Personal Life
McBrain converted to Christianity in 1999 after an experience in the Spanish River Church, near his Boca Raton, Florida home. His wife, Rebecca (from Whitman, West Virginia), had been asking him to attend with her, and upon entering the church, McBrain soon found himself crying as he experienced a "calling". Recounting the tale, he said "I just sat there thinking, 'I didn't drink last night…why can't I stand?' I had this love affair with Jesus going on in my heart."
In an interview, McBrain was asked if he felt it was appropriate to be a member of Iron Maiden in light of his Christian views. He responded by saying, “When you become a Christian, you don’t become sinless. The idea is to sin less. We’re all sinners. We’re never going to be clean till the day the good Lord is standing in front and judgement comes. But to me, I try to live my life. I do fall off, and occasionally I fall off hard and I have to get down on my knees and beg forgiveness. So it’s not an easy ride, and it’s not professed to be either.” He was also asked if he shared his religious views with his band mates, and if so, how they felt about it. McBrain responded, “We’ve had some incredibly deep conversations amongst each of us. I can’t say to you that I’m trying to convert all these guys in my band to be Christians. I’m leading them on my route, and if they choose to follow what God’s plan is in the Bible, that’s up to them. I say to them all, you know, look, in my belief, at the moment, if you turn to your saviour Jesus Christ, I’ll have eternal life in Heaven with you! … We don’t talk about it every time we get together, but we’ve had some interesting conversations over the years.”
In 1988, McBrain appeared as a guest on the The Sooty Show, in which he played drums with Sooty and Sweep. In reference to his appearance on the show, McBrain's drum kit has since been decorated with a Sooty puppet, which is often dressed accordingly with the band's corresponding tours. He also has a pilot's licence, for which he has a twin engine rating, and in 2009 opened a restaurant called Rock 'N' Roll Ribs in Coral Springs, Florida. The restaurant received positive reviews on an episode of Check, Please! South Florida and was awarded "Best Ribs of 2012" by New Times Broward-Palm Beach. In 2003, McBrain was arrested for allegedly striking a parking attendant with his car after refusing to let him into the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York, where Iron Maiden were due to play a concert. In 2007, he received a six month driving ban and a fine of £500 after he was caught speeding at 116 mph on the M74 motorway near Lockerbie. McBrain has two sons: Nicholas (born 1983) and Justin (born 1992).
He also enjoys playing golf in his spare time, along with band mate Dave Murray.
Read more about this topic: Nicko McBrain
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