Ex-IRON MAIDEN Guitarist DENNIS STRATTON 'Would Love' To Attend ROCK HALL Induction Ceremony, But Says 'It's The Band's Decision'

In a new interview with the Paulieflix channel on YouTube, former IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dennis Stratton spoke about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Dennis, who played with the emerging NWOBHM act from December 1979 until October 1980, and appeared on MAIDEN's No. 4-charting self-titled debut album, will be inducted into the Hall Of Fame alongside the band's current lineup of singer Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris and guitarists Adrian Smith, Dave Murray and Janick Gers, as well as ex-singers Paul Di'Anno and Blaze Bayley and former drummers Nicko McBrain and Clive Burr.

IRON MAIDEN will miss the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony this fall, the band's manager Rod Smallwood confirmed, because MAIDEN has dates scheduled in Australia this November.

While MAIDEN has been eligible to join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame since 2004, the band had only been nominated twice before — in 2021 and 2023.

After one of the Paulieflix interviewers noted that Stratton was initially vocal in rallying fans online to show their support for a possible MAIDEN induction when the band's nomination was first announced, despite the fact that Dickinson had called the institution "an utter and complete load of bollocks," Dennis clarified (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, not really. Unfortunately, I was already told by the gods above that MAIDEN didn't want it. So I understood that.

"A lot of people, a lot of magazines and a lot of people that quote you can actually twist things to their advantage," Dennis claimed. "And it makes me look stupid. And you gotta remember, I talk to Steve [Harris, IRON MAIDEN's founding bassist] all the time… And it was 2020. It was in lockdown. And I realized that Bruce had said these things, and the band were backing him. Fine. It's nothing to do with me. All I would say on social media is I'm over the moon to be nominated. It's something that I feel, after all the years that I've worked, I've done, not got very far, but I wouldn't change anything, but it's something that you should be proud of, and an achievement that most musicians would give their right arm for."

Stratton continued: "I've been nominated. Okay. Next quote, if the band are not interested, I have to go along with their decision. It's nothing to do with me. The band decide with the management, and whatever they decide, I respect their decision. End of. Then it got a little bit silly, because every year — '21, '22, whatever it was — IRON MAIDEN have been nominated again. So I get thousands of messages on Messenger, on Facebook and Instagram, 'Oh, well, congratulations.' 'Yes. Thank you very...' So it's like Groundhog Day. So you get to the point where, yes, 'I appreciate all your concerns.' People say, 'It's not worth voting for 'em because they don't want it.' And all I've said before is if they wanted it, if MAIDEN wanted to go into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the votes from South America alone would've took them into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It doesn't matter about the rest of the world. The fans in South America, the fans over there — there's millions of them — they would've voted MAIDEN in without anyone else in the world voting, but they didn't want it. So the same rules apply. Whatever the band decides, I respect that decision. That's done."

Dennis added: "So then this year, this summer, somewhere along the line, I suppose, to call an end to the feud or all the bad chatter and whatever, and what Bruce has called them or whatever, it's still nothing to do with me, but at the end of the day, I see on social media, and I'm getting texts from all over the world saying, 'Congratulations. You have been accepted and inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' Great. Love it. It's my dream come true. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go because I have to respect the band's decision… And so I'll wait… And so [there was a] nice little message from Rod on social media, 'Thank you for inducting us into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Unfortunately, the band will be in [Australia].' Fine. If that's their decision, then I respect it and I have to go along with it. Nothing to say about how excited I am. I have my own feelings. So does probably Blaze. And so does Nicko. But at the end of the day, if no one's gonna go and accept the award, then no one goes. I think that they should send someone. Other bands have done it. So send a representative. Send Nicko, or send me, Blaze and Nicko and let us enjoy the day. There's a way around it to keep the peace."

Stratton went on to say: "I can't help being excited and over the moon that I've been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It's something to tell the grandchildren. But if the band don't want it, and they don't wanna accept it, or they don't want to turn up, that's their decision and I have to respect that. And so it goes round in circles like Groundhog Day. But yes, I've not hid the fact that I am excited, and I would love to go. Whether I can or can't is not my decision. But I would like to go. I think so would Blaze in the end. And if we can't go, then thank you anyway for being inducted, and I do hope somewhere along the line I get something to show the grandchildren, to put up on the wall."

Asked by one of the Paulieflix interviewers if he could just attend the Rock Hall as a spectator, seeing as he is being inducted, Dennis said: "Well, I imagine so, but you wouldn't go behind the band's back or behind the management's back and create even more friction. What I'd like to think would happen is that we may get a call or an e-mail or something from the MAIDEN office to say, 'Look, this is the situation.' And same as when we did the [MAIDEN documentary] film premiere [earlier in the month]. Dave Shack from the MAIDEN office phones me, he said, 'Look, they want you to go to the premiere. Are you free?' I went, 'Yeah. Lovely. Thank you. I'm proud to be there on the red carpet. Lovely.' But 'cause this is so important and it's near the end of your career and you're not gonna be playing much past the end of 75, 76 up to the age of 80. Who knows? But to go there and feel the atmosphere and the glitter and the hype, yeah, who wouldn't wanna go? But I can't just go… But it would be nice ... If they're not interested and they're gonna be in Australia anyway, and Rod doesn't wanna go, I can't see the problem of why we can't go. But as I say, again, I'm fed up repeating these words every year. It is the band's decision. And I respect that. If no one goes, I have to accept that."

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

The only metal or metal-adjacent acts to have made it into the Rock Hall so far have been BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA, AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST, KISS, VAN HALEN, RUSH, GUNS N' ROSES, Ozzy Osbourne and DEEP PURPLE.

IRON MAIDEN finished in the fourth place in the fan vote for the 2023 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

Dickinson made headlines in 2018 when he referred to the Rock Hall as "an utter and complete load of bollocks" during a spoken-word gig in Australia, insisting that the Cleveland-based institution is "run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn't know rock and roll if it hit them in the face."

Bruce later told The Jerusalem Post that he was "so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren't in the Hall Of Fame.

"I'm really happy we're not there and I would never want to be there," he continued. "If we're ever inducted, I will refuse — they won't bloody be having my corpse in there.

"Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland," Bruce added. "It's a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it's dead. It's worse than horrible, it's vulgar."

Dennis contributed significantly to such MAIDEN classics as "Phantom Of The Opera", "Running Free" and the band's eponymous anthem "Iron Maiden".

Formed in East London in 1975, IRON MAIDEN have grown into one of the world's most influential and enduring rock bands. Across 50 years they have released 17 studio albums, sold over 100 million records, and performed almost 2,500 concerts across 64 countries.