Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson got candid about when he believes it's time fellow rockers should hang up their hats.

The rocker discussed the band's drummer, Nicko McBrain, and his decision to retire from touring in 2024 due to the physical demands on the road. Dickinson told Kerrang! that he respected his bandmate's decision, one he thinks more musicians should follow.

While citing an "argument with a journalist" who told Dickinson that he should keep playing even if he reaches a point where he's not at his best, the "Hallowed Be Thy Name" hitmaker said, "Look, there are loads of singers whose voices are shot and everybody knows it."

At that point, the journalist responded with, "Yeah, but they're legends."

"They're not f---ing legends," Dickinson maintained to the outlet. "They're people who can't sing anymore. When they were singing, they were legends. Whey they can't sing anymore, they're not legends anymore. That's the end of that, the brutal truth. I couldn't go onstage if I didn't think I could do it. I don't know how people get onstage when they can't do it anymore. Obviously, it's their life, but it's not my way."

In March 2025, the musician opened up about what would make him quit Iron Maiden: backing tracks.

"If it's not real, it's not Maiden," he told Classic Rock about how the band would never use them during live shows. "Maiden has to be one hundred percent real!"

Jeffrey T. Mason