Paul Di’Anno (Iron Maiden, Warhorse) Interview

It’s Saturday morning in Chicago, which means it’s Saturday evening in Croatia, where Paul Di’Anno is currently based. To say the former Iron Maiden frontman is under the weather would be an understatement, but alas, he insists we get on with this interview. After all, it’s this defiant, headstrong attitude that has fueled Di’Anno for the better part of five decades. Despite all the odds against him, he powers on stronger than ever, a true Warhorse of a man. It only makes sense that this is the moniker of his latest creative endeavor. We sat down with Di’Anno to discuss Warhorse, Maiden, and a busy year ahead.

Greetings Paul and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?

Paul Di’Anno: Not very well man *laughs*, but it’s still good! It’s all good.

Well, I hope after this interview you’re able to get some rest, so we’ll make it quick. I’d like to start by congratulating you on the self titled debut album from your new band, Warhorse.

PD: Yeah, it’s a bit weird that. As I’ve said, it was a project with a couple of friends of mine here in Croatia. I’m just trying to get myself sort of attached to it because I didn’t write anything. All I did was sing on the fucking thing *laughs*, so there you go. I’ve went through this a few times, to try and get myself together with it.

This new band features yourself alongside guitarists Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante Pupačić. How did you first meet these two?

PD: It’s pronounced “Her-way” *laughs*. They’re in a well known band over here in Croatia. There’s a band called Rapid Strike. I met them when I came over a couple years back to get my first surgeries done and everything. They just put this idea up to me and I sort of went on with it. I had nothing better to do as well because I was waiting to go in for operations. So yeah, we just did it. It took a long bloody time! They do play live sometimes, but they’re basically studio rats, so it was all down to them to do the mixing and that. It took way too long, so I kind of lost touch with it a bit. Now its come out and everyone’s bugging me for interviews *laughs*. I can’t tell you much about it!

What did the band set out to achieve musically?

PD: As I said, the guys wrote all the stuff, so it was sort of hanging around for a bit. I just came and did the vocals. It’s something different for me anyways. I don’t normally play this kind of music, so it was quite good actually to try something different. I’m still trying to get my head around it and get attached to it because I feel quite remote. I didn’t do anything on it except sing.

For you, what are the biggest differences between making a record back in the ’80s and doing so today?

PD: Oh God, everyone’s a keyboard warrior today. We still do it old school. We still go in the studio. We still knock it out that way. I travel from Zagreb to Split, where the boys are based, to do my vocals there. I did some here in Zagreb as well, which is kind of cool. It’s just an old school place. I set it up and knocked it out *laughs*.

Of all the killer cuts on this album, the one that stands out most to me is “Here Comes the Night”, which boasts that raw and relentless attitude you’re synonymous for. Do you ever get in a certain headspace before getting in a vocal booth to record?

PD: No, I detest studios. I hate them because you’re surrounded by four walls. How the hell can you get any sort of emotion out? It’s all about live for me, but we did it on a couple takes for me. As I said, I hate studios so much. If we can’t get it right at about the third take, then fuck it, I don’t wanna know *laughs*. That’s the way it is for me. It seemed to work out alright. As I said, it’s difficult to as I did not write the lyrics or anything. You gotta try and put yourself in the other person who wrote it’s head. I think I did OK. I’m not sure yet. As I said, I’m still trying to get my head around the whole thing.

This past weekend, you met Bruce Dickinson for the first time, which I found rather surprising as I thought Maiden and Samson would’ve crossed paths in those early days. What was that meeting like for you and how was Bruce?

PD: It was good! He’s a good guy. The press brought all that shit up. It’s not the first time either. Me and Bruce have known each other. I knew him from the Samson days and all that stuff. We met here and there. No big deal, but it was good to see him. I thought his concert was bloody great. It was really good, slightly different as well, kind of like what I’m doing. It was good. I enjoyed it. Half his band came back to see me play. I did three songs in Zagreb as well. I was doing a signing, so they came down to see me as well. But yeah, Bruce is looking good and sounding good as well!

