Rob Halford (1951 - )

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Rock on the Wild Side : Gay Male Images in Popular Music of the Rock Era by Wayne Studer

What #1 hit by Elvis Presley contained a blatant suggestion of male-male sex--way back in 1957? Which Beatles songs allude to homosexuality? Can you name two Top 20 hits about drag queens? What smash from 1974 has been called "the greatest gay love song ever written?" Which popular rock songs are tainted by homophobia? Which country songs refer to gay people? And who are some of the openly gay performers who've succeeded in the world of rock music?

Rob Halford

The Official Website for Halford, Rob Halford and his projects.

Showing His Real Metal:  Interview with Rob Halford

From VH1.com

Excerpt:

Fans were apprehensive when Halford departed Priest in '91, but War of Words, the first album from his post-Priest band Fight, eased their fears with an all-out assault reminiscent of Pantera. However, the second Fight album, A Small Deadly Space, veered unsuccessfully toward grunge, while his next project, Two, was a critically reviled Goth/industrial misfire that found Halford trading his leather for boas and black eyeliner. Halford, whose homosexuality was a poorly kept secret in the music industry, also came out publicly during this period, a brave move that may have further alienated his original, notoriously homophobic fan base...

Rob Halford

From The Knitting Circle

Excerpt:

Rob Halford was inspired by the more aggressive music of bands like Pantera, Skid Row, and Metallica, and he formed the group Fight to produce music which he thought was not appropriate for Judas Priest. However arguments with other members of Judas Priest led to him and the drummer Scott Travis leaving the band. Fight toured and produced albums including A Small Deadly Space with lyrics that touched on AIDS... 

Rob Halford:  State of the Art

From The Boston Phoenix

Excerpt:

Of course, one of the more personal events of Halford's sabbatical from metal was his revelation that he's gay. "It came across in one of two respects: either `Duh, we knew' or `Oh really? That's kind of interesting, but who cares?' Fortunately I got tremendous support and encouragement and great feedback, so I got through the process relatively unscathed. Some people have a much tougher time of it than I do." But he says there was no conscious effort to address his sexuality on the new disc. "I've always separated those two issues, but I'm sure it took a lot of subconscious clutter out of my mind. I could be more free of that kind of baggage..."

Rob Halford

From City Paper, Philadelphia, October, 2000

Excerpt:

Have you suffered any backlash from the metal community since you came out as a gay man?

It was a wonderful moment. These last few years have been extraordinary, to say the least. If you’re straight, you can’t really perceive what a gay man goes through, but it’s important to get through the psychological aspect of this closeted environment and free yourself of a lot of personal pressure. It just sets you free, and is a wonderful thing to do. It was a very spontaneous moment, I didn’t put any forethought to it, it was just something that slipped out while I was doing an MTV interview. It took a lot of the pressure off of myself. As far as backlash… there’s been absolutely no fallout from it. It hasn’t affected my record sales, or my show attendance.… For some people, it was the worst-kept secret, other people couldn’t care less. I think that people had to address their own phobic issues and realize that sexuality has nothing to do with the music.

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