00:00Hey everybody, it's Rob Halford, the Metal God from Judas Priest, and you are watching
00:04Live Minute TV.
00:06Oh yeah!
00:07We're blasting around the planet once again, promoting this beautiful new heavy metal masterpiece
00:20from Judas Priest, Invincible Shield.
00:22Seeing all of our glorious heavy metal maniacs, we've already taken care of our Brits, we
00:28did a great British tour, we just went through a quick first leg of Europe, and now we're
00:33here in the beautiful USA, tearing the road up.
00:37It sure is beautiful, the album is excellent.
00:40Thank you!
00:41Who knew?
00:4250 years later!
00:43Yeah!
00:44I'm using a reference!
00:45Judas Priest, we made our first ever record in 1974, there we were, a bunch of young guys
00:51starting this great life.
00:52No clue we would be here in 2024 with Invincible Shield, but that's the joy and the blessings
00:57of music, you know?
00:59It can take you to some extraordinary places and give you extraordinary lives, and that's
01:04what Judas Priest is living to the max right now.
01:08And your first album in six years, what took so long?
01:12Yeah, we got the COVID, then I had the book, Confess, then I had my little cancer battle,
01:19and then we were able to get into making this wonderful record.
01:23So if you take all those bits out, it was about three years, actually, from record to
01:29record, which isn't too bad, considering how many albums we've made.
01:33This is our 19th studio album, here we are in just a glorious moment, a great renaissance
01:40for Judas Priest, and a somewhat of a renaissance for heavy metal.
01:45For Ian and myself, the founding members, in our septuagenarian years, it's just glorious.
01:52We're so happy, and we're so content, and we're so blessed.
01:55Yeah, it is so good, it is really heavy, it's fantastic.
02:04The first song reminded me a little bit of Rush.
02:07Hey, that's so cool that you picked up on that, you know?
02:09When Richie sent me some of the files, I thought of two things.
02:13I thought of the Turbo album, because it has a little bit of a synthesizer reference, guitar
02:18synth reference to the Turbo album, and I also thought of Tom Sawyer, and I thought,
02:24can we do this, you know?
02:25Can we do this?
02:26Hey, we're all massive Rush fans, we love that band.
02:30So if there's a little bit of a homage and a bit of a tinge of a reference, hey, that's
02:34good.
02:35You do whatever you need to do to get the best moments out of a song.
02:39Very cool.
02:40Do they know about it?
02:41I don't know.
02:42We've known Geddy and the guys for as long as we've all been around together.
02:45I would like to feel that they would put a smile on Geddy's face, because we're all musicians,
02:52we all live the same life, we've all been on the same journey.
02:55There are so many similarities, regardless of the music that you play and you enjoy and
03:01you perform, we live the same life.
03:03So yeah, it would be cool to maybe find out someday if they'd give it a thumbs up.
03:16Before we launched the Invincible Shield tour, we had the 50th anniversary tour for Judas
03:24Priest, which was, again, quite remarkable.
03:27We celebrated, we went completely across the references of most of our albums that we've
03:34made.
03:35So it was just a little bit of a, hey, let's look at what we've done, you know, from that
03:38very first album to where we were to the last record, Firepower, let's just take a jump
03:45into the 70s, the 80s, the 90s.
03:47Let's see how the music that we've made has kind of made some changes and embraced the
03:52way the world has moved.
03:54We bring all of this into the way that we present our metal.
03:57So we've got all that in this particular Invincible Shield tour, the worldwide tour, we go around
04:04the planet again, because we have our beautiful Metal Maniacs that want to see this band over
04:10and over, whether they're in Japan, Indonesia, South America.
04:14We get to your shores eventually.
04:16It's a case of, hey, everybody listen to this band, listen to what we're able to do all
04:21these decades later with the same kind of love and dedication and motivation and freshness.
04:28And here's some new songs and here's a new album and here's a new tour.
04:32So let's get back together and enjoy it one more time.
04:36And tell us about your cancer scare.
04:37How are you doing now?
04:39I'm good.
04:40Thank you so much for asking.
04:41I'm in remission.
04:42This is my second opportunity to thank the Lord for me being here still, but also my
04:46great medical team and guys, be proactive.
04:50Make sure you get your blood work done, your PSA checked.
04:53I couldn't believe how efficient and the love and the care and the attention that health
04:58workers give to each and every one of us.
05:00I had my prostate removed, had some meds and follow up treatment, found a little bit more
05:07stuff.
05:08So we had to go in for two months of radiation treatment.
05:11You do what you've got to do.
05:13The important thing is to stay optimistic, stay positive, by love, by family, by health
05:19care people that want the best for you.
05:22So you can push through it.
05:24So anybody that's struggling with that right now, you know, keep that heavy metal faith
05:28with all the care and diligence and attention.
05:31You'll survive.
05:32Beautiful.
05:33I'm so glad you're okay.
05:35You get better looking every time I see you.
05:38How do you do it?
05:40It's lighting.
05:41It's the lighting.
05:42You know, I will say this, I will say this.
05:44Look at Mick Jagger.
05:45I was looking at footage of Mick yesterday on YouTube.
