The reason why they didnt want anything to do with maiden was simply because they didnt like heavy metal. Theres an interview that he said that he didn't dnt particularly care for heavy metal because songs were about dragons, wizards, and stuff just stuff like that. They werent about that and said that they felt off when opening for them.
As an Englishman, hand on heart, those 3 have the english accent down to perfection..better than any oscar nominee ever. incredible. I never had a clue they were American until I looked them up. 👏
I think Spinal Tap have been a huge influence on Freddie Mercury. If I remember correctly, Freddie performed "Hell Hole" several times during his career to pay tribute to the Tap and always emphasized in interviews how much he owes to Spinal Tap. Isn't even at least one of his songs in the saddest of all keys?