With full name ‘Maidenventures – Rautaisen Fanituksen Pululla’, this unusual book, written by Harri Linnera and Juhana Koli, takes us on a journey to the end of the world with Iron Maiden and their loyal fans. Juhana, a friend of mine for many years, worked on this book for a very long time and carefully, and he saw Iron Maiden about 200 times. In his native Finland alone, Iron Maiden will perform 31 times this summer, but Juhana found that not enough, and in the book he explains why.
Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Glasgow, Dublin, Barcelona, Bucharest, Prague, Ljubljana, Madrid, Lisbon, Belfast, Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Toronto, Montreal, Melbourne, Sydney, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Mumbai, Santiago, Zagreb… the list is endless.
For Juhana Koli and his close-knit group of friends, the British band Iron Maiden is something larger than life. At work, Juhana and his friends dress according to the etiquette, such as a collared shirt, welder’s overalls, a diving suit or a doctor’s coat, but when Maiden’s tour starts, everyone is wearing Iron Maiden fan clothing – regardless of age, gender or professional status, and they travel to the ends of the world to experience incredible experiences and moments of joy with music. However, the lifestyle does not consist of music alone, but also of community: the fans are a global family.
During their travels, Koli and his friends find themselves in many different situations, and sometimes their lives are in danger, whether in the midst of armed conflicts in Russia or surfing on a remote paradise island in Brazil. However, they have not looked back once since Maiden called. What makes middle-aged working adults live so fanatically with a music band? Where did the fandom start and why and how did it deepen? And how do the bands themselves experience their most passionate fans? The issue is examined through the eyes of Iron Maiden members, current and former, as well as other people connected to the band. In addition, we also hear about the experiences of passionate fandom from members of other internationally successful bands, such as Nightwish, Amorphis and Lordi.
However, the common thread running throughout is the story of Koli and his friends, who also include other of the world’s most passionate Maiden fans from Japan, Brazil, the United States, Denmark, Scotland, Germany, Sweden, Norway; and all over the world.
Iron Maiden, originally from East London, is one of the world’s most successful heavy metal bands, and the band is widely known, but only this unique emotional information book tells what life is really like for fans who travel around the world to follow Maiden.
This book, over 400 pages long, opens the door to the world of fans who live on tour and gives them the opportunity to tell their story firsthand. What makes adults live with the band so intensely day in and day out, whether they are at home, on social media or on tour? Where and how did their fandom start and why has it grown so strong? I had the opportunity to meet Juhana at many concerts and witness some of the adventures described firsthand, so I can rightly say that this is definitely the book of the month. For Juhana Koli and his friends, Iron Maiden is more than a band – it is a way of life, which has shaped all their needs and subordinated everything else in their lives to Iron Maiden and their schedule of activities, from releasing albums and singles, to touring and all other accompanying activities. Every time a tour starts, he and his friends put on Iron Maiden t-shirts, take specific Iron Maiden tour flags and banners and follow the band to the ends of the earth. If you want to find yourself in all this madness, be sure to order this book at www.maidenventures.fi
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