Pierre x Rob Halford 2022 - Full Interview
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00:00It is 93.3 WMMR. I'm Pierre Robert, and we have the Zoom pleasure of the company of one of the
00:07nicest gentlemen, let alone the metal god himself, Mr. Rob Halford. So much is happening in priest
00:14world. There is the picture book, 50 heavy metal years of music. There's the box set,
00:1950 heavy metal years of music. There is this amazing, amazing autobiography,
00:27which is difficult to put down the second you pick it up. It's called Confessions. Any priest fan,
00:33any music fan, any fan of an interesting human would love this book. There are so many great
00:38stories in it. Rob, it's great to see you. It's always good to see you, my friend. Hi,
00:42everybody. Wonderful to be with you again at WMMR. In Philly, we're so excited. We have the
00:49area appearance, and I don't believe you've played at the Met. It's on March 29th, and it's a beautifully
00:56restored 1800s opera house, and there's not a bad seat in it, and it's just a perfect place to play.
01:05So that'll be March 29th, and in the area, you'll be the next night, March 30th, at the Prudential
01:10Center in Newark. Obviously, the 50-year celebration was cut short by COVID, and I'm wondering how COVID
01:18affected you and your universe. Wow, wow. It affected everybody, didn't it, Pierre? It was such a
01:25challenge, a human challenge all around the planet. It was wonderful to see so much compassion and
01:32empathy from everybody helping each other out, as we could do. For people like ourselves, we have
01:39this thing called Zoom, which is a great help to see each other at least face-to-face, and then
01:45that was the main thing for us, I think, musicians and our fans, was to try and keep a channel open,
01:51communication. What were you doing, Pierre? Were you working from home? Were you broadcasting from
01:58the studio? I really felt it was important to come in every day. Yeah. Radio, the great thing about it
02:04still, and MMR is 54 years now on the air, which is rather extraordinary. I just celebrated 40 years
02:10here at one station this past fall, and I think the beauty of radio, when done right, we're live and
02:17local all day long. There's always a host here. There's never any taping, and what we do, in addition
02:23to play music for people, we keep people company, so I can do that better if I'm in the studio,
02:30not in my kitchen, and if they have requests, I can pull out of this amazing collection of music we have
02:36here, and I might not be able to change the world from my little post here, but I could maybe make
02:41somebody's day a little bit better and help them through this as best I can. Absolutely, and that's
02:47the beautiful thing about the way that you make that human contact at WMMR, because radio, I've
02:55always loved rock and roll radio, and I always tell the story the first time I ever came to America.
03:00I was going nuts because there was all these different radio stations to tune into, whereas back home in
03:06New York, we had one, poultry, whatever it was, and the other thing about radio is that I love the
03:13personal connection. When you're listening to Pierre, you're listening to him talk to you. It's an
03:20exclusive relationship, and that's what I think rock and roll radio particularly is special, and I know
03:29with your crack, the way that you treat your listeners with so much love and joy and respect is that
03:35you form this really special bond. So all the great work that you did through the pandemic, it was
03:41obviously very important. That's so kind of you to say, but you know, think about it. Music is the same
03:47because music gets you through everything. It gets you through the good times. It helps you in the bad
03:54times. It can lift you to places in a three or four minute song. You can literally go on a vacation and
04:01start from one space and be taken in your head without having to get high or drunk or anything,
04:07and you go somewhere and you're delivered safely back to Earth on the other side, transformed, I think,
04:14for the better in the process. That may be a little grandiose, but I really believe it.
04:19Oh, it's absolutely the truth, and when you come and see priests, when we come back to Philly, I'm so
04:25looking forward to coming back. We know we'll have our priest metal maniacs. A lot of them have been
04:31with us forever, and the new metal maniacs will be witnessing the gospel of the priest for the first
04:37time, but when you listen to Breaking the Law, you're back in 1981, you know, you're living after
04:46midnight, a victim of changes from Sun Rings of Destiny. The great thing about music is that it has this
04:52kind of portable time machine, and we always equate those beautiful songs that we love the most with an
04:59event, like a vacation or a wedding or whatever it might be, the first love in our lives, whatever it
05:06might be, and that's one of the exclusive elements that music has to offer to everybody.
