JUDAS PRIEST Frontman Talks About Meeting QUEEN ELIZABETH II

The Washington Post recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford. Several excerpts from the chat follow:

On meeting Elizabeth II, the queen of England, on March 1 at Buckingham Palace at a royal reception recognizing British music and its contribution to the nation's culture and economy:

"She asked, 'Why is heavy metal so loud ?'

"I said, 'You have to have it loud to bang your head, Your Majesty.' "

"She sniffed at that.

"That was very surreal, going to Buckingham Palace. It was the first time the royal family — The Firm, as it's called — wanted to give a nod to the music industry in general. My mother was more excited about it than anyone else, but it was magical for me, too, because I'm a royalist. I love the royal family, for all its imperfections, but to actually meet the queen! That was a thrill and a memory I'll always cherish."

"It was a bizarre day. I flew out of Oulu, Finland, that morning — it was about 37 degrees below zero — and two hours later I was in Buckingham Palace talking to the queen. And the next morning, I flew back to Tampere in Finland and the next show."

On feeling late-blooming vindication by the band's current success:

"I think it's true to say there's been some respect afforded of late. And I think it's true to say that [heavy metal] has always been viewed as an underdog under the great umbrella of rock 'n' roll. Now certain aspects of it are being accommodated and given approval to, and JUDAS PRIEST is one band that's receiving that type of recognition."

On leaving the band:

"On the back of what we'd gone through in the Reno trial, and the extremely lengthy 'Painkiller' tour, which was a success but had a lot of physical and psychological things going on around it, what I should have done at the end of that tour is say, 'Guys, I'm going, you won't see me for a year.'"

On the band's reunion:

"At the time all of us were so connected with whatever work we were doing we didn't really have that much of a period of reflection to ponder the what-ifs and the whys and wherefores and shoulda-coulda-wouldas. But in the recent months, it's gone through my mind: What could we have done, what could we have achieved, in that decade that we were not in each other's company?"

"Of course, PRIEST was still going. PRIEST was still maintaining its point of view in metal. But the recognition of the band on this release — on a global level — says a lot about the need and the demand for the original lineup to get back in place and that the chemistry that happens in the writing between Glenn and Ken and myself is a vital spark to this band's popularity. It's no different than the STONES or AEROSMITH or AC/DC or KISS — any of the career rock 'n' roll bands that need to be in the shape that they need to be in."