As the title suggests, Adrian Smith, one of the veteran axe slingers from Iron Maiden, suggests that Iron Maiden merchandise works too well.
I can safely say that I am one of those people who, when seen wearing an Iron Maiden shirt, is wearing one for the legit reason of actually liking their music. I wear band shirts because I listen to the band on the shirt. And in this case, I wear Iron Maiden shirts because I like their music
He remarked the pros and cons of people recognizing Maiden's iconic mascot and that it resulted in people wearing the iconic logo and Eddie without having some sort of connection or knowledge of the music
In a recent interview with Louder, Smith recalled "No matter where we go, we always see our merchandise around. A great thing about this band is that we go and take our music to the people, wherever that may take us. Doing that also means people stick with you. Having said that, I've walked by people in those shirts who had no idea who I was! I think our merchandise works a little too well like that."
He did, however recall a moment when the band's high visibility amused him. "I was out fishing in Ireland with my dad. Word had got out in the local village, and these kids started turning up, all wearing Eddie shirts, just watching us from the banks for a while. I went over and they asked if we could sign their things, and just as I did, two nuns walked up! They looked at the album, looked at me and thought it was hilarious!"
In the same interview, he also mentioned the downside of being part of such a big-name act. "In places like Italy and Mexico, I've found the police escorts can be a little...enthusiastic. Too much you might say! People think it's glamorous getting this escort, but it can be very stressful, especially when you get a bit carsick and your driver thinks he's in an action movie, speeding through the night at 100 mph with his sunglasses on!"
Despite everything, the guitarist and his band mates have no plans to retire in the near future. "Even now, there's still a little bit of insecurity and wanting to prove things to people, do things we haven't before. It's like fishing - there's always bigger fish and new places to explore., always something to look forward to. It's what keeps me going. That and things like playing tennis with [bassist] Steve Harris to keep me fit. I don't think any of us feel like slowing down - we still want to get out there!"
