And its beautiful. Was there ever a time when you thought of quitting music? Id love to say I was leafing through Bad Boys In Bondage and suddenly went: Oh, I like the way hes looking, but I never did. When youre a drummer you want a signature opening drum riff Zeppelins Rock And Roll, Van Halens Hot For Teacher. I was able to buy that house, cash, for thirty grand. Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has revealed that he battled prostate cancer. Born Robert John Arthur Halford on 25th August, 1951 in Walsall, England, UK, he is famous for Judas Priest. It was very rewarding. How did you end up becoming Priests drummer nearly ten years later? We were just so full of adventure, says Halford, speaking over Zoom from the house he shares with his partner of 30 years, Thomas Pence. "@type": "ListItem", Not entirely, no. Maybe that was because I was so off my tits that I cant remember having any conversations. I questioned whether it was worth leaving my family and my children for. A lot of bands at that stage in their career would have moved to London to give themselves a leg-up, but you stayed in the West Midlands. "name": "Uncategorized" There are so many artists that should be in there but arent just like us. The heavy metal rockers ad looking for companionship was answered by Pence, and the couple has been together for 25 years now. It was an incredible day. Whos arse-kicker-in-chief in Priest these days? You joined Judas Priest in 1973. They asked if wed play at their summer fte. Just the thought of putting a needle in my arm was taboo. Someone tore the foam out of a seat and threw it on stage, then somebody thought: Thats a good idea. Suddenly there were whole seats coming up on stage. { Or why not treat yourself? msn back to msn home entertainment Skip To Navigation I was living at my parents house, and I remember the postman knocking at the door and handing me my one copy of the record. .defineSizeMapping(mapping1) Can you still remember playing your first gig with Priest? I guess thats the effect I have I turn everything into metal.. They were lying there, with tubes coming out of them, fighting for their lives. People sometimes reference it as the coming out song, because it mentions [New York gay mecca] Fire Island. The guys had gone off to get help, except they hadnt, cos they were at some local club getting pissed and having a knees up while me and Ian nearly died of hypothermia. Illustration by Mark Summers for . ", "That happened while we were all locked down, so things happen for a reason as far as time sequence of events," the 70-year-old told the outlet. { I don't know if I actually was, like, waving a rainbow flag and going, Hello, I'm gay! he shrugs. The image underwent a more radical overhaul. In a new interview with Heavy Consequence, the 70-year-old Metal God casually mentioned that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the spring of 2020 but is thankfully now in remission. Ive f***ed up! But I think in my instances with straight men, they always seemed to happen at a show essentially a fan or someone that I met in some connection to the metal world.. That's the kind of message I try and send out to anyone that's waiting for the moment to step forward and just say, Hey, this is who I am.. Apart from presumably having a few quid in the bank, whats been the best thing about being in Judas Priest? Which bands were you hanging out with back then? And this really hot guy comes in. 'You idiot!' And he wears very cool white loafers. And what got lost in all of it was the loss of these two beautiful, tragic lads. That was the big ice-melter. Dude, I dont know. Rob Halford is a 71 year old British Singer. It looks like youre growing pot in there. Not really. Over here! And then he turns around and he looks at me, and I look at him. "We were just so full of adventure," says Halford, speaking over Zoom from the house he shares with his partner of 30 years, Thomas Pence. You cant take your foot off the accelerator. These days you have to take things one step at a time. You think: Christ, all these people have come to see us. Its a bit awe-inspiring. It never worked, any time! he chuckles wryly. And so where everybody else was sowing their oats, if that's the right correct expression to use, I was back in the hotel room with a hot cup of cocoa, watching David Letterman or whoever., Despite the stern warning from Judas Priests handlers to be discreet, Halford did try to drop hints about his sexuality in his some of his lyrics although he says there wasn't even a flinch and he wasnt even questioned when his bandmates heard Raw Deal (with its mentions of Fire Island and love with no laws), or Jawbreaker, which he only later realized could be interpreted as an ode to oral sex. Until the tax bills started coming in and I had to give half my money away. But a few years later the band were hit with a lawsuit from the families of two boys who had allegedly killed themselves after listening to Stained Class. But thankfully I stayed and it was all worthwhile in the end. No, one thing Ill never get is when I flew to Spain to audition. The 69-year-old, who came out in an MTV interview in 1998, said that he was first invited to visit the California Marine base in 1991 by a Leatherneck named Hank, who he met at a bar in Marina del Rey, Calif. He had prostatectomy surgery in July 2020 to. He didnt know it, but I went to see him play at the NEC in Birmingham. Have you ever come close to quitting Priest? June 8, 2020. When the band went through Ohio he came to the show. It was at Birmingham Town Hall. On 25-8-1951 Rob Halford (nickname: Metal God) was born in The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, United Kingdom. You work closely with Glenn. I think its somewhere in the office. But he went to rehab and overcame his addictions through his own strength and got on with his life and career. Ian says it was Ella Fitzgerald, Ken [KK] said it was Doris Day, says Halford. Speaking of your house in Walsall, theres a photo on Instagram of you standing outside it, next to a greenhouse. ver: '1.0', They wouldnt give us one, but theyd sell us one for a dollar. We were just having a blast. He is best known as the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 [1] and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! But then the fire marshals got a bit nervous. Robert Halford is openly gay. Yes. In a new chapter for the paperback edition of his 2020 autobiography Confess, the 70-year-old rocker revealed he had prostatectomy surgery in July 2020 and underwent radiation treatments this past April and May after more cancer was discovered. When we recorded Sad Wings Of Destiny [76] we slept in a Transit van outside the studio in London. Yes, it does. Theres a famous photo of the four of you wearing suits and sitting in court. }); We only want a fiver a week. They were good, too. Ill never forget it. How many more Priest albums do you have in you? Born Robert John Arthur Halford on 25th August, 1951 in Walsall, England, UK, he is famous for Judas Priest. I swear. Anyone who was offended by the lyrics didnt get what the song was about. The bassist has been with Priest from the beginning, through thick and thin. Halford tells Yahoo Entertainment that this was, understandably, an extremely troubled period of his life. When I was growing up, gay men were being thrown in jail in England and left there for years. I grew up on the Les Binks era Hell Bent For Leather (aka Killing Machine in Europe) is my favourite album to this day. That cactus has grown incrementally into that shape. Then came the power ballad "Lose Myself" sung by former Journey vocalist Steve Augeri. complete: 1, Robert John Arthur Halford is one of the most renowned English singers and songwriters best recognized as Robert Halford. Its like when youve been drinking beer all your life and somebody goes: Have a shot of Johnnie Walker. Thats what it was like for me, going from booze to having a spliff to cocaine. Ive seen differences of opinion, but it was all constructive. It was purely this great experimentation, just seeing what worked. I think its the basic frame. nodes: [ It was very informal, but for some reason I put a suit on. He came up and said hed have been embarrassed if someone had asked him to just play something. "@id": "https://www.alternativenation.net/category/uncategorized/", .addService(googletag.pubads()); By the time of 1978s Stained Class, the mix-and-match kaftans, trilby hats and womens blouses sported by the nascent Priest were gone, replaced by a heavy-on-the-leather image that was equal parts motorbike gang and S&M dungeon chic. If the quality starts to fall off, theres not much point going on. He genuinely thinks he has finally found the genuine relationship he had spent his entire life looking for. apstag.fetchBids({ Do you ever look back over Priests career and think: How the hell did that happen?, Oh yes. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) Harold said they would go at it for hours when the door was shut. And then for the next hour, every cop in the police department came by the little glass window [and flashed the devil horns]. .addSize([748, 200], [[728, 90]]) .addService(googletag.pubads()); We're a minority, as much as there are minorities in the world, and most minorities get kicked around like a football. We spoke to all the current members about life in one of the greatest metal bands of them all. But you have to get on with life accept and suddenly see things in a different perspective. Posts. They didn't know what was going on" he wrote. I picked it up and said: Who the bloody hell is that? It was Priests management. Thats a hell of a way to start. I gave some money to my parents and bought them a house to thank them and for understanding me not getting a real job. I think theyd been together for about three weeks at that point and already the word was buzzing. I missed them from the very start. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_1', [[300,250],[336,280],[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-1') Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. Help us build our profile of Thomas Pence! You cant escape those three letters. Defenders Of The Faith. That's when I started to suffer.". It was a bunch of ignorant politicians wives. I remember talking to the guys around the time of the Turbo album, saying: Ive got this idea of doing some stuff on the side. They were like: Yeah, we might do that ourselves. Was there a point where you thought: Bloody hell, Im famous!? [Laughs] Hand on heart, I dont think weve ever been able to say weve had fuck-you money. Hes always been an easy-going guy, a pragmatist, a bit like myself. I pleaded guilty, which I should have. I still am. Contribute Who is Thomas Pence dating? Ive been able to achieve so much in my life and reach goals that I wouldnt have done if I hadnt been in Judas Priest. Judas Priest lead singer Rob Halford, who is set for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, is openly gay and is in a relationship with an ex-Marine named Thomas Pence. Judas Priest , British heavy metal band, pose against a dark background, with smoke and light, in a group studio portrait, circa 1978. Rob and Glenn both said you saved the band. But remember, this is the West Midlands, there really wasnt that much going on. They would always ask what I thought. Your first gig with Priest was an appearance on American Idol. But the first time we all had a meeting together was at the Holiday Inn in Swiss Cottage, just to talk about the business plan of the reunion and the record and the rest of it. googletag.defineSlot('/98948493,22548962605/alternativenation_multisize_top_2', [[336,280],[300,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-3901802-2') I have a very murky memory of seeing the band play at the Birmingham College Of Food And Art. ] No. Halford met. I was in the band Racer X. Thats not true. Youd be at some Working Mens Club in the north and theyd be looking over their pints at you, deadpan. Though, he is 5 10 in feet and inches and 180 cm in Centimetres tall, he weighs about 171.9 lbs in Pound and 78 kg in Kilograms. I was down the pub every night. The band are currently marking their Golden Jubilee with a series of US dates, and last month saw a headlining appearance at the UKs Bloodstock Festival. [Laughs] Well, hes a big fan of his own flatulence. 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