What Does This Button Do?
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
What Does This Button Do?
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Narrated by:
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By:
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Bruce Dickinson
About this listen
‘I was spotty, wore an anorak, had biro-engraved flared blue jeans with “purple” and “Sabbath” written on the thighs, and rode an ear-splittingly uncool moped. Oh yes, and I wanted to be a drummer…’
Bruce Dickinson – Iron Maiden’s legendary front man – is one of the world’s most iconic singers and songwriters. But there are many strings to Bruce’s bow, of which larger-than-life lead vocalist is just one. He is also an airline captain, aviation entrepreneur, motivational speaker, beer brewer, novelist, radio presenter, film scriptwriter and an international fencer: truly one of the most unique and interesting men in the world.
In What Does this Button Do? Bruce contemplates the rollercoaster of life. He recounts – in his uniquely anarchic voice – the explosive exploits of his eccentric British childhood, the meteoric rise of Maiden, summoning the powers of darkness, the philosophy of fencing, brutishly beautiful Boeings and firmly dismissing cancer like an uninvited guest.
Bold, honest, intelligent and funny, this long-awaited memoir captures the life, heart and mind of a true rock icon, and is guaranteed to inspire curious souls and hard-core fans alike.
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Critic reviews
‘A chatty and anecdote-filled autobiography… There is much fun to be had, such as trying to put a certain part of his anatomy in the ear of the singer in rival band Quiet Riot (clue:not his finger) Sunday Times Books of the Year
‘The entertaining chronicle of a spotty anorak who escaped his grey existence into the absurd drama of life as Iron Maiden’s frontman’ Daily Telegraph Books of the Year
‘What Does This Button Do? is a genuinely fascinating and funny look back at Dickinson’s life. From his early days growing up in the Nottinghamshire mining town of Worksop (where he was raised by his grandparents until the age of six) to his roller-coaster 40-year music career, it paints a candid picture of a life well lived.’ Classic Rock Magazine
‘If you only read one book this year, it absolutely must be Bruce Dickinson’s new autobiography, What Does This Button Do? … The book is every bit as entertaining and bursting with energy as you might expect.’ Metal Hammer
‘Whether you are a Maiden fanatic, an aviation enthusiast, a fencing aficionado or none or even all of the above, you will most definitely get something from this extremely well written and entertaining book, such is the calibre of the man, his philosophies and the level of his accomplishments.’ Metaltalk
Inspiring
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Level headed bloke!
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That said, though, there are huge omissions; his ‘no marriages, divorces or births’ editorial decision undoubtedly leaves the reader short changed (this IS an autobiography after all). How is one to assess the measure of the man, without the heart?
These omissions also leave the work badly skewed; vast tranches are given over to matters of aviation (frankly boring as hell to non-flyers, in the main, as admirable as his achievements undoubtedly are. Does an autobiography of a great surgeon endlessly obsess over the nitty gritty of his medical techniques and operations? Besides, there are many great pilots, many of them with greatly longer and more illustrious flying careers than Bruce - but bona fide A-list Rock Gods are harder to come by.... this, I suspect, is what most people wanted to read about.
In terms of the Maiden stuff (and as a Maiden fan of 30 years), I really wanted a firsthand account and insight into key watershed moments in the Band’s history, from Di’Anno’s sacking, the departure of Adrian Smith, Bruce’s own hiatus and suchlike, but again, these were barely touched on in some cases, in stark contrast to endless aviation guff. Similarly, very little indeed about the interplay between Bruce and other Band members as personalities, and virtually nothing about them fullstop. What’s Steve Harris like to work with? Is he as intense as he comes across? How about Dave Murray, barely mentioned at all? You get the picture.
If this is all sounding a bit whiney and negative, I don’t mean it to; Bruce Dickinson has long been, and very much remains, a total hero to me, and I can count the number of people I regard in such a light on one hand.
In terms of the book, I could not put the phone down (much to the chagrin of my lady wife), hence the four stars. Still, though, it would’ve been good to have more balance - and more full stop. A sequel perhaps, Bruce? :)
Good, great even, but ultimately left wanting
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Enjoyable read
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Excellent listen, well read by the author.
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