WRIF Virtual Rock Room with Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner
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00:00Thank you so much for watching Riff TV. Now, this interview is obviously with video, but I don't interview everybody on Zoom.
00:07That's why I put it on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. We talk to rock artists from all over the genre.
00:13So check out Talkin' Rock with Meltdown wherever you get your podcasts. And now, to today's video interview.
00:20Hey, Richie, how you doing, man?
00:22I'm doing very well, brother. Good to be here. How are you?
00:24I'm doing great. Great, too. I see you. We'll get in some pre-steer in just a little bit.
00:28Last time I saw you guys was 2018, the Firepower Tour, man.
00:32I cannot say enough good things about that album or that tour.
00:36But first, Elegant Weapons, May 26th. That drops horns for a halo.
00:41When do you decide, you know what, I want to do something else besides Judas Priest or something outside of Priest?
00:47It's a long-winded answer, man, and I'll try and condense it for you.
00:51You know, when I joined Priest, I had a conversation with Glenn Tipton, and he said that, you know, he wishes we had 20, 25 years left.
00:58But we don't. You know, it was the Epitaph Tour. It was the final tour.
01:03Luckily, it wasn't. You know, luckily, we're still here and I'm still talking to you.
01:07And Priest is still putting out music and doing tours.
01:09So it was put in my mind then that I'm going to need to do my own thing at some point.
01:15So that seed has been growing.
01:17And then after a while, it just seemed – it was around the pandemic time.
01:20It just seemed like this is the right time to put some stuff down and see what I've got.
01:25And so it's a two-part answer, really.
01:28But that was when I started thinking about I need to think about my life after Priest and put some stuff down and see what I've got and went from there, really.
01:38Now, when you're living in that Priest bubble like that, and then it comes to the pandemic, that's what really kind of gave you the epiphany that you've got to kind of expand a little bit more?
01:47Well, everything came together.
01:48So we'd written everything for the Priest record.
01:52All the demos were written.
01:54We hadn't recorded it yet, but all the creative stuff was done.
01:56So any ideas that I had from then, I could then just focus on putting them to the new record for Elegant Weapons.
02:06We had the time off, so we weren't touring.
02:10And it was just like everything came together time-wise, where I had the time to do it.
02:16The stuff was done for the Priest record creatively, so I could dedicate time and creative juices to a new record, really.
02:23And again, I put it together, did I have a few songs, did I have an EP, did I have a record, did I have a band?
02:30And started putting it together and just wanted to see what I had and went from there.
02:34So did you put all this stuff together before you had a band, or once you guys kind of got in the room together, or this was all your brain power?
02:41It was before I got the guys on board.
02:45I approached the guys, I approached Scott and Rex and Ronnie when the music was written.
02:50I had the demos for it.
02:53Because of the restrictions of the pandemic, really, we were all in different places around the world and around the country.
03:00When it was all written, I reached out to them and I said, I've got this material, would you guys be on the record?
03:05And luckily for me, they accepted, and I'm super grateful that they did.
03:11They're a fantastic player, they're legends.
03:12I mean, Scott and Rex are legends, and then obviously Ronnie's a legend in the making, great vocalist.
03:19So again, super fortunate to have those guys on the record.
03:22Now, for people that are just listening or watching this, you're talking about Rex Brown and Scott Travis.
03:27Rex Brown from Pantera, Scott Travis from Judas Priest.
03:30And I've always kind of promised Scott that if I ever did anything outside of Priest, that I'd give him a first refusal.
03:38So that's what I did, and he was able to play on the record.
03:42Rex, I've been friends with Rex for a few years, and I called up Rex and asked him if he'd be able to play on the record, and he graciously accepted.
03:49And obviously, Rex is doing Pantera, so I wasn't able to, you know, if I put a touring band together, he wasn't able to do it, which is fair enough.
03:56But Pantera should, you know, is and should be touring the world, and I think we're all happy that they are.
04:04But again, he was able to play on the record, and I'm so fortunate that he did.
