Former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di'Anno insists he meant no harm when he compared bassist Steve Harris to Adolf Hitler.
Di'Anno made the original comments in a 2009 interview and recently explained that he didn't mean it "in that way."
He tells Rock Hard Greece: "I did call Steve Hitler once, because of the way he runs things. It's like a fucking army, Iron Maiden. Steve's so focused. And I couldn't think of another person...I said 'Hitler'. I didn't mean it in that way."
Di'Anno met up with Harris earlier this year in Zagreb, Croatia, where Maiden were performing and the singer was receiving treatment for a knee injury.
After performing on Maiden's first two albums, Di'Anno was replaced by Bruce Dickinson in 1981 due to his substance abuse.
Asked whether there was any truth to rumours that he wasn't properly compensated when the band parted company with him, Di'Anno tells Rock Hard Greece: "I have nothing to comment on that at all, because, to be honest with you, it's nobody's damn business.
"I got paid very well. I'm very happy with that. See, if I try to say, 'Iron Maiden didn't pay me enough money,' it's a bad reflection on Iron Maiden, and I'm not taking that. I got paid very well. They looked after me. End of story."
In 2020, Di'Anno told Metal Hammer that the band were right to replace him with Bruce Dickinson.
He said: "I don’t blame them for getting rid of me. Obviously, the band was Steve’s baby, but I wish I’d been able to contribute more. After a while that got me down. In the end I couldn’t give 100 per cent to Maiden anymore and it wasn’t fair to the band, the fans or to myself.”
