Esquire Magazine asked Eddie who his ten favorite That Metal Show guests were, his list appears below. To read Eddie’s explanation about the artists not appearing here, click on their highlighted names to read why they made Eddie’s top ten.

10. Lita Ford

“Back in 2008, I had just gotten the show together. We were going to shoot a pilot, not knowing if it was going to get picked up or aired. I needed to reach out to someone who was not overexposed. Someone people were really wondering about, someone who’d be a good reveal. So I got Lita Ford for our first episode, which was that pilot. She’d moved away to a private island with her then-husband, raised some kids, and kinda gone off the grid. I always call Lita my good luck charm. Because getting her on and having her on that first episode was part of the reason why the show got picked up. It set the good omen for the show that continues to this day.”

9. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Ace Frehley

8. Jani Lane

“We had Jani [the late, alcohol-plagued lead singer of Warrant] on one of the last shows he ever did. I saw no telltale signs of any distress or him being impaired or anything. But when I gave him a hug goodbye, he seemed very thin and frail. And passed away before the show even aired. But one of the things that really resonated with me about that show? A few weeks after, I was doing an appearance in Ohio. Jani was from Ohio, originally. I was in my dressing room, getting ready to go out and do whatever it was I had to do, and a guy came in and said Jani Lane’s brother is here and wants to know if he can see you for a second. I said sure. So he came in and told me how appreciative he was that the last thing that anyone saw of his brother was that he was being treated respectfully. Not just, ‘Here’s the Cherry Pie guy.’ Obviously, he was very sorry that his brother passed away, but he was glad that the last time anyone saw him, was on my show, being treated in a respectful manner.”

7. Ronnie James Dio

“Having Ronnie on was always very memorable for me. People always thought of Ronnie as this metal icon, which he was, but he also had a great sense of humor. An example? He liked to take the piss as the British would say. He told me that he went to see U2. And Bono went into one of his heavy moments and started clapping his hands and said, ‘Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies. What should we do about this?’ Ronnie turned to the guy he was with and said, ‘Maybe he should stop clapping his fucking hands!’ Ronnie told me he didn’t believe in using the stage for any sort of messages.”

6. Axl Rose

5. Brian Johnson

4. Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony

“Another guy, like Brian Johnson, who’s fun is Sammy Hagar. One time he came on with [former Van Halen bassist] Michael Anthony. We actually had them on twice. But after the first time, Sammy kept getting on me that I wasn’t tough enough with Michael. You know, ‘This guy got fucked by Van Halen more than I did. You gotta pull that stuff outta him, man. Let him tell the story.’ So I said to Sammy, ‘The next time you come on the show, you interview him!’ Sure enough Sammy told me he wanted to do it again and he wanted to be a co-host. Somehow we talked Michael into doing it. We had a blast. Sammy going to Michael, ‘How’d you get kicked out of Van Halen? How badly did you get screwed?’ We had so much fun.”

3. Mick Mars

2. Tony Iommi

1. Dokken

“That band was George Lynch [guitarist] and Don Dokken [singer]. George and Don have had lots of problems over the years. They’ve never gotten along. They both expressed interest in reuniting, but they could never pull it together. I started massaging this idea with both of them and said, ‘Hey guys, how cool would it be to come on the show, announce a reunion, go out on tour, and make a bunch of money?’ I finally got them to agree to come on the show and sit next to each other. These are two guys who really don’t like each other. It had probably been 10 years since they’d sat and talked with each other. They came on, with the intention of announcing their reunion. As they were walking toward the set, before the cameras start rolling, they’re already disagreeing on how the news should be broken and whether this was the right time to announce the reunion. We didn’t really know what was gonna happen. But when we got out on the set, I asked them, ‘Well, since you’re here, does this mean what we think? Is the band back?’ And they kinda disagreed about that, right on camera. And I finally say, ‘Are you guys breaking up on camera, before you’ve really reformed?’ They didn’t really know how to respond. We got through the show and it was over. The reunion lasted about 30 minutes. On camera.”

source: esquire.com

Kicking off what’s guaranteed to be the best season of That Metal Show yet, VH1 Classic’s centerpiece in original programming returns this Saturday, February 21st at 9:00PM ET/PT, repeating at 11:00PM ET/PT. The acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal talk show, hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson, and Jim Florentine returns for its fourteenth season this weekend.

