Being that Iron Maiden is my all time favorite band, I thought I'd give a quick history of how I got into the greatest metal band of all time.

In 1982, I was in 7th grade at St. Malachy's grade school, in Kennedy Twp., my hometown.  We were making album covers or something for art class, and one of the guys brought in Iron Maiden's "Number Of The Beast Album".  Needless to say, this didn't go over too big at the Catholic school.  That was the first time I heard of Maiden, but I can't honestly remember if it was the first time I actually HEARD Maiden.  It was either then, or right around then, when believe it or not, "Run To The Hills" was played on local Pittsburgh radio.  I do remember everyone I know diggin' the tune, even people who never were, and never will be, into metal.
How could you not love the opening riff to that song?!

Over the next year or two, I vaguely recall seeing "Flight Of Icarus" on MTV.  I can't consciously remember seeing it then, but when I saw the video years later, I know for sure I'd seen it before.  If it wasn't on MTV, then it was in a dream.  How cool is that!!!!!

Sometime in 1985, MTV played "Live After Death", on their Saturday night concerts, which were on at like midnight.  I didn't know any of the songs, except for "Run To The Hills", but the whole thing was just amazing!  The music, the visual aspect of it, the big mummy (who of course we now know as Eddie) running around on the stage.  This was all too fuckin' cool!
So at that point, I guess you could say I was a casual Maiden fan.

In September, 1986, the video for "Wasted Years" came on MTV, and I was instantly hooked to Maiden!  I got the album Somewhere In Time for Christmas that year, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing.  It's hard to explain, but to this day, that album takes me to a different state of mind.  I guess it's because of the whole futurisitc/time travel theme to the album.  It was then that I knew that I must own all things Maiden!  My friend Craig had the "Live After Death" concert on tape, so I got to see it again, and I liked it more every time.  Throughout 1987, I got all of Maiden's previous albums and videos.
During my Senior year, I was known to my friends (all two of them) as the biggest Maiden fan at Montour high school.

1988 saw the release of "7th Son Of A 7th Son", which is a Maiden classic.  My first concert was Maiden on the "7th Son" tour, at the Civic Arena, on July 5th, 1988.

After that tour, my guitar idol Adrian Smith left the band, and they've never been the same.  I've liked every one of their albums, but the post-Adrian era just doesn't have the same energy.  I think the guitar duo of Adrian and Dave Murray made Maiden special, and that can never be duplicated by any other guitarists.

Maiden has always stayed true to metal and to their fans, and because of that, I am an eternal fan.  Their most recent album, "Virtual XI" (1998), is nothing like the classic days, but it is easily their best album since "7th Son".  Take that Bill and Robin!

Maiden continues to be huge everywhere in the world except America.  I wish I had been into them more 15 years ago, when they were even huge here, but I was 13 years old.  What the hell do you know about good music when you're 13?!