Iron Maiden couldn’t “give a monkey’s” about not being invited to perform at Glastonbury.
Frontman Bruce Dickinson, 64, has insisted it doesn’t bother him that the heavy metal group have never played the world-famous music extravaganza, which has started embracing the genre more in recent years, with the likes of Metallica, Bring Me The Horizon and Motörhead having performed.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper, he said: “We don’t give a monkey’s 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.”
Despite being nominated twice, Maiden have never made it to induction at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Bruce wouldn’t want to while they are still alive.
He said: “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.”
The Hall of Fame previously responded to criticism over Maiden not being chosen for induction in 2021.
CEO Greg Harris insisted that despite Bruce and co receiving the nod for the first time and failing to join the likes of Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, and Jay-Z as the 16 artists chosen for the honour, they still regard the rockers as an “impactful, influential band”.
Appearing on WBAB radio station, he said: “There’s no doubt that Iron Maiden are an impactful, influential band, and that’s why they were nominated this year, along with 15 other artists and acts, and when the votes came in, these six were the leaders. So we’re not questioning, are they an important band, are they impactful and influential.
“Of those that have been nominated throughout history, over 80 per cent of them have been eventually inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
“So everybody has their favourites; everybody has different artists that impacted them or impacted other artists. So, if you look at this list, you can make that case for all of these folks, just like people make that case for Iron Maiden.”
The Hall of Fame boss also insisted that rock and roll is a “big tent and everybody fits under it”, even if they don’t play rock ‘n’ roll music.