Keith Olsen on Working with Bruce
In addition to the already posted interview with Jack Endino, The Bruce Dickinson and then some page website has posted another recent interview, this time with Keith Olsen, who worked with Bruce for around six weeks right before the 1994 Balls To Picasso album.Read the complete article here
4 Comments
Keith, you are widely known for working with Fleetwood Mac, Whitesnake, Grateful Dead, Rick Springfield etc… How did getting to work with Bruce come about?
I was in London when he first called me. I met Bruce through his management because of my work with the band Skin. I've done over 225 albums and I try to remember these things and a lot of them seem to mesh together. A lot of things are set up by your own management and you just go and show up.
What was the first meeting like?
I heard a couple his songs and I said, why don't we do something with the sequencer and we'll play with the computer some. Anything computer is pretty far away from Iron Maiden.
What did Bruce want to accomplish?
When he came to me he wanted to do something totally different than the band (Iron Maiden). So, when we did that everybody thought we were crazy. Some of it worked better than others but it was one of those things that was, by design, to do something as far away from what he's known for as possible.
It's been said that Bruce was going for a Peter Gabriel feel.
There was a bit of that that he wanted to do. We tried to do a lot with the sequencer and computer.
Did Bruce bring songs that had sequencer?
No, it was just his compositions. We had to take them and manipulate them. We still tried to be European as far as flavor, even though he was cutting it in LA
Did you follow Bruce's career in Iron Maiden?
Other than hearing Iron Maiden, I never saw them live. I knew about them and other English rock acts. When Iron Maiden was going strong, I was in the studio so much that the last thing I wanted to listen to was yet another record. I had heard enough Iron Maiden to know what they were about. As far as following Bruce's career closely, I had not done that.
What was it like working with Bruce?
He's the consummate gentleman. He's very easy to work with and has the right ideas at the right time.
Were his ideas too far ahead of himself?
For what we were trying to do, we were right on the money. Working with him on that at the time was all a bit unwanted by his fans, management and definitely unwanted by the record company.
Did that hinder his ability to write more music?
I couldn't tell you. That would be a question for him.
Who were some of the musicians?
Myke Gray, Jimmy Creighton, Tim Pierce, I think because it was a short period of time and a long time ago. It was one of those things where we would use great musicians when they were available.
How much time did you spend with him writing and recording this material?
We only did one series of sessions and recorded 6 songs. We were together for less than 6 weeks. It wasn't a long period of time. Bruce wrote the songs, then Jimmy and I arranged them.
What were your favorite/least songs from the sessions?
"No way out" was probably one of the better ones. "Tibet" was weird, but a "cool" weird. "Cadillac Gas Mask" was bizarre, but fun. "Over and out" was odd though I did not particularly think too much of it… but it was a neat song. I wish I could remember all the titles.
After working on these songs, did you have a sense that he was not happy with it?
I had a sense that his record company was NOT happy.
Was that the ultimate decision in him doing something else?
No, we had only scheduled ourselves for 6 and I had other things to do after that.
What studio stories do you recall?
None sorry, because those sessions went by quick.
How much creative license did you have during the recording?
It was pretty wide open. We'd formulate this and formulate that, he would come back and hear it, and it was bizarre. He'd sing on it and it would sound like Bruce Dickinson.
Was he receptive to your ideas?
He was very receptive to the ideas until the record company heard them then he (or anyone else) wasn't receptive anymore.
Where you upset with Bruce's decision to scrap the project?
It's just rock-n-roll. You have to go on to the next thing and you have to get past it.
Have you followed his solo career?
No I haven't. I spent the better part of 6 months very ill. So, I wasn't listening to anything. Then I went to work for Mackie Designs as a Corporate Director and when that collapsed, I moved to Hawaii.
When was the last time you talked or saw Bruce?
The last session.
Did you leave on a good note?
Yea, we left on a good note. He just took his stuff and then I got a notification via his manager that the record company did not like the cuts. I never heard from him or anyone else again. I just had to move on.
What are some of the latest projects that you have completed or are working on now?
I worked for Mackie as a Corporate Director for 4 ½ years until last year. I do one album a year and it's just when I want to work. I did an album recently that is an 80's rock thing with Bonrud, for Frontier records. Other than that, I am very active in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (you know the Grammy organization) and serve on a bunch of committees. Its pro-bono, but you get to give back after 30 years in the studio working in this industry.
Special Thanks to Keith for taking the time do answer these questions.
That's funny. I read a Derek Riggs interview a few years ago (after he'd done the Accident Of Birth cover) and Riggsy called Bruce an "ignorant and arrogant person [...] very difficult to work with".
I think that was after he designed the Scream For Me Brazil cover Mav. And that one looked totally crap (as most of the stuff Riggs did recently), so someone should think about the real reason why it was so "difficult to work with" Bruce
Well, people can change over the years, so it's not necceseraly that Keith was just trying to be polite. It may be true that Bruce was nice to him, and not so nice with Riggs. Some people it's easy being nice to, and to others not. That's it