Rob Halford (Judas Priest) on Gaga

[Nite 4,927]

Rob Halford (lead vocalist of Judas Priest) gave an interview recently and mentioned Gaga once again: 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/judas-priest-houston-rob-halford-sugar-land-show-19850240.php

You've talked about being a fan of pop music. Who's currently on your playlist?

Chappell (Roan) is amazing. I turned on to Gaga instantly. Her talent is just extraordinary. And she says she's a huge fan of Chappell. The way that the torch is passed from performer to performer, artist to artist, it's a beautiful thing to do. What's remarkable about people like Gaga or Taylor Swift is their longevity. They're called pop artists. Is that the right word to call them? I don't know. But pop, for as long as I can remember, for the most part, and don't get me wrong here, it's almost dispensable because there's so much of it. It's such a beautiful expression. It's like catching fireflies. Pop songs can be gigantic, and then you'll never hear them again. But then you'll get a Madonna or a Cher or a Gaga, or hopefully Chappell or a Taylor Swift. The way they craft their music, it becomes immortal. I'll still be banging my head to "Paparazzi" on my deathbed. I don't know whether it's because I'm a gay man and I just have this joy and love of all things creative and arts, I absorb it. I don't believe in barriers. I don't believe in walls. I don't believe in censorship. I think that all music is a feast. All of it touches me in various ways. And I translate all of that into my own work.

He's mentioned being a fan before, so I dug out one of his books where he talks about meeting her  

I hope it's okay to post the excerpts, otherwise delete pls. They're a little long, so I put them in spoilers:

Spoiler

I was blown away by Lady Gaga as soon as she appeared on the pop scene. She looked fantastic, and I loved her crazy costumes and the fact she wrote her own songs… and, most of all, I adored her voice. For me, it always comes down to the voice.

I was smitten, and started reading everything I could about Gaga… and was amazed to learn that she had once been a teenage metalhead, and one of her favorite bands was Priest! Through Jayne, I sent her a message: “If you ever want to come to a show, just say!”

“Thanks, I will!” the message came back.

I also read about Gaga’s best friend, Lady Starlight, who had just DJ’d on Gaga’s Monster Ball tour and who sometimes opened up for rock and metal bands or DJ’d at their after-show parties. A lightbulb came on—Ting!—over my head: Why not take her out with Priest?

So, every night we had one support band—from a selection including Motörhead, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Saxon—and then Starlight’s DJ set. Our fans loved it as she played metal classics, flashed devil’s horns, and went crazy behind her decks. She ****ing rocked it.

It became clear to Priest early on the Epitaph jaunt that… this would not be our final tour. Thoughts of retirement went right out of the window. Richie’s playing, enthusiasm, and dynamism had given the band a whole new lease on life.

Our new boy was giving me a real run for my money as he zigzagged and bombed across the stage, and the formerly brooding, fractious atmosphere in the band was replaced by a new positivity. I couldn’t escape one, exciting thought:

****ing hell! Look at the potential we have now!

It wasn’t the end for Judas Priest. It was a new beginning.

Richie was riffing like a demon, as was Glenn most of the time… but he had the odd night he wasn’t quite on it. Glenn is still better when he’s slightly off the pace than most guitarists are at their peak. But he’s a perfectionist, so those errors bothered him.

They didn’t bother us. We all make mistakes, mate! And in any case, Richie was such a colossus he could cover any occasional lapse. It was odd, but it was no big deal.

As the tour wound on, I got matey with Lady Starlight. One day, she gave me a brilliant proposition from her pal, Lady Gaga. We were to headline the High Voltage festival in Victoria Park, Hackney, when Gaga would also be in London. Could she do a guest spot with us?

Yes ****ing please! Her people spoke to our people, and we arranged that, when I rode my Harley onstage for “Hell Bent for Leather,” Lady Gaga would be sitting on the back of the bike! It was exciting, and I had a job keeping my gob shut and not ruining the surprise.

Sadly, a few days before the show, Gaga emailed to say she had to go back to the States to film a video, and wouldn’t be able to do it. ****! She sounded as disappointed as I was.

 

Spoiler

Lady Starlight phoned me up to tell me that Lady Gaga was bringing her artRAVE: the ARTPOP ball tour to the Viejas Arena in San Diego. “You should come and see it with me!” she said. “But I won’t tell Gaga that you’re coming, because she’ll lose her mind!”

I somehow found it unlikely that Gaga would go bonkers over my presence at the gig, but I was totally up for seeing her show, so I went down and met Starlight after her DJ support set. She kept me out of Gaga’s way and took me into the photo pit for the show.

We stood next to one of Gaga’s long stage ramps, and a few minutes into her set, she came dancing along it with her backing dancers. She glanced down, saw Starlight, saw me standing next to her… and fell to her knees.

Huh? I saw her dancers exchange puzzled glances: What the hell is she doing? And right above me, and in front of 12,000 screaming pop fans, Lady Gaga was bowing down to me, and doing that Wayne’s-World-meeting-Aerosmith “we are not worthy” thing.

