Candid and frank: Rob Halford confesses all at festival
A metal god descended from the sky to give a frank and, at times, very funny talk about his life and career.
Judas Priest singer Rob Halford joined the Wolverhampton Literature Festival to tell some incredible stories about more than 50 years in music, as well as reflect on his origins in the Black Country.
The 69-year-old, who has released his memoir 'Confess', was interviewed from his home in Phoenix, Arizona, by broadcaster and self-confessed fan Garry Foster.
In front of an online audience of more than 50 people, the two spoke about Rob Halford's youth growing up in Walsall in the 1950s and how he discovered his musical ability by singing at school.
He also spoke about his early days with Judas Priest, describing it as an apprenticeship and saying: "You'd go all the way to Newcastle, play the show, then rush back in time to go to work at Harry Fentons".
Candid throughout, he showed his deadpan humour when telling stories about telling Marie Osmond on the set of Top of the Pops that he was going to use his whip.
Other stories detailed how he and the band found toilets at a home owned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono with their names on, and the experiences of going to America for the first time.
He also reflected on how he had come out as gay during an interview on MTV in 1998 and the supportive response he got from his friends and fans, who sent him letters of thanks.
The question and answer session saw him speak about shows in Walsall, stage fright, his 35 years of sobriety and how whenever he comes to Walsall, he will go to the Ablewell Chip Shop and have fish and chips with battered sausage, pickled egg and mushy peas.
The interview ended with a round of applause from those on the Zoom call and capped off a memorable hour with one of Metal's biggest names.
