Bruce Dickinson drops surprising comparison for Iron Maiden’s new drummer

In a recent interview at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden disclosed that the band’s new drummer Simon Dawson makes him think of another well-known drummer—but not Nicko McBrain, who he recently replaced. Dickinson explained how Dawson was chosen as Iron Maiden‘s new drummer following McBrain’s decision to retire in an interview with Ryan J. Downey of the MI Conversation Series. Dickinson likened Dawson to a well-known drummer for Maiden fans during this conversation, but it wasn’t the man he was replacing. Dickinson disclosed during the discussion that Dawson was selected for the band in part because he was one of the few drummers thought to have a different sound from McBrain’s.

You can’t replace Nicko. You shouldn’t even try to replace him. You don’t want a Nicko clone. You want a drummer that plays the material but plays kind of their own style. If I’m honest, if I closed my eyes at moments during that [initial] rehearsal [with Simon], it was like having Clive Burr back in the band, ’cause he’s got that feel. It’s that big band swing time feel. He has all the same influences and everything. I was just, like, ‘Oh my God. Wow.’ So I’m actually really excited.

Dickinson claims that Dawson’s significant break came during their previous Iron Maiden tour. Simon accompanied Steve Harris on that run, who had also been out playing with British Lion at the time. Dawson was chosen for the audition, he acknowledges, as “kind of insurance for us because we weren’t sure.” Dickinson said that although the band hoped McBrain could make the tour, they were worried about his physical capacity to withstand the demands of the run.

There were some times during the show when, not so much his drumming, but his physical body was really… We were worried. We were, like, ‘We do not want to end up with Nick in hospital, and we do need to have a backup.

Steve Harries proposed that Dawson could fill the spot, and Dickinson was absolutely delighted and positively impressed.

Honestly, I was pleasantly shocked. I was, like, ‘Wow.’ We went through the whole set without a break. And this guy had not rehearsed with anybody. He just, like, turned up with Maiden. We went through the entire set of the tour that we were on at the time, and it was all there. I thought, ‘My God, we could do a show tonight if we had to. That’s unreal.’