Rob Halford

Biblical: Rob Halford's Heavy Metal Scriptures, by (you guessed it) Rob Halford, is a fun mix of memoir, advice, and commentary.

I admit to being an early fan of Judas Priest, so I am predisposed to liking this book. I think the first time I saw them was on a Foghat tour in 1978 or so. In other words, they were a part of the long and varied soundtrack of my life.

If you've read Halford's autobiography there is certainly a little overlap, but this is a completely different type of work, so well worth your time. Halford doesn't take himself so seriously that he becomes annoying, which makes the format of this book that much more fun.

There really is some advice in here for aspiring musicians, though admittedly I think of it as more of a heavy metal history (not "the" history but "a" history) with anecdotes and quite a bit of insightful reflection.

Certainly a must read for Priest and heavy metal fans but also for those interested in the history of music in general. While definitely about a specific genre of music, the parts about life on the road largely speak across genres.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)

Compulsively readable! This very entertaining autobiography takes the reader all the way from the Metal God's entirely ordinary boyhood all the way up to the Great 2020 Pandemic and how it has affected Judas Priest. Rob (or him and his ghost author at least) write in a conversational, witty style that is fun to read and feels surprisingly intimate. The title is certainly appropriate as he confesses to all sorts of indiscretions. Highly recommended to fans of Judas Priest and maybe to metal fans in general.… (meer)

Halford, the singer and lead lyricist for Judas Priest, doesn't do an autobiography halfway, and the title is spot on. Would we have ever known that he's been banned from Camp Pendleton for lewd behavior?
He tells the reader all about it.
He has chapters about growing up in an industrial Northern town with loving parents whose arguments sometimes included his father slapping his mother. He remembers the exact moment in school, when asked to sing on his own, that the music teachers realized he had talent, and that his family was always behind him as he first pursued an acting career before returning to music.
And he recounts how he joined a band called Judas Priest that needed a singer, and their long career together. He discusses the making of each album and gives his honest opinion of any shortcomings, even with his own performances. He also discusses the dynamics within the band, such as the decades long friction between guitarists K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, and the reasons why they've gone through as many drummers as Spinal Tap. He also explains how he accidentally quit Priest and why his absence from a band he loved dragged on for so long.
Throughout the book is Halford's stress in hiding his homosexuality. First from his family, then from bandmates and the fans, Halford describes the intense loneliness in being unable to openly pursue romance, and he speaks very intimately of how gay men in the 70's and 80's found each other, and of how often he pursued relationships with straight men, which always ended in unhappiness.
The book concludes right now in the pandemic, with plans for what fans can expect from the band once this is over.… (meer)