Rob Halford (Judas Priest) reveals more about his relationship with K.K. Downing

Rob Halford of Judas Priest discussed “The Ballad Of Judas Priest,” the official documentary detailing the metal pioneers’ more than 50-year history, in a recent interview with Germany’s Metal Hammer magazine, as per Blabbermouth. Rob responded as follows when asked why former Priest guitarist Kenneth “K.K.” Downing was interviewed for the movie in spite of the guitarist’s tense past ties with his former bandmates.

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 — 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.

When asked if Priest and Downing would get back together, Halford responded as follows.

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. 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.

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