That time I asked Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris if he had to practice a lot to keep his bass licks up

By Steve Newton

I’ve been fortunate enough to have interviewed Iron Maiden members six times between 1982 and 2012, but the only time I chatted with bass god Steve Harris was in May of 1988, when the band was touring behind its Seventh Son of a Seventh Son LP.

That disc featured the wicked singles “Can I Play with Madness” and “The Evil That Men Do”, but at the time Harris told me that “The Clairvoyant” was his favourite tune on the album.

At one point in the conversation I asked Harris if he had to practice a lot to keep his bass licks up. I also asked him which bassists had most influenced him when he was starting out, and which current bands he was most impressed with. Turns out the one he picked was one of my biggest faves as well.

Have a listen:

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3 thoughts on “That time I asked Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris if he had to practice a lot to keep his bass licks up”

  1. Hi EAR! That’s an impressive list my friend! 😦👊🏾 No RORY??? 😫😰💦💦???? He’s the ABSOLUTE GREATEST TO ME. I know, everyone has an opinion, like we all have arseholes. 😬🤭 But playing in a TRIBUTE BAND for him, has been the ABSOLUTE BEST & WORST for me. I’ve had some ‘ time out’ 🤪💣🔫 lots (to much.). On tha good side, my slide playing has improved an ‘eeny eeeny bit! 😡Had a total hand reconstruction (left!!! 18 months ago.+ But, l’ll ‘BE BACK’. 🤪👊🏾 Hide all your sharp stuff; don’t worry about the flat stuff. 😆🎸💚🤪

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  2. thanks Surfrat! Yes, sadly, I never got to interview Rory. And you’re right–he was the absolute greatest. Glad guys like you are keeping his music and spirit alive. Keep it up buddy!

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  3. I came across this article because I was searching for an image of Steve Harris wearing a Queensryche shirt from back in the day. I gave it a quick listen and…so much love, to hear Steve praising Queensryche. Every so often, things make so much sense.

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