JUDAS PRIEST's ROB HALFORD On ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME: 'I'd Love To Be In There'

In a recent interview with the Laredo, Texas radio station Hot 106.1, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford was asked whether he would like to see his band inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "Man, I'd love it," he responded. "I'd love to be in there. Again, you get all these different opinions and criticisms about it. I'd love it, man. It's a validation. It's like getting into the NFL Hall Of Fame or the Baseball Hall Of Fame. You know, when PRIEST got a Grammy for the first time, it was the best feeling in the world, not just for the band, but for the fans and for metal in general. So anytime that you are recognized for that type of thing, it's a beautiful thing, man, and I hope one day we'll get that opportunity."

Speaking to Hour.ca in a 2010 interview, Halford was asked if he thinks the fact that PRIEST has thus far been snubbed by the Rock Hall has something to do with the fact that he is still one of the rare openly gay superstars in all of show business.

"I don't know, let's have a think: Who in there is gay?" Halford asked rhetorically. "It's a good question. I consider myself a lower-case gay, not screaming like my good friend [porn director and drag queen] Chi Chi LaRue. I love all my friends in the community and if the moment came [for being inducted into the Rock Hall], it would be a tremendous moment not just for the band and our fans, but for the whole LGBT community."

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton seemed to take a slightly more indifferent stance toward the idea of the band being inducted into the Rock Hall, telling Classic Rock Revisited a couple of years ago: "I don't know if we will ever be invited to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame or not. If we do, it will certainly be a privilege and it will be something we will be proud of. If we don't, then it is not going to change our lives. Our legacy is in our music. We will leave our music for everybody and I think that's good enough. You don't always need an accolade to leave a legacy."

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible 25 years after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Despite being eligible for induction since 1999 — 25 years after the release of its first disc — KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted this year.