At this point, Iron Maiden's absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame kind of feels like being caught somewhere in time for long-time fans after seeing the metal masters be nominated for inclusion again this year and then snubbed for a second time. But according to frontman Bruce Dickinson, that's no problem at all as far as he sees it.
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Speaking with the U.K.'s The Telegraph last month while on their European tour, Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson was just fine with not being inducted into Rock's hallowed halls after becoming eligible way back in 2004.
Elaborating on a 2018 statement he made to The Jerusalem Post about the Rock Hall in which he promised, “If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there,” Bruces explained bluntly, "We don’t give a monkey’s a** because the people that get us are not the people that run the music business establishment, whatever that is, because that is largely run by people that can’t make a living doing anything else."
Bruce continued, "I don’t want to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Because we’re not dead yet! Some people feel almost actively threatened by metal. Not by the nature of the music. But by the fact that it doesn’t conform to their worldview of what pop music should be, which is: pop music is disposable, darling. Well: we don’t make disposable pop music."
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Rock Hall CEO Greg Harris is well aware of the contention, telling us back in May when the official 2023 Class of Inductees was announced sans Maiden that the Rock Hall loves that people "care if they’re in or out, and that their fans care."
"The truth is," he adds, "anybody that’s nominated, the odds are good that they’re eventually gonna get in. In fact, I think it may be as high as 90% eventually go in. Rage [Against The Machine], this was their sixth time, I believe, fifth time on the ballot, or sixth time, and so sometimes it takes a while."
It seems the Rock Hall can take all the time they would like. Bruce certainly won't consider anything as wasted years.
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