05:13Yeah, it certainly does, and I was looking through the book, well, I've read the book, but I was reminded
05:19of talking about the things you would like to accomplish on the tour, and there was an area,
05:27because you grew up in Birmingham near the factories, and then there's an area in the book
05:31where you go to your production people and say, could we simulate molten metal being made, you know,
05:38inspired by the factory workers of the day when you're growing up in Birmingham, and your production
05:43director goes, oh my god, I could just imagine, I could just imagine what, what is going through Rob's
05:50head, but, but I loved it, and I don't know if that's still in the works for the tour, or what
05:55kind of, you know, Priest is known for great production, uh, from the entrance, which has always
06:00been spectacular, and is my favorite part of any concert, how a band takes the stage, but, um, is there
06:07anything special that you have in, in store for us, that you, without giving anything away, that, uh, is on
06:11your mind for this 50th tour? Well, the, the music, the metal music is always molten, it's boiling
06:18hot, uh, we guarantee to deliver with that side of what we're about, and what we do, which has always
06:25been the main, the most, the most important part of Priest is our music, but we, we've, we've created
06:30this incredible, uh, expectation, so when you come to see Priest, and hear Priest, you know you're going
06:37to see a show that's going to be very special, and what we've tried to do is, we've tried to take
06:43this idea, this factory element of, of the way metal was surrounding us as kids when we grew up in
06:49the Midlands, and we bought that kind of metal factory, uh, warehouse, workhouse onto the stage,
06:55and, um, uh, the one really cool factor is that we've, we've been able to recreate a, a kind of
07:04monument in Birmingham in the UK, uh, which is this gigantic ball that represents the ball ring of
07:11Birmingham, and the, the power and, and the, uh, and the, the steadfastness of, of the, the metal
07:18spirit, so we're able to recreate that on stage towards the back end of the show, but it's a great show,
07:25we're, we're, we're doing our best to try and capture, um, uh, the 50 elements, 50 most important
07:31years, uh, uh, the elements of Priest in the, in the set list, which is always a challenge, because
07:37every, every fan wants this song on that song on that song, but we've got it really balanced out,
07:42we take you all the way back to rock a roller, we take you back to that first album, right up through
07:48to, um, to firepower and everything in between. You know, um, every time I do a block,
07:55of Priest, uh, invariably I will get requests for this wonderful song that, uh, some don't know
08:02because your version is almost more famous, even though what you're doing is a cover, but,
08:06uh, the Green Manalishi with the two-pronged crown, uh, originally created by Fleetwood Mac when
08:12Peter Green was in Fleetwood Mac, and, um, it's such a fan favorite, and I, I love to play it.
08:18What is it about that song, and what is it about the Judas Priest treatment of it that made your
08:23version almost more popular, popular than the original?
08:27I read something, uh, on social media today about songs that have been interpreted by various
08:35bands over the years, and the songs have become so identifiable with the bands that have covered
08:40them that a lot of people think that the band itself made that actual, actual song happen,
08:45and that's certainly the case with the Green Manalishi with the two-pronged crown, uh, Fleetwood Mac of
08:51Peter Green, the great Peter Green. Um, what it is, it's, it's just a simple example of a great song
08:59being able to take multiple textures, multiple variations. You could literally take that song
09:06and do an endless variety of, of, of different musical performances, but, um, we, through the,
09:14through the history of Priest, although we haven't focused that much on that opportunity,
09:18when we heard that track, it was a, it was a no-brainer, you know, we felt that this had to be
09:24given the Priest treatment, and it, it's, it's become beloved now. It's an important part of what
09:30Judas Priest is about. That's so cool. We're speaking with Rob Halford of Judas Priest, uh,
09:36so many things are happening, and the 50th anniversary tour coming to Philadelphia at the
09:41Met on, uh, March 29th. Um, everybody is talking about the Hall of Fame, uh, on the Grammys, uh,
09:48I think you said, um, third time's a charm because it took the third Grammy nomination before you guys
09:53won. Similarly, I think you were eligible in 2000, nominated in 2018, and again in 2020.