The debut episode marks the return of Rush’s Geddy Lee for the first time since the show’s inaugural season. Geddy discusses various topics including the upcoming Rush R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour, the band’s historic career, and what fans can expect from Rush moving forward. “We’re at a point in our career where we have to slow down,” admits Lee on the show. The hosts also get Geddy to “Rank” his favorite Rush albums with surprising results. (Moving Pictures is Geddy’s favorite). Geddy also opens up about his love for The Who and his idol John Entwistle when he takes part in the Put It On The Table round of questions.

The episode also features Dream Theater’s John Petrucci making his debut on his signature 7-string guitar. The riff master updates the hosts on Dream Theater and even talks about how he took himself away from the recording of the new Dream Theater album to be there to meet Geddy Lee. John even joins the panel for the Throwdown, where everyone debates their favorite Rush Live album, All The World’s A Stage vs. Exit…Stage Left.

The return of Stump The Trunk has some exciting surprises, but Eddie demonstrates that he hasn’t lost his step and can still keep up with the audience. Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott makes a surprise cameo during the TMS Top 5 where the hosts and Joe discuss their favorite 70’s British Rock Bands. UFO (shocker), Black Sabbath, and Mott The Hoople all make the cut when the dust settles and Ms. Box Of Junk Jennifer regains order against the arguing hosts.

This year, a new segment will premiere on-line called That After Show. This new segment features an additional discussion from the episode and takes fans deeper into the stories of their favorite artists like they’ve never seen before. The debut of That After Show consists of a nervous John Petrucci interviewing his idol Geddy Lee about Rush’s songwriting process. Fans can watch That After Show as well as previous episodes and other exclusive bonus clips at ThatMetalShow.VH1.com and the new VH1 app.

Season 14 will mark the return of some notable faces in hard rock/heavy metal and contain a large group of first timers as well. Some Season 14 guests will include Frank Bello/Charlie Benante/Scott Ian of Anthrax, John 5, Chris Jericho, Kerry King of Slayer, Dave Lombardo formerly of Slayer and now with Philm, Zakk Wylde, Michael Schenker, Ace Frehley, and Frankie Banali. This season marks first-time appearances for punk rock legend Marky Ramone, rap icon Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC, Gary Holt of Slayer/Exodus, Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless, Max Cavalera of Soulfly, Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad, and Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides. Motörhead and David Coverdale from Whitesnake are confirmed to appear on the show via the “Metal Modem.” More guest confirmations will be announced at a later date.

Audience tickets for upcoming tapings are now available via Gotham Casting at gothamcasting.com/gothamrsvp.

Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings have signed virtuoso guitarist/composer/pro- ducer Steve Vai to a new multi-album agreement which includes plans to issue two fresh Vai sets in 2015 beginning with the release of Stillness In Motion – Vai Live in L.A. on April 7th. See preview below.

Vai’s first release under the new SONY/Legacy agreement will be Stillness In Motion – Vai Live in L.A., a spectacular performance recorded October 12th, 2012 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Available in 2CD and 2DVD configurations, Stillness In Motion revisits the 49th concert from Vai’s monumental Story of Light World Tour.

Running from 2012 through 2014, The Story of Light World Tour totaled out at 253 engagements (including shows, master classes and concerts with various orchestras) in 52 countries.

In addition to the full Club Nokia performance, the 2DVD configuration of Stillness In Motion includes a bonus disc premiering The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief), a revelatory video diary comprised of more than three and a half hours of footage, lensed around the world on-stage, off-stage and behind-the-scenes during Vai’s epic Story of Light World Tour.

