The Metal Voice recently talked backstage to Paul Di’Anno at the final show of KK’s Priest’s European tour in London. During the chat, Di’Anno answered questions about supporting the band on the recent tour and opening for Judas Priest with Iron Maiden in the 80s.
Sharing memories from that period, he revealed:
“Apparently, I pissed Kenny [K.K. Downing] off. Um, I don’t even remember saying this, but apparently, I said that Judas Priest are a bunch of old men; we’re going to blow them away, which does sound like me, let’s be honest, it does, but the thing is, I don’t remember saying it. [Laughs].”
The singer explained how his words affected his relationship with Downing by saying:
“Me and Ken didn’t speak for years until recently on the KK’s Priest tour, so we sort of buried the hatchet. He’s a lovely man, and he’s an awesome guitar player, and I have so much respect for him. We met a couple of months back [Performing at KK’s Steel Mill], which was the first time we actually met up again after all these years. It was great. The band is phenomenal.”
Before supporting KK’s Priest in 2023, the former Iron Maiden vocalist went on a Brazil tour. In addition, he recently announced a new album called ‘Warhorse,’ set for release in 2024.
These projects followed the knee surgery Di’Anno got in 2021, whose expenses were paid through crowdfunding. That’s why, while calling out to his fans during the recent chat, the singer said:
“You’ve been amazing. Everybody all over the world. We just did this massive tour of Brazil last year just before Christmas, and we played more shows in Brazil than we have ever played. Everybody’s been helping me because I ran out of money when I got sick. So the people who helped me get the rest of the operation finished, or operations, has been the crowdfund, which comes from Canada, comes from England, comes from everywhere; we almost got it finished, and then Iron Maiden helped out as well, which is awesome.”
Then, he added:
“So I want to say to all the fans who do come to the show, thank you for accepting me as I am in the wheelchair at the moment, but thank you for everything. You gave me my whole faith back in human nature.”
You can check out Paul Di’Anno’s interview in the video below.