04:09I didn't have this written down, or I didn't even want to, you know, talk about this, but I mean, did you ever talk about joining Pantera or no?
04:15No, I mean, it was always, to me, there was one guy, only one guy that could do that, you know, and that's Zach, you know.
04:28Not only, I mean, to me, there's a thousand guys on YouTube that can play that stuff note for note, but there's only one guy that had that relationship with the band and with Dime.
04:37So, and that's Zach, that's who they've got doing it. So there's only one guy to me that can do that gig.
04:41Now, did you ever get a chance to meet Dime or VP? You probably met Vinny a bunch of times, right?
04:46I didn't. I think I met Vinny. Vinny came down to a couple of shows that we played with Priest in Texas.
04:53I never met Dime. I've met Philip a few times. Never lucky enough to meet Dime, no.
04:59Yeah, did you ever see him live?
05:01I didn't. I didn't, unfortunately. No, I don't.
05:04I just wrote about this. There's this whole generation of metal fans that never saw Pantera, you know.
05:10I know, I was, you know, back in, when I was a teenager, I was really blinkered.
05:14I listened to Maiden, Metallica and Pantera religiously for about a year.
05:22And at the time, it was a year is a long time when you're, you know, 12, 13 years old.
05:27But that was all I listened to, but never got the chance to see the band.
05:32And I think that goes for a lot of people in that age group.
05:35And now, you know, which is why we were just down in South America and there was like 80,000 people rocking out to Pantera.
05:41And obviously, we know the situation that they're in. Dime's not around. Vinny's not around.
05:46But they didn't care. They just wanted to see those and hear those songs.
05:50And they were going absolutely ballistic, man. It was an amazing thing to see.
05:54Yeah, I think I might try to check them out at a couple of festivals coming up here.
05:57And, of course, with the Metallica tour and stuff.
06:01But, yeah, I think I saw them. Well, I know I saw them a few times.
06:03I actually had dinner with them in like 1993 because, yeah, I'm old and they were they just put out, I think, Vulgar or something like that camera board it was.
06:10But it was so cool. Then I became friends with Vinny through hockey because he's a big hockey fan and whatnot.
06:15So amazing. You know, we was I was actually a friend's house.
06:18We were doing a Ouija board, you know, when we were kids.
06:21And just just a short story. All of a sudden, a CD case flew across the room.
06:28We were we were kind of taunting it. We were kind of, you know, being rude to it, whatever.
06:31And the CD case flew across the room and it was the Far Beyond Driven case.
06:35It flew across the room. We were like, oh, maybe we shouldn't do this anymore.
06:38You know, I didn't think that that was going to come into the conversation, but I'm glad it did.
06:43That's a fun story, man. So Elegant Weapons that comes out on May 26.
06:48Is this one of those things like the Led Zeppelin, the Guns N' Roses?
06:51It's kind of like, you know, you got something heavy and you got something light.
06:55I've always been attracted to that experience in not only heavy metal, but in, you know,
07:01imagery and stuff like that as well, you know, like victim of changes, even Pantera.
07:06You know, you've got those beautiful, soft, clean parts and then they explode into that brutality.
07:11I like that dynamic in heavy metal and horns for a halo.
07:14Yeah. Just, you know, the concept is, you know, if you turn up at the pearly gates,
07:19they can see your horns or your halo. We all do things that are, you know, morally questionable.
07:25You know, but that's, that's a human, that's, that's who we are, you know?
07:28So that, that's, that's the question. That's the imagery and, you know, the horns or the halos.
07:32So it's always, I've always been attracted to that kind of concept.
07:36Yeah. So for people that haven't heard anything off this record, I know a couple of the singles
07:40have been released. You got another one coming up. Actually, I think the title track is you're
07:43going to be dropping pretty soon, correct?
07:45That's right. It's coming out just before the release of the album, if I'm not mistaken,
07:48which I probably am.
07:49Yeah. No. Yeah. They sent me a, an advanced copy of some of those songs, but you know,
07:53some of the songs like a blind leading the blind and do or die and whatnot, how much influence do
07:57you have in the lyrical writing, especially with your own band, or do you just kind of let like
08:02Ronnie do that?
