Judas Priest’s Rob Halford: ‘Coming out as gay? It’s unbelievable, the elation’ | Judas Priest

Was the first heavy metal record the Kinks’ You Really Got Me (1964), Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild (1968), Black Sabbath’s Black Sabbath (1970) or something else? VerulamiumParkRanger
Gotta be Black Sabbath. I love the Kinks and Steppenwolf but by definition they’re not really metal. In terms of riffage, I’ve always defined metal to the greatest extent by the bass, that big, meaty, Black Sabbath-style riff – a West Midlands sledgehammer! That’s what Tony [Iommi] was doing, so it’s definitely Black Sabbath for me.

How did you feel about punk at the time, and is it weird that as time has gone on, punk and metal have become pretty interchangeable as far as their fanbases go? johnny5eyes
It was exciting for Priest to be around when the punk movement exploded from London. I remember seeing the Sex Pistols at a club in Wolverhampton, and I thought they had some metal vibes to them – the attitude and some of the riffs. I welcome anything like this because it’s the true essence of what rock’n’roll should be all about. The unfortunate thing that happened in the industry was that suddenly all the labels and the media focused exclusively on the Sex Pistols, the Damned, the Clash. All great bands, but metal was kind of pushed out of the picture. For a while, there was this mantra that metal was dead. You can’t squash a whole movement because something else comes along, but we needed punk in the British music scene.

How is [guitarist] Glenn Tipton and will he be making an appearance on the tour? Metalizer
He’s doing extraordinarily well considering that he’s been living with Parkinson’s for 15 years. He’s such a strong man. It’s like any of these challenges, a lot of it is borne by how you fight back, and he fights back all the time. I love that people still understand his importance in Judas Priest – his input on this new album, Invincible Shield, is as it has been on all the records. Glenn and Ozzy [Osbourne, also living with Parkinson’s disease] keep in touch. They’re both cut from the same cloth with that British “get on with it” type of thing. I don’t mean to speak against other identities but there’s this thing about blokes and dignity, an extremely powerful word in what it represents – my dad was the same – and they are really strong in battling on.

Whose idea was it for Priest to work with Stock Aitken Waterman, and why have the results never been released? JacquelinePearce
That was my gayness coming to the front – I think there are certain things that come from my identity that wouldn’t be there if I was a straight bloke. And one of them was taking this adventure with Stock Aitken Waterman. I love pop – I’ve just been listening to the new Olly Alexander song for Eurovision, it’s brilliant.

That’s what I love about this band: we never say no, we’re always about having a go. We went to Paris for a couple of days, and it was extraordinary to see how SAW made music. We did the Stylistics’ You Are Everything and a couple of other bangers they made there and then. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves but when we came back, not the doubt, but the preservation came in. At that time, we felt there would have been pushback if we’d dropped those tracks, and we didn’t want that to happen. Pete Waterman’s still got them hidden away in his safe somewhere. It was heavy stuff, but it had those trademark Stock Aitken Waterman vibes.

It was a very different world back in 1998, when you took the unprecedented move (for a high-profile heavy metal singer) to come out as gay. At the time, did you feel particularly courageous, either in a personal capacity or in terms of it being a possibly terminal career move? And how have your feelings about that decision changed since? NonDairyCanary
The day I made that announcement on MTV New York, it was completely unmeditated and just a pure, subconscious stream of banter. It was only after I released myself from my fucking heavy metal prison that I realised what I’d done. I had no idea that it was gonna go around the world like crazy – I was away from Priest at the time. Any gay person that has the right time in their life to step forward and let their identity be what it is without any clutter or interference, it’s unbelievable, the elation. Firstly, you set yourself free. Secondly, all the ammunition and innuendoes, they evaporate. It’s the gay guy from Judas Priest – what can you throw at him now?

There was very little backlash and I was really thrilled by the acceptance. Pure speculation: if I hadn’t come out when I did, and then gone back into Priest, I think I might have stayed hidden, because I love this band so much and I protect it with every fibre of my being. The world is a much better place now, thank God, but we’ve still got homophobia, racism and these stupid parts of humanity that drive us nuts. You’ve really got to face it head on, so please come out, wherever you are! Proud and loud.