This year marks the 45th anniversary of Iron Maiden’s iconic debut demo, The Soundhouse Tapes. Are there any particular memories that stand out from that session, and is there any truth that Paul Cairns played guitar on the demo?

PD: Yeah, Paul did play on it, yes. Indeed he did. He was with us there at Spaceward (Studios) as well. I don’t know where that came from *laughs*, but he did play on it, that’s for sure. Some of the stories I can’t tell you *laughs*! They’re X-rated, I’m afraid, because we had nowhere to stay…oh, my wife would kill me if she finds this out *laughs*. I had to step up and take one for the team. We met these nurses at a bar *laughs* and I had to sort of get very closely acquainted with one of them. They took us back to the nurses’ quarters *laughs* and on her bed we were. The rest of the band and the fucking crew were on the bloody floor at the same time! I thought, “Oh my God! This is ridiculous!” That’s as far as I’m gonna go with that one *laughs*.

Between Iron Maiden and Killers, which album do you prefer and why?

PD: I love the first album. The songs are fantastic. The production’s a piece of dogshit. They should remix that, you know? It’s a fantastic album! Killers was a little bit strange to me because we ended up with a really professional guy in Martin (Birch) on there. I basically didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but he got the best out of us, that’s for sure. But yeah, I prefer the first album, always have.

One of the greatest Maiden songs of all time is “Phantom of the Opera”. The original version from 1980 features about 10 seconds of silence at the end, before we hear you growl the lyric, “You torture me back at your lair.”, one final time. Whose idea was that?

PD: Yeah…you know what? I don’t remember *laughs*. I know you’re asking me, but come on man. I’m getting old now! I’m waiting for Alzheimer’s to hit me next *laughs*. I really can’t remember that, but hey, it worked!

There’s some classic photos of you circa 1980 wearing a Paul McCartney and Wings shirt. Do you have a favorite McCartney/Wings song or album? Furthermore, do you still have the shirt?

PD: No, I haven’t got the shirt anymore. That probably faded away. I think one of the greatest albums ever written is Band on the Run. It was fantastic, really good, and so different from what I normally listen to. Normally, I’m listening to Anti-Nowhere League, The Exploited, Ramones, and stuff like that, but I do have the odd moments where I listen to other music. That was a good album. Actually Loopy, who was with Maiden’s crew and my best friend in school, he played it for me and I went out and bought the album straight after. Fantastic!

Iron Maiden has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, but has yet to be inducted. Do you care one way or the other, and if they were to be inducted, would you attend?

PD: I think I can speak for myself and the rest of Iron Maiden when I say we don’t give a fuck *laughs*. It’s bullshit man. You got soul singers up there being inducted into the Hall of Rock? Come on. I mean, the Black Music Awards wouldn’t fucking ask us to go up there and do it, would they? I think it’s all crap, to be honest with you. It doesn’t mean nothing.

In closing, what does the rest of 2024 have in store for Paul Di’Anno and Warhorse?

PD: Oh my God, here we go! We just finished up the logistics now. I leave here next week and go back to London where I’m shooting something for Iron Maiden at the Iron Maiden hotel (Sanctum Soho). They’re doing some sort of documentary thing. I’m doing that. Then, I’m going up to a hotel near Heathrow for two days. Then, I fly to Colombia. I’m doing Medellín and Bogota. Then, I come back and got a couple days off. Then, we start a British tour. Four shows first and then we break off, go to Poland, do one show there with an orchestra. That’s gonna be a laugh. Blimey, I’m not disciplined for that kind of stuff!

After we finish the British tour, we got Italy coming up. We got a few other shows. We’re not doing as many as we’ve done in the last year or so because I played over 30 shows in Brazil alone last year. No other band’s ever done it before. We broke records. It was really amazing. Then, with Argentina and Uruguay and Paraguay and Chile and Mexico, we’ve done quite a bit! We’re gonna have a little rest and not do so many because that is all about me getting my strength back and my legs back. I’m trying not to do too much, and then keep coming over to Croatia for more treatment.

The self titled debut album from Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse is available now on BraveWords Records. For more information on Paul DiAnno, visit www.pauldianno.co.uk.