NICKO MCBRAIN Explains Why He Originally Thought It Was 'Un-Drummer-Ish' For Drummers To Play Double-Bass Drums

In a new interview with Loudwire's Joe DiVita, longtime IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain once again spoke about why he steadfastly refused to incorporate a double-bass setup into his playing technique over the decades. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Many years ago, I'd sort of, kind of got down on people that [played with two bass drums]. I thought it was un-drummer-ish for [drummers to use] two bass drums. Yeah, back in the '80s I did. And my philosophy behind it at the time was it's bad enough using one, it's hard enough using one. Why compound it with two? But the thing is, it's the opposite to compounding. It actually makes things easier to do, like a 16th-note grouping with two pedals instead of trying to do it with one. I mean, it makes sense. It's easier. I was just trying to make the point that I thought that… a drum set should only have one bass drum. And then, of course, we had Carmine [Appice] and Ed Shaughnessy and the great Louie Bellson was the first double-bass drum player I ever saw, back in 1939. But that was more jazzy guys. Ed Shaughnessy on 'The Tonight Show', he had two bass drums. Buddy Rich always played with one bass drum pedal, never two. To me, it was un-drummer-ish. But these guys have taken... Joey [Jordison, SLIPKNOT drummer] was just frighteningly fast, such a wonderful player. It's a shame we lost him when he was so young. And then I had a different attitude."

Nicko continued: "You hear about the blast beats, like Derek Roddy, for instance. He's an incredible [player]. I think he depped in for ANTHRAX at one of the MAIDEN shows just recently. He lives down near me, and we get together occasionally. These guys have kind of taken... It's like when John McLaughlin came out and the great Billy Cobham. I think, yeah, he was two bass drums, but his speed around the drum set, he took it to another level. And the Terry Bozzios of the world. But these guys, they just blow me away. You think it can't get any better, it can't get any higher, and then you see these guys coming out with these amazing time changes and technique. Beautiful."

Nicko previously talked about his refusal to play double bass during a 2018 "An Evening With Nicko McBrain" event at The UK Drum Show in Manchester, United Kingdom. He stated at the time: "I was quoted years ago saying it's very un-drummer-ish, it's very unmusical. And I really spoke out of turn, because it's not that. I just felt that I didn't wanna use two, because I found one was hard enough. Why compound the issue with two? But in fact, when you learn to play with two bass drums and you use your left limb, it becomes easier to do quarter-note fills and stuff like that… So I just thought, 'I'm not gonna use two. I've been practicing on one forever.' And I just didn't have that gene in me that said, 'Yeah, go for it.' I mean, I've sat at home and played with a double pedal, and believe me, once you get into it, it's very hard to remove yourself from it, 'cause you start thinking, 'Oh, that sounds really good.' [Laughs] So I decided — made a conscious decision not to go with two bass drums, or one bass drum with two pedals. I have used a double-bass pedal on a song called 'Face In The Sand' off 'Dance Of Death'."

He added: "So, the double-pedal thing, it's like anything else — you practice it and you get through it and it's not a chore. And when it is, then you think, 'Well, I have to use two,' like I did in 'Face In The Sand'. Adrian [Smith, MAIDEN guitarist] wanted a particular rhythm to it; I tried it on one [but] my stamina wasn't there."

At the 2016 NAMM show in Anaheim, California, McBrain told Madcap Music Review's John Golden about his reluctance to play double bass: "People like [Keith Moon]… Well, Mooney had two bass drums, but he very rarely played on that side. I don't think he ever had a pedal on it. [John] Bonham… Ringo [Starr]… When I was growing up, learning and being enticed into the music of that genre, that decade… Yeah, Ed Shaughnessy was a a double-bass [player], Louie Bellson, of course, and then the great Ginger Baker. But at that time, I was a CREAM fan, but I wasn't a fan of Ginger's. It was weird. It's only later in life [that] I realized how really good Ginger Baker is… And then, of course, Cozy Powell came along a little later, and Tommy Aldridge, and in the late '70s, you'd see more of these double-bass-drum players. But I kind of grew up and learned with one, and I found it hard enough… I mean, I've always said the analogy, it's bad enough trying to use one pedal. Why compound it with two? But, in fact, it's the reverse: when you have two pedals, certain patterns are easier."

He continued: "I don't know… It's just… Why change it? You know, in late '75, when I joined Pat Travers, he asked me to use a big drum set; he wanted me to play a double-bass drum kit. I said, 'I will get a big kit, but I'm not playing two bass drums.'

"I see these guys like Dave Lombardo [SLAYER], and then you look at people like Thomas Lang; he's phenomenal. Aquiles Priester [ANGRA, PRIMAL FEAR]… you know, these wonderful double-bass players. I couldn't get into that. I mean, I would if I sat down probably for a year or two and practiced every day for eleven hours."

McBrain added: "Horse for courses. Whatever rocks your boat."

McBrain's autobiography, "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.