What was it like working with Dolly Parton on her rock album? bruyere
It was extraordinary. That woman is a legend in the truest sense of what the word means – when you think about the thousands of songs that she’s sung, and she’s burning so bright even now. For me to be singing with her side by side at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was so surreal, I felt like I was dreaming. And then when she sent me a note a few days later, asking me if I’d consider joining her on a song on her Rockstar album, I couldn’t believe it. So many people embraced it, even people in the metal world – everybody knows who Dolly Parton is.

Is it true that you once worked in a cinema that specialised in erotic films? VerulamiumParkRanger
A mate of mine ran a little seedy shop up in Stafford Street in Walsall, which I could walk to now in 20 minutes. All those buildings are gone, but it had a boarded-up window and a door that was barely hanging on. One day he goes: “I’m going on holiday, would you mind running it for me?” I was unemployed and had nothing better to do, so I did. What was fun was the kind of people that came in, because that’s fascinating. Guessing what they did for a living, and all the mystery. At the time, [what was being sold] was very restricted and illegal to a certain extent. This was before Thatcher – don’t get me started on her.

Where is the most metal place in the Black Country? Geofffrombykergrove
My home town of Walsall is very heavy metal. When I go for a walk around town, it’s a tough place. It’s hard-working, loving people who are very self-determined and quite blunt with their matter-of-fact responses. I love Walsall for that, but there’s Bilston, Tipton, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Willenhall. It’s a whole kaleidoscope – you can’t really pin it down.

Did you expect British Steel to effectively become an essential album in the pantheon of British rock? PartTimeReader49
You never expect these things because they’re out of your control. That’s what I love about music. When bands make music, initially it’s for the good times of making songs, making records, but without your fans you can’t get anywhere.

British Steel was pretty remarkable – it was such an uncluttered, simple record. A lot of the songs were written in a house that used to belong to John Lennon. It’s very direct, almost like the band is playing live in the living room – and that was down to Tom’s [Allom, producer] prowess. But the actual songs – Living After Midnight, Breaking the Law, The Rage, Rapid Fire, Metal Gods – collectively they’ve become a definitive part of heavy metal music, and you have no idea that that’s gonna happen.

Rockin’ Rob, of all the songs you’ve written, which one do you like the most? Why that one? Spittwerks
It’s Victim of Changes from the Sad Wings of Destiny album – it’s got all the elements. The way the dual guitars come in – because we were the first dual-guitar heavy-metal band – the bludgeoning riff, the singing going off, the unusual arrangement, the middle eight part where it goes very quiet, then it’s a blistering Glenn Tipton lead break, full of blues and metal, and then it ends with a bang and a scream. It’s a beautiful song and if there’s one song in metal that you could listen to to get into the feel and vibe of the genre, I always suggest Victim of Changes.

My dear wife tells me I should wear my heavy-metal T-shirts more often, but I like to save them for special occasions, to stop them wearing out too quickly. Who’s right in this case? FrogmellaMousetrap
I might be gay, but the wife is always right! I just tried on some new Priest merch when I was in rehearsals the other day and it’s brilliant, but back then they were like medieval spud sacks with Judas Priest shields painted on – they were absolutely horrific and as soon as you washed them, they shrunk about three sizes and the print would start peeling off.

If you were 21 now, what current metal band would you want to join? Lawlessand23
Right now, there’s a couple of British bands I like: Malevolence from Sheffield, and Svalbard. Code Orange, Behemoth, Ghost. Are Ghost metal? I’ll argue about that with my mate Tobias [Forge]. They’re relatively new to this septuagenarian metalhead but it’s the same attitude.

Is it frustrating that, given your legacy with Judas Priest, people tend to overlook your fantastic solo and side projects? Richey1977
No, because Priest completes me as a musician. This is all I ever wanted in life, to be in this band; I’ve been here for 50 years, and I get everything that I need and love out of Judas Priest. The solo adventures are important and valuable to me as they are to anyone – people go off and have a bang elsewhere. As I did, you’re able to figure out the most important part of who you are as a musician, and Priest is that for me.