On the latest episode of WTF with Marc Maron, "The Metal God" Rob Halford of Judas Priest joins the show to discuss the differences he sees between those two very separate monikers and a whole lot more.
LISTEN NOW: WTF with Marc Maron | Rob Halford
Still rocking the stage with Judas Priest at the age of 72, Rob Halford, now with two books, Confess and Biblical, about his life story under his heavily spiked belt, talks with podcast host Marc Maron about how he's learned to accept that his two personas -- "Metal God" and "Rob Halford" -- can be separate but equal counterparts.
In his over half a century in the business as the lead singer of one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, Rob admitted he's never gotten a chance to meet an equally iconic musical character, Iggy Pop. Halford says he would love to get a chance to sit down and talk with the man behind the myths and "flap [his] lips, and open [his] heart]," with Maron confirming "He's definitely not the character," most would expect.
"That's it," Rob says. "You see, there's this guy called Rob Halford, and there's this guy called 'The Metal God.' I've always enjoyed that kind of separation in personalities because I think it can be quite useful."
"My friend Alice Cooper who's my neighbor in Phoenix, he's like the epitome of this idea," Halford continues. "You see this, this whatever this is on stage, and that's where your focus is -- on the experience of a live show as well as the music. And then you have all these wonderful things flipping around in your mind. Like, 'What does he have for breakfast? Crazy stuff... and then you realize, we're all the same. But that's what I love about entertainment, and that's what I love about show business: Humanity needs escape. It's just a vital part of what makes the world go 'round."
"This moniker, this 'Metal God' thing came about from the 'British Steel' album [the song] 'Metal Gods,'" Rob explains. "I'm definitely not the kind of guy that wakes up one day and goes, 'Today, I'm going to be known henceforth as 'The Metal God,' all bow down and praise me.' It was just popping up in interviews and conversations... but then you have to be aware of the seriousness of this kind of position. A lot of people really commit themselves, really make a strong emotional commitment and connection to you."
"You have to be respectful... I think respect is the big thing in the relationship that we have with our fans especially," Rob says. "Because God knows without them, we wouldn't have what we're doing right now. Everybody needs a support system, whether it's a family, whether it's a million fans, whether it's a work friend, whether it's a school friend, that connectivity is important to us on every level."
With age comes self-awareness, Rob has found -- discussing his coming out story, the court case that saw Judas Priest on the front lines of a First Amendment battle, the origins of heavy metal, and much more.
Listen to the full WTF with Marc Maron episode featuring Rob Halford above -- now playing on Audacy -- and follow along for more revealing conversations with your favorite comedians, actors, directors, writers, authors, musicians, and folks from all walks of life.