ROB HALFORD: 'The Only Way You Can Get Good At Anything Is Practice, Practice, Practice'

Sarah Kurchak of ChartAttack.com recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On where he finds a leather belt that's seven studs wide:

"Well, a lot of them I have made for me. There's a ton of great shops you can go to for your metal garb. And that's one thing I'm thinking of doing through Halford Merchandise is getting into that accessories world, whether it's belts or wristbands or whatever else. That's just part of the look and the image of heavy metal and, of course, JUDAS PRIEST was one of the first bands that really put all that together.

"We had the music, but we were looking for an image, and when I started to go out in all that leather gear and the studs and the whips and the chains, it just seemed to be perfect from a visual point of view. I think that's kind of de rigeur if you're in a metal band, especially in a great classic metal band, but everybody wears that kind of stuff. It's a fashion statement as much as anything else. I think if people see you walking around town or in a club, they go, 'Oh yeah, there goes the metalhead.'"

On whether he has any words of advice for new bands:

"Well, firstly, make sure you're in the best place for yourself as a player, as a writer. And again, it depends where you're starting off from. Some people are very lucky that they get involved in a band that could end up being a career band, or it may just be a case of search and discovery and you may want to move from place to place. But I think in terms of talent, much like anything in life, the only way you can get good at anything is practice, practice, practice. And so I think that's important.

"I think that the element of belief and honesty, having all of the right virtues in place, is also important. You know, it's very tempting for certain generations to say, 'Well, I just want to be in a band and I want to be a rock star,' or whatever. That's not what it's about. Firstly, you've got to be in it for the love and the passion that you have for the music, and then you take it from there.

"But you know, some bands come and go, some bands are here for a long time. Some players end up staying in the music business, but they may not be in a group or such. They might just be fascinated by the other elements of what goes on in the recording industry. It's a multi-dimensional platform, really. But it's always exciting because you never know what's going to happen next."

Read the entire interview at ChartAttack.com.