Bruce Dickinson Brands Rock’s Hall Of Fame A ‘Vulgar Mausoleum’

For most bands, an invite into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would be an offer they simply could not refuse.

However, that is not the case with British headbangers Iron Maiden. Even though the heavy metal legends haven’t been asked to take their place among rock n’ roll’s elevated elite as of yet, if they were, the group’s swashbuckling frontman Bruce Dickinson said he’d politely decline.

“Rock’n’roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland,” Dickinson exclaimed.

Classic Rock reports that that Maiden’s maverick singer hit the headlines earlier this year when he snarled that the Hall of Fame was “an utter and complete load of b****ks.”

Many observers took this to mean Dickinson and his troops were bitter because the mighty Maiden had been overlooked by rock music’s adjudicators of what’s hot and what’s not.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Dickinson claimed that this wasn’t the case at all, and said he was terribly annoyed with the coverage his comments received because it made it look like sour grapes on his and the band’s behalf.

“I was so annoyed with the 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,” he explained.

“I’m really happy we’re not there and I would never want to be there. If we’re inducted I will refuse – they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”

In Dickinson’s humble opinion, rock n’ roll music is a living and breathing thing, that has no place in a museum, like some stuffed animal or pinned butterfly.

“Rock n’ roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. 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.”

During the interview, Dickinson, who is also a gifted pilot, was asked if he had to pick between taking to the skies and drifting through the clouds or taking to the stage and rocking the masses. He chose the latter.

“I would have to choose performing onstage. You only have to look out the window in the sky to figure out that there’s loads of people who can fly airlines pretty well.

“But there’s not too many people who can front Iron Maiden.”

When he’s not busy singing with Iron Maiden — or trashing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — Dickinson can be found flying planes and sword fighting.