1. Rob Halford
Rob Halford of Judas Priest is the God of Heavy Metal. There is no other. When I first went deep into the elite realm of metal vocalists, I would spend night after night dissecting his inflections, his breath control, his delivery and percussive meter. I adore that he is a gay man and lives his life as a true individual. So here’s a story for ya…I met Rob Halford at the 2013 Revolver Magazine Golden Gods Awards. Not just a hand shake either. I was there to announce Five Finger Death Punch with the Butcher Babies. I was in the FFDP dressing room at Club Nokia – we have the same manager, Jackie Kajzer of 10th Street, so she had me waiting in there, drinking way too many Rockstar Energy drinks. Everyone leaves, I’m alone. I peek my head out of the room and hear comes Rob Halford walking down the hallway. I run back in, dressed like a weirdo version of She-Ra meets Princess Aura from Flash Gordon and I think “What would my gay friend Andy Bailey tell me to do RIGHT NOW?” You better POSE. So I did. I stood still and posed in this over-the-top golden costume, and when he walked in I said “Hello Rob. I’m Jill Janus of Huntress.” Time stopped. We hugged. The next few minutes are a blur, but I can tell you we spoke of microphone technique (ha! That’s kinda funny). I was totally right about the way he belts out long notes by singing down into his microphone. It takes the pressure off the chords, as opposed to the way Lemmy Kilimister of Motorhead sings with the mic high and above his mouth to get that one of a kind Lemmy tone (which would destroy my voice, Lem’s superhuman). It’s a tighter, more gritty sound. Anyhow, we also spoke about my favorite Priest live album, Unleashed in the East, and of course, about BOYS! That was truly the best night of my life. Sorry if I was a dork, Rob! I will cherish it forever.