08:04I don't have much at all. I might influence, you know, I might have a melody that lends itself to a
08:12phrase, you know, blind leading the blind was a melody that I could hear those words.
08:19going around and I might, you know, I might start the lyrics off or I might add some stuff
08:24to the lyrics, but I'm not a big lyric guy. So I'll concentrate on the music and let other
08:30people concentrate on the lyrics. It's just not my bag, man. You know, it sounds better
08:34when someone else writes it, if you know what I mean.
08:36Right. And is it the same way in Judas Priest, I'm assuming?
08:39Rob's a master at that stuff. And again, I'll, I'll add my two penneth. I'll add what I think
08:45it should be. Or I might, again, I might have a melody that lends itself to a phrase,
08:49but Rob goes away and, uh, you know, comes back with these beautiful, uh, create, uh, you know,
08:54song ideas and concepts and ideas, you know, just he's a master. So he takes care of that. Yeah.
09:00Yeah. I've talked to Rob several times about his writing and stuff. And it's funny because there
09:03are certain like phrases and stuff that Judas Priest can get away with and certain ones that they
09:08probably couldn't get away with, uh, writing in songs. You know, got molten metal and lightning strikes and
09:12firepower and all this stuff, you know, it's, it's big and bombastic and stuff, you know,
09:17you can't have Rob talking about crocheting or something. So, so I'm sure he kind of takes all
09:21that stuff and goes with it, doesn't he? Yeah. I mean, me and you couldn't write that stuff.
09:24If me and you wrote a song like that, we'd get, you know, lynched online, you know, but, uh, no,
09:29Rob's a master at it. He knows his brand and we love that side to Priest, you know, but he,
09:34he goes away. If we write, if we write what we think is a great song, but Rob can't grasp it,
09:40if he can't grab hold of it lyrically and write a story or a concept, then we,
09:45we shelve it for a while and come back to it. Cause if Rob can't connect with it,
09:49it's just not worth doing, you know, he's got to connect with it and in turn,
09:53put it over to the audience so that they can connect with it.
09:56Yeah. He's got to feel it and be authentic.
09:59Exactly that. That's exactly right.
10:01Yeah. So, uh, what's going on in the, in the world of Priest right now?
10:05Well, at the moment we're finishing off, uh, what's going to be the next record. Um,
10:09and I think Rob is working with Andy Sneap on, we, we, we actually,
10:14I was out in Phoenix a few weeks ago with Andy Sneap with Rob, uh,
10:18working on the lyrics and I think lyric lyrics are the last thing, you know,
10:23the, the, the vocals are the last thing we've got to finish on it before it's
10:26recorded. Then we've got to, obviously we've got to mix it.
10:29We've got to master it. We've got to package it. We've got to do the artwork.
10:32Um, and that process as well, which, you know,
10:34we've got to manufacture the thing, which might take a little bit of time,
10:37but as far as recording it's, it's almost done and it's sounding fantastic,
10:40man. I can't wait for you guys to hear it.
10:42Now, um, when you join a priest back in 2011 and stuff,
10:45obviously huge history, huge legacy, the whole thing. And then you put out,
10:49uh, I think you put out Redeemer souls, then firepower. And to me,
10:52like firepower, really, I was just telling somebody,
10:55it's like five minutes ago, firepower was like the essence of priest,
10:58even in the heyday of priest. I mean, uh, it was just so,
11:02it was so good.
11:03Is that always in the back of your mind when you're recording with these guys?
11:06It's a, it's an interesting one really,
11:09because you can't repeat something like that.
11:12It connected with so many people around the world.
11:14And I don't think we, uh, we're counting on that.
11:18You just do the best you can do, you know,
11:21best batch of songs, best recording, best solos, best,
11:26just the best you can do. You give it a thousand percent.
11:28And Redeemer of souls was no different,
11:30but firepower connected just with so many people.
11:34So we're just trying to do the same thing.
