JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD: 'You're Only As Good As The
Last Thing You Ever Did'
Aedan Siebert of Australia's The Metal Forge recently conducted an
interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford. A couple of
excerpts from the chat follow:
On JUDAS PRIEST being inducted into Kerrang! magazine's Hall Of
Fame:
Halford: "Yeah, that was amazing! I mean, Kerrang! magazine as
you're aware is quite an influential mag over in the UK and that
kind of came out of the blue! We were asked to accept the award
quite some time ago, but it was just a matter of trying to get us
all in the same country at the same time because we're spread
around the world. But it was a brilliant night out! To be
recognized by that magazine it's a weekly publication that
reaches about a quarter of a million metal heads and rock heads
each week in Great Britain it was just a very cool thing to
receive. And you know, to be in the company of the other bands that
were there, like MACHINE HEAD for example, Trent from NINE INCH
NAILS, FALL OUT BOY, GALLOWS, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE it was just
good company! So we had a brilliant night out there with
everybody!"
On where he thinks life might have taken him had he not risen to
become a metal god:
Halford: "I don't really know! I mean, you know when I was just
about to leave high school back in the Midlands I was already
fascinated by everything in the world of entertainment show
business whether it was movies or musical performances or theatre
that kind of thing. I mean, I look back way, way back to when I
was about 8 or 9 years of age if not slightly younger, when I was
involved in school choir productions and remember getting a kick
out of that. All the way through my education I was involved in the
things kids do at school and I'm sure that really was where the
seeds were planted knowing that I had a voice and how good it
made me feel when I used it to sing and the reaction that it
created even then as a kid it made me feel great! I enjoyed it so
much. So when I left school I was in two minds as to what I was
going to do. I ended up going to work in a theatre in Northampton
as a stage lighting technician and I saw all of these incredible
performances by opera companies, ballet, vaudeville, repertory
theatre and looking at all that from the side of the stage was
something that made me even more determined to try and get actually
on the stage as oppose to being in the wings so to speak. And again
at that time I was probably about 16 or 17 music was a really
important part of my life. I just did what a lot of musicians do
I found a local band just to have a knock with and play some songs
and that's really where I got my teeth stuck into being a metal
singer. I suppose if I didn't end up doing that I would've still in
one way or form been involved in the world of entertainment
although I'm not absolutely sure as to exactly what it would be.
Anything that's related to it I still find really fascinating and
really enjoyable."
On people's expectations from The Metal God:
Halford: "When you become successful, you maybe think differently.
When you become successful and you become a professional musician,
you want to hang on to that and you'll do whatever you've got to do
to hang on to that because you're getting so much out of it, you
know? Despite that simple fact you have to really accept that the
only way you can sustain your career is to do the best possible
things. And even beyond that you know, it's a fickle business, rock
and roll I mean, there are many great artists that have just
fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. When you do become
popular especially on an international level the fire gets
turned up a notch and you have to work harder. In my opinion,
you're only as good as the last thing you ever did. You can't live
on your past glories. Especially if you're still active and looking
for other things to do. So I guess it does bring a responsibility.
It brings a responsibility to yourself to do the best possible job
you can do, even better than before if you could like we are for
example right now with PRIEST with the 'Nostradamus' release that's
coming out [this] year and then to your fans. You know, the fans
are the backbone to everything that you try and do to sustain
yourself with. They're the people that buy your records and come to
the shows and buy a t-shirt. It's vitally important that you're
responsible to making sure that the fans get the best metal you can
make."
Read the entire interview at www.themetalforge.com.