'The Ballad Of Judas Priest' Co-Director Says 'It Was Tricky' Getting K.K. DOWNING Involved In Official Documentary

"The Ballad Of Judas Priest", the official documentary chronicling the 50-plus-year history of the metal pioneers, received its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian international documentary film festival in Toronto on Sunday, April 26. After the screening, "The Ballad Of Judas Priest" co-director Sam Dunn answered a few questions about the film, including the decision to interview former PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing for the documentary, which was co-directed by American rock musician Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE, PROPHETS OF RAGE). Sam said, as per Now Toronto: "The big one for Tom was getting K.K. Downing involved. It was tricky at first attempt, because, obviously, he's not in the band [anymore]. There's still some animosity there, and, genuinely, it took some work to get K.K. on board. Frankly, I don't know if Morello, if he hadn’t have been there, it might have been a much, much bigger challenge. Tom Morello's a massive fan of the band, a big fan of K.K.'s playing, so he really connected with K.K. and got him over the line. So, that's a whole other story that wasn't in the film."

He continued: "There's still outstanding legal issues with K.K. and the band. This is the honest answer. And, so there's a lot of caution exercised on both sides around what got said. We had to move through it without digging into all the details because it's still fresh, still raw."

As for whether former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens — who replaced Rob Halford between 1996 and 2003 — was approached to appear in the film, Sam said: "No. Controversial response, JUDAS PRIEST fans. Again, so much story. We wanted to obviously reference Tim, but it's tricky. Not to get in the weeds, but in a story of this scale, when you're into the second, third, or third quarter of the story, it's like what to [include] and what not to [include] become big questions. The exploding heart, [PRIEST guitarist] Richie Faulkner's heart exploded on stage [in 2021], and he almost died. We were, like, 'Okay, that's pretty interesting, pretty dramatic, but no.'"

This past February, Halford was asked by Germany's Metal Hammer magazine about the fact that Downing was interviewed for the film, despite the guitarist's previous strained relationships with his former bandmates. Rob said: "I think that respect is still there. I think that the love and respect that we still have for each other is still there. And the fact that he's as important to JUDAS PRIEST now as he was then in telling the story, it had to be that way. It had to be that way — because he was there at the very beginning, before I even personally joined the band. So his value and the work that he created in his time with JUDAS PRIEST — the fact that we still play a lot of songs that K.K. wrote with myself and with Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist] — it's really important and vital. And I think it sends a message out to the fans and to everybody else in the metal world that even though there is a separation from being included in the band, or not in the band, when we go out in today's world, that's irrelevant. The fact that we still do have this respect for each other is important."

Pressed about the possibility of a reunion between PRIEST and Downing, Halford said: "Well, I think what he said in the documentary was simple and straightforward and eloquent, that he wasn't feeling certain things.

"When you go to work with music, you really have to wanna get on that stage," Rob explained. "You can't hold anything back. You have to be there for the right reasons. If you're not up there for the right reasons, then you don't really have the right to be on that stage. You can't just be going through the motions. If you're just going there 'cause you want the check at the end of the tour, it's none of that. It's just a really potent internal feeling that makes you wanna get on that stage and give yourself with that amount of honesty and conviction to your fans. And if you're not feeling that, then you do what K.K. did."

"The Ballad Of Judas Priest" received its world premiere at the 76th Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival, in February.

"The Ballad Of Judas Priest" is a production of Banger Films and directed by Sam Dunn and Tom Morello. Producers include Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn. It is executive produced by Tom Morello, Rick Krim, Sheila Stepanek and Jayne Andrews. Tom Mackay, Krista Wegener and Abby Davis serve as executive producers for Sony Music Vision. Sylvia Rhone is executive producer for Epic Records. The film is presented and distributed by Sony Music Vision.

JUDAS PRIEST's current touring lineup consists of singer Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap and drummer Scott Travis.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease more than 15 years ago but announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's "Firepower" album. He was replaced by "Firepower" and "Invincible Shield" producer Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In his 2018 autobiography "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", Downing wrote that he told Tipton and PRIEST manager Jayne Andrews that he had "hated" them both "since 1985." Earlier this year, he explained his outburst to Classic Rock magazine: "I was angry. Glenn had formed a relationship with Jayne from day one, and it felt a bit like a John-and-Yoko situation. I didn't like that."

PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The JUDAS PRIEST members who got inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis, along with former members Downing, and late drummers Les Binks and Dave Holland.

At the 2022 Rock Hall, Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and Faulkner for a three-song medley performance consisting of "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

Photo credit: Mind Art Visual