats. It seemed huge to me. It was the world to me. I saw Iron Maiden twice there. They played there four nights. I saw Ozzy there. I saw Metallica with Anthrax on the Master of Puppets tour. I saw Jon Bon Jovi there, twice. I saw Ronnie James Dio on the Holy Diver tour. You cannot imagine. This was incredible. There were no arenas for heavy metal. It was here in the theaters. It's close. You can hear it. You can feel it. It was an amazing time.

At that time, what separated Iron Maiden from other bands?

I think it's the energy. And it's Bruce [Dickinson]. There were some magical things. It was like two suns joining together in the galaxy to become this huge new thing. To hear Bruce singing after the [Paul] Di'Anno years...I wasn't a big fan of Paul. He's a wonderful performer, wonderful voice, but not completely my cup of tea. To hear Bruce bring that kind of vocal to that music, it's another level. There was something spiritual about it, for me as a young man. On the night shift at the hotel, listening to those big songs...They were completely unapologetic it was like 'Here's the riff. And we're going to play it.' That was it for me.

How did you hear that they were looking for a new singer?

I'm so lucky in my life. My life is some kind of crazy roulette wheel where it actually comes up with your number as you're walking away from the table and you think everything is gone. We'd done pretty well with Def American. It was us and the Almighty. We were the two bands that were selected to support Iron Maiden on their last theater tour. "We'll only be doing arenas and big festival headlines. This is our last. It's a thank you to the fans for coming to see us." We got selected to be the support band for that tour. And, of course, we're so arrogant, and so full of ourselves, that every night we tried to outdo them. I mean, these are giants that have nothing to prove, but they still go for every night. And we're like "All right, let's have a go and see how many fans we can steal. Let's make it really tough for them."

That's what we did every night. I'd start climbing all over the PA like Bruce used to. They never said a word. I thought they were gonna say something. I pushed it more every night. And then [Iron Maiden bassist] Steve Harris came to me one night and said "Well, it's nice to have a band that pushes us." I thought, "What a fantastic attitude." And then I made friends with Steve and was invited to be part of the Iron Maiden football team and everything. It was fantastic. That's one of my best tours in my life. It stands out to me as one of the shining moments, when Wolfsbane supported Iron Maiden. There was something magical about it. A few years later, when Bruce had left, and I was very, very lucky. I asked for an audition and they already knew me. I was able to get an audition, but I was still one of 1,500 people that applied for it. And then it came down to 12 people, the golden 12 that were lucky enough to have an audition and be in the room with them. You had to go do 10 songs that were the backbone of the setlist and go and rehearse them with the band. I did that and they asked me back. 

What was happening with Wolfsbane at this time?

Tragically, things had gone very bad for Wolfsbane. Grunge was at its height. We couldn't get a record deal. We couldn't get anything. And the manager at the time said "If there's a chance for you to audition with Iron Maiden, you've got to take it. Nothing is going to happen with Wolfsbane." It was bittersweet - there I was leaving the guys in Wolfsbane, but there I was with guys that had been heroes to me. They had some of the most legendary songs, legendary albums. And I would be able to work with those people? I was very, very lucky.

How did they tell you that you had the job?

I got a phone call on Christmas Eve of 1994. I had two auditions. One was with the band, and the other was in the studio and I had to sing backing tracks. They wanted to know if I could record. I had that experience by then. I then had a meeting with management. I was still drinking at the time, so I bought myself a case of Guinness and a wireless phone. [laughs]

How did it feel to put the phone down and realize you were now the frontman for one of the biggest metal bands on the planet?

It was unreal. It did not compute. It didn't go in at all. I think it only really made sense when I started writing with the band.

The first thing you did with was the record The X Factor. Tell me about that.

