Rob Halford is “pissed” about Judas Priest’s Rock Hall Of Fame award, says the band “get no respect”
“It’s like, ‘great. Everybody else got that and we got shafted with this.’”
Image: Mario Skraban/Getty
Later this year, heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest are set to be inducted into the iconic Rock Hall Of Fame, yet the band’s frontman seems less than pleased with the decision. Granted the award for “Musical Excellence” as opposed to the traditional performer category, Rob Halford has stated that he found the decision “frustrating”, and claims that the band have been treated with “no respect”.
Earlier this year, many metal fans were left confused by the list of inductees set to be honoured at the 2022 Rock Hall ceremony. While names such as Dolly Parton, Duran Duran and Eminem were listed as the main names set to be given the award, metal icons Judas Priest were placed into a different category – granted the lesser known award for Musical Excellence.
Now, during an interview with Arizona Republic on Monday (July 25), the band’s frontman has spoken out about his thoughts on the decision, saying that he was “pissed” about the award when he first heard the news.
“Yeah, I was pissed. I was a bit pissed,” he explains. “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?’”
He continues, questioning why other bands of the same genre were given the full induction while Judas Priest have been forced to accept the less prestigious option:
“Why haven’t they given us the same title as all of our friends. Black Sabbath, for example. There’s a different tag, isn’t there?” he says. “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.”
Halford’s reasoning behind this frustration is due to the fact he now believes this choice will prevent his band from ever receiving the main award, saying it is the Hall of Fame’s way of pushing the band to one side.
“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,” Halford concludes. “It’s like, ‘great. Everybody else got that and we got shafted with this.’ Judas Priest are still the Rodney Dangerfield of heavy metal. They can’t get no respect.”
Currently, the band are celebrating half a century since they first formed and set to undergo a US tour later this year with support from Queensrÿche.
The induction ceremony for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is set to take place on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Those wanting to watch the ceremony can catch the event at a later date on HBO.