“To say that this tour was a powerful life experience would be like saying the sun is hot,” writes Steve Vai in his personal liner notes penned for Stillness In Motion.

Following Stillness In Motion, SONY/Legacy will release an album of new Steve Vai material, marking a significant next chapter in the musician’s growing canon.

The new multi-album deal marks an SME homecoming for Vai, who set the gold and platinum standard for rock instrumental music across a series of albums released through Relativity and Epic Records from 1990′s game-changing Passion and Warfare (his 2nd album and 1st major label release) through 2007′s orchestral Sound Theories, Vol. I & II.

Stillness In Motion – Vai Live in L.A. track listing:

2 CD Edition

Disc 1

1. Intro/Racing the World
2. Velorum
3. Band Intros
4. Building the Church
5. Tender Surrender
6. Gravity Storm
7. Weeping China Doll
8. John the Revelator
9. The Moon and I
10. The Animal
11. Whispering a Prayer

Disc 2

1. The Audience Is Listening
2. Rescue Me or Bury Me
3. Sisters
4. Treasure Island
5. Salamanders In the Sun
6. Pusa Road
7. Frank
8. The Ultra Zone (CD Version)
9. Build Me a Song L.A.
10. For The Love of God
11. Taurus Bulba

2 DVD Edition

Disc 1

1. Intro/Racing the World
2. Velorum
3. Band Intros
4. Building the Church
5. Tender Surrender
6. Gravity Storm
7. The Trillium’s Launch
8. Weeping China Doll
9. John the Revelator
10. The Moon and I
11. The Animal
12. Whispering a Prayer
13. The Audience Is Listening 14. Where Are We
15. Rescue Me or Bury Me
16. Sisters
17. Treasure Island
18. Beastly Rap
19. Salamanders In the Sun
20. Pusa Road
21. Earthquake Sky, Drum Solo 22. I’m Tired
23. The Ultra Zone
24. Frank

Disc 2

1. Build Me a Song L.A.
2. For the Love of God
3. Taurus Bulba

Story of Light Tour: The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief)

4. Leg 1 (Rehearsals/USA)
5. Leg 2 (Europe/Eastern Europe)
6. Leg 3 (Vegas/Netherlands/Russia/Ukraine/Europe)
7. Leg 4 (Australia/NZ/Indonesia/China/S. Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Thailand) 8. Leg 5 (Europe…again)
9. Leg 6 (USA…again)
10. Leg 7 (Mexico/South America/China)
11. Leg 8 (Vegas/Singapore/Malaysia/Israel/Europe/Russia/Ukraine) 12. Leg 9 (USA/St. Barths/Japan/France/Poland)

Vai will be hosting his second Vai Academy — the ultimate guitar experience — August 2nd-6th, in beautiful Vail, Colorado, at The Arrabelle at Vail Square. With the theme All About The Guitar set for this year, attendees will spend four days and nights discovering the intricacies of the guitar while enjoying once-in-a-lifetime clinics, workshops and jams from the likes of Vai and his handpicked guest instructors, including special guests Eric Johnson and Sonny Landreth. Musi- cians of all ages and levels are welcome. For more information, visit www.vaiacademy.com. Closing out the week of Vai Academy, Vai will headline Electric Day at Guitar Town on August 9th in Copper Mountain, Colorado, at The Village at Copper. The free annual festival will also include performances that weekend by Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Sonny Landreth, John Jorgen- son and Andy McKee, among others.

A 1954 Les Paul Gibson guitar known as “Black Beauty” has sold at auction for $335,500.

Guernsey’s auction house says the six-string instrument with gold-plated hardware set the standard for other Les Paul Gibson guitars.
Modal Trigger

Paul was a jazz, country and blues guitarist. He made frequent modifications to his basic guitar over the years, refining the sound.

Paul, whose hit songs include How High the Moon, played his instruments in concerts, recordings and on the Les Paul and Mary Ford television show. He died in 2009.