Steve Harris said to me "Nothing is written for the next album. I don't care who writes the songs as long as they are great songs." I went down to [Iron Maiden guitarist] Janick Gers's house with a couple of ideas. I think we came up with "Man on the Edge" on the first day. That felt pretty good, and we came up with a couple of other things. Then we'd go over and have a writing session at Steve's house. "Got this, got that, what do you got?" Some of my ideas weren't very good, but others were good enough to be considered as an album track. That's when it started to feel very, very real. Forget about big shows. Forget about all of that. But writing and knowing your ideas are good enough to be on an Iron Maiden album, that was when it really started. That was a fantastic time.

And I think that is what made it possible for me to continue and do all of the albums I have done after Maiden. It's that confidence that I got from Steve Harris and the guys when he's trying ideas and goes "Try it like this. This is how it should go. Don't put that there. Put that here! Have that here. You can't have that at all. It's your favorite bit? No. It doesn't fit. You can't have it!" I found other parts of my voice. [sings a bit of "Fortunes of War"]. These were things I'd never done before. I found these extra parts of my voice. I also found that songwriting is not luck. No. This is experience, skill and work. That's how you get it from your mind to the CD. That was a revelation! Those years to me, a short time, just five years later, were golden. I was able to put those lessons into my music afterwards.

They credit you on "Blood on the World's Hands." That's a great song.

It is. There's a lot of great music there, a lot of stuff I'm proud of. I do a set now when people ask me to these festivals, and I sing songs from those two albums. It's like getting together with old friends. I don't do them the same as they are recorded. I do the Blaze Bayley version of those songs. It's like seeing old friends, but giving them new clothes.

The tour started in Jerusalem on September 28, 1995. What was it like to walk onstage that first time and sing that first song?

Scary as h---. And not because I'm scared of the size of the crowd. I'd played gigs that big in Wolfsbane. But the fear was just making a mistake or doing something really bad and letting the fans down. The most important thing to me was doing well for the fans of Iron Maiden. I wanted to take a lot of the older songs and take them a little closer to the recorded version. So with the greatest respect to Bruce, I love him to bits, he's been a huge supporter over the years, but I think for any musician, you're in a band for a long time, unless you really check in with yourself, sometimes things wander off a little bit. And what I thought I could bring to Maiden was "I can tighten these things up a little bit." So that's what I did. The biggest fear for me was just letting the fans down if I did not do well or if I made a big fluff of something. But I was so lucky. People really welcomed me. Nobody said "We don't want you." People said "OK, let's see what you can do."

That was a long tour. Was it hard on your body and your voice to play that many consecutive nights, especially in a high-pressure situation?

When we were in Wolfsbane, we just wanted to live on a tour bus. That was it. That was the dream life for us, living on a tour bus and doing gigs. So when they said "Oh, it's a big long tour," I was like "Yeah. OK! That's what I've always wanted." The downside of it is the same for any professional touring singer. The lifestyle of touring and having the best voice every day, they just don't go together. They're opposites. When you've got a Vegas residency, or you're working on a cruise liner, you can keep your voice at the top, right near 100 percent of the time.

When you're sleeping on a bus, traveling for upwards of 19 hours between gigs, just getting up and eating cold food because the catering closed by the time we got there, it's really hard. And in the end, however tough that was, the thing that made it wonderful for me was these songs. I'd go onstage and sing "Number of the Beast", "The Trooper", "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son". And to see the reaction from the fans... as s--- and negative as that 20-hour journey was, to be there and sing these incredible songs that are legendary in the heavy-metal business, that was the thing that sustained me.

As you said, this was a weird time for heavy metal. You guys were largely playing clubs in the States. How did the band feel about that after all those years in arenas and stadiums?

I think it was very tough for the guys. It was a joy for me, because, of course, I've been doing all those kinds of venues with Wolfsbane, so I was in my element. I never said this to the guys at the time, but I was thinking "I'm in this unique situation - it's like I'm in the rebirth of Iron Maiden. We'll get through this. Things will start changing because people will see that this music, this tough, hard, melodic music, is so much deeper, and has so much more to give you than other things around at this time."

