But Eddie has stayed immortal for all time, and has shown up on everything from beer labels to jets. It’s this sort of over-the-top comic stage show that added to the fun behind each band. Music is a dosage of escapism and heavy metal was just fine with embellishing in the departure from reality. It was all a fantasy, because that’s what metal was always okay with being. In the ’80s it seemed every band had their mascot to further that image – Samson were known for Thunderstick, Motörhead for Snaggletooth, Riot for that weird weasel/mouse thing, Anthrax for Not Man, Megadeth for Rattlehead, etc. And every metal fan across the world cannot deny the most popular of these monsters is Eddie of Iron Maiden.
Not only that, but then they sequentially added that same monster to every release going forward. Some played the Satanic threat card very heavily and have since built empires on a foundation of, “We are actually the spawn of the devil, be very fucking afraid.” But along the way, some fucking psychopath came up with the idea of adding a cartoon monster to a band’s live set. Box addresses requiring their little sister to answer fan mail. Unknown groups created their own fan clubs or ‘hordes’, listing defunct P.O. Mysterious promo photos, ridiculous attire, and absurd names for members. An iconic logo and a sprinkling of shock value sometimes caught the attention of the squares. Bands had to really plan out their brand, and looking back there were quite a few funny attempts at standing out in the crowd.
Put yourself in the shoes of a young musician in the late ’70s/early ’80s and reflect on how you could make your craft known to the world at large.
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