05:51What an inspiration.
05:52What an inspiration.
05:53Mick and Keith and Ronnie.
05:56I love looking at that because it motivates me even more.
05:59I never knew I was going to be doing this at 73.
06:02And I'm so blessed that I am able to do this.
06:07And music is so beautiful, isn't it?
06:09You know, it's such an important part of who we are as people.
06:13In life, we need music, doesn't matter what kind of music.
06:17Firstly, music makes you feel good.
06:19Music is good for the soul.
06:20Music is good for the spirit.
06:22You can have it privately.
06:23You can enjoy it in your own self way for self healing, self love.
06:27And then what better way than to be in a massive festival or be in a venue, you know, or be
06:33at a party or whatever it might be.
06:35Music brings us together.
06:37It's an absolutely glorious part of life.
06:39And that's what that's what keeps the vitality going for sure.
06:43And 50 heavy metal years.
06:45It's remarkable.
06:46You know, what can you say?
06:48You live your life day by day.
06:50Because again, blessings from the Lord.
06:52I'm still sober, clean sober, 36, 38 years, who's counting?
06:57You live your life one day at a time.
06:59You embrace the moment, you live in the moment, you know.
07:03Tomorrow hasn't happened.
07:04Yesterday's gone.
07:05Live in the now.
07:06This is what's so important.
07:07And you add all that up together and you've got 50 years in heavy metal.
07:12Did you always know you wanted to do this, be a musician?
07:15When I was a little kid, maybe seven or eight years of age, my school, they were putting
07:20a school choir together and there was a class of about 20 kids and the school teacher, the
07:27music teacher, she got each one of us to come to the front of the class and sing a song.
07:31So I sing this song.
07:33And when I finish, some of the kids in the class give me a little round of applause.
07:38And you know, kids love attention, right?
07:40Kids love attention.
07:42The school music teacher, she says, can you do that again?
07:44So I sing it again.
07:45And then she said, come with me.
07:47She took me to a class next door and made me sing the song acapella, because you always
07:51do what the teacher tells you to do.
07:54Sing the song acapella in front of the class.
07:57And that has resonated for me.
07:59It's like a touchstone.
08:01I had no idea where that was going to go, but it was like a little fire in the heart
08:07starting in this little kid, you know, and I never forgot that moment.
08:11I always think that that was the first blessing I had that made me realize that this gift
08:15of the voice has got something to do.
08:18It's got something to do.
08:20Because music, again, does beautiful, powerful, powerful things for each of us.
08:26And so that's where that journey began for me.
08:29Even before I became a musician, it was such an important part of my metal memories that
08:35I never forget it.
08:36Were your parents supportive of your music career?
08:39Yes.
08:40You know, my mom always used to say to me, it's a simple mantra, a simple mantra.
08:45If you're happy, I'm happy.
08:48Isn't that great?
08:49Beautiful.
08:50Your mom and your dad live within you when they go to the next place up there.
08:54And you draw upon their memories, you draw upon some of the things that they said to
08:59you as a young person, and you use them in your adult life.
09:02I couldn't have had the best parents.
09:04They did good.
09:06What inspires you as an artist?
09:08Everything and everybody.
09:10You know, the world is art.
09:12I feed up the energy of a city life, I feed up the energy of the calmness of the countryside.
09:17They're all beautiful messages.
09:19You have to learn how to kind of tap into them because we live with such a fast pace.
09:23You know, there are messages waiting for us everywhere.
09:26You just have to kind of take a breath and try and relax and think and take the messages
09:31in.
09:32So my inspiration can come from anything and anywhere, you know, watching a movie on Netflix
09:37or listening to some other kind of music, talking with a friend, looking at something
09:43on the news, reading something on the internet.
09:46For musicians, the inspiration is endless.
09:49It's just a kaleidoscope, again, of possibilities.
09:53What's your favorite song to play live?
09:55I always pick this incredible track from the second album this band ever made, Sunwings
10:02of Destiny.
10:03Sunwings of Destiny was our second release.
10:06And we have a song called Victim of Change.
10:17And I love that song simply because of the music.
10:20I could care less about what I'm doing.
10:22I just love the way the instrumentation of that particular song takes you to all of these
10:27different places in metal, in classic heavy metal.
10:31Priest is a classic heavy metal band.
10:33So that for me, as much as there are many more, I always focus on that because that
10:38was an early track, but it still survived and we still play it live.
10:43And it's absolutely glorious how a song in 1975, 76 can make such a strong connection
10:50in 2024.
10:51That's the power of music.
10:54Music is timeless.
10:55It's timeless.
10:56You know, when we were listening to the Beatles, to Elvis, to Dolly, it's timeless.
11:02How is Richie doing?
11:03He's doing great.
11:04Hey, we're going to go back to that particular festival where he had the unfortunate incident,
11:08the Louder Than Life festival in Kentucky.
11:11We're going to be going back there, I think, in September.
11:14So, you know, less than 3% of people are able to pull through that particular part,
11:20malfunction, a torn aorta for a lot of people can mean the end.
