Rob Halford: Punk Rockers Stole Metal's Look

06/08/07 5:30pm

by Sarah Kurchak (CHARTattack)

Rob Halford is a pioneer of the heavy metal genre. He's the lead singer of Fight, Halford and the legendary Judas Priest. He's The Exciter, The Painkiller and, most importantly, The Metal God. So what would you ask the man if you got the chance to speak to him?

How about, "Where does one find a leather belt that's seven studs wide?"

"Well, a lot of them I have made for me," Halford says. "There's a ton of great shops you can go to for your metal garb.

"And that's one thing I'm thinking of doing through Halford Merchandise is getting into that accessories world, whether it's belts or wristbands or whatever else. That's just part of the look and the image of heavy metal and, of course, Judas Priest was one of the first bands that really put all that together.

"We had the music, but we were looking for an image, and when I started to go out in all that leather gear and the studs and the whips and the chains, it just seemed to be perfect from a visual point of view. I think that's kind of de rigeur if you're in a metal band, especially in a great classic metal band, but everybody wears that kind of stuff. It's a fashion statement as much as anything else. I think if people see you walking around town or in a club, they go, 'Oh yeah, there goes the metalhead.'"

But don't punks wear studded belts as well?

"They do too, yeah. As you know, metal was well established before the punk phenomenon came through, so they kind of nicked a lot of our ideas. They did offer the safety pin, though. Bless them."

Presumably anthropologist/filmmaker/headbanger Sam Dunn will have more probing questions for the metal icon when he sits down with him for North By Northeast's celebrity interview on Saturday at 3:15 at The Holiday Inn on King Street. Halford saw Dunn's film, Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, on VH1 and thinks the pairing will make for a good exchange.

"He's a hardcore metalhead. He's got a history in metal, so he knows what he's talking about. I'm looking forward to talking to him."

Halford's also looking forward to the music festival.

"It's a great set-up. It's an opportunity for everybody in the music industry to come together. It's great for the new bands to show off their stuff and kick up some dust and interest — you know, get people looking and listening."

Does Halford have any words of advice for those new bands?

"Well, firstly, make sure you're in the best place for yourself as a player, as a writer. And again, it depends where you're starting off from. Some people are very lucky that they get involved in a band that could end up being a career band, or it may just be a case of search and discovery and you may want to move from place to place. But I think in terms of talent, much like anything in life, the only way you can get good at anything is practice, practice, practice. And so I think that's important.

"I think that the element of belief and honesty, having all of the right virtues in place, is also important. You know, it's very tempting for certain generations to say, 'Well, I just want to be in a band and I want to be a rock star,' or whatever. That's not what it's about. Firstly, you've got to be in it for the love and the passion that you have for the music, and then you take it from there.

"But you know, some bands come and go, some bands are here for a long time. Some players end up staying in the music business, but they may not be in a group or such. They might just be fascinated by the other elements of what goes on in the recording industry. It's a multi-dimensional platform, really. But it's always exciting because you never know what's going to happen next."