The toughest part was when Ronnie James Dio was supporting Iron Maiden. I'm the lead singer of Iron Maiden, and Ronnie James Dio is literally God of heavy-metal singing. I've loved him. He's my inspiration to be a heavy-metal singer. I've got everything he's done on vinyl. I've seen him in concert four or five times, and he's supporting me? God is supporting me? Ah!!!

I watched him every night on the tour. I would be in the back with fans watching Ronnie with the fans, and then I'd run back and get ready for our set. It was fantastic. I remember one gig in Phoenix [at the Celebrity theatre on July 14, 1998]. It was tiny for Iron Maiden, absolutely tiny. It was the hottest day. You could not walk for more than 20 yards without needing oxygen and a paramedic. Very, very tough day. I was feeling quite low.

I get to the gig and it was in the round. So many of the promoters lost faith in us. Grunge was at its height. Everything seemed against us. There was no room for the backdrops or anything. The stand-up Eddie [Iron Maiden's mascot] was there, but it was just tied up over the drum kit. The fans were around everywhere. It was incredible. And I think that was my greatest Iron Maiden gig.

I've played to 75,000 people. I've played all over Brazil. I'm very popular there now. But for me, one of my smallest Iron Maiden concerts was my greatest moment because I could actually jump into the crowd from the stage. I could grab someone by the head and force them to sing "The Trooper". I even wrote a song about it [on my solo album] Silicon Messiah. That was the joy of it, to be able to sing these incredible songs.

A lot of singers join established bands and they don't really feel like part of the team. They feel like hired hands. You didn't feel that way, it seems. You felt like an equal part of it.

I think for Steve Harris, it very much is a band. And he wanted it to stay a band, and have the energy of a band and the camaraderie of a band. He was a mentor to me, but we also became very good friends as well. That was it. It was about doing your best, your absolute best. Everybody doing the best they can every single night. It's a very high expectation. But for me, I'd always been ambitious. That's what champions do. That's what the real heroes do. They're not on the booze and not taking drugs. The real heroes, my heroes, it's the music that's the most important thing. I think that's why Steve and I got along so well. We had that same mentality of "It's the music first. It's the fans first."

Steve was very supportive. Everybody was very supportive. And we did our best, but the pressure was this: You are playing soccer for England. It is the World Cup final. And you must win. That's the pressure of being the singer of Iron Maiden. And so when Bruce and I see each other, we don't really have to speak. We look at each other and go "I know, I know." We know what it takes, but it's the best job. It's the best job in the world that somebody like me could have. It's tough, but it has joy.

Tell me about making Virtual XI

That was different. We're still at Barnyard Studios. I've written a couple of things. I've got something called "Como Estais Amigos", which was from a visit to Argentina. There was a war over the Falkland Islands, and it's a song of reconciliation, and to remember the fallen. That was one where I'd started with Janick, and then we took it to rehearsals. They were like "It's good, but it doesn't go like that. It goes like this." Of course, I was resistant to that at the start. But afterwards, it is my biggest song with Iron Maiden. Of all the ones I'm famous for, like "Man on the Edge", Top 10 around the world on the rock charts, and in some countries, Number One on the regular charts. I'd written it. It was incredible. 

But the biggest song is "Como Estais Amigos". When we did that in rehearsal, Steve Harris goes "It goes like this." Then I start hearing Dave Murray on that guitar and that snap of the snare of Nick McBrain...wow! The song just came to life. It's been in and out of my set over the years. It's an incredibly special thing for me.

What do you remember about making "The Clansman"?

-That was another magical moment. It came when Steve was using an acoustic bass to write and he'd be messing about with it. He came and went "I've got this idea." He's got a piece of paper with a pencil. And he's whistling the melody and everything. He goes "What do you think, Blaze?" I go "Steve, it's fantastic." That song is in their live set right now. It's in my anniversary setlist as well. People would think that's my biggest song, and it is a huge song for me, but that was an incredible moment to be there at the embryonic stage of, "What do you think of this?" That's a moment. Those are the moments that make me feel so privileged to have had my time with Iron Maiden.

How was the Virtual XI tour? I know you had some vocal problems at times.