11:27But here we are again, the timing sequence of events plays a very crucial part here from
11:34Richie from when his aorta tore to getting him into surgery for almost 13 hours of surgery.
11:42It's a miracle.
11:43His time, you know that phrase, your time's not up, his time most definitely was not up.
11:50It's an absolute miracle.
11:52And here he is on stage every night, playing the guitar like a great guitar player, musician
12:00that he is better than ever.
12:03Your voice, how do you keep it in shape?
12:06Stay hydrated.
12:08I'm constantly slugging water.
12:11It's repair, because the voice is a set of muscles.
12:15You work out too much, you need to repair your muscles and rest and recoup.
12:19So that's what I do.
12:20I very rarely talk between shows, which is difficult for me because I love to talk.
12:25I love to meet people, I love to talk to people.
12:28But I do need to rest.
12:29I have to take it easy.
12:31And so lots of hydration.
12:33I do things during the show, when you see me wander off behind the drapes to do my quick
12:37share costume change.
12:39I'm also slugging boiling hot throat coat with honey and ginger.
12:43Little tricks like that help me get through the show.
12:46And it's also an instrument.
12:48You learn how to get the best performance out of the instrument.
12:54And again, I'm blessed and lucky that I'm able to still deliver the goods.
12:58It's better and better.
13:02What's one thing you never travel without?
13:03I have to tell again, my music's with me all the time.
13:06This phone is just full of stuff.
13:09I have to have my music.
13:10I say I drink a lot of water.
13:12My music is my water.
13:14I turn on music first thing in the morning when I wake up.
13:18It gets me motivated.
13:19What do you listen to?
13:20As I've moved on in life, I like to start the day with classical music.
13:26I tune into my local station back in Phoenix, K-Bar from the ASU campus.
13:31I play beautiful classical music.
13:33So that's the way I start my day.
13:36And I progressively get more energized.
13:39And as I go on stage, I listen to my good friend, the late great Ronnie James Dio, who
13:44constantly inspires me with his vocal expertise.
13:49You've influenced so many musicians.
13:50Who has influenced you?
13:52Well, Ronnie's one, as I've said.
13:54You know, I'm going to probably use a lot of singers here.
13:57My friend Robert Plant, my friend Roger Daltrey, my friend Ian Gillan, who has a new album
14:03out right now, incredible.
14:06And then some of my lady friends like Lizzie Hale and Mariah from In This Moment and Dolly,
14:13love my Dolly, who knew that the Metal God was going to sing with Dolly Parton at the
14:18Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
14:20Is that amazing or what?
14:22Streisand, I'm a gay, so I have to have my Barbara.
14:25So there's a few, you know, Willie Nelson, love Willie's voice.
14:29Elvis, love Elvis's voice.
14:31Sinatra, love Sinatra's voice, you know, everybody and everywhere.
14:36Singers are just very extraordinary people in the way that this is the instrument.
14:40You know, we don't pick up sticks or play keyboards or hold guitars.
14:45The instrument is within us.
14:47So when we perform, it's coming from a very, very special place.
14:50Do you think people looked at you differently or looked at you as a musician when you came
14:55out?
14:56I think there was a lot of people that were shocked.
14:58It was pretty remarkable.
15:001991, I think it was, I can't remember the exact date, it was on MTV in New York and
15:05I go, speaking as a gay man, blah, blah, blah, and the producer's clipboard hits the floor.
15:10I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life and that it's only
15:15been in recent times that it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address.
15:20I'm glad I did it in that way, it wasn't kind of a pre-planned idea, I was just speaking
15:26from the heart like I always do.
15:28The greatest thing that came back to me was, we don't care.
15:31We love Rob, we love Priest, we love your voice, we love the songs, we love the band,
15:35we love the shows, that's all that matters to me.
15:38And I suppose because a lot of us, a lot of gay people, even now, particularly young people,
15:43you wouldn't think this, but this fear of rejection, people are not going to love me
15:47anymore, you know, from within the family, my school friends, my co-workers at work.
15:52Still a lot of that going on, nowhere near as much as it was when I was a young person
15:58growing up.
15:59I urge people, as and when they feel right and feel the strength and the power and the
16:06support that they need, that surrounds and loves you, to step out and just say, hey,
16:10this is who I am, you know, this is who I am, that I am.
16:16It's as simple as that, but it's very, very profound.
16:19Love is all you need at the end of the day, and love and acceptance for everybody, regardless
16:24of their sexuality, regardless of the colour of their skin, their religious beliefs, whatever,
16:31what they eat, what they go and eat, how they look, it's wisdom.
16:34At this point in my life, I should know, I think I should know what I'm doing.
16:38You absorb life, you take everything in, and you try and find balance and harmony.
16:44What else do you want to tell us that we didn't cover?
16:47We've been to a lot of places, it's been great, I've really, really enjoyed this chat, so
16:54thank you for the opportunity.
16:56Thank you so much, thank you for taking the time to talk to me.
17:00It's been my pleasure, look after yourself, I hope we meet again in person sometime.
17:06Thank you so much.
17:07To hear more of this interview, visit our podcast, Life Minute TV on iTunes and all
17:12streaming podcast platforms.
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