Tony Moore: Iron Maiden, Music and the True Meaning of Success

Tony Moore’s remarkable career has taken him from an early line-up of Iron Maiden to Radio Java, Cutting Crew, songwriting with Julian Lennon and the creation of his acclaimed one-man show AWAKE.

In this deeply personal interview, Tony explains how he auditioned for the then-unknown Iron Maiden, what immediately impressed him about Steve Harris and why keyboards ultimately did not belong in the band’s sound at that time. He also explains why he has no regrets about leaving—and why he believes his departure may even have helped Iron Maiden find the line-up it needed.

Tony discusses the music that shaped him, including David Bowie, Genesis, Pink Floyd and the theatrical rock of the 1970s. He also talks movingly about caring for his mother as she lived with dementia, the moment she no longer recognised him and how their final years together helped inspire AWAKE.

Written and recorded during lockdown, AWAKE became a concept album and immersive one-man performance combining original music, film and storytelling. Tony explains how Steve Harris encouraged the project, how “Crazy in the Shed” acquired its title and why continuing to create matters more to him than conventional definitions of success.

Official website and live information:
https://www.tonymooremusic.com

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction
00:58 Tony’s musical parents and childhood
03:38 Piano lessons and learning music by ear
07:40 Returning to Bristol Grammar School
09:15 Tony’s definition of success
11:10 The revolutionary music of the 1970s
12:00 Genesis, Pink Floyd and theatrical rock
16:00 Seeing David Bowie during Britain’s power cuts
18:10 Auditioning for Iron Maiden
20:00 Meeting Steve Harris and the power of the band
23:35 Steve Harris’s vision for Iron Maiden
26:20 Why keyboards did not work in the early band
28:00 Paul Di’Anno, Dave Murray and the emerging Iron Maiden line-up
31:15 Learning to live in the present
32:44 Caring for his mother through dementia
36:00 The night she no longer recognised him
39:20 Lockdown and their final years together
41:30 How Tony’s mother became part of AWAKE
44:00 Writing and producing AWAKE to a deadline
45:06 Creating a concept album
48:00 Steve Harris’s response to the music
51:00 Iron Maiden as a global cultural brand
52:50 Why Tony does not regret leaving Iron Maiden
55:25 Reconnecting with the Iron Maiden story
56:20 Touring AWAKE with British Lion
57:03 A “butterfly mind” finally finds its focus
60:00 Why Tony refuses to give up
63:00 “Crazy in the Shed”
64:10 How Steve Harris supplied the title
67:10 Creating the Kashmir Club
69:00 Discovering new artists and running The Bedford
71:00 AWAKE and Tony’s continuing journey

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