-That's just unavoidable when you're touring. It's a gradual series of events that take place where eventually you've got nothing. A week earlier, you were singing with full voice. And that's it. So it's very tough. And I went to Dr. [Joseph] Sugerman in Los Angeles. He put me on vocal rest and all sorts of different things.

We managed to get it back and we didn't have to cancel so many shows. We did Los Angeles with a full voice. That was a really lovely gig. But it's just difficult. So many people refuse to understand that you can't go and buy a new set of vocal cords. No. It's the equivalent of saying to the guitarist "Here's your strings. They have to last the whole tour." At every show, you've got to try and give everything you can with just enough left to get you until tomorrow, when you give everything you have again.

It's a big learning thing. You've got to be some kind of Shaolin priest monk to have vocal dexterity to be able to not speak for hours and hours on end, to just drink water and tea, and no alcohol. But that's the only time in three years that I lost my voice.

Your last gig with Iron Maiden was in Argentina. Do you have fond memories of that night?

-No. It was raining and it was dark. We had Slayer supporting. Okay, God [Dio] had supported Maiden in the U.S. All right, I managed to get through that. And I loved him. I love Ronnie James. But Slayer, who I also love...I used to listen to Reign in Blood end-to-end when I was in Wolfsbane. Slayer, at that time, were the most intense band in the world, of any genre! In the world! [Mock anger] I don't care what you say, don't argue! Slayer, at that time, were the most intense band in! The! World! And they were supporting Iron Maiden! What chance did I have?

I met Tom Araya in Los Angeles at the Def American offices. He's a wonderful guy. I said "Tom, how do you keep your voice on tour?" I always collect these tips from different singers. He said "Normally, I'm drinking a few beers at the start of a tour." I said "Do you ever lose your voice?" He goes "If I ever do, I just keep drinking." He's invincible! He's a machine!

It was a tough gig, but the fans were wonderful. But it was some kind of hideous, raining-blood movie moment. It was a rainy night with a dark sky in a stadium that wasn't very well lit. We were onstage and something felt very weird. I don't know what it was. But I had felt very uncomfortable that night, not just because of trying to follow an exploding sun, but something just felt weird at that last gig. And I didn't know that was my last show.

During your time in Maiden, were you always thinking in the back of your head at some point they'd bring back Bruce and that would be the end for you?

-Never. I never had that fear because I thought there were eras of that band. Clive [Burr] and Paul [Di

Anno] were one era. Then there's Bruce and Nicko. That was another era. And I really thought that the third record with Maiden with me would be the charm. I thought "We've done these two records. And now with the ideas I've got, the writing experience and everything. I have things on my dictaphone and lyric ideas..." I thought "When this third album comes out, that is going to change the hardcore fans and put them back with us. We're going to get going, and this is going to be rolling, and we're going to be getting somewhere." I absolutely believed in my heart that would happen. Here's what was happening on the outside. When I joined Iron Maiden, EMI, one of the biggest record companies in the world, they sold every factory they owned. So what's happening? And then, at the end, it was the commercial pressure from EMI.

That's because Judas Priest had a full reunion with their original singer. Black Sabbath had a full reunion with their original singer. Deep Purple had a full reunion with their original singer. These were all big successes that bumped their numbers up. The slave masters of music were saying "We need to get something. Maiden, what can we do?" That was it for me. It was a commercial thing. And there I was. But I was very well treated by the guys, absolutely. And I can't blame them for anything that happened to me afterwards.

How did they tell you that you were out? Who broke the news?

-They did the proper thing. We had a meeting with everyone around the table. "With the greatest respect, everyone is doing this. It's a huge deal. We're sorry. We can't carry on." I said "Is Bruce coming back?" There was a silence for a moment. That decision had been made quite a while ago. I was totally unaware of it. They said "Yes, he is." I said "OK. We don't have anything else to talk about. I thank you for everything. And I will never say a bad word about this band because I've been treated very well." I was disappointed, obviously, gutted, because I loved it. As difficult as it was to keep your voice at that level, and all of that, I still loved it.

