JUDAS PRIEST Targeted By PETA Over "Hell Bent For Leather"

August 21, 2002

JUDAS PRIEST have become the latest targets of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA),according to EntertainmentIdaho.com. PETA fired off a letter to band members last week, asking that they change their 1978 album Hell Bent for Leather to Hell Bent for Pleather.

"Actually, I'm a big JUDAS PRIEST fan," spokeswoman Lisa Franzetta stated. "The idea is not to give them hell, so much, but to encourage them and their fans to make a more compassionate choice." To make her point, Franzetta, 24, enclosed a video of slaughterhouse footage — along with a convincing photo of herself in a black pleather dominatrix outfit.

PETA's letter to JUDAS PRIEST follows:

August 15, 2002

JUDAS PRIEST
c/o Chipster P.R.
1976 East High St.
Ste 203
Pottstown, PA 19464

Dear Messrs. Tipton, Downing, Hill, Travis, and Owens,

I'm enclosing a picture of myself at last week's 62nd Annual Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, S.D., so you can see what's going on. Obviously, you have many fans here at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). That's why, on behalf of our more than 750,000 members and supporters worldwide, we're asking if you'll consider using your mettle—and your metal—to riff against animal abuse. We've done our market research, and we're serious when we say that headbangers with a heart would love to hear you update the lyrics of your song "Hell Bent for Leather" to "Hell Bent for Pleather".

With so many rocking alternatives to leather, even the baddest men on two wheels know that animals don't belong in a "Killing Machine"—kicked in the face, forced down the ramp with an electric prod to the man who slits their throats and turns them into leather jackets, pants, and boots. Much of the leather sold in the U.S. comes from overseas, where we've videotaped cows being violently beaten and suffering from wounds and broken bones from extreme overcrowding in transport trucks. Did you know that dog skin from countries where dogs are eaten for food is marked "cowhide" for Western export purposes? And an investigation into one of the good old U.S.A.'s largest slaughterhouses showed cows being trampled, dragged, rammed in the mouth with electric shock prods, and dismembered, all while fully conscious. I'm enclosing that footage.

The wide selection of synthetic leather gear now available—see PleatherYourself.com—means that today's "rebels with a cause" won't have any trouble keeping skins off their shins.

Animals don't have a voice, so they can't be "Screaming for Vengeance", which is why we ask that as you finish up your current tour, you leave the hides behind and encourage your legions of fans to get "Hell Bent for Pleather" from now on. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information. Thank you for your time and attention. I hope to hear from you soon.

Very truly yours,

Lisa Franzetta, Coordinator
International Grassroots Campaigns

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