There was no pre-sale estimate for the “Black Beauty” guitar, and Guernsey’s could not provide the name of the buyer.

The auction record for a guitar belongs to the Fender Stratocaster that Bob Dylan played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It sold for $965,000 in 2013.

Paul collaborated on his original design with Gibson after the guitar maker approached him about making an electric guitar bearing his name.

The auctioneer calls it the most significant electric guitar ever made.

Years ago, Paul gave the instrument to his friend, guitar technician and builder Tom Doyle of Wantage, New Jersey.

Guernsey’s president, Arlan Ettinger, said the Les Paul guitar is considered a “Holy Grail” among musicians because it gave birth to thousands of instruments that bear his name.

[Ed’s note: I thought this news story would be of some interest, since a lot of hard rock guitarists play Les Pauls. Of course one of my favorites, John Sykes, has played a 1978 model Gibson Les Paul Custom for decades, and in 2006, Gibson released a “John Sykes” model signature Les Paul, based upon this guitar.]

source: The Associated Press via Page Six of the New York Post

With That Metal Show premiering season 14 on Saturday, February 21st, Eddie has been flooded with interview requests. Portions of his latest one, with Jason Price of Icon Vs. Icon, appear below.

Icon Vs. Icon: You live, breathe and work in music. You spread the word of hard rock and heavy metal through many mediums and spend plenty of time out and about delivering the message. I imagine it can be overwhelming at times. Do you ever need to distance yourself from it?

Eddie: The good thing is when I come home, my wife is not into this music. [laughs] She is not a hard rock or metal person and is kind of indifferent about it all. She will have some interest and curiosity in what I am doing, where I am going or a record I may have with me but she doesn’t really care about going to shows and isn’t consumed with it in any way. That is a really good thing for me because, like anything, no matter how much you love something you need to have some time away from it and time to focus on other things that are important to you. When I get home from whatever I am doing, it is definitely not about Stump The Trunk. [laughs] It’s definitely not about any of that. It’s about regular family stuff. It is a good disconnect, but it is hard. I say that because the world we are in today, with technology, you are constantly connected. My day usually starts somewhere around 10:30 or 11:00 o’clock in the morning when I turn on my computer and sometimes you don’t get that disconnect from that world until as late as 11 o’clock at night. With all the things I do, I am kind of a one-man operation. I do a lot of things beyond the hosting stuff and I don’t really have a team or a staff, so I am busy in a lot of different angles of it. I like that but it can be all consuming at times.

Icon Vs. Icon: What is the best lesson aspiring rock journalists can take away from the story of Eddie Trunk?

Eddie: I would say, stick to your guns, be persistent and don’t be afraid to have a voice. Don’t be afraid, if you are asked, to give an opinion. Don’t be afraid to go against the grain a little bit. I think we are in this world where everybody is so PC and is afraid to give an opinion that might differ from the next guy’s. Everyone seems so afraid to rock the apple cart. Because of social media, people worry that everyone is going to pile on and attack you. You know what? That may happen! But who cares? That means they are paying attention. If you are willing to roll with that and take the heat, great! I’m not saying to make stuff up or to do stuff to create shock value, I am saying that it is OK if you have a different view or opinion. I think that people with strong opinions who are a little bit outspoken and aren’t afraid to stand out from the crowd have a little bit better chance of getting somewhere because there is a lot of over-saturation right now. The media is so over-saturated. Everybody has a podcast. Everybody has an online magazine. Everybody has some sort of outlet. What is real and what isn’t? What has an audience and what doesn’t have an audience? Where are the voices that people actually care about and listen to? There are so many people out there claiming to be media who really aren’t because they are looking for something for free. You have to try and cut through all that clutter. It is very difficult. I don’t begrudge anybody who is out there trying to get their start or are at the early parts of their career because everybody was there at some point, including myself. I just think there is a lot of misdirection out there and people who are claiming to have media outlets that really don’t and are just looking to talk to somebody or get some type of free perks. I think cutting through all that is difficult. Everybody can have an outlet but not everybody can have an audience for it. I think building that audience and staying true to it is the most important thing you can do and to try to create something unique.

