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TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS: Not Gay Enough For JUDAS PRIEST?

August 23, 2008

Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has commented on Rob Halford's assertion that "a straight man" can't do Halford's job in the legendary British heavy metal band.

In a recent interview with The Dallas Morning News, Halford — who revealed he was homosexual during a 1998 appearance on MTV — explained why he believes that he's the only man capable of fronting JUDAS PRIEST. "To be brutally honest, 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition' [the two PRIEST albums made with Owens as frontman] were affected by my not being in the band, much like when Bruce Dickinson went away from IRON MAIDEN, the way VAN HALEN [was] affected when David Lee Roth left," Rob is quoted as saying. "But I don't think a straight man can do my job in JUDAS PRIEST. I've never said that before. I'm sorry, but they can't."

After reading Rob's remarks on Friday (August 22),Owens — who replaced Halford as PRIEST's frontman in 1996 — told BLABBERMOUTH.NET in an e-mail, "HAHAHAHAHAHA... Rob can be a funny dude! I feel like I did a good job in PRIEST and I'm straight! But Rob is a friend and the guys in PRIEST are all friends of mine! So, really, I will leave it at that.... But, man, that was a pretty funny comment. [It] had to be taken out of context or the question [was] just asked in a strange way, 'cause Rob would not just say that... I'm still laughing though. That just brightened up my day!"

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