By now we know that Iron Maiden is the greatest heavy metal act ever (pause for outraged readers), but the depth of their songwriting has long been under-appreciated. Steve Harris doesn’t only play bass for Maiden, which is entering into their fifth decade of performing, he writes the majority of the band’s music and lyrics. Think of a more talented Nikki Sixx (pause for outraged readers).
The future of metal would see its newbies singing about girls, girls, girls, along with talking dirty whilst discussing how every rose has a thorn. But in 1981, Harris teamed with guitarist Adrian Smith for a song about freedom of the mind, freedom from the self, and overcoming great obstacles. The song is “The Prisoner”, from the band’s classic album, Number of the Beast. “The Prisoner” is the basis for the following history lesson, as we look back on the classic television series from where its premise and name comes from.
Often times, we label certain television programs, films, or even music as being “before their time.” Well, if we could only slap that label onto one piece of entertainment, it would be Patrick McGoohan’s 1960s series, The Prisoner. The premise sounds simple: a former spy is drugged, and wakes up in a pleasant village isolated from society, where its rulers wish to retrieve information from him. But throw in a mysterious, giant, floating, white balloon that appears out of nowhere to retrieve (or even kill) its disobedient members, and you have a show that Lost owes a great deal of credit to.
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In addition to creating The Prisoner, McGoohan, who would later play King Longshanks in Braveheart, played Number Six, the nameless prisoner of the title. He can be heard in an argument with the always-changing Number Two at the beginning of the Iron Maiden song. This extracted dialogue not only defines the song, but the idea of the television series:
“We want information…information…information!”
“Who are you?”
“The new Number Two.”
“Who is Number One?”
“You are Number Six.”
“I am not a number! I am a free man.”
“(maniacal laughter)”
The Prisoner as a series is viewed as a semi-spinoff of a previous McGoohan series called Danger Man. The unnamed spy of The Prisoner is possibly the main character of that series, though Danger Man was definitely more of a spy thriller than a sci-fi mindfrack. What we do know is that the rulers of The Village want to know why Number Six has decided to retire from service, and will not only mess with his mind, but the viewers’, as well.
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Throughout the series, Number Six tries to find out who Number One is (and don’t expect me to spoil that for you) while thwarting the scheming Numbers Two, who is played by several different actors during the series’ lone season. He is constantly monitored, undergoes a mind transplant, goes to the wild west, and even “escapes” from time to time. But at the end of the day, Number Six is always The Prisoner.
And what of the other villagers? Some are like him: people with dangerous secrets about dangerous people. Others are spies sent in to infiltrate, and illustrate another idea behind The Prisoner: Trust no one (sound familiar?). These spies will pretend to love Number Six, admire him, aid him, all in the name of… what, exactly? The Prisoner doesn’t give such answers out so easily.
The show originally aired on ITV in Britain before debuting in the states. Since its original, brief run, it has achieved major cult status. You can purchase the entire series here, and trust me, it’s worth the money. If you ever watched a show like Twin Peaks, The X-Files, or (especially) Lost, love it, and thought to yourself, “that was weird,” then you should have similar sentiments with The Prisoner.
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This piece must end with this amusing anecdote. The band had to go through McGoohan to obtain rights to the dialogue heard in the song, “The Prisoner”. According to accounts throughout the years, when Maiden manager, Rod Smallwood, asked McGoohan permission to use dialogue from the show’s opening credits, Number Six himself said, “What did you say the name was? Iron Maiden? Do it.” Classic.
This article could continue on for another dozen or so paragraphs, breaking down the show’s philosophy, clues, etc. But why ruin it? Rent it, buy it, but experience The Prisoner. And if you haven’t already, check out Maiden’s Number of the Beast. It’s the first album to feature Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals, includes the title track, “Run to the Hills”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, and of course, “The Prisoner”.
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