Full of intricate dissertations about the best gear, the best locations to perform, and joyful annunciations of successful treks to far flung settings, it is a book befitting in breadth and entertainment value its author – one of the key members of the most successful metal band on the planet.
While the first part of the above statement is indeed true, one might be surprised to learn that these descriptors are not about life on the road with a rock band, scenes of throngs of fans, limousines, constant exotic international travel, ‘behind-the-scenes’ shenanigans with bandmates, crew and groupies. Instead, Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith’s autobiography, Monsters of River & Rock, is primarily about his number one offstage obsession – fishing.
It was published through Virgin/Random House in November.
The book is a work of non-fiction that should appeal to avid anglers, but it is more than that. It is an insight into how being passionate about something so wholesome, that gets one out into the great outdoors, that prioritizes peace, quiet, fresh air and solitude and communing with nature, can be of such benefit, not just to internationally renown rock stars, but to anybody.
Smith’s life story, as portrayed through the narrative instrument of Monsters of River & Rock is one of extremes, illustrating how the bombastic nature of performing in front of tens of thousands of screaming metalheads is in his own life balanced by the intimate battle between one man and one fish.
“That’s why I hope that everybody can get into the book. There’s a chapter where I talk about fishing in Central Park in New York City, which is actually just a small part of the chapter. The main thrust of that chapter is just how crazy New York is and the first time I ever went there when I was 23 on Iron Maiden’s first tour over there when we were opening for Judas Priest, and taking it up to the present and the last time I was there and fished for largemouth bass in Central Park. The chapter is called City Rats and Largemouth Bass because once it gets dark in the park things change pretty dramatically. There were still a lot of people in the park, but I was becoming more aware of movement all over the ground and around me – there were hundreds, if not thousands of rats that came out,” he said.
“I would say it’s probably 70 per cent a hardcore fishing book, but I really tried to write about the fishing in a way that gives people insight into why I fish, and why people enjoy fishing in general and the benefits of it. I was surprised how much non-music stuff actually made it in there. But as I’ve said, so many of the themes go hand in hand. And even though fishing is fun, whenever I get into something, I try to get the most out of it, I suppose. And get the most out of myself too. There have been times when fishing has become obsessive, and that’s because from an early age, it’s in my blood. I just love being out in the country. I can walk for miles and miles along a river. I am always looking forward to seeing what’s around the next bend.”
Fishing was an integral part of Smith’s childhood growing up in the London region of Hackney in England, as it was a way to bond with his dad, with friends, and a great way to spend a sleepy Saturday. Although he abandoned the pastime for a few years as he began to explore his rock and roll dreams and become and exceptionally talented and diligent guitarist and songwriter, he felt the pull back to the water and to the solitude, gamesmanship and bliss of the riverside, accompanied by his camping gear, some beer and tea, perhaps a good friend, or just the breeze and the amiable chatter of other anglers hoping to land the big one.
Most guitarists are gearheads and become as knowledgeable about all the electronic and sonic wizardry required to give them the sounds they want from their instrument as they are about music composition and playing technique. One thing the fishing side of Smith’s life has with his musician side is an equal fascination, dedication and exploration of all the bells and whistles needed to be a well-equipped angler. From rods, reels and lures, to sussing out the best locations along a river or stream, at the best times of day, studying calendars, message boards, trolling through bait and tackle shops, Smith is no dabbler. Fishing is serious fun, and his experience, his knowledge and his storytelling ability as a songwriter are some of the reasons why he chose to write Monsters of River & Rock.
“It came about a few years ago. I was with some friends and we were talking and talking about this and that, and I was telling a few stories and one of them said I should write I book. So, I started working on a few chapters. I had written a few fishing articles before, on carp fishing in England, intending to send them off to some fishing magazines, but never ended up sending them. I still had them, got them out of the drawer and that was kind of the start of this book. I think one of them was the story about when we [Iron Maiden] were recording in Paris for the first time in the year 2000 [for the Brave New World album]. We lived in Paris for three months and I was writing about fishing around the area while we were recording. So, I included that in the book and changed it around a little bit and included stuff about the recording process and some of the songs we were working on at the time to try and balance it out, which was kind of setting the tone and the structure of the whole book, really,” said Smith from his home during the U.K. COVID-19 lockdown.
“And then I thought it would be interesting to do a timeline from when I was a kid and how when I got into music, I didn’t fish for 10 years, joined Iron Maiden and starting to fish again. It all seemed to flow into a story naturally. From the start it was always going to be a fishing book, then I thought I’d include some rock and roll stories as well because I have travelled the world on and off for about 40 years and I have done a lot of fishing all over the world and I have played all over the world. So, in a lot of cases, the two were intertwined. There was the time the band played in Ecuador and me and my son drove in the mountains and fished up in the Andes, that was crazy. That happened when we were on tour, my son was working on the crew and there’s part of a chapter about that. So, from the get-go, I thought its kind of unique combining the fishing and the music side of my life.