What's interesting is that bands like Judas Priest pretend that their replacement singer never existed. They often don't have their albums on Spotify, and they never, ever play the songs in concert. That's not the case with Maiden.

-It's been a real band. Your real credibility is your legacy. You have those albums. If you see The X Factor in the whole scene of things, you see the direction going to where things are now. You can directly see the connection between the new Iron Maiden album and The X Factor. They are connected. I'm part of this journey of Iron Maiden. And did people not try as hard when I was there? Did they not mean it when I was in the band? I can tell you the opposite is true. Steve Harris and the rest of those guys are warriors. They tried harder. It was like, "Bruce isn't here. We've got a guy who loves this band and is full of enthusiasm. Let's have a go. Come on!" And that's how we did it. Those albums are important.

It's great that Bruce is willing to sing the songs from your era. You almost never see that.

He's a hero. And a complete professional. I met Bruce many, many years before Maiden. We're doing an event in New York. And at the time, n the magazines, they were saying we looked very alike. It was a lot of fun. And he is a lovely, lovely guy. When I joined Iron Maiden, he was very kind to me, very, very supportive. After Iron Maiden, when I had my own solo albums, he invited me to be a special guest on his radio show. When I wanted to make a video with an airplane, he let me use his own plane to do it. He's an incredible, wonderful supportive person. He knows I know, and I know he knows!

Do you ever go to see their shows?

I'd been a couple of times. Often now, I'm doing my own thing. I've got my own tours going. I'm tiny. I'm microscopic compared to Iron Maiden, but what I am is free. And I'm independent. I am the record company. I own the label! It's called Blaze Bayley Recordings. I'm a priority artist since I'm the only one. You must have spoken to so many people that said "We weren't a priority on the label. The A&R didn't do this..." I am the A&R! I tell me what to do! I set the deadline.

I'm a working-class man from Birmingham. The deadline is set, the job starts and it is finished on time. That's it. You don't rest when you're tired. You rest when you're done! That's what you do. That's anyone that comes onto my team. They are a victim of that mentality. I'm very lucky to work with guys who are competitive, who are hardworking, who have this work ethic. And we get the job done.

We're not too arty-farty about it. It's heavy metal. It is not rocket science. It is not a Disney movie. It's a heavy metal album, and it does this and it does that. And within that, we have to make the machine work. That's it.

You did a few tours with Paul Di'Anno. How were those?

Fantastic. It was joyful to do that. I know it's a dirty word now, the R word, but we did a lot of dates in Russia together when it was still OK to do that. It was fantastic. And we played Ukraine. We played in Kiev and had just a fantastic time with the fans there. This music just lives in people's hearts and they're so happy to hear it.

It must have been a dream for Maiden fans to see a show with two of the actual singers where you hear the songs you usually don't get to hear at the band's regular shows.

-It's fantastic. This would never happen, but the dream, the ultimate dream, is to have Paul Di'Anno, Blaze Bayley, and Bruce Dickinson together on one night! It would be insane! There would be fights. "Blaze is the best!" "Paul is the best!" "Bruce is the best!" It would be fantastic. It would be so good for the fans. I don't think it would happen, but it would be so much fun.

The band is obviously way, way overdue to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Are you hoping to get inducted along with the rest of them?

-I'm already in the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame with Ronnie James Dio and Lemmy. That's really all I'm interested in. I'm there with Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio. I'm shoulder-to-shoulder with those guys. I'm afraid I don't really worry too much about anything else.

At the very least, it would be so great for the fans to see you come onstage with the band and sing something like "Sign of the Cross" with them one more time.

-It'd be a lot of fun. I don't think that will happen yet. And with my own stuff, I've been so lucky. I've done so many albums post-Maiden and now I have a wonderful management, wonderful team. I get to do all these exciting things. I'm living my dream. I started off, I wanted to be a professional heavy-metal singer touring the world, and that's what I do. I'm so lucky.