11:36Again, in terms of how can we do that, but better,
11:40how can we give a better experience, a better recording,
11:43better production, better songs. Um,
11:45and you never know if it's going to connect or not, you know,
11:49you just, you just hope that it does. Um,
11:51so you can't really give too much thought about let's try and do that again.
11:56Cause you never will. It's got to be its own thing,
11:59its own experience. Um, cause you'll never re you can't recreate British steel
12:05again, or you can't let's, let's try and do painkiller again.
12:09You can't do that. You've got to do something that stands on its legs,
12:11you know?
12:12Oh yeah. That, I mean, firepower stands on its legs and then some did,
12:15does it get, um, I don't know if it gets, if the word is easier,
12:18but do you get more comfortable with each record you record with the band?
12:21Um, in some ways, yes. Um, you know,
12:28it gets more familiar, you know, obviously the more you do it,
12:31the more familiar it gets, but you,
12:33when you write a record and record a record,
12:36it's still an element of the unknown.
12:38You never know how it's going to turn out. You might have an idea,
12:41you might have demos or an idea of how you want it to sound, but the,
12:45the, the album or the songs, they take on their own character.
12:50They, it almost becomes its own monster. So you might have an idea,
12:53but it becomes something else.
12:55So there's an element of the unknown, uh, to every recording.
12:59And with, uh, with Andy, uh, in the fold and stuff, uh, how much is,
13:03I think Rob was telling me one time that one of the screams or one of the
13:06vocal lines on one of the last record, Andy made him do it like 50 times.
13:09I can't remember what that was. So he's really,
13:11really in the process, isn't he?
13:12Well, yeah. The great thing about that is Andy's not a yes man. Um,
13:17so if he doesn't think it's good enough,
13:19he's going to tell Rob Halford that that's not good enough.
13:22Whereas other people might just say, yeah,
13:24that's great because it's Rob Halford, you know?
13:26So Andy's not scared of saying no, that's not good enough.
13:29But by the same token, you know, that when Andy says, yeah, that's great.
13:32You know that he's being honest and that's great and it's good and you can
13:37trust him. So the element of trust is a big deal, especially, you know,
13:4050 years in for those guys for sure.
13:43Yeah. I can't wait for the new record. Like I said, uh,
13:46firepower was one of my favorites of that year of not maybe one of my favorite
13:49Judas priest records. And that's saying a lot,
13:51cause there was a lot of great records in the past, but that's, uh,
13:54some really cool stuff. I wanted to ask you a couple other things here real
13:57fast. Uh, you probably heard this question a bunch of times, but, uh,
14:00the flying V why is that your thing?
14:04Well, it's not my thing by any means, but you, you, you use that.
14:08That's like kind of your exclusive guitar, right?
14:11Oh, it's it's. Yeah. I use that. I do use the Les Paul, but I mean,
14:15I've put my name to the flying V you know,
14:17we've got a signature coming out with Gibson this year, but I mean,
14:20I use the flying V now more than any other guitar. So, uh, it has kind of become,
14:25well, I've become the flying V's, you know, guy. So, I mean,
14:30before that, obviously the legacy of priest, you've got KK Downing.
14:33I'm a huge Michael Schenker fan from UFO, you know,
14:36Randy Rose used a V, um, you know, uh, James Hetfield.
14:40I'm a huge Hetfield fan. So the V is part of my DNA as a player.
14:45I'm looking at one now. I've got one on the wall. I'm looking at it.
14:47I'm inspired by the V. Um, and you know,
14:51how could you not play the V when you, when you joined Judas priest, you know,
14:54how can you not continue that legacy? It's an excuse to bring it out,
14:58but I've, you know, I've, I've got a bigger,
15:02more deeper relationship with the V since joining priest for sure.
15:06So now I've put my name on it as a signature guitar. It just, it's,
15:10how can you not? It's beautiful. It's, it's, it's an elegant weapon.
15:14You know what I mean? That's exactly what it is.
15:16And that's where the name comes from.