“I would say that music and fishing are my passions, two of my main passions anyways. Of course, music is a lot of things. You can look at it as my job, but I still play for fun. I love to go into the studio, and I write, I play, I practice, and I enjoy that. Going out on the road or going into the studio is more of the job part of it for me. There’s a bit of pressure to it; we’ve all got to do our jobs and produce as songwriters and players. With fishing, it doesn’t have the pressure. Fishing is a fun thing, it’s relaxation, it’s good for mental health, it’s good to get fresh air, it’s good for getting back to nature. That’s why I do it.”
Smith’s wife Nathalie is from Montreal, so he has great affection for Canada, and has also spent countless hours on the rivers, lakes and streams of the Great White North throughout western Canada, Ontario and Quebec over the last quarter century. Not long after meeting his future bride in Los Angeles at the end of a huge Iron Maiden tour in the mid-1980s, the couple decided to depressurize with a jaunt to British Columbia and Alberta to try their angling luck.
“We were finishing up the Powerslave Tour which was the best part of 12 months. We finished in Los Angeles and I was completely burnt out. And I was just sitting there like a lump. I had just started going out with my wife and she said, ‘well, why don’t we go up to Canada.’ So, we flew up to Vancouver, hired a car and just drove around. I brought a fishing rod, and she brought a camera and we just sort of fished around B.C. and Alberta. We sort of based ourselves out of the Banff Springs Hotel and fished out of the Bow River, which was beautiful, but there weren’t that many fish,” Smith explained.
“We had a lot of cool experiences there. We had a few run ins with bears. I was basically brought up a city boy, so I thought this was all amazing. One time I nearly got run over by a moose. I went out to see what was going on when this moose charged, and it was like this huge horse with antlers. I fell in love with Canada, the open spaces and the natural beauty. On that trip we ended up on at a lodge in the interior of British Columbia to do some fishing and it was like a paradise. When I rowed out onto the lake on the boat there wasn’t a man-made sound, and I learned how to fly fish in this amazing place. After 13 months on the road touring all over the world with WASP and Motley Crue and all that craziness, I needed that so much. And that’s continued to this day. After tours and even while we’re on tour, I am always looking for ways to get away somewhere to fish.
“The last time we played Toronto at the Budweiser Stage, I went down to the venue to check a few things on my guitar rig and, as you know, it’s right on the water. Mind you, there were also a lot of fans around, so I put on a sun protector hood that you pull up over your face, sunglasses and a hat and just went out among the fans and fished right off the shore, and they didn’t know who I was. I didn’t catch anything, but it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours in Toronto. And I have fished the St. Lawrence River quite a bit around Montreal with my wife. The smallmouth bass are particularly great around there.”
Other than the aforementioned unpublished articles, the stories Smith recollects in the book come from memory, although the detail is as vivid as if he had taken copious notes after each fishing adventure.
“I remember it all, which is amazing. I remember so many incidents even from my childhood and that’s why I thought they were worth writing about. If I can remember all these stories in such detail going back 50 odd years about something that happened when I was 10, it must be worth retelling. It’s like I have a video in my mind for so many of these things,” he said.
“The first time I hooked into a good fish, a big carp, was when I was 10 or 11 and it broke my line. And I still remember everything about it, it’s just burned in my memory. And the feedback I am getting from Maiden fans is kind of proof of that. The book is a bit niche, you know, and I think people might be a bit wary of it if they’re not into fishing. The people who have read it who are anglers said they really like it. If you’re an angler and a music fan, you will find it even more interesting. But people who are not fishermen have said they really enjoyed it too. They just enjoyed the stories themselves.”
One of the few benefits of the lockdown, according to Smith, is that it has led people to rediscover their childhood interest in fishing. It is an activity that essentially is all about social distancing, since you want to make sure your spot is away from the other anglers out on a given day.
“I am a pretty serious fisherman, but I have tried writing the stories in the book in an entertaining way with funny stories and just my observations about life and everything else. A few people have said to me that reading the book has brought back memories of when they were fishing as kids and spending time with their dad or grandfather or best mates or whatever. And especially with lockdown, I know a lot of people have started to dust off their fishing rods again, because with fishing you’re out there alone, and you’re naturally isolated. You’re out there in the country and there’s a lot of open space so you’re safe and you can just do your thing. Apparently, the sales of fishing licences in the UK this year have been up a significant amount because people have taken up fishing again. And I think even when the lockdown is over, a lot of those people will keep fishing because they will enjoy the benefits so much,” Smith said, confidently.
As for Iron Maiden, the band’s near-continuous Legacy of the Beast Tour was cut short in late February of 2020, with dates postponed/rescheduled for 2021 and into 2022. No new music is currently planned, although Smith said he and his bandmates Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain, Jannick Gers and Dave Murray are always working on ideas on their own.
Monsters of River & Rock: My Life as Iron Maiden’s Compulsive Angler is available on every major bookstore retail online platform, or through the online store at www.penguinrandomhouse.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for nearly 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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