Icon Vs. Icon: That leads to my next question. How have the changes in the music industry through the years impacted what you do along the way?

Eddie: Aside from the over-saturation I just mentioned, on the business side, there are so many bands now. Again, because of technology, everybody has the ability to make music in their house. The sheer volume of music coming through is hard to keep up with. Honestly, a lot of it isn’t all that good. The downside of it is that there is some of it that is really good but it is getting lost in the shuffle. It used to be that having a CD or a record deal meant something. It meant that you had arrived at a certain point and it already had edited out some of the lesser artists who hadn’t accomplished anything yet. That is all gone now. It doesn’t matter if you have a record deal or not. Anyone can produce music as a download, a CD or whatever they want to distribute it as. It is really hard to navigate through all that stuff. Then you have guys in major bands who have four or five other bands on the side. How do you even keep up with it all? How much of it is real? How much of it is going to last past a month? You just really have to be on your game to see through all of the bullshit and say, “OK. This is something worthwhile. There is a reason to engage with it.” Or “This is going to be gone in a week and forgotten about.” Unfortunately, 90% of it seems like it is gone after a week and forgotten about. The independent promotion person’s retainer is up, the publicity person’s retainer is up, the band doesn’t want to put anymore money into the album they just made and in a few weeks, it is gone and forgotten about. It is really hard as a fan to navigate through all of that and if you are in any level of the media because these guys are all looking for a chance to sell their stuff. It is coming at you in waves and it is very difficult to navigate what is real and what is not. So, I think there are a lot of pros and cons to what has happened with technology, the way music is delivered and the media. It is just a question of cutting through a lot of the static and trying to focus on stuff that is worthwhile and meaningful.

Icon Vs. Icon: I know you lend your voice to charity from time to time. What do you have going on in that realm at the moment?

Eddie: What I have coming up in May is the fifth anniversary of Ronnie James Dio’s passing. His wife and the foundation in his name, The Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, is putting together a weekend of events out in Los Angeles to benefit his fund. The fund goes toward helping those with cancer. It is a great cause and, ever since it was formed five years ago, I have been honored to be a part of and always help out whenever I am called upon. Five years ago, I was lucky enough to be asked by Wendy [Dio] to host a lot of events, including Ronnie’s public memorial. It was a huge honor to do that. She has asked me to come out in May and help out and engage in the activities for the fifth anniversary. That is going to be a great weekend for a great guy and a great cause. I know she has a bowling event planned, a motorcycle ride and a public memorial at the place where he is buried. All of this stuff is done to help the charity and I am really honored to be a part of it. That is what is coming up in May for me, as far as charitable stuff. There are also many things that come on to my radar all the time and if I can help, find the time and do something, I certainly do. I just met the other day with a friend who asked me to sign a bunch of books and stuff to help out Sloan Kettering Pediatrics. I am very fortunate that I have been able to make a career doing what I love and I’m very fortunate to have such a supporting audience. If there is a way I can give back at times and help out, I am more than happy to do so.

Read Eddie’s entire interview with Icon Vs. Icon, here.

source: iconvsicon.com

The Atlas Music Group has signed Eddie and Alex Van Halen to a worldwide publishing administration deal. The publishing deal is for Van Halen‘s entire music catalog, excluding the band’s last album, entitled A Different Kind of Truth.

Atlas Music Group CEO, Rich Stumpf, spoke to Billboard about its new deal with Van Halen. “This deal has been a long time coming. I have been after Irvin Azoff (manager for the Van Halen brothers) and Peter Paterno (the brothers’ lawyer) for five years, to find out if there would ever be an opportunity to work with the Van Halen catalog,” Stumpf told Billboard. He continued, “They are my favorite all-time band so this is kind of a surreal moment where my professional and personal lives are coming together.”