15:17That's right. Yeah. Yeah. No doubt. I mean,
15:19the flying V is synonymous with a heavy metal and heavy metal guitar players,
15:23obviously. Right.
15:24Exactly. Um, I can't say enough about it. Uh, it's beautiful.
15:29It's sonically fantastic. It's, it's, uh,
15:32you can get beautiful sounds out of it. You can get brutal sounds out of it.
15:36It's like a samurai sword and I, and I just said it, but it's,
15:39it is where the name come from. It's, it's beautiful, but it's brutal, you know?
15:43So, uh, so yeah, the flying V is a, it's part of the heavy metal DNA.
15:48Yeah, no doubt. So you just mentioned a Glenn Tipton. Can he is,
15:52how's he doing? Can you give us any updates or,
15:54uh, I haven't spoken to Glenn for a little while. Um,
15:57I spoke to management the other day. He seems to be doing okay.
16:00Obviously with, uh, the challenges that he's facing, um, you know,
16:04there's good days and there's bad days. Uh, it's a degenerative disease.
16:08So some days are bad, some days are good, but, uh, I think Glenn,
16:12Glenn's a fighter, you know,
16:13so he always surprises us when he did the rock and roll hall of fame,
16:17he came out and he played, um, and he battled through it. And, uh, you know,
16:21he's an inspiration, you know,
16:22someone who's going through those challenges, but still gets up there.
16:25And, uh, he might not be as, um, fluid as he once was,
16:30but he gets up there and he does it anyway. You know, that's,
16:32that's nothing but an inspiration to the rest of us.
16:34And how is, uh, how are you doing with your health?
16:36I know you had that, that massive health scare, man.
16:38Now it's unbelievable.
16:40I'm doing okay, man. Thanks for asking. But I mean,
16:42I was doing okay before I happened before, so I'm not too,
16:45no, but I think I'm doing okay, man. I'm, uh,
16:48I'm through to most of it. I had an amazing, uh, you know,
16:52amount of support from the fans and my family and my peers in the industry.
16:56I've got a ton of videos and a ton of support. So that really helps.
17:00And I got back on the guitar as soon as I could.
17:02And the guitar and music and touring and these records have been like a medicine
17:05to get me through it. Like a, like a focus, you know,
17:09like a motivation to get me through it,
17:11getting back on the horse and, and doing what you do.
17:13Cause you never know what's around the corner, man.
17:15That's, uh, never been more real for me.
17:17Yeah. No question about it. Where, where did that happen?
17:19I can't recall. Is that, was that at, um, is that Louisville?
17:23Louisville, Kentucky. Yeah.
17:25Yeah, that's right. I've been to that festival a couple of times.
17:27The, um, uh, loud and live or something like that.
17:31Is that what it is?
17:32Louder than life. Yeah. And, uh,
17:34the Reaper was on stage in Louisville that night, man. But you know,
17:38we were, the festival was louder than life,
17:41but I was louder than death that night, you know?
17:44Yeah. There's no, yeah, man. I'm super glad too, because I mean,
17:48like I said, just a huge fan and, uh, I can't wait for this, uh,
17:51this new priest and stuff to, uh, come out. No,
17:53no deadline as to when that might happen, huh?
17:56No deadline, which I can give you. No, I mean,
17:59we've suggested when it might be out, but I mean, as I said,
18:03it's almost finished the recording process.
18:05Then we've got to get the manufacturing done.
18:07So that's up to the record label. So, um, yeah, we'll see.
18:11Well, I mean, as soon as it, as soon as it's done and finished,
18:13and we've got a date,
18:14then obviously we'll let the world know because we're excited to let you guys
18:17know, you know?
18:18Yeah. After a 12 or 13 years in such a historic band,
18:22like Judas Priest and one, I'm sure that you watched, you know,
18:24and listened to growing up. Uh, how does,
18:26how do you feel about your, uh, your time in the band so far?