10:00Uh, we're not accepted, but this time I have a good feeling about it. A lot of fans have a good
10:06feeling about it. You may be weary of discussing it, but there's a quote I read, which is hysterical.
10:11It says, if Lionel Richie and Priest get in, I think we'll both be dancing on the ceiling together,
10:18which I, of course, would love to see. Yeah. What a man, what a man, Lionel Richie, one of the
10:24greatest songwriters in America performers, you think about what that man has achieved and is
10:30still doing. He's a perfect example of, of the, the power that we have with music in terms of
10:38endurance and longevity and, um, the, the unexpected songs that, that, um, that, uh, that come along and
10:47we're working on a brand new Priest album right now. Um, you know, all we've said since we first
10:54got nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is let's get some more metal in the halls. You know,
11:02there's, it's a bit of an echo chamber. Where's the metal? Where's the metal? Where's the metal?
11:06So that's the thing for us. It's not just the priest, which would be a beautiful thing, but
11:10it's for, it's for heavy metal. It's for our fans. It's people like Pierre, it's all, all of our
11:16friends in, in radio and, and, uh, not only in, in, in, in America, because the ball has reached to
11:22other parts of the world. And you can see that by the daily votes that are coming in. We know that
11:27we have our metal heads all over the planet that are rooting for us. So what will be will be,
11:34but, um, yeah, third time's the charm. We'll see. Well, Ian had talked about it, Ian Hill,
11:41your original bass player still in the band. And he had said the first time he was disappointed
11:45the second time, not so much. Was that the same for you when, and when you didn't get in those first
11:50two times? Yeah, you understand. You understand how, um, these things kind of turn out. Um, you know,
12:00you, you, you, you just have to find a balance for it. As I, as we've said before, just to be
12:05nominated is a real pleasure. It's a real thrill to be nominated. So that, that's, that's a great
12:11treat, but as far as actually getting in there and doing your speech or whatever it is that they
12:17want you to do and play some songs, whatever it is they want you to do. I think that, that just,
12:22um, it just makes you feel, um, it makes you feel good, man, because priest has been doing this for
12:2850 years now and we have all the qualifications for the rock hall. Um, I love, I love all the,
12:36I love all the kind of a clickbait controversy and the screaming and the yelling about it, you know,
12:41which is all kind of superfluous to the great moment. Um, so, you know, let's see.
12:47Well, you know, it's funny. Sometimes the omissions are curious and the admissions are
12:54sometimes even curiouser, not a correct word, but, uh, to quote a little Alice in Wonderland and,
12:59um, the moody blues could have been, it could have been admitted, uh, you know, many, many years ago,
13:05finally got in and poor Ray Thomas, the flute player had passed away at that point. And they
13:10had been eligible for years. And for some reason were never included, uh, when some younger bands
13:15that are certainly talented got in, I'm going, but, but why? So the thinking I think confuses fans.
13:20I think it's gotten better since they've allowed the fans to get a vote in it. Uh, and I think that
13:25that's important. Yeah, they sure are. Excuse me. No, you're absolutely right.
13:29The, the fans are the key here. The fans are the key. Obviously much like the Grammys, the, the,
13:37there's, there are some other people that, that, uh, that are involved in, in the final decision,
13:42but the fans are the driving force. This really should be more about the fans than the actual
13:47bodies in the chairs, in the boardroom, whatever it is. I don't know how it works,
13:51but it should be the fans. You know, the fans should be, from my opinion, um, once you're eligible,
13:58it should be left entirely into the hands of the fans. That's not the way it works in, in the big
14:03picture, but, um, it is important that the fans understand that your book, your voice, your vote,
14:09it, it, it matters, you know, and I, I check every day. The last thing I do at the end of the day is
14:14I just have a quick look and talking, talking of Lionel. When I looked last night, I think we're
14:21like number six in the top five. And then we've just blipped a little bit above Lionel, you know,
14:27so it's kind of a jostling match between Priest and Richie, which, which is kind of cool.
14:34I'd like to see them both. Um, yes, the book is so spectacular, as I mentioned, and I know you've
14:40got to get going, but the book is so spectacular on so many levels, because you talk about some of
14:46the people that you've rubbed shoulders with that one might not expect. Uh, one of whom is Lady Gaga,
14:52for example, can you just give us a little background on that?
