REVIEW: ‘Confess’ by Rob Halford of Judas Priest
Image courtesy of Hachette / Provided by official site.
Rob Halford, lead singer of Judas Priest, recently released his autobiography, Confess, which tells the story of his upbringing in Walsall, England; how he joined what would become one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time; what it was like to hide his sexuality for decades; and his thoughts on retirement, sobriety and the many interesting people he has met throughout his unparalleled career. In fact, one of those people was Queen Elizabeth II, whom he met when Halford represented Priest at Buckingham Palace at a celebration of English musicians.
This being a rock memoir, there’s a fair dose of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll within these 355 pages; however, Halford’s story takes many unique turns and unexpected paths. A large theme of the book is the singer realizing at a young age that he is gay and his decision to keep that a secret until the late-1990s. At first it appeared to be societal pressure, growing up in a working-class town near Birmingham, and then later he worried that the scandal of his sexuality could hurt Judas Priest’s dominance in the heavy metal world.
Even though he kept his sexual orientation to himself (only a few select people knew), he did manage to work in some lyrics to Priest songs that spoke of his frustrations of not living his desired life.
The early scenes in Confess that depict his coming-of-age in Walsall are fascinating, and through helpful description, one can visualize this factory town and the post-World War II environment the singer was born into. Throughout his life, and up until today, Halford has had a connection and devotion to Walsall (he still owns a residence there), and the relationship with his mother and father is examined closely within these pages. There are ups and downs with his parents, but there appears to be an authentic love there for what they provided him (even though not every memory is positive).
Some of the Walsall references use specific language found in the West Midlands region of England, and Halford makes sure to define each term. This lends Confess a nice authenticity; there’s an obvious point of pride in his working-class roots.
The bulk of the book talks about Judas Priest’s meteoric rise, which included many well-received albums (British Steel, Screaming for Vengeance and Turbo, among others), several hit songs (“Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”) and nonstop touring around the world. Within these descriptions are anecdotes about his bandmates, the changing personnel in the drummer’s seat, the bands they toured with on the road (there’s a fascinating Led Zeppelin story) and what it was like for Priest to develop their fashion style (leather) and stagecraft (motorcycle entrance).
When the concerts ended, Halford would often find himself alone, with only a bottle of alcohol to soothe his isolation. He admits to becoming an alcoholic and drug user, and his behavior became quite destructive, leading to a physical fight with a partner that proved he was at rock bottom. Luckily, Halford sought help in his adopted home of Phoenix and has remained sober and clean ever since.
There are scenes within the book of Halford trying to find company while touring around the world. He couldn’t have a public relationship with a male partner, so he decided to keep his sexual life secret from the band and their adoring fans. He recounts episodes of him heading to truck stop bathrooms, and one story involving a police bust at Venice Beach, California, almost found his entire façade crumble before his eyes.
Most Judas Priest fans know that this story has a positive ending (or positive continuation because Halford is still quite active as he prepares for the big 7-0). He found help with his alcohol and drug intake, he eventually came out in the late-1990s on MTV, he found a partner that in the book he calls “The One” and he rejoined his beloved band after a few years trying to go solo. There’s an authenticity to these stories that is uncommon in rock memoirs, and it should particularly delight Priest fans who can now fill in the blanks on the songs and lyrics they have been enjoying for nearly 50 years.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Confess by Rob Halford. 368 pages. Hachette Books. Click here for more information.