18:30Oh, I feel, I mean, it was an honor to be considered, you know,
18:33and it's an honor to still be here writing and putting out music and touring
18:37with the band. You know, it's, it's an honor to be a part of that. Um,
18:41and I, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart, you know,
18:44as I said to you earlier on, I had a conversation with Glenn right at the
18:47beginning that that was going to be the final tour and to still be here doing
18:52that, um, is incredible. You know,
18:55obviously my life changed for it. I mean,
18:58the world is a better place because Judas Priest is still out there putting out
19:01music and, um, playing music around the world. So it's an incredible honor.
19:05And, uh, it's my duty to do the best that I can.
19:09And when they're no longer there to carry on the torch with whatever I'm doing.
19:14And it's my, it's kind of, it,
19:16it's my responsibility to carry on the Judas Priest name in whatever I do in the
19:21future. So, uh, it's, uh, it's humbling really.
19:26I think I've heard it said, and I'm going to say it anyways,
19:28if it hasn't been said and not to blow too much smoke up your ass,
19:31but it seems like you really gave these guys a shot of adrenaline and really what
19:35they needed to keep going. And I think, I think personally for me,
19:38and I'm not inside the band, I don't know what goes on inside the band,
19:40but, uh, I mean, when you, when you entered the fold,
19:43it seemed like just a new band just reinvigorated.
19:45Well, that's, that's incredibly nice of you to say. I mean,
19:49I know Rob said that and, well, I mean,
19:51I don't know what it was like before I joined,
19:53so I can't say what it was like, but I mean, I'm just,
19:58I think if you, you change the lineup or you change, you know,
20:01someone new in an office or a sports team,
20:04you're going to get a different dynamic. Sometimes it works.
20:06Sometimes it doesn't. Um, and I'm just, there's,
20:09there's five guys in the band. Um, and there's a,
20:12there's a fantastic crew that makes it go round.
20:14Um, I'm just part of that machine, man.
20:16I'm just happy to be there really. Yeah. Uh,
20:18I know what it was like before you joined. Did you ever see a rock star?
20:23Yeah, I did see that. Yeah.
20:25You never know how true that sort of stuff is or how they sort of make it a
20:28bit more dramatic for, for, for film, you know, but, um, again, man,
20:32I'm just happy to be there making music with them. And, uh, it's,
20:35it's an education every day for sure. Yeah.
20:37You just mentioned something about, you know, like, uh, you know,
20:39when you insert a new musician, I think I just saw Nikki six talking about,
20:43uh, uh, John five from right here in Detroit, you know, uh,
20:46how he's joined the band and how they're the recording and stuff that really
20:49does have an impact when you get a new guy in there, right?
20:51I'm not in a band, so I don't know how this stuff works,
20:53but when you get in, when you bring some new blood in there,
20:55it just changes the whole dichotomy, doesn't it?
20:58I think it does. Yeah. Uh, you know, whoever you get in, as I said, it,
21:02you know, sometimes it changes for the better. Sometimes it,
21:05it changes for the worst. Luckily, uh, with, with priest, it seemed,
21:09as you said, I mean, it's, it's been going, uh, for 12,
21:12almost 13 years since I joined the band.
21:14So obviously it was the right thing to do and it was the right combination of
21:19personalities and time and everything. It worked out the,
21:22the planets aligned for the, for the best, you know, but as I said, man,
21:25it's a, it's a massive team of creative people and crew and great people.
21:30And I'm just a part of that, that machine.
21:33Well, I'll tell you what, Richie, it's an honor to talk to you. Uh, yeah,
21:36last time I saw you guys here, I didn't see the last tour,
21:38but I saw you here at the Masonic and I was with at the time, uh, uh,
21:42Chris Fane from Slipknot, who's not in the band anymore,
21:45but we were watching right off to the side of the,
21:46I think it was on your side of the stage too. And, uh, man,
21:49what an onslaught. And I saw you rocking the range a couple of years back.
21:52Just, man, it's so cool. Rob walks out there for metal God and stuff.
21:57Just the, the, the hair in your arms just starts to stand up.
22:00Dude, tell me about it. I mean, I get that all the time. I mean,
22:02the classic songs, classic guys, I mean, they're legends. It's,
22:07it's part of, I mean, it's part of all of our musical makeup,
22:11whether you like priest or not, they're part of metal history.
