IRON MAIDEN Frontman BRUCE DICKINSON Guests At Unveiling of William Blake's Gravestone; Video Available
August 13, 2018, 6 years ago
According to Ireland's Independent, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson was among hundreds of people at the unveiling of a gravestone marking the exact resting place of artist and poet William Blake, nearly 200 years after his death.
Blake, who wrote the words to the hymn Jerusalem, died in obscurity in 1827 and was buried in an unmarked common grave in Bunhill Fields in London. A memorial stone in the cemetery records that the artist is buried nearby but the exact site of Blake’s final resting place was not rediscovered until 2006. The Blake Society raised £30,000 to pay for a new headstone, which was unveiled on Sunday, the 191st anniversary of his death.
Dickinson, whose band is one of the most enduring and successful heavy metal bands of all time, said Blake is “one of the greatest living English poets, artists.”
Speaking to the Press Association, following two nights performing with his band at The O2, he said: “I said ‘living’ because if you’re into Blake, he never really dies."
Check out footage of Dickinson at the unveiling below.
Dickison's solo album The Chemical Wedding, released in 1998, draws some inspiration from the works of William Blake, featuring sung and spoken excerpts of his works and poetry. It features cover art from Blake's painting, The Ghost Of A Flea.
