ROB HALFORD Talks Fashion With THE FASHION TRIBUNE; Video Available

Richard Spiegel of The Fashion Tribune spoke with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford last month about Metal God Apparel, Halford's signature brand of t-shirts. Watch the interview below.

In a recent chat with Greg Prato, the Long Island, New York-based journalist whose writing has appeared in All Music Guide, Classic Rock and Goldmine magazines, Halford explained how Metal God Apparel come about. "I always liked dressing — ever since I was a little kid," Halford said. "And I think most of us did that when we were kids, dressing up. I think I've had the good fortune of being a little kid for most of my life, I still get excited when I get dressed to go on stage with PRIEST. And all the clothes you've seen me wear have generally been from collaborations — where I've sat down with people and put together the ideas. In that respect, I think I've had a connection with everything that I've done, as a professional musician/performer/entertainer — from the visual side of it. So this felt like a very natural extension of all of those ideas. On the business level, it's another step forward in the branding of the 'The Metal God,' which has been registered in trademark for a while. And also, just to really keep that feeling that I've always had, about making new things happen and make something different take place. As a creative person, I love that — I love that every day has a possibility, whatever it might be. And so, the clothing line is a brand new launch within the Metal God Entertainment production facility that we have. So here we are. Why now? I don't know. Some people are like, 'Are you crazy? Look at the economy.' But I don't think that's an issue. Fresh music is out every Tuesday, fresh movies are out every week. It doesn't stop any of us from being productive in that respect. I feel confident in the big picture that the economy is going to turn around soon. So I'm positioning, getting your face out there, getting your product out — it's just this very simple, early launch phase. I'm going to see where it takes us. I'm optimistic what we've got is kind of fresh and different within the market of the great competitors. With me, it's never simple - I think things through a lot. So that's where we find ourselves now — the end of September, to kick off Metal God Apparel throughout the world."

Regarding how much of a say he has in the t-shirt designs, Halford said, "Marc Sasso is the main illustrator and the graphic designer. He's from New York — in his own world, he's very established and successful as a illustrator. He's known me forever. So it's a combination of discussions and emails, and simply taking what he knows of me as a performer and as a writer — taking a look at the lyrics and bringing his own interpretation into the thinking process and coming up with the designs. So it's a collaboration."