[Iconic vocalist and Metal God] Rob Halford was thrilled to learn that Judas Priest had once again been nominated for induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — a third time he had hoped would be a charm.
“It’s a buzz,” Halford told The Arizona Republic in March...
…In May, Halford learned that Judas Priest had gotten in without actually being inducted as performers, receiving a bit of a consolation prize.
The Musical Excellence Award is, according to the rock hall’s website, presented to “artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music…”
…on a Zoom call from Slovakia, during a conversation about the making of Screaming for Vengeance [when asked about the award], he said.
Question: How did it feel to be given the Musical Excellence Award by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year?
Rob Halford: (laughs). You really want to know, Ed?
Q: Yes, I really want to know.
Rob Halford: Why haven’t they given us the the same title as all of our friends. Black Sabbath, for example. There’s a different tag, isn’t there?
Q: There is a different tag. That’s why I wondered how you felt about it.
Rob Halford: Well, yeah, I was pissed. I was a bit pissed. At the end of the day, does it matter? Some days, I go, ‘No, it doesn’t matter. We’re in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Be grateful. Shut the hell up.’
And then there are other days where I’m like, ‘God damn, why did they give us the Musical Excellence Award?’ Because it sounds very, you know, grandiose. ‘The Musical Excellence Award, reserved for blah, blah, blah.’
And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I want to be with that bunch of musicians over there that have got the performance or whatever it is that they’ve got.’ I don’t know why they gave us the Musical Excellence Award. I have no clue.
I just felt a little bit like, ‘Well, Sabbath got this. So why can’t we have that?’ Not that I’m jealous of Sabbath. I’m just talking about this tag that they give it.
Why do they put these tags on the damn thing? Why don’t they go, ‘Welcome. You’re in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame‘ and leave it at that.
A lot of our fans went, ‘What the hell?’ ‘Oh, you know, they’re a great band. They are an excellent band.’ ‘But why put the musical excellence? Why don’t you give them like everybody else has got?’
Q: Yeah, I was disappointed that they gave you that because I thought…
Rob Halford: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Q: I thought, well, now, they’re not gonna induct them for real, right? Because they took care of it with this Musical Excellence Award. Like, I’d rather them not have given you anything because then maybe next year you get inducted. That was my thinking.
Rob Halford: My thinking exactly, Ed. I don’t know. It’s as though we got this far. We’re, like, one step away, you know? I know it’s silly, but it’s just frustrating.
Q: It is. I feel for you. For real.
Rob Halford: And on the other side, it’s like, ‘Great. Everybody else got that and we got shafted with this.’ (laughs) Judas Priest are still the Rodney Dangerfield of heavy metal. They can’t get no respect.
Read more at the Arizona Republic.
3 Responses
Yes, all of us Priest fans felt that way. It was if the Rock Hall was throwing the band a bone, and presenting them with a consolation prize
Since they are my favorite band, I was highly offended by the slight, and continue to admonish this elitist institution. They have their heads so far up their snotty behinds, they literally have excrement for “brains.”
Agree 100% Dana! Elitist liberal institution hands down. I used to think this place mattered especially being a big Kiss fan prior to the current lineup period. But at the end of the day it really doesn’t matter. What matters is people buying Priest’s or any other of their favorite artists music all these years. Or hanging their posters in their bedrooms as kids or man caves as adults. And of course the thousands of sold out shows over the course of their career. That’s what matters.
I agree, but it seems to matter to the bands. You can tell when they are asked about being passed over for induction, underneath, it bothers them. Personally, I think passing gas has more merit than being passed over by this douchey institution.