22:14They invented the, they,
22:16they kind of put the seeds down that grew the tree of heavy metal.
22:20So all those branches that branched off into Slipknot and, you know,
22:25everything like that, uh, it came from priest and Sabbath.
22:28And before that, you know, purple and the roots of heavy metal was started by
22:32these guys.
22:33And how can you fail to be affected by that?
22:36When you see those same guys walk out on stage and deliver the goods like
22:39that, it's, it's phenomenal. And, you know, again,
22:42I just keep saying that I'm grateful to be a part of it,
22:44but grateful to be alive when that's still happening, you know?
22:47Yeah. Delivering the goods. No question. Um, I was just going to say, uh,
22:50you just, you just made me think of us. Oh, have you said,
22:52have you read Rob's book, by the way, his autobiography?
22:54I, I, uh, did the audible thing, you know what I mean?
22:58So it was him reading it, which, you know,
23:00Oh, did he obviously, yeah, he reads it. Yeah.
23:04So obviously knowing Rob, like I know him, it was, it was better.
23:06It was like having him in the room, reading it, you know,
23:09Did you learn stuff about him that you didn't know or that were that kind of,
23:12you know, kind of surprised you?
23:13Yeah, for sure. There's a, there's a lot.
23:15He goes quite deep into his personal life in there.
23:18So there was stuff in there that, uh, I didn't know for sure. Yeah.
23:22I know.
23:22What was that part of where they, where he was in, where they,
23:24where they made the imagined video and didn't he take one of the,
23:27he took one of the statues or something.
23:30Yeah. That was really funny, man. I mean, imagine again, for them,
23:34like what we're talking about in terms of priests being legends and it must've
23:39been the same for them with the Beatles, you know,
23:42being connected with the Beatles and the Beatles were legends and they planted the
23:47seeds for popular music. And they were there.
23:50It was at Tittenhurst Park. I can't remember which one it was.
23:53Um, and they were there, they were connected.
23:55It must've been the same experience for them, uh,
23:58making music in that house that was connected to the Beatles.
24:01It must've been thrilling for them in the same way that it is for us now,
24:04you know?
24:05Yeah. Did, did, uh,
24:05the Beatles play any influence in your musical upbringing?
24:09Not directly. No, I was never. Um, I mean,
24:12obviously indirectly through bands like priest and Aussie,
24:16Aussie was a massive fan and I was a fan of Aussie. So not directly,
24:19I didn't really listen to the Beatles when I was a kid,
24:21but I listened to Aussie and listening to Aussie. Now, you know,
24:24the melodies that Aussie came up with, you can hear where they came from.
24:27It was all Beatles influence. So indirectly. Yeah.
24:31I was kind of influenced by them, but I wasn't a fan as a kid.
24:34I can remember.
24:35I was about 11 or 12 years old and I heard crazy train in the radio and that
24:38instant changed my life. And I'm sure you had an instant like that probably too,
24:42huh?
24:42Oh, it was Voodoo Child. It was Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix. Yeah,
24:46man. And obviously I was, um, I was born long after Hendrix died,
24:50but, uh, you know,
24:53that music's timeless and it's still around.
24:55Kids are still getting influenced by it today.
24:56Just the way that song comes in is otherworldly, you know,
25:00and you can't help. I mean, Hendrix as well,
25:03not only the sonic aspect of it, but the visual, you know,
25:06as a young kid, the way it sounds and the way he looks and, you know,
25:11what is that and how do I make my life about it? You know,
25:14that's, that's what turned me onto the guitar in the first place.
25:17Well, Richie, like I said, it's been an honor to talk to you.
25:19Elegant Weapons comes out on a May the 6th, uh,
25:22horns for a halo. And, uh, we'll look forward to, uh, that of course,
25:25new priest we'll see out of the tour and, uh,
25:27we'll stay away from the Ouija boards, I guess.
25:31Yeah, absolutely, brother. It's been a pleasure, man. See you soon.