Blimey! You wouldn’t call THAT keeping a “Poker Face”!

Gaga was mouthing to me: “Thank you so much for coming!” After the show, when Starlight introduced me to her backstage, Gaga could not have been more generous in her praise for Priest. She said she truly hoped she and I could do something together in the future.

We haven’t done so far. But I really hope we do.

The book is a great read, would definitely recommend if you're into the topic at all 

[Noah 26,613]

What a cool man!

[BeyonkaAte 214]

i had no clue he was gay ! we love to see it 

[Robo Ga 15,081]

KING OF TASTE

[monketsharona 55,181]

In a new interview with Houston Chronicle, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked which pop artists are currently on his playlist. He responded: "Chappell [Roan] is amazing. I turned on to [Lady] Gaga instantly. Her talent is just extraordinary. And she says she's a huge fan of Chappell. The way that the torch is passed from performer to performer, artist to artist, it's a beautiful thing to do.

"What's remarkable about people like Gaga or Taylor Swift is their longevity," he continued. "They're called pop artists. Is that the right word to call them? I don't know. But pop, for as long as I can remember, for the most part, and don't get me wrong here, it's almost dispensable because there's so much of it. It's such a beautiful expression. It's like catching fireflies. Pop songs can be gigantic, and then you'll never hear them again. But then you'll get a Madonna or a Cher or a Gaga, or hopefully Chappell or a Taylor Swift. The way they craft their music, it becomes immortal. I'll still be banging my head to 'Paparazzi' on my deathbed. I don't know whether it's because I'm a gay man and I just have this joy and love of all things creative and arts, I absorb it. I don't believe in barriers. I don't believe in walls. I don't believe in censorship. I think that all music is a feast. All of it touches me in various ways. And I translate all of that into my own work."

Lady Gaga thinks 'everything' changed after falling in love with Michael Polansky

Halford previously spoke about his love of Lady Gaga in a September 2020 interview with People. Asked which songs he would want to perform with Lady Gaga if he was to ever share the stage with the pop superstar, he said: "I would definitely do 'Born This Way' because that's our anthem," referring to the LGBTQ community. "As far as PRIEST songs go, I think I'd like to do 'Breaking The Law' with her because it talks about the frustration that we go through, particularly as young people. 'You don't know what it's like, you haven't got a clue. You'd do the same thing too. Breaking the law.'"

Halford told People that he "instantly knew" Lady Gaga "was going to be gigantic as an artist" when he first discovered her music. "I became a big fan of everything that she's done and that's because I love all kinds of music," he said. "She's the best at what she does."

Halford also recalled the time she met Lady Gaga when he showed up — with mutual friend Lady Starlight — to the pop singer's 2014 "ArtRave" tour in San Diego as a surprise.

"When Gaga started her performance, me and Starlight snuck out into the audience," he recalled. "I was clapping and hooting and hollering like fans, and Gaga's making her way out to them and then she sees us, and she literally falls to her knees and crumbles onto the floor. And Starlight's digging me in the ribs going, 'See, I knew she'd be happy that you were here.'"

Rob added: "She's so pure, she's so in touch with herself as a person, and the great, great, great, great things that she's done for the LGBTQ community."

Back in May 2015, Halford revealed to Yahoo! Music that during one of the London gigs on JUDAS PRIEST's "Epitaph" tour, Gaga was planning to appear as a special guest. "Gaga called and said, 'Can I get on the back of Rob's bike when he comes out and we'll do 'Hell Bent For Leather'?" he said. "I was like, 'Oh my God! Diva moment. Please let this happen!' But she couldn't do it. She ended up doing a shoot in Omaha, Nebraska, that took a week." He added: "If that isn't a nice affirmation that someone with extraordinary talent that isn't metal can still gravitate to the metal experience, I don't know what is."

Lady Gaga previously spoke about her love for IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH, calling the experience of seeing MAIDEN for the first time a "life-changing" event. The singer also appeared in photos with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Alice Cooper and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante.

https://blabbermouth.net/news/judas-priests-rob-halford-on-his-love-of-lady-gaga-ill-still-be-banging-my-head-to-paparazzi-on-my-deathbed

[Killa 15,679]

He's gay? Omg im.coming daddy

[pdrgst 301]

i actually love judas priest, they got some really good bops

[monketsharona 55,181]

I've seen Judas Priest at a Rock festival in France last summer it was so powerful 

[altern8version 547]

he seems like such an awesome dude. so well spoken

[Nite 4,927]

7 hours ago, altern8version said:

he seems like such an awesome dude. so well spoken

He really does, it was an interesting read. And I did not know he handcuffed himself to Andy Warhol

I read Confess and I'm starting his Heavy Metal Scriptures next  

[juicyjuicy 1,713]

Great. NOW COLLAB!

[ARTPOPKISS 3,377]

Gurl I'm not reading all that 

Someone tell me what he said