IRON MAIDEN Book Author Slams 'Pathetic' BLABBERMOUTH.NET Detractors

OneMetal recently conducted an interview with Paul Stenning, author of the GUNS N' ROSES book "The Band That Time Forgot", AC/DC tome "Two Sides to Every Glory", and the 130,000-word biography on IRON MAIDEN, entitled "30 Years of the Beast - The Complete Biography 1976-2006". An excerpt from the chat follows:

OneMetal: Your latest book "Iron Maiden - 30 Years of the Beast" is a complete biography of the band. Is there anything in there that would shock or surprise fans?

Paul: I think it depends on how in-depth your knowledge is. To an extent, I had to write the obvious stuff because you may be writing for someone who knows nothing about the band and hasn't read everything on them already. So there is more relatively shocking information for the casual or new fan but then there are also plenty of unique insights which mean that there will be a good few revealing chapters for even the most ardent fan. To me, the most shocking aspect was the Derek Riggs interview because according to him the band are very difficult to work for and no one else said that. At the same time, Derek was very convincing and I got the impression other people I interviewed wanted to say what he did but were too afraid to criticise the beast. So, whether you believe Derek or not, he believes it and makes his case against the band and management very well. I personally believe him, at least that HIS experience has not been pleasant. But then you have to decide whether you think they are difficult to work with for everyone.

OneMetal: Slash passed praise on your GUNS N' ROSES book. Have the MAIDEN boys passed any comment on your latest offering?

Paul: No, not yet, but it took a year or so before Slash said something so maybe when one of them actually sees it they might say something. I doubt it, though; even if they liked it I wouldn't expect them to say anything because of Mick Wall's involvement with them and the official book. I am sure that they will approve if they read it though because it's written with a great deal of respect and is much more in-depth that anything that's come before, simply because I wanted to make it worthwhile, not just like the average unofficial, flimsy biog.

OneMetal: You wrote a book on MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE that led to comments about you being a "sellout". How do you respond to this?

Paul: Haha! Firstly I didn't want to do it but truth is, I needed the money and it was also a chance to work with a publisher I had been on at for a while. As I said before, you don't know when you may next get work so I can't always be too choosy. I thought I would hate them just from what I've seen and heard of them before. But when I actually started researching and listening properly I came out of the project with a lot of respect for them. That's a valuable lesson not only for me, but anyone, you shouldn't ever be closed-minded. If someone asked me to write a book on DESTINY'S CHILD, I would 'cos I love their music. That would be selling out, wouldn't it? Then so be it. I don't care. Whoever I write about who isn't strictly "metal," it is either because I am willing to experiment or I like the band/artist. I don't only listen to metal, but that doesn't make me any less of a metalhead. There are barely any very well-known metal book writers who don't write about something other than metal — in fact, I can't think of one. Sure, someone like Martin Popoff sticks pretty rigidly to metal and rock but he is in a very unique position, and I am not. I write about metal on a daily basis, while some snot nosed kid sits at a keyboard after doing their mundane factory job or coming home from school (!) and feels fit to criticise me. At first it bothered me but now I really couldn't give a f*ck.

OneMetal: You have had a bit of a history with Blabbermouth, and in particular some of the user comments made about you. What are your views on this?

Paul: I was naïve at first in responding so voraciously because I felt aggrieved my work was being criticised or my ideals challenged but then I realised how pathetic most people are who post on that site. In fact that goes for 95% of ALL forum posters — what a vacuous waste of time that whole thing is, I don't understand it. It's for people who like to think what they say is important when in actual fact it is completely worthless. They feel significant because they are seeing their words "published" on a screen, but they forget no one cares what they think except the same, shallow-minded assholes.

Read the entire interview at www.onemetal.com.