Hollywood actor Javier Bardem reveals how Iron Maiden changed his life in a new interview with Metal Hammer.
In the magazine’s upcoming issue, which hits store shelves and is available to order from Thursday (April 30), the star of Dune, No Country For Old Men and the James Bond film Skyfall looks back on the impact the British metal stars had when he first heard them.
The 57-year-old explains that he discovered them through his older brother, who played him their 1980 song Iron Maiden when he was 11 years old.
He adds that putting on their 1982 breakthrough UK chart-topper The Number Of The Beast was the moment where he truly became a fan.
“I put my hand on the Number Of The Beast vinyl and I put it on, then life changed,” Bardem recalls. “They have the most amazing lyrics that really convey mostly everything that you can think of – philosophy, religion, politics, war, love, family, friends, metal... I mean, it’s fantastic. The range they have, and the depth they go with, and at the same time, how easy they deliver that, literally in the sense that you feel like, ‘Wow!’”
The actor also remembers the first time he saw Maiden live, which was in Madrid in his home country of Spain in 1988.
“It was fantastic!” he says. “It was the first time I saw [the band’s zombie-like mascot] Eddie onstage, it was the first time I saw everybody onstage. I was amazed by the quality of the sound, I was amazed by the energy of all them. And especially [bassist/founder] Steve Harris, because he was playing the bass guitar in a way that I never saw before.”
He adds that he’s gone on to see Maiden between 10 and 12 times since that first show.
He explains: “Seeing Maiden live shows is an expression of joy, of pleasure, of commitment with music, because they are amazing musicians and they’ve been composing these amazing songs for so many years; they are like anthems, they’re iconic. And when they are onstage they really deliver, they really give it all.”
Bardem is one of several interviewees who talk about Maiden’s history and legacy in the band’s upcoming documentary Burning Ambition, which hits cinema screens on May 7. Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello and Public Enemy’s Chuck D also appear.
The documentary is a part of Maiden’s ongoing 50th-anniversary celebrations. The band have also been marking the occasion with their Run For Your Lives world tour, which kicked off last year. The second European leg starts in Athens, Greece next month and will wrap up with a performance at the band’s own two-day festival, Eddfest, at Knebworth House, UK on July 11.
Further performances in the Americas, Asia and Australia have been announced, and tickets are available via the Iron Maiden website. The tour will mark the last time the band take the stage together until 2028, at the earliest.
As well as Bardem, a host of super-fans and fellow musicians discuss Maiden’s impact in the upcoming Hammer. The band are also the cover stars on the current issue of Classic Rock magazine, which contains interviews with Harris and lead singer Bruce Dickinson.
