According to John Linn from New Times, IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain - who lives in South Florida when he's not embarking on world-wide tours with Maiden - is taking that knowledge of food he's gleaned over the years and partnering up with close friend, guitarist, and restaurateur Rick "Moby" Baum to open Rock 'N' Roll Ribs in Coral Springs. A barbecue joint with a musical bent, RnR Ribs will showcase the pair's love for smokey Southern cooking with food like barbecued pork and chicken and clever takes on Maiden songs like 'Run To The Hills' wings. Clean Plate Charlie spoke with McBrain and Baum about their plans for the rib shack, their BBQ background, and how it all came together in the first place.

Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

New Times: So Nicko, sounds like you're something of a foodie.

McBrain: "Oh, without a doubt. I'm a right snob when it comes to food. I know what I like and what I don't like."

New Times: So when did you first get into barbecue?

McBrain: "I don't know when I became a fan exactly, but touring America [with Maiden] we came to a lot of barbecue joints, probably because most of them had a nice bar. And then I fell into back garden parties and barbecuing in general."

New Times: So when did the idea for a restaurant come about?

McBrain: "We were down at the pub one night and down a few beers and I said, 'This is a fucking great idea, let's open a rock 'n' roll rib joint together.' That was about five or six years ago. We had a couple of false starts looking for the right location and all, but Rick has some experience in setting up restaurants over the last 20 years or so, so he knows what to do. And a friend of ours works for Cheney Brothers, so we had access to the right ingredients. We just had to find the right location and funding. Another friend of ours Mitch Tanne and I brought the financing, and Rick brings his expertise and knowledge of cooking and running a small kitchen. Our kitchen is small, and the place seats about 70 people. The cooking will be mayhem I think, but it's going to be quite rock and roll."

New Times: Do you think you guys will play music at the restaurant?

McBrain: "We discussed it. We do have the facility to put a stage in with a small section and equipment on it because Rick's going to have some of his guitars and some of my drums will be there. It's not going to be a Hard Rock Cafe with the memorabilia and such. We're not having Motley Crue's guitars here, unless they come and eat maybe. [Laughs] But what we will do is if someone wants to have a private party we have the ability to host a small band with a PA system, so you will be able to play live music. We won't be making it a live gig venue at first, but when things progress who knows. It could become like a jam night or open mic situation in the future."

New Times: Will you guys hold a grand opening?

McBrain: "We'll have a soft opening towards the end of November, but I'm going to London for a few months and when i get back before Christmas we're going to have a Grand Old Man opening. And when we do the Grand Old Man opening there will definitely be live music and probably a tent out front in the lot."

Read more here.

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