NICKO MCBRAIN Explains Why He Didn't Approach Any Of His IRON MAIDEN Bandmates About Contributing To His Autobiography

In a new interview with Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern, longtime IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain was asked if he talked to any of his MAIDEN bandmates as he was writing his recently published autobiography, "Hello Boys And Girls!". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. I haven't, as yet, even read Bruce's [Dickinson, MAIDEN singer] book, for the sole reason I didn't wanna get influenced by any of his stories or how he's written it. And I do have a copy — he signed a copy for me — and I will grab that and probably read that in the next couple of weeks. Now I've finished my book, I can delve into his. And I didn't want any influences from any of the other guys in that respect. I did start to read Adrian's [Smith, MAIDEN guitarist] book, but it's more about fishing than anything else. [Laughs]

"But, no, I didn't approach any of the guys," Nicko added. "I wanted it to be my memories carte blanche and without any influences from anybody else. [Longtime MAIDEN manager] Rod [Smallwood] mentioned a couple of things, and he got them wrong, actually. There was a couple of instances where he didn't want me to write a particular chapter because it would upset the band. And I said to him, 'Rod, this is my story. It's not yours. I appreciate what you're saying. 'Oh, you're still part of the family.' I said, 'And I still will be, even though I've written this book. And you may not like it, but it's going in. And if it upsets someone, they will tell me. They will tell me, and then I'll deal with it. But it's going in. It's going in.'"

"Hello Boys And Girls!" was published on October 22, 2026 via Harper Nonfiction.

Last month, Nicko took to the road on a spoken-word tour to promote "Hello Boys And Girls!". Starting in Frankfurt on October 26, McBrain is visiting theaters across Germany, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Ireland and the U.K., regaling audiences with colorful stories of a life well-lived.

Born in Hackney, East London in 1952, Michael "Nicko" McBrain always wanted to be a drummer, practicing on his mother's pots and pans until his father bought him his first drumkit when he was 11 years old. Playing initially in school bands, covering THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES, by 14 he had become semi-professional, performing in wedding bands around London.

Inspired by jazz as much as rock music, Nicko played with the likes of STREETWALKERS, PAT TRAVERS BAND and TRUST while honing his craft doing session work amongst the highly competitive mean streets and studios of London's Soho. However, when he joined IRON MAIDEN in 1982, he quickly became one of the most recognizable and influential drummers in the world.

Through his powerful and brilliant drumming style — full of flair and technique — and his equally charismatic stage presence, Nicko became a metal icon, pivotal in shaping IRON MAIDEN's dynamic sound across his 42-year tenure with the band. Playing on 14 studio albums, multiple live albums and dozens of world tours, as part of IRON MAIDEN Nicko has sold over 100 million records around the world and entered the annals of rock history.

Six years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps.

McBrain lives at home in Florida with his wife Rebecca, their cat Lola, and two Yorkshire Terriers, Tigerlily and Tinkerbell.

McBrain officially joined IRON MAIDEN in December 1982 for the 1983 "Piece Of Mind" album and tour, replacing Clive Burr, after McBrain's previous band TRUST had supported IRON MAIDEN during the U.K. leg of the "Killers" tour in 1981. McBrain brought a degree of finesse and technicality that was largely missing from IRON MAIDEN's early output. Whereas Burr was often lauded for his heavy-handed, punk-oriented style, McBrain was largely the opposite, playing with a degree of dexterity and flair that helped primary songwriter Harris take MAIDEN down more adventurous paths. He eventually became the third longest-tenured member of MAIDEN, behind Harris and guitarist Dave Murray.