The Metal God has written his bible — of a sort.
Rob Halford, the Judas Priest frontman who actually owns the trademark to the term Metal God, his put down the microphone and picked up a pen for “Confess; The Autobiography,” which publishes Tuesday, Sept. 29 and, in 360 pages, reviews what’s certainly be an eventful life. Judas Priest and heavy metal are, of course, the books central focus, but Halford also dives into his sexuality and abuse he suffered when he was young, addiction and alcoholism, a suicide attempt that led him to get clean and unlikely encounters with the likes of Andy Warhol, Superman, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Queen Elizabeth II and others.
Halford and Priest were also supposed to be on the road this year, celebrating the group’s 50th anniversary. But Halford, 69 — who has homes in Arizona and the U.K. — is still happy to “Confess,” and shed some insightful light from the lap of this particular musical god…
* Why a book? “Like a lot of people in the music business you get approached periodically about the memoir, the autobiography, and it started for me while I was in my 40s. I kept pushing back, saying the time’s not right yet. I wanted to get some more heavy metal road miles in my life before I felt like I’m ready to tell my story. So now, as I get into my seventh decade, it just feels the right time to do it. I think that most of the big stuff that’s happened in my life has probably happened.”
* Halford also hopes “Confess” will counter any “innuendo and urban myths” about him, as well as the possibility of other unauthorized biographies down the line. “For most people you want the truth. You want the facts, from the source, and this is the best way to go about it. It’s just a little bit of a deeper insight into me as a person. I’d like to feel there are moments in there that readers can kid of reflect on by association — especially the coming to terms with my sexuality and the addictive side of alcohol and drugs. I’m not the only person that’s gone through those very heavy experiences, and I won’t be the last. That’s why it’s called ‘Confess;’ When confess to get the true experience of what a confession can bring you, which is primarily some kind of peace and balance. So you don’t hold anything back.”
* Halford made headlines when he came out publicly as gay in 1998 after years of living in fear it would ruin both his and Judas Priest’s prospects in the macho and testosterone-fueled world of heavy metal. “I count my blessing in terms of the acceptance; For some people it’s the opposite way entirely. I read about them all the time, particularly young people getting kicked out of the house because their parents are so appalled and shocked by the revelation. One of the misconceptions about me is that the way I dress, the leather and all of that, was kind of like an obvious statement about my sexuality, which was never the case. It was just a look I thought worked for the band and for (heavy) metal, that’s all.”
* One of Halford’s favorite anecdotes in “Confess” is meeting Queen Elizabeth II during a 2005 reception for British musicians at Buckingham Palace — where she memorably asked him, “Heavy metal — why does it have to be so loud?” “It’s still a vivid, indelible memory,” Halford says now. “I’ve always been a Royalist, so that wonderful opportunity to go to this magnificent, opulent palace in London, a palace that I’ve known since I was a little kid, was like living a dream to some extent. And it was lovely, just beautiful. I think my mum was more excited than I was; My mum, bless her soul, was always a staunch Royalist, so she was over the moon her son was going to meet Her Majesty the Queen.”
* Judas Priest has rescheduled its tour dates for 2021 — “If we’re able to be back on the road, which we can’t be sure of yet,” Halford says. In the meantime, the group has started working on new music and a follow-up album to 2018’s “Firepower.” “We had a fantastic writing session at the start of the year. We got so much stuff down it was unbelievable. After the wonderful reception we got with ‘Firepower,’ we just wanted to get motoring along and get a couple writing sessions under our belt and then go into pre-production. And everything (stopped) in March, didn’t it? So now we Zoom each other. We’re just gonna have to wait like everyone else before we make the next move.”
