Pierre Robert and Rob Halford are kindred spirits: lovers of all things loud, believers in the power of music, and bearers of beautiful beards. The two caught up before Judas Priest‘s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour arrived in Philadelphia to discuss all of this and more – watch the conversation in Studio Z below.
When Pierre asked The Metal God about the band’s nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Halford gave all the credit to the fans:
“Third time’s the charm! We’ll see… The fans are the key here… Obviously, much like the Grammys, there are some other people that are involved in the final decision, but the fans are the driving force. This really should be more about the fans than the actual bodies in the chairs in the board rooms… In my opinion, once you’re eligible, it should be left entirely in the hands of the fans… That’s not the way it works in the big picture. But it is important for fans to understand that your voice, your vote, it matters, you know?”
Even though he’s keeping his expectations in check, Halford admitted he’s excited at the possibility of making it into the Rock Hall this time around:
“I check (the fan vote) every day. The last thing I do at the end of the day is have a quick look… Talking of Lionel (Richie, fellow nominee), when I looked last night, we were number six… and we just blipped a bit above Lionel, so it’s kind of a jostling match between Priest and Richie (laughs) which is kinda cool.”
The Priest frontman also gave an update on his health and talked about his tell-all memoir Confess, which you can pick up here. Watch the full interview below, and don’t miss Judas Priest at The Met Philly on March 29th. He left us with these inspiring words:
“You are never alone… You are surrounded by love. It’s there, happening right now.”
