Mailintervju - Neil Daniels, Författare Trots att Judas Priest funnits i mer än 30 år har det bara skrivits en bok om bandet tidigare. Den gavs ut i mitten av 80-talet och var sanktionerad av bandet, vilket gjorde att mycket information inte kom med. Nu har den engelska journalisten Neil Daniels skrivit sin första bok och den kom att handla om just Judas Priest. "The story of Judas Priest - Defenders of the faith" är en biografi som tar upp alla viktiga bitar i bandets historia. Vi skickade iväg lite frågor till Neil och svaren damp ner i inboxen snabbare än vi hann säga "Freewheel burning". Här har ni Neils svar på våra frågor! First of all, introduce yourself! Where are you from and what got you into the world of metal? Well, my name is Neil Daniels and I live in the North West of England. I got into metal rather late at the age of 18. Before that I was into Bryan Adams, Meat Loaf, Queen and other rock acts; I'm still a big fan of those artists but the older I got the heavier my tastes in music got but now, I find that I don't really care how heavy a band is I just like a good melody, a good riff, strong vocals and some well-written lyrics. I like lots of bands/singers: Sabbath, Cream and The Who; NWOBHM bands, prog metal bands and AOR bands like Journey and Toto. I'm just a rocker. Everything about me; the magazines I have contributed to and info about forthcoming books is on my new website: Neil Daniels Rock The Net How come your first book became one about Judas Priest? I believe the saying is: a good story is always worth telling. The Priest story is certainly one that is interesting and it has never been told properly and in full. There was an official book released in the mid-eighties by Steve Gett, which was enjoyable, but as it was an illustrated one and authorised by the band lots of detail was missed out especially on the early years and their controversial contract with Gull Records. Being a fan and wanting to get into writing books I proposed the idea to Omnibus Press and they thought the idea was marketable enough so they agreed to it. The contract was signed and over a year later the book was published. How long did it take to put the book together and how did you pick the cover photo? And how did you go about finding photos for the book? It took a year to research and write the book. Because the band opted not to take part, the angle I took was on the pre-Halford years; the Al Atkins years had never fully been explored so I wanted to go into depth about that period from 1969 to 1973. I got in touch with various musicians who had played in Judas Priest. I owe a great deal to: Al Atkins, John Ellis, Ernie Chataway, John Hinch, Bruno Stapenhill and Simon Phillips. I also got in touch with former friends of various current band members. Bands that had supported Priest at certain points were also helpful such as Anthrax, Annihilator, Doro and Quiet Riot. The publishers chose a photo by Ross Halfin for the cover; it's a great shot of the trio of Halford, Downing and Tipton. For the pictures: I got some of the earlier shots from Al Atkins and various people who had worked with or knew the band during the years '69-'70. But for the Halford and Tim Owens photos, that was down to Omnibus; they have photo researchers who look for obscure/rare photos that will appeal to die-hard fans. We came to a compromise. I'm really pleased with the photo sections - Omnibus did a great job! Was there a lot of stuff that you didn't know about the band, that you found out while writing the book? Yes, lots of stuff. As I said, I was really keen to explore the Al Atkins years so I found out lots of information which I didn't know. I also learned a lot about Priest's career from 1974 to 1976 when they were signed to Gull Records; I have included contributions from ex-drummer John Hinch and the co-founder of Gull, David Howells. I would have liked to have added more anecdotes from the Priest tours of the USA in the eighties but without band input and due to time constraints it wasn't easy. Tell us about the first time you heard Judas Priest and how you became a fan? I became a fan through word of mouth; a friend told me about them and from there I quickly collected their back catalogue. I prefer their more melodic stuff like Defenders Of The Faith and Screaming For Vengeance than anything after, say, Turbo. Even though they've always dubbed themselves a metal band they are very varied, having tried lots of different styles of music and instruments. Why do you think Judas Priest's management came down so hard on the book as soon as they knew about it? I don't blame them and don't have anything bad to say; they're just doing their job by looking after the band. But sometimes I think they act like the CIA! I mean, their website has not been updated for over a month! They should be more forthcoming with fans, like Maiden. The fans want to know more but they keep everything a closely guarded secret which has not always worked out well. It took them a while to get a Myspace page when every other band seemed to have