In March 2014, Paul Di’Anno was in Vietnam on his Beast In The Far East tour. MetalTalk covered the performance at the Hard Rock Café in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon. This was a gig that went by like a thunderstorm.
Paul Di’Anno’s hotel room was two doors down from Guru Bhai’s in the same hotel. Here is a very casual interview with Paul Di’Anno, which took place over the course of a few meals and a post-show drinking session.
Despite his health these days, Paul Di’Anno loves travelling. When he is not watching South Park or taking care of his dogs, he loves cooking and is very confident about his Chili Con Carne recipe. He credits his Mum for the inspiration in the kitchen.
Often travelling and on tour, it must be a wrench to keep having to leave home. “It’s the fans that get me going these days,” Paul says of the source of his drive and determination. “I often get calls and emails from various promoters around the world. I want to be able to create new experiences, and basically, I just want to keep playing music.”
What was Paul’s ambition when he started out playing music with Steve Harris in the early days? “We just wanted our music to be heard,” Paul says. “We just wanted to express ourselves and show our sound. We were playing every shit hole, every dingy pub in the country that we could.
“We had the best playing jobs and were getting some money to pay for the equipment, but we also had to pay for some loans here and there, which was a nightmare. We would go straight up to Scotland and play at 1:30 in the morning and then get back all the way to London the same morning.”
When Paul is not touring and back at home, he says he does not attend many other gigs. “I live far from London,” he says, “and when I get the chance to take a break from tours, I try to see my friends, have a few drinks and spend as much time with the family as I can.
“I also go to a couple of the Hell’s Angels meetings when I can. I’ve been in the club for 26 years now. My oldest son is a Hell’s Angels member as well.”
I noticed a tattoo in Hindi on Paul’s wrist which swayed the conversation towards cricket. Has he always been a cricket fan? “I love watching the IPL [Indian Premier League]. I was actually a Pune Warriors fan [Pune dissolved in 2013].
“I love indoor cricket as well, but Twenty20 is my favourite. I planned to travel to Pune with my son to catch them play live, instead of just watching them on the TV. I used to play cricket myself, mostly bowling.”
Recently, Paul Di’Anno started adding the Ramones song Blitzkrieg Bop as the closing song. “I just want to pay tribute to my idols, really,” Paul says. “When I had an apartment in New York, Dee Dee Ramone used to live down the road and we used to hang out all the time.
“I remember, this was probably ’76 or sometime then, I saw the Ramones two nights in a row with Blondie opening for them. This time was the highlight of my life. I’ve seen the Ramones perform over fifty times now.” (
At this point, Paul proceeded to show the Ramones tattoo he has on his leg).
As for the plan for the next few years, there was plenty that Paul was buzzing about. “We’re making a new Killers album,” Paul said, “which I am very excited about. I’m letting Cliff Evans write all of that.
“There are a few things in store as far as playing live goes. One or two tours of Brazil to start with, as always. Brazil is my country. I’ve lived there for twenty years on and off. I feel such a connection with the people over there.
“When people say ‘Paul Di’Anno, Iron Maiden, England’, I say no, no, no. It’s Paul Di’Anno, Brazil. I’ve been adopted by them.”
