Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno has slated his replacement Bruce Dickinson during a verbal attack on a fan.
Di’Anno stopped the show during a concert in Donetsk, Ukraine, after a member of the audience kept shouting Dickinson’s name.
The singer referred to his successor’s celebrated “air raid siren” voice and made a homophobic reference to him.
Di’Anno said: “I’m sorry – I don’t do opera,” and mimicked Dickinson’s vocal on Run To The Hills. He added: “It’s too fucking easy – and I’m not gay.
“This is punk. If you like Bruce Dickinson go home and listen to his records. Why did you buy a ticket, motherfucker? This is real punk, man. This is what made Iron Maiden – not the money-making machine.
“If you don’t like me, fuck off. Better still – you want to fight? You’ll be sorry. I’m sorry, I didn’t say I was a nice guy. You fuck me up, I’ll kick your fucking ass.”
He then delivered a rendition of early Maiden track Running Free, describing it as “the song that made Iron Maiden famous,” and adding: “It’s about sex, drugs, rock’n’roll, Harley Davidson motorcycles.”
Di’Anno, who recently spent time in jail after being found guilty of benefit fraud, fronted the NWOBHM giants for their first two albums before being replaced by Dickinson in 1981.
-Classic Rock Magazine
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