CLive Burr Interview

[Nerik]

http://www.maidennorway.com/content/view/150/93/

 

 

Written by Frode Kilvik

Saturday, 24 June 2006

 

 

We were lucky to meet Mr Clive Burr and his wife, Mimi, during the CliveAid festival in Doncaster, England, May 26th. Clive is suffering badly from Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and was feeling so bad that he was strongly considering to cancel his trip to CliveAid this time. As he said when they arrived, the thought of letting his fans who had come all the way from Norway to meet him miss out on this opportunity was even worse than the disease.

 

Unfortunately, there had been a bad accident on the motorway between London and Doncaster, which resulted in Clive arriving late. Therefore, we had to do the interview within the VIP lounge during one of the breaks between bands in the show, with sound checks going on and people interrupting to say hi to Clive.

 

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the neurons, the cells of the brain and spinal cord that carry information, create thought and perception and allow the brain to control the body. MS can cause a variety of symptoms, including changes in sensation, visual problems, muscle weakness, depression, and difficulties with coordination and speech.

 

Multiple sclerosis may take several different forms, with new symptoms occurring in discrete attacks or slowly accuring over time. Between attacks, symptoms may resolve completely, but permanent neurologic problems often persist. Although much is known about how MS causes damage, its exact cause remains unknown. MS currently does not have a cure, though several treatments are available which may slow the appearance of new symptoms. MS primarily affects adults, with an age of onset typically between 20 and 40 years, and is more common in women than in men.

 

Although many patients lead full and rewarding lives, MS can cause impaired mobility and disability in the more severe cases, as with Clive Burr.

 

 

MaidenNorway: We recently had an interview with Paul Dianno, and?

 

Clive Burr: Right...[smiles]

 

MaidenNorway: Yeah, and he has a message for you, he said: ?Tell him he?s an ugly mother****er, and I love him.? You have any words for Paul? We?re gonna meet him later this summer.

 

Clive Burr: Yeah, tell him he?s an ugly mother****er, and I love him as well! [laughs]

 

MaidenNorway: Speaking of Paul Di?Anno, do you remember back in the 80s, early 80s, when Dave Murray and Paul got married?

 

Clive Burr: No, I don?t remember it..

 

MaidenNorway: (We were hoping mr Burr remembered the incident, the fact that he didn?t caught us off guard)(Frode to Pål) Where was that again? (Pål to Frode) It was, ahh **** were was it? (Frode to Pål and Clive) Think it was in Sheffield or something, and they were really drunk, and suddenly Dave Murray found a wedding dress, and Paul Di?Anno married him.

 

Clive Burr: [laughs]That sounds about half of the cause.

 

MaidenNorway: And back in the days, Paul said that you and Dave Murray and him were like tight and best friends.

 

Clive Burr: We were. We were best friends.[remembering]

 

 

MaidenNorway: Yeah, and Steve was a bit outside, it were you three and there were..

 

Clive Burr: Yeah.

 

MaidenNorway: What about Dennis?

 

Clive Burr: Dennis was cool, you know, he was OK as well.

 

MaidenNorway: Cause Paul Di?Anno didn?t have very much positive things to say about Dennis, but you like him. He?s a nice bloke right?

 

Clive Burr: Definitely. [smiles]

 

MaidenNorway: How about any other Maiden members, you have any contact with the guys?

 

Clive Burr: Yeah I do, ehm, Adrian mainly.

 

MaidenNorway: On the phone or e-mail or something?

 

Clive Burr: No, he comes around to my place..

 

MaidenNorway: That?s nice.

 

Clive Burr: And, you know, I have, long talks with him. He?s a real nice guy.

 

MaidenNorway: But like Blaze Bailey, do you know him?

 

Clive Burr: No.

 

MaidenNorway: What did you think when he replaced Bruce Dickinson? You think it was the right choice for Iron Maiden?

 

Clive Burr: No.

 

MaidenNorway: You didn?t like him as a singer in Maiden?

 

Clive Burr: No.[laughs]

 

 

MaidenNorway: Can you tell us something about your history? Like from the early days in Samson and up to, well the 90s with the ?True Brits? and everything.

 

Clive Burr: Yeah, I mean I was, I was with Samson, and having a great time, and then I got the Maiden gig. You know, went for an audition, and I got the job. So I was highly delighted.

