A classics professor’s brush with rock stardom

Professor IAN MORRIS, may be a specialist in ancient history, but it was his own past that caught up with him more recently. Morris, professor in classics and history, was the subject of an item published in Time Out Chicago magazine last week. Question: “There’s a rumor floating around the University of Chicago that a professor of ancient history and archeology once played guitar in Iron Maiden. Is this true?” The answer was, well, almost. It turns out that Morris, who was a professor at the University of Chicago before joining Stanford’s faculty in 1995, played lead guitar with several bands in and around Birmingham, England, when he was a student in the late ’70s. Iron Maiden was looking for a new guitarist and Morris sent a demo. He didn’t get that gig, but his backup plan has worked out pretty well.