By Steve Newton
On May 31, 1986, amateur filmmakers Jeff Krulik and John Heyn drove into the parking lot at Capitol Centre in Landover, Maryland, and started videotaping the enthusiastic and largely wasted heavy-metal fans gathered there for a Judas Priest concert.
What they captured was 17 minutes of booze-fueled metal mania as the party-hearty young Americans professed their fondness for the leather-lovin’ British band–with the odd shout-out to Metallica, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, and opening act Dokken.
I’d already interviewed a couple of Priest members by then, bassist Ian Hill in 1982 and singer Rob Halford in ’84. When I talked to Halford I mentioned how, in the band’s big hit from two years earlier, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, he sings: “I’m on top as long as long as the music’s loud.” But what if the music isn’t loud, I pondered, what if heavy metal dies out?
“I don’t think that’s ever gonna happen Steve,” he replied. “I think that it’s still very much a young musical force. I mean, this music only goes back about 12 or 15 years. So as a music I think it’s still very young.
“And what we’re seeing right now of course is a total resurgence and acceptance for heavy metal music, in a very, very big way. I think the strength of any music’s ability to maintain itself is based on its audience, and I think heavy metal audiences are one of the most dedicated that you could ever wish to be involved with.”
After viewing Heavy Metal Parking Lot, you have to admit that Halford was on to something.
To hear the full audio of my 1984 and 1990 interviews with Rob Halford–and my 2005 interview with Priest’s Glenn Tipton as well–subscribe to my Patreon page, where you can eavesdrop on over 650 of my uncut, one-on-one conversations with rockers since 1982.
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