Stumpf also said Van Halen is the most important band the company has ever signed, since it was launched in 2013. “It speaks volumes that after being with one company for thirty years that they have chosen to move to an independent music publisher. This [deal] is an important moment not just for us but for the independent music publishing community,” Stumpf stated to Billboard.

The CEO said he is really looking forward to getting Van Halen’s music in films, television, and commercials. “This is a premium catalog, so we will look for the right films and brand advertisers to place their music with,” Stumpf told Billboard. Atlas Music Group is hoping to reach younger consumers with Van Halen’s music. “That is how you maintain the value of the (legendary artists) catalog by reaching the younger generations that come along,” the CEO stated. He added, “A lot of the decision makers themselves are young so we will have to educate them on the importance of Van Halen, and not just their many hits.”

Now that Atlas Music Group has added Van Halen to their roster, the company’s catalog has increased to 4,000 songs. Last year, Atlas and Nashville publisher, Combustion Music, created a joint-venture. That joint-venture increased Atlas Music Group’s team to 25-30 active songwriters, and the publishing company currently has fifteen staff members in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.

Eddie Van Halen recently spoke at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History about innovation as part of the national What It Means To Be American program in a sold-out event.

When asked by Rolling Stone about the current plans for the band, Van Halen replied, “I’d love to make a studio record. Depends on everybody’s timing. I don’t know what Dave Lee Roth is up to now. I don’t know if he’s living in New York or Japan or wherever he is.”

additional source: bravewords.com

As previously reported, Judas Priest will be releasing a remastered expanded version of 1984’s Defenders of the Faith on March 10th.

Watch a clip of singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill and guitarist Glenn Tipton discussing the album and the song Love Bites below.

To read all about this upcoming release, please click here.

In related news, The Metal God revealed in a recent interview that his favorite Judas Priest album is 1976’s Sad Wings of Destiny.

Iron Maiden have released the following statement via their official website:

“Just before Christmas, Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson visited his doctor for a routine check-up. This led to tests and biopsies which revealed a small cancerous tumour at the back of his tongue. A seven week course of chemotherapy and radiology treatment was completed yesterday. As the tumour was caught in the early stages, the prognosis thankfully is extremely good. Bruce’s medical team fully expect him to make a complete recovery with the all clear envisaged by late May. It will then take a further few months for Bruce to get back to full fitness. In the meantime we would ask for your patience, understanding and respect for Bruce and his family’s privacy until we update everyone by the end of May. Bruce is doing very well considering the circumstances and the whole team are very positive.”

Raven will release its new album, ExtermiNation, in Scandinavia on April 22nd, in Germany on April 24th, in the rest of Europe on April 27th and in North America on April 28th through SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available as a digipak version (including one bonus track), 2LP gatefold green vinyl version and as a digital download.

ExtermiNation combines the melody/chaos/musicianship/lunacy that defines the band with songs that are simply the best they have done in decades. Rivaling the “holy trinity” of those early albums, and again working with the engineering metal mastermind who is Kevin 131 (Walk Through Fire) – the band have taken their game to the next level..this may well be their 41st anniversary but these guys are only just getting started.

In commemoration of Bon Scott`s death 35 years ago today, Raven release a snippet of their new song Thunder Down Under. You can listen to the snippet here.

ExtermiNation tracklisting Digi:

1. Destroy All Monsters
2. Tomorrow
3. It`s Not What You Got
4. Fight
5. Battle March/Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red)
6. Feeding The Monster
7. Fire Burns Within
8. Scream
9. One More Day
10. Thunder Down Under
11. No Surrender
12. Golden Dawn
13. Silver Bullet
14. River Of No Return
15. Malice In Geordieland (Bonus Track)

ExtermiNation tracklisting 2LP:

LP 1:
Side 1:

1. Destroy All Monsters
2. Tomorrow
3. It`s Not What You Got
4. Fight

Side 2:

