Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has admitted he is “a bit pissed” that the band is not being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as performers.
In May, it was announced that Judas Priest – which has been eligible for induction for more than two decades – would instead be honoured with the Award for Musical Excellence. According to the Rock Hall, the award goes to “artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.”
Halford told Arizona Republic reporter Ed Masley: “I was pissed. I was a bit pissed. At the end of the day, does it matter? Some days, I go, 'No, it doesn't matter. We're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Be grateful. Shut the hell up.’
“And then there are other days where I'm like, ‘God damn, why did they give us the Musical Excellence Award?' Because it sounds very, you know, grandiose. ‘The Musical Excellence Award, reserved for blah, blah, blah.’ And I'm like, 'Yeah, but I want to be with that bunch of musicians over there that have got the performance or whatever it is that they've got.’”
Halford said he has “no clue” by Judas Priest is getting the award.
“I just felt a little bit like, 'Well, Sabbath got this. So why can't we have that?' Not that I'm jealous of Sabbath. I'm just talking about this tag that they give it,” he said. “Why do they put these tags on the damn thing? Why don't they go, 'Welcome. You're in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' and leave it at that.
“I don't know. It's as though we got this far. We're, like, one step away, you know? I know it's silly, but it's just frustrating.”