14:56No, just that she's a, she's a great person. She's, she does so many beautiful things in,
15:03in terms of her work for various organizations. She's a great philanthropist. She has a pure heart,
15:09an incredible singer. Her voice is spectacular. If you know, you know anything about singers,
15:13you know, you listen to her perform and, um, she's a metal head. She's a metal head. She loves
15:20Priest. She loves metal. And, uh, that connection was made playing when, when I saw her some years ago.
15:26And we were, we were chatting backstage after the show, you know, so, uh, it's a bit like what
15:31Marley's done with Metallica. There's all of these, uh, all of these pop artists that, that have some,
15:37everybody's got some metal in the heart, uh, especially our beautiful Richie Falconer, who has
15:42made a remarkable recovery. He has a metal heart. And, um, so yeah, it's extraordinary when you think
15:49how heavy metal music and especially Priest's heavy metal music has reached so many people from
15:56so many different walks of life. And, um, that's the treasure we carry with us as we travel around
16:02the world spreading the heavy metal gospel. Well, I have to talk to you more just from some of the
16:08amazing stories that are in the book, but the last thing I will ask you is you've had such a journey
16:14and challenges in that journey, uh, everything from coming out to getting cancer to, uh, surviving a
16:21number of challenges and you've still, you've still carried this incredibly positive frame of mind,
16:28uh, you know, and, uh, the getting sober and all of the things that you still do that, uh, are so
16:36healthy and so inspiring to so many. Is there an overriding philosophy that you carry into a given day
16:43when you woke up this morning, for example? Oh yeah. You know, every day is, every day is a
16:48blessing every day is a gift. And in my spiritual life, that that's very important for me to
16:53acknowledge that, um, it's a blessing. And, um, we've all got different circumstances surrounding
17:00us in every day of our lives. Uh, some of them are pretty free and easy. Some of them carry great
17:09challenges. Um, the, the overall, the overwhelming thing that I, that I discovered many years ago when I,
17:16when I started my sober journey is that you're never alone. You're never alone. You're never a hundred
17:23percent alone. There's always somebody watching over you. There's always some connection going on
17:29that you may not be aware of. So all of these incredible, um, uh, feelings and emotions that sometimes,
17:38um, we, we, we inadvertently block for whatever the reason is. Uh, if there's a way you can kind of
17:45get through that and push it to the side and, and just, just experience the beauty that, that every
17:52day brings you, um, then that's, uh, that's always been my philosophy and I'm the eternal optimist.
17:59I've always been the eternal optimist. And when you are fancy, when you are facing challenges,
18:06like I had with, with the prostate cancer guys, get your blood check done, get your blood work done.
18:11Guys, it's so important to keep, yeah, your PSAs. Um, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm a very matter of fact
18:18person. When, when Dr. Ali said, this is what you got. And I go, what do we do to get rid of it?
18:23You know, and we went through all of the different operations and the radiation treatment and blah,
18:27blah, blah. And I came out the other end and I saw him yesterday, funnily enough. And he just said,
18:31things are still looking great. Oh, I was so pleased, you know? So there you are. Um,
18:37just be aware that, you know, you're surrounded by love, even though you may not be aware of it.
18:43You are surrounded by love. Each one of us is surrounded by love. It's there happening right
18:48now. So all of that part of the 24 hour cycle is, uh, is what I tune into. And, uh, it helps me love
18:58life like I do. God, I love that. Thank you so much for spending some time with us, Rob. Uh,
19:03we adore you. We, uh, cannot wait to see you and priest at the Met here in Philadelphia on March 29th,
19:09uh, and cannot wait to see this new production and all of these songs presented. Congratulations
19:14on 50 years. Congratulations on the third nomination, which we hope will be the one
19:19that gets you into the rock and roll hall of fame. And we shall see you soon, my friend.
19:23Thank you, Pierre. Thank you. Um, we love you, Philadelphia. We'll see you soon. Keep
19:27the metal faith. Oh yeah. Live long and prosper.
19:30Cheers. All right.