Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson talked in an interview with Metal Hammer in 2011 and said that “we’re better than Metallica”.
“I got into trouble for saying that ‘we’re better than Metallica…’ and it’s true. They may be greater than us and they might sell more tickets than us and they may get more gold-plated middle-class bourgeoisie swinging up to their shows, but they’re not Maiden. I said it’s somewhat of a windup. I thought, ‘If I’m going to into an asshole, I might as well, you know, go for it.'”
Following 6 years, he talked on this comment in an interview with Rolling Stone. Here’s the statement:
“See, I’m intensely conscious that when you say things in print, individuals are going to pick up on things. The stuff about Metallica, without a doubt, was a decent windup.
We have a great relationship with Metallica. It wasn’t aimed at Metallica. It was aimed at the rest of the world to say, ‘We’re back and we mean it. We mean it so much that we’re going to say something quite ludicrous, so why don’t you come to the show and find out. We dare you.’ It’s throwing down the gauntlet, and I’m the lead singer. It’s my job. It’s what I do.”
