I think my heart will always be made of metal, but it would be ignorant of me and kind of foolish to ignore the other emotional connections you can make in all kinds of music.
— Rob Halford
If you go to the gym every day, it's not really good. Your muscles get fatigued. Your vocal cords are muscles - they get burned out, they get tired, so you've got to give them the chance to recover and repair during the night.
The first thing I will say about looking after your voice is get a pair of in-ear monitors because one of the most common problems singers have is trying to hear themselves on stage.
When I was a kid, dealing with trying to discover myself, I didn't have anybody to talk to. I didn't have any Internet and didn't have any friends. You felt very alone and very frightened.
When I listen to Michael Buble, it's exciting; it's inspiring. I feel the same way with Michael Feinstein or Ryan Adams.
Teachers should not need to have to buy books for the kids, or pencils and pens. That's absurd.
I love heavy-metal music more than anything in the world, but I'm equally drawn to Michael Buble or Michael Feinstein.
When we talk about 'Firepower,' we're talking about the fire and power of heavy metal to prevail and endure difficulties. 'Children of the Sun,' is, to some extent, about climate change and the ecosystem... We want to deliver a message to the people without being too much of a teacher.
To have Judas Priest together? It's a real adventure, and we always feel excited when it's time to create a new record.
It's your human right to push back against something you disagree with. You do that by voting for that guy instead of that guy, or that lady instead of that lady.
I was a huge Rick Astley and Bananarama fan.
There's always someone that's dealing with a bigger challenge than you are. You've gotta have perspective.
I pray quite a bit, actually. And even if you don't believe in prayer, just have a go. Pray for a good day, or just pray for your friend, or whatever it might be. And it's amazing, man, 'cause it absolutely works. I guarantee, it genuinely does work.
I think I'm still a lone wolf, internally. And I always will be.
I don't think it's right that there's one set of rules for one individual and another set of rules and laws for another individual. That's not the way the world should work.
Most of humanity just wants to live a peaceful life, don't we?
Sometimes when I'm writing lyrics, it's a very loose train of thought, and wherever that takes me, I let it flow.
Music is there to get you through life's ups and downs, good times and not so good times.
When I come off stage, I just shut up. I try as best I can not to use my voice at all. You know I love to talk, but I try when I come off stage to have the minimum amount of vocal interaction because I need at least a good 10 hours to just recover from my form of extreme singing.
I've been a huge fan of Gaga since she first burst on the scene. I just love everything that lady represents. First and foremost, her voice is extraordinary. I love her voice. She's an accomplished musician. She plays piano really well. She's just a great songwriter. And she's a beacon of hope for a lot of people in the world.
I like Avenged Sevenfold and Five Finger Death Punch, with whom I did a single.
I sing 'Nessun Dorma' when I warm up backstage.
Running away from something doesn't do anything except put distance.
It's fun for musicians to step into each other's world. It's like different football teams - it's the same game but a different play.
We're not a band that takes any kind of political stance. That's not what we're about as Priest. But we're observers of what's going on around us in the world.
Treating one bunch of people this way, and treating this bunch that way. You can't do that. You have to give everybody the same rights.
You've gotta learn to love yourself and live your own life. Then you can go out in the world and try and figure everything else out.
Heavy metal is immortal, but we're not.
When you have the thrill and the pleasure to do something that means so much, you'll do whatever you've gotta do to get to that next gig and play that next song.
When I got clean and sober, that was a major change in my life.
'Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk,' that's my big Emperor album.
The moment I came out as a gay man, I never really thought of the consequences. Of course, the proverbial happened: it hits the newswires, and it's this big, big thing.
I'm not an American citizen, but I live in this country and eventually want to become an American citizen because I love this country so much.
I've always felt that where Priest has been able to get to, it's been down to discipline, our real love and commitment to making the best music that we can make, and never forgetting our fan base.
We're a rock n' roll band. We play heavy metal music. And we want to give you a great time. That's basically how it all boils down.
I chew a special brand of gum that you can't get in America. It's British, and it's called Airwaves. It's a menthol eucalyptus gum that is a very soothing thing for me when I'm singing because I'm swallowing, and it also keeps my sinuses and general upper breathing clear. I've got to be able to hit these clear, clean notes.
I think that the fact of the matter is that metal isn't really part of the big picture of the gay, lesbian, transgender music scene. But it's certainly there. There's gay metalheads all over the world.
I'm drawn to singers who have something different to say vocally, and Adele would be in there.
The fact that there are now gay men and women who can openly serve their country is a wonderful thing.
I kind of have to bite my tongue sometimes with my lyrics.
It doesn't matter how many records you've made; there's always a new experience you can get with a new producer.
This overpowering relief of love conquering any kind of difficulty and hardship in life - that love is forever, even with people that we lost in the physical world.
You can't be dismissive of important things. You have to speak out, even if you don't get the results you would like to have.
The thing about gay people is that until we come out of the closet, we're always protecting other people: 'I can't do this, because it's gonna hurt so-and-so.' We're trying to live the lives of other people, and that's the worst thing you can do.
Oh, I've never gone off into that 'the room's not the right temperature, take this tea back' stuff. I still scrub my own toilet and vacuum the carpet, and I have to be able to push my trolley around Morrisons and do my shopping.
I will always remember the first show I did clean and sober... It was in New Mexico, in Albuquerque. I literally felt elevated, as everything was coming with such clarity.
I think I've improved in a lot of ways because of being able to stay clean and sober.
Criticism, maybe cynicism, is just rampant in music, in creativity. Everybody has a perception and a set of opinions based on what that piece of music is doing to them internally.
When you're a musician, one of the things that comes to you in the beginning that is quite unexpected is the reaction from your fans, and to the way your music plays an important part in their life in figuring things out.
This band isn't mostly about being a political protest band. We want to entertain; we want to give you a good time. At the same time, if you look through the history of Priest, there's always been an intelligent factor.
