Rob Halford

I was in several bands before I joined Judas Priest. Being in those early unknown bands were the stepping stones, really, so I learned a lot in those short few years jumping from one band to another.

I just love to sing. It makes me feel great, so I'm gonna keep going.

It's a very empowering kind of music, heavy metal is.

I love all that kind of gothic Bram Stoker kind of thing. I love to get lost in that kind of escapism.

As far as putting a rating on music like you do movies, I can see the common sense in that.

With 'Defenders,' we had some very barebones ideas, but the bulk of it came together very quickly over in Ibiza. The main thing I like about that record, looking back on it now, is the change in the texture of the production from 'Screaming For Vengeance.'

I love early blues like Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf. I listened to the way these people sang, and it was just beautiful - straight from the soul. That, for me, was an inspiration.

Making a record is an intimate experience. A good producer can get things out of you that you can't get out of yourself.

Some songs are dead easy, and others can be quite challenging. Other times, you just have to put it in the bin.

It's best to keep things as free and open as you can. It's good to have a template, but then you go back and dissect it and see where you can make improvements. That's pretty much been the case with every Priest song that's ever been written.

I've often talked about metal being the underdog in rock n' roll music.

We've always had this fantastic relationship with America.

I never tire of the drive from Phoenix to San Diego, and it is mostly desert, obviously, but you get different varieties of desert terrain.

If I was a billionaire, I'd have a warehouse full of Ferrari and Lamborghini, but I'm not.

I'm not a frugal person, but I find it difficult to be extravagant materially.

That's the life, really, isn't it? You write. You record. You play. And it never grows old.

I love people. I love being in a band. I love making music.

I think I'm still a lone wolf, internally. And I always will be.

I didn't pass my driving test till I was 38!

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.