STEVE HARRIS: 'I've Always Been A Bit Of A Hoarder' When It Comes To IRON MAIDEN Stuff

In a new interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris spoke about the book "Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams - The Official Visual History" which was released on October 7 via Thames & Hudson. "Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams - The Official Visual History" is described in a press release as "a magnificent visual celebration of the first 50 years of IRON MAIDEN, chronicl[ing] the evolution of heavy metal's most prestigious band, with unparalleled input from band members and management."

Asked if it was "weird" for him to have to "look backward" while putting together the book after previously stating that he always looks forward and rarely gets nostalgic, Harris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it wasn't weird, but it was difficult because I was the only one who could really do it because I was the one that had all the archive stuff and could comment about it and stuff like that, really. I suppose David [Murray, IRON MAIDEN guitarist] could comment on a few things, but I suppose back in the day I was the only sensible one at the time, because I had to be, 'cause I pulled the bull by the horns and did a lot of the driving, so I didn't get sort of too drunk back in them days. And some people working [with us back in] them days can't remember a lot because they were sort of inebriated a lot of the time — people like Dave Murray or [our old] drum road or whatever. So, yeah, it was down to me to sort of pull it all together, I suppose. And obviously I had a lot of help from Ben Smallwood, [MAIDEN's longtime manager] Rod's [Smallwood] son, and so that was great. But, yeah, it's all good stuff, really. But it's nice to get it out there, really. It's almost a relief in a way to get it out there because it's stuff that's been lying around for a long time. It needed to be sorted out and then put into some sort of perspective and some sort of formulated form so that people can just hopefully enjoy it."

Asked if he always was "a bit of a scrapbook keeper" who deliberately hung on to stuff, Steve said: "Well, I've always been sort of a bit of a hoarder, I suppose, with stuff like that, but it's come in handy in later life, I think. There's so much stuff that I've kept. And, yeah, it's just an archive of this historical stuff. And in fact I suppose these days I wish I'd kept more, even more stuff. I wish I'd kept a diary for longer as well, because I only kept a diary in the first place just because to log, really, how much we were getting paid or how much we weren't getting paid in [some] cases. And then I used to make a few notes on what the gig was like and stuff like that. But I wish I'd carried it on, really."

"Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams" was described in a press release as "a truly spectacular and beautiful book, featuring never-before-seen items and photographs, which have been curated with enormous attention to detail over a number of years."

Organized chronologically, "Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams" tells the story of the band from their first pub gigs in 1975 and their first record deal in 1979, through the recording and reception of groundbreaking albums, including their self-titled debut, 1982's global breakthrough "The Number Of The Beast" and the stadium-conquering "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son", to 2021's hugely acclaimed double-album "Senjutsu" and the ongoing "Run For Your Lives" world tour.

The book traces the evolution of IRON MAIDEN's iconic Eddie mascot, alongside exclusive comments from his creator Derek Riggs, and documents the band's spectacular and complex stage productions and extensive live tours, including the "Somewhere Back In Time" world tour of 2008, which made international headlines as Bruce Dickinson piloted the band's very own Ed Force One 757.

Presenting iconic album and single artworks, photographs of the band's instruments past and present, stage props, hand-written lyrics and artefacts from the archive and the band's personal collections, as well as landmark photographs by Ross Halfin, John McMurtrie and more, "Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams" is rife with revelatory stories and intriguing insights from pivotal band members and management. It is bookended by a foreword from Harris and an afterword by vocalist Bruce Dickinson.

Tristan de Lancey, creative director at Thames & Hudson, commented: "IRON MAIDEN is an institution. Hailed as pioneers of British heavy metal in the 1980s, the band has come to embody a spirit of fearless creative independence and ferocious dedication to their fans that has won them a huge following around the world and across generations. With astonishing archival access and more meticulous, hands-on participation from the band than I ever thought possible, we have been gifted the tools to create something beautiful, comprehensive and unique which, I have no doubt, raises the bar for illustrated books in this music genre. Every page will surprise and delight its audience — just don't expect metal fans to be the only ones who buy it…!"

"Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams - The Official Visual History" has been curated by Ben Smallwood and co-edited by Alexander Milas and Terry Burrows, incorporating contributions by band members and creatives past and present.

Tristan de Lancey acquired world all languages rights for Thames & Hudson from Oliver Stanton at Global Merchandising Services. Thames & Hudson has sold rights in six countries thus far: in France to Editions du Chêne (Hachette Livre); in Germany to Prestel Verlag (Penguin Random House); in Japan to Kawade Shobo Shinsha; in Spain to Libros Cúpula (Grupo Planeta); in Brazil to Belas Letras; and in Italy to Rizzoli Lizard (Gruppo Mondadori). The book will be published by Thames & Hudson in the U.K., U.S. and Australia.