one. The management said other rock writers - famous ones - had approached them about a book but they'd always been declined. Obviously being a newcomer to the world of book writing I was not going to get picked to write their official band biography. It was worth a try on my part. They said the band are waiting for the right time to publish a book - c'mon there's over 30 years of heavy metal to write about. Now is the time! I'd still love to write Rob Halford's autobiography. I doubt that will happen now... Favourite Priest album and why? It's easier to say what I don't like and that's Ram It Down (although 'Blood Red Skies' is a great song) and the Ripper Owens albums. Tim is an incredible singer and a really nice guy but Jugulator and Demolition are not good albums. His work with Iced Earth and his own band Beyond Fear are much better. It's a shame he has been fired from Iced Earth; I think Jon Schaffer will regret making that decision. What do you think would've happened if Rob Halford had come out as a gay man in the early 80`s? Would it have ruined their career? Probably. I think they were so popular in America especially in southern states like Texas that coming out as gay would have done serious damage to the band. Look at Queen; when they released songs like 'Body Language' they're career in America when straight down the toilet. Their biggest album in America was probably The Game but the last time they toured America with Freddie was around 1982. I don't think Priest's career would have taken much damage anywhere else but they were so popular in America that they just couldn't risk it. Most of their income came from America so in a sense I do think Halford's "coming out of the closet" was slightly premeditated. In the 1990s and nowadays people are more liberal so he made the right choice coming out when he did. Which is your favourite Priest era and why? I have two favourite eras: 1976 to 1979 when they made "more dangerous" metal with songs like 'Tyrant' and 'Runnin' Wild.' You can really tell how their working class background in the Black Country in England influenced their career/music; it was a much darker style of metal which influenced the likes of Slayer. I also like their more commercialised music from 1980 to the underrated Turbo album in '86. They made music for the American masses but it worked remarkably well; Defenders Of The Faith is a great album and of course British Steel is a masterpiece. What's your take on the forthcoming Judas Priest album Nostradamus ? Hit or miss? Good question but hard to answer. I hope they have great success with it but I think they should have released a "normal" album in 2007. Their fans have gotten bored waiting for the damn thing to come out and not only that, the band have not shed any light on the project. We really haven't heard much from them in interviews. This concept is something that should be album number 4 or 5 in the post-reunion years. In a way, they have lost momentum. I hope it's great though but time will tell. I believe they have said it will be out in May 2008; Angel Of Retribution came out in 2005. 3 years is too long! Name your five favourite Judas Priest songs and why those five? Jesus...questions like this are tough. In no order of merit: 1. 'Living After Midnight' - it's a great encore piece and a song that unites all the fans. 2. 'Rapid Fire' - a standout song on British Steel. The version Halford sang on stage with Metallica is great. 3. 'Dissident Aggressor' - another great song that influenced thrash metal. What a great riff! 4. 'Exciter' - I'm glad they added this one to their set list during their Angel of Retribution tour! Les Binks is a cult hero and Scott Travis is the man to follow... 5. 'Heading Out To The Highway' - a great opening riff and a top class melodic chorus. Please tell us a bit about your next book about Robert Plant? Robert Plant and Judas Priest are from the same era; Priest formed in 1969, Zeppelin formed in '68. Plant and Priest are both Black Country legends. I think both books serve as companion pieces in a way, certainly until 1970 when they went their separate ways. They share some of the same influences and are from the same region of England. Now is a good time to release a book on Robert Plant especially with the recent Led Zep reunion. It will be published in the UK on February 28, 2008. It is available to pre-order on Amazon. Any other books in the pipeline? I have already started writing Al Atkins' autobiography with him; it's called Dawn Of The Metal Gods: My Life In Judas Priest & Heavy Metal and will be published in late 2008 by Iron Pages. Why another book on Priest? Well, the thing is, Al has loads of great stories that don't particularly involve Priest. He has lots to tell about Brum Beat, the bands he has supported over the years such as Band Of Joy and The Stranglers and he saw Cream and Led Zeppelin live. His life will make a good story and he'll basically narrate the last 40 years of rock and how it has evolved in the UK.
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