Rob Halford On Battling Depression, Love For Cats And Judas Priest Musical Evolution
In a new interview with Lyndsey Parker of Gold Derby, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was asked where is his positive attitude coming from. His response was: “My sobriety. I just celebrated 39 years this past January, the sixth. One day at a time. It's a great way to live, because you're living in the moment. It's pointless worrying about tomorrow because you don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. Plans and ideas and dreams are vital, but tomorrow hasn't happened. Yesterday's gone. It's in the past. You can't change anything. You can maybe look at things that could be utilized to fix things in the next opportunity. So living in the moment is just so important. And look, where I'm at in my life, I've got nothing to complain about, absolutely nothing to complain about. But a lot of it is mental health. Regardless of who you are and what you do in life, to try and find the balance and harmony of mental health is really, really important.”
He carried on saying that: “I used to have really, really, really bad depression, not only when I was drinking, but as I came out of drinking. And I think that kind of came from my mom's side, with the DNA and all that kind of stuff. Somehow I got through that. I didn't go to therapy. No, I did my research. Yeah, a lot of it again is trying to understand… Sometimes there's a chemical imbalance that has to be treated and can be treated successfully with the right pharmaceuticals, but sometimes you bring it on yourself, and that is stress, that is just overworrying about things that really haven't happened or in your mind they might happen and all this plays on into your into your mental health. So that is something that I treasure amongst everything else — sobriety and staying in a mental positive frame of mind. Because negativity is crushing — negative thinking, negative things that you see and hear on the Internet or on the news, I try and just blank that out because it has no value, it has no purpose. It doesn't build, it destroys. So, all of that is just part of trying to find the joy of waking up and thanking God for the day and just getting through the day — and just trying to push out as much goodness and kindness that you possibly can. It's easy to do, and the circumstances surrounding getting to that place can be difficult, but we've all got a good heart. And so all of that is a part of staying in the light. Stay in the light. Stay with the love.”
In another interview with Kevin Vargas on El Paso's Best Rock KLAQ 95.5 FM radio station, Halford discussed the reason behind the numerous Instagram photos of him wearing cat-themed t-shirts: “I think cats are a perfect choice because they're fiercely independent. I love that kind of thing where you think you own your cat, but your cat owns you. Cats are like rock and roll. They're all coming in from different angles and perspectives. The difference between a Persian and a ginger tom cat or a Sphynx cat, they're just great creatures. But I think that more than anything, I just love the independence. I just love the independence that a cat will show constantly when you have them. And they're beautiful creatures.”
This 67th edition of the Grammy Awards saw Judas Priest nominated for ‘Crown Of Horns’, a song off the band's latest album, ‘Invincible Shield’, which came out last year in March 2024. On the red carpet, Rob Halford spoke about the band's musical evolution since their inception more than five decades ago: “I think the fact that the substance of this band goes from the beginning of where we originated from and the way that we have always had an eye on what's happening around us. And relevance and importance are always vital for, I think, any musician to feel that they're connected. And metal has been doing that for the last five decades for Judas Priest. If you look at any particular decade through Priest’s life, you'll see something that shows you that we're in the groove, we're in the connectivity of it all. So, whether we're breaking the law or living after midnight or being your turbo lover, or as we are today, your crown of horns, it's all really this thread, this heavy metal thread, that is connecting. And it makes us feel great, it makes us feel good to still be here, still vital and doing what we love to do so much.”
The band was previously honored with a Grammy in the “Best Metal Performance” category in January 2010.
Sources:
Blabbermouth.net - JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD: 'Heavy Metal Cats, They Rule', February 15, 2024
