Steve Harris

“I think you just have to look after yourself, you know, when you're doing long tours; you just have to. I think bands learn that pretty soon, really. And if they don't, I think they tend to fall by the wayside.”

“I still do get a little bit nervous at the beginning of Maiden tours but that's mainly because of the new material.”

“The Fender Precision is my instrument, my beloved Precisions.”

“I grew up loving history.”

“Maybe that's what makes my stuff different, 'cause I write it all on the bass. I can't play but a few chords on the guitar, so the bass works just fine for me.”

“I respect religion and all people's ideas of it. I think everyone should be able to do whatever they want to do with their own life. I just don't particularly like it when people try and force their ideas on others.”

“Obviously, Iron Maiden is on a way bigger scale to British Lion, but as a musician playing live, it's just the adrenaline rush of playing in front of an audience that gives you that rush.”

“Personally, I've got too many ideas to use in my lifetime, probably. But that's a nice problem to have, I think.”

“Sure, some tracks are not as good as others, but we've written some really strong, classic stuff, like 'The Number of the Beast,' 'Hallowed Be Thy Name,' and 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner.'”

“When you're trying to create imagery, you're trying to create a feeling or a mood.”

“Anybody who's in a position Maiden is, or whatever, or any band that can potentially take another band on tour, I think you can help other people, and it doesn't take much effort to do that.”

“I mean, the first two tours that we toured around the world, we were hitting every single bar there was, as you do when you're young and you've got to find out all these things. But it got boring really quick.”

“People get into metal and they don't drift away from it. They might have families and move away a little, but they certainly don't forget about it.”

“So when I started writing my own stuff, it was with a lot of combinations and time changes and power.”

“The only thing I don't write is the guitar solos, but even then I might suggest one or two things.”

“When we started off, we weren't even thinking of being a global band. We just ended up becoming that.”

“If you take care of the music first, and then add elements of a good show, then it makes for a good combination.”

“Some of the newer bands I like include Queensryche and Marillion, and I was glad when Yes reformed. Also, Kingdom Come; I was laughing when I first heard it and going 'This is outrageous,' but it's a really album. I went to see them play and enjoyed it.”

“If you see a credit with just my name on it, that means I write absolutely everything: rhythm guitar parts, guitar melodies, vocal melodies... absolutely everything, really.”

“I think everyone knows that I'm always the one that's the busiest in Maiden. When we're not touring or recording, I'm still doing loads of Maiden stuff - video editing and god knows what else - so I get a lot less downtime than the others.”