My mate Martin was in a band with Nicko before the Maiden days…
They sacked him “because he wasn’t any good”.
We ribbed him magnificently when Iron Maiden’s tour manager called me about a white Gibson ES-355 we had in stock and they sent a runner to purchase it (at £3500
or whatever it was) as one of the band fancied it.
What a claim to fame though, “i sacked Nicko, he joined Maiden soon after”.