Rob Halford

“Oh, I've never gone off into that 'the room's not the right temperature, take this tea back' stuff. I still scrub my own toilet and vacuum the carpet, and I have to be able to push my trolley around Morrisons and do my shopping.”

“The first thing I will say about looking after your voice is get a pair of in-ear monitors because one of the most common problems singers have is trying to hear themselves on stage.”

“With 'Defenders,' we had some very barebones ideas, but the bulk of it came together very quickly over in Ibiza. The main thing I like about that record, looking back on it now, is the change in the texture of the production from 'Screaming For Vengeance.'”

“We've always tried to convey these strong messages of strength and power and doing good in the world and, at the same time, to not be afraid to look at the difficulties that we experience.”

“I was a huge Rick Astley and Bananarama fan.”

“As soon as I got my driver's license, I went crazy, and I got the Ford Cosworth, which was this limited edition street racing turbo. It was like this 200-miles-an-hour monster.”

“I love heavy-metal music more than anything in the world, but I'm equally drawn to Michael Buble or Michael Feinstein.”

“We're a rock n' roll band. We play heavy metal music. And we want to give you a great time. That's basically how it all boils down.”

“Running away from something doesn't do anything except put distance.”

“It's very tempting for certain generations to say, 'Well, I just want to be in a band, and I want to be a rock star,' or whatever. That's not what it's about. Firstly, you've got to be in it for the love and the passion that you have for the music, and then you take it from there.”

“I discovered that I was gay when I was about nine or ten. I did go out with girls for a while, but it didn't last.”

“I pray quite a bit, actually. And even if you don't believe in prayer, just have a go. Pray for a good day, or just pray for your friend, or whatever it might be. And it's amazing, man, 'cause it absolutely works. I guarantee, it genuinely does work.”

“The thing about gay people is that until we come out of the closet, we're always protecting other people: 'I can't do this, because it's gonna hurt so-and-so.' We're trying to live the lives of other people, and that's the worst thing you can do.”

“You have to let your musicians in your band be who they are.”

“This band isn't mostly about being a political protest band. We want to entertain; we want to give you a good time. At the same time, if you look through the history of Priest, there's always been an intelligent factor.”

“I've been a huge fan of Gaga since she first burst on the scene. I just love everything that lady represents. First and foremost, her voice is extraordinary. I love her voice. She's an accomplished musician. She plays piano really well. She's just a great songwriter. And she's a beacon of hope for a lot of people in the world.”

“This overpowering relief of love conquering any kind of difficulty and hardship in life - that love is forever, even with people that we lost in the physical world.”

“When I was a kid, dealing with trying to discover myself, I didn't have anybody to talk to. I didn't have any Internet and didn't have any friends. You felt very alone and very frightened.”

“Making a record is an intimate experience. A good producer can get things out of you that you can't get out of yourself.”

“It's best to keep things as free and open as you can. It's good to have a template, but then you go back and dissect it and see where you can make improvements. That's pretty much been the case with every Priest song that's ever been written.”