 

MaidenNorway: It was Dennis who got you the audition?

 

Clive Burr: I suppose he did, yeah.

 

MaidenNorway: How about after Maiden, then you joined a band called Elixir and Desperados, you remember anything from that?

 

Clive Burr: Desperados I remember, cause I was in it. You know, but ehh?[silence]

 

MaidenNorway: What can you tell about Gogmagog? The thing with Janick Gers and Paul Di?Anno.

 

Clive Burr: That was cool as well.

 

MaidenNorway: Di?Anno said it was s***! Only for the money or something.

 

Clive Burr: No, that?s Paul Di?Anno for you, isn?t it?[laughs]

 

MaidenNorway: During the 90s, we read in an interview with Dickinson, that he hadn?t talked to you since back in the days, and suddenly when you did ?The Number of the Beast? DVD, then they found out that you were ill. Where were you during the 90s? What were you up to?

 

Clive Burr: I was being very ill. I got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis then.

 

MaidenNorway: In the 90s?

 

Clive Burr: Yes.

 

MaidenNorway: Tell us about MS, we reckon it?s three levels of MS.

 

Clive Burr: Ehm, there?s more than three. I?ve got one, that just goes down. Mimi?s got one that?s different from mine.

 

MaidenNorway: How did you guys meet?

 

Clive Burr: The hospital.

 

MaidenNorway: At the hospital? And then there was love at first sight?

 

Clive Burr [looks at Mimi with love in his eyes]: Yeah!

 

Mimi: No, he just wouldn?t leave me alone! [laughs]

 

MaidenNorway: Did you know he was the best drummer in the world then?

 

Mimi: No, he just came over to me and he said, ?Ring me.? Right? And then he gave me the number and I recognized it, I?m like, that?s near where I live! And I lived like five minutes away from him. And that was it. History was made and we have been together ever since.

 

MaidenNorway: Let?s go back to the old days, The Beast on the Road Tour, how was it to do that? Wasn?t that hard?

 

Clive Burr: No, it was brilliant![smiles]

 

MaidenNorway: We?ve read that you had to play with a bucket next to your kit during the US leg, cause you were throwing up sometime. Too much alcohol?

 

Clive Burr: Probably.

 

MaidenNorway: Were there ever problems with drugs and alcohol in your case?

 

Clive Burr: Ehhm, it was probably a bit of both. You know, but I, I wasn?t feeling very well at that time, and I played with a bucket. I threw up on my roadie who held the bucket.[laughs]

 

MaidenNorway: Do you have any career highlight? Something that you?re really proud of?

 

Clive Burr: Number of the Beast.[looks proud]

 

MaidenNorway: That?s a brilliant album. It?s brilliant. In 1982, Kerrang magazine ranked you as the third best drummer in the world. How did that make you feel?

 

Clive Burr: Great!

 

MaidenNorway: Do you have any favourite Eddie?

 

Clive Burr: Do I have any?

 

MaidenNorway: Favourite Eddie?

 

Clive Burr: Favourite Eddie? Ehh. The Number of the Beast.

 

MaidenNorway: Do you have any favourite bands?

 

Clive Burr: Ehh. Hold on one second. (Turns to Mimi) What?s my favourite band?

 

Mimi: [laughs]Sometimes I feel like Sharon, Clive is just like Ozzy. He?s always going like, ?MIMI!?.

 

MaidenNorway: Ozzy?

 

Clive Burr: He?s great. Yeah.

 

 

MaidenNorway: Do you know any Norwegian bands?

 

Clive Burr: No.

 

Mimi: We do now. (Holds up a Kraków demo)

 

MaidenNorway: Yeah, you got Kraków over there, so now you can listen to some Norwegian rock n? roll. Have any advice to new bands about how to make it?

 

Clive Burr: Keep trying, and it'll come, you know, just keep trying and trying.

 

MaidenNorway: If you met yourself in 1980, what advice would you give for yourself?

 

Clive Burr: Ehhm, just carry on.

 

MaidenNorway: Just like Paul Di?Anno said, carry on and do your thing. Thanks Clive, very nice to meet you.

 

Clive Burr: Nice to meet you.