Bruce Dickinson Gets Fans Ready For Solo Tour, Looks Back on His Career + Opens Up About Being Called a 'Legend'

When Bruce Dickinson joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday (Aug. 19), he opened up about his solo career and what it's been like re-visiting his albums. Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

"Absolutely not at all," he quickly answered host Chuck Armstrong when asked if he had any regrets when he listened back through his solo catalog.

"[There's a] huge amount of love and, actually, a degree of surprise. Like, 'Oh my God, that's really good.' I mean, I didn't intend it to be really bad, but I'm sometimes shocked how good some of this stuff was, you know? I'm blowing my own trumpet here, but honestly, I'm like, wow. And I love that because I never listened to my old stuff. I'm always thinking about what's happening next."

Part of the reason for Dickinson's revisiting of his solo albums is the fact that he recently released a completely updated version of his second album, Balls to Picasso. Dickinson was very excited to chat all about the new album, More Balls to Picasso.

"I mean, just the first track, 'Cyclops,' is 200-percent better than the original," he said.

"The original was cool, but this one just rips your face off. It's evil and dark."

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For Dickinson, More Balls to Picasso just sounds bigger and better than the original album — and he couldn't be happier with it.

"If it's emotional, it's more emotional. If it's heavy, it's heavier. It's sharper and clearer."

What Else Did Bruce Dickinson Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What he thinks about being referred to as a "legend": "Oh wow, a legend. I've always wanted to be a legend ... Prove it. It's great, but I just go away with the weight of responsibility. So I have to go out and be legendary everyday? I wake up in the morning and I just look at myself and go, 'You're just not, dude.' But get me on that stage, put me on that stage and I'll try to fulfill your deepest and darkest legendary desires."
• One particular thing he's excited about for his upcoming solo tour: "It's been years since I've done a Maiden song on the solo thing ... It's going to be one of the songs that I wrote."
• What's on the horizon: "Next year is kind of busy for several other things, which will make people very happy, especially in North America, but I shall say no more because my manager will kill me ... This Maiden tour is doing incredible in Europe. In 2026, it's kind of an open secret, but there are places we have not yet been with Maiden. In April this year, I spent basically the month of April in demo studios in L.A. with the band. We demoed, I think we're down to about 18 songs demoed as potential tracks for the new [solo] album. We started with 66, so that's not bad."

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Bruce Dickinson joined Loudwire Nights on Tuesday, Aug. 19; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.