Tell me about your new solo record, War Within Me.

-I wanted to make something positive. I wanted every texture, every vowel sound, every lyric, every melody, to reach into your heart and make you feel better about yourself, and being a Blaze Bayley fan. In the end, my fans said "This is as good as Silicon Messiah," my first album after Maiden. And that's a long time ago.

You played some shows a few years ago with Tim "Ripper" Owens.

-What a crazy guy! Crazy guy!

You guys have had very similar life experiences that not many other people on Earth can relate to.

It's very interesting when Tim and I are together. The first couple of times we met, we swapped stories about what happened and things like that. Certain parts of the experience, what happened to him was better. In other parts, what happened to me was better. The overall thing in the end is that I'm still in contact with Maiden. I can phone Steve. We message each other and all that. I'm always very respectful. I get in touch with the manager. "I'd like to do this artwork based on this. Can I do this?"

Tim wanted to do something and the guys from Priest didn't even respond to him, so it's a very different experience. Judas Priest is a very different thing from Iron Maiden. It's hard. Iron Maiden feels in its heart that it is a band, living and breathing and fighting to be a band.

He told me recently he only hears from Priest if their lawyer are upset about a concert poster in Australia or somewhere that uses some of the album artwork from his time in the band.

-That happened to me. The Iron Maiden management got in touch with me and said "You've got to stop using the artwork." I said "I haven't used it." I never have. I've always had my own artwork. I'm a very proud man.

My past is my past. I'm respectful of my past and the wonderful opportunities that I've had, but I don't want to use Iron Maiden artwork. I don't need to. I've said "I've done 10 albums on my own. I don't need to play Iron Maiden songs at my shows. And I don't need to use Iron Maiden art. Tell me where you see the Iron Maiden artwork." I then got a message back, "Sorry, it was a promoter in Canada that stole the artwork and used it on a poster." Well, I'm not responsible for that! Everything I send out says "Do not use the Iron Maiden logo."

But that was great that that happened. Because it actually broke a little bit of ice that had built up, and management and I get along really well now. Everybody knows that I'm making my own music my own way. I love the fact that I've been in Iron Maiden. But it's five years and two albums of out 20-something. It's not the biggest...It's the loudest, probably. It's a big, important part of my career, but it's not my whole career. What's really fun to me is that new Maiden fans will get The X Factor or they'll get Virtual XI. They'll say "Bruce sounds different on this." Then they'll go down the rabbit hole and explore the great Blaze Bayley underneath.

I speak to a lot of people in your position that are at least somewhat bitter. They sort of feel on some level that they got screwed. That's really not your attitude at all.

The only thing I think, and I'm not bitter about it, but I do think about the monitor system. I should have experimented with the [monitor] wedges. That's all I can say about it. I tried in-ears. It worked out great for me when I used it. But that's the only thing really. It's just the equipment. Maybe the wedges didn't suit my voice as much as they suited Bruce, but that's the only thing I could say. And it's my own fault for not moaning about it. I was just so happy to be in Iron Maiden singing these great songs.

You're playing to between 10,000 and 70,000 people a night. We were playing in Europe to 10,000 people a gig when the English magazines were saying that Iron Maiden was dead. Well, we were playing to 10,000 people a night! That's not dead at all. And Maiden is still going. I'm still going. Those people were completely wrong, those idiots.

You truly seem happy.

I am. I'm very lucky, man. I'm very grateful to all my fans that make it possible. I'm independent. I travel in a van like I used to do in Wolfsbane. We have the t-shirts that we make and take with us, just like then. But unlike the Wolfsbane days, we have this wonderful streaming thing. We have the Internet and an online shop. And I still play to between 300 and 1,000 people a night. Sometimes less, sometimes more. Nothing is pre-taped at our shows. We are 100 percent live. Anything can happen. And at the end of the gig, you can bring your phone for a photo and you can bring your Iron Maiden and Wolfsbane CDs and get them signed. That's how I like to live. I'm not interested in being huge. I've already been huge. This is big enough for me.