1. Battle March/Tank Treads (The Blood Runs Red)
2. Feeding The Monster
3. Fire Burns Within
4. Scream

LP 2:
Side 1:

1. One More Day
2. Thunder Down Under
3. No Surrender
4. Golden Dawn

Side 2:

1. Silver Bullet
2. River Of No Return
3. Malice In Geordieland (Bonus Track)

Raven live 2015:

3.6 MX-Mexico City – El Circo Volador
3.7 CO-Bogota – Thrash La Union Festival
3.8 CO-Pereira – Thrash La Union Festival
3.11 PE-Lima – Wairuru Club
3.13 BR-Sorocaba – Priliampus Bar
3.15 BR-Sao Paulo – Manifesto Bar
3.27 FI-Helsinki – Club Pkrl
3.28 B-Genk – Iron Steel Fest
3.31 D-Hamburg – Hafenklang

4.1 D-Bremen – Meisenfrei
4.2 D-Oberhausen – Helvete
4.3 NL-Helmond – Cacaofabriek
4.4 NL-Staadskanal – Very Eavy Fest

For more on Raven, please visit ravenlunatics.com.

Alex Distefano of the OC Weekly spoke with the Metal God, Rob Halford of Judas Priest. The brief interview appears in its entirety below.

OC Weekly: Of the 17 full albums you’ve done with Judas Priest, what is your favorite and why?

Rob Halford: I get asked that quite a bit and I have to say Sad Wings of Destiny is my personal favorite, I really love that album. It has a lot of good things going for it, and it’s an important album for us as a band and for heavy metal music in general it’s just a very solid and representation of a lot of the best of Priest, the riffs, the tempo the songwriting and vocals. It’s still stands the test of time and is one of my personal favorites to this day, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love our other works.

OC Weekly: What was it about the shows in Long Beach [California], 30 years ago, that were so special?

Rob Halford: There are certain shows that a band performs in their career, that somehow keep and transcend the elements to produce magic on stage. That was certainly the case for us in Long Beach, 30 years ago. Everybody came to play their role for those shows, and those nights came out smoothly. Something about the scene in that moment in Sothern California, and there was just this fervor for anything heavy metal. With Priest, we were touring on a record that was a follow up to Screaming for Vengeance. Like any band, you just have to find the right audience, but for us it seemed to all just coalesce perfectly for those performances in Long Beach.

OC Weekly: Tell us how it came about that Judas Priest was featured on an episode of the Simpsons last year. Are you a fan of the show?

Rob Halford: I am a fan of the Simpsons, I’ve watched them for years. And, I was just at some Grammy parties, with some of the long time producers of the Simpsons, and one, who is a metal head, and we were talking about how important and far reaching heavy metal music is. Judas Priest as a band, loved to be a part of it. I watched the episode the other night and I love it. But the Simpsons has had all sorts of rock bands and musicians on the show, from all genres of music.

OC Weekly: As a singer, how do you keep in shape to be able to tour and perform night after night?

Rob Halford: Well if you’re a singer it’s even more physically demanding, and intense, so it’s so important to maintain your health. Back in my drinking and drugging days I did a lot of abuse to my body, but today as a metal head in this time of my life, I am more focused on being healthy by exercising, sleeping enough, and eating right. I know what I have to do, and what I need to perform every show we play.

OC Weekly: When you started the band many years ago, did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine it would turn out to be this massive, important and influential?

Rob Halford: No not at all. And that is the best way to approach this. It’s great to have dreams and be ambitious, but it’s not a guarantee to have a long career in rock n roll. There is a risky part to what we do. But, it should always come from having passion in whatever type of music. When we began Priest, we never had any idea it would turn into the beast it became. You have to work hard, practice a ton and never give up. Good music always lasts. But, I’ll tell you this much, we could not have done it without our fan base. They are all around the world now and they push us to keep going. We love them all.

Judas Priest’s latest album, Redeemer Of Souls, was released on July 8th and landed at the number six position on The Billboard 200 chart.

source: ocweekly.com