In a recent chat with Robert Cavuoto of Myglobalmind, guitarist Adrian Smith was asked if he has a favorite image of Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie for over 40 years. He said:
“In the early days, the images of Eddie with all the bloody axes made me feel a little uncomfortable as I thought it was a bit violent.
As we get older, the imagery is slightly more subtle, like with the ‘Brave New World’ album cover. It’s broader, and you can still use the Eddie imagery in a subtle way. I’m big into subtlety.”
Eddie, whose full name is Eddie The Head or Edward The Head (also known as Edward The Great), is a perennial fixture in the often-violent Iron Maiden album cover art, as well as ever present in the group’s live shows.