In 1985, my Mom bought me my first stereo rack system complete with this new thing they called a CD player. I was allowed to pick one CD to go with it. I picked Judas Priests Turbo. From there on, I fell in love with Priest. All of my future allowances for that year went towards the purchase of their back catalog.
MTV contributed to my fascination with the in unison head banging and guitar playing of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. Thus, many magazine photos of the duo adorned the walls of my bedroom. Naturally, it was my honor to get to speak to Mr. Tipton as a prelude to seeing him perform live, for what might possibly be one of the last times.
After 4 decades, does the mighty Priest really plan to retire soon? Lets find out
TL: Tomorrow is 11-11-11, National Metal Day, do you have any thing special planned?
GT: Not really, just another tour date.
TL: Judas Priest recently released The Chosen Few a complication of tunes picked by your peers, how did the idea for that come about?
GT: Between ourselves and the record company. The concept was to talk to the people we played with and have a lot of respect for, great artists and great musicians, just to see what their favorite Priest songs would be. Its interesting how it turned out. It never ceases to amaze me what everybodys favorite Priest song is. Priest can be many things to many people. Often a Priest song can relate to a part of your past; or maybe sometime in your life when a Priest song helped you get through a hard time or through the good times in your life. Priest can be whatever you want it to be.
TL: After all these years, is there a favorite JP tune you enjoy playing live more than any other?
GT: I enjoy them all. I mean, yeah youd think that after 40 years of playing Living After Midnight and Breakin the Law, you think youd get sick of them, but once you walk out on stage and you hear the roar of the audience and they sing along, its just as good every night.
TL: I read that you took your Fender Stratocaster and Gibson SG Special out of retirement for the British Steel 30th Anniversary tour. What did you bring along on this tour?
GT: Just my SG really. I play my Hamers onstage, as always. Theyve got me through many, many years of performances. I brought my black SG out as well, which I use for a couple of numbers. Not too many on this tour but enough to get me through.
TL: The Epitaph tour set list contains one song from each studio record. How on earth did you ever select those? Im sure it was a collaborative effort.
GT: Its so hard, Tracey, you know, we sit for hours really, discussing the set list. We do Never Satisfied off Rock a Rolla and we picked some songs weve never done live before, like Blood Red Skies.
TL: OH, EXCELLENT!
GT: Its a nice set list. Its got everybodys favorites in there. No matter what you put in your set, the selection of songs, theres always somebodys favorite that you leave out. But this time, most people seem really satisfied with the set list. The reactions been incredible.
TL: Do you feel that technology, like Pro Tools for example, has helped or hurt the creative or recording process of songwriting?
GT: Its obviously a helpful way to record. I got a Pro Tools system at home. It gives you a chance to edit stuff and change things around much more easily. But in the overall picture of things, it sort of spoils everybody a little bit, ya know? Its given everybody too many options I think. When we first started to write songs, I used to record them particularly. We didnt have all these options. I think Pro Tools can give you a little indecision in certain ways, and it takes just a little bit of the classic strain away that used to drive through a song. So, I think its good and bad. Technically, its a very helpful way to record, it gives you the option to try different arrangements, etc. But, I think it probably gives you too many options.
TL: Im glad you said that, because my next question pertains to that. In the writing and recording process at what point do you feel satisfied that the material is good enough for a record? Do you ever find yourself over thinking lyrics or solos because of the options available?
GT: Well, thats exactly right. And the best songs, Trace, are the ones that just come quickly. Like, Breakin the Law, we wrote that very, very quickly, and its a great little song. Sometimes, if you work too hard at a song it never ends up quite right. Its the ones that come quick and immediate, that are usually the classic songs.
TL: Do you have plans for a third solo album once this tour wraps up, or perhaps another project?
GT: Um, I dont have any plans at the moment. I did write two solo albums, as you know, Baptizm of Fire and Edge of the World, that was still at a time when Priest was inactive as well. So, I was like What do I do? Retire or go do some solo projects? And being quite a crazy person, I decided to go out and do it, and I was privileged to work with people like John Entwistle and Cozy Powell, great musicians, and some great young musicians as well. I really, really enjoyed doing it, but my heart and soul is in Priest, and when Priest is on a roll, Priest has my full attention. There might be another solo album out there somewhereI did enjoy making those two solo albums.
TL: Are there any musicians you are interested in recording with?
GT: I think that I will make that decision, really, when I get to the point-if I get to the point- where I really want to do another solo album. A solo album is a very personal thing. I think you do them to get music off your chest that isnt quite appropriate for the band that youre with. So, Id start the writing process and then I think that the musicians that Id work with would become apparent to me. First, Id have to really find out what direction Im going in before I start looking for the right people. It might be vice versa, but I havent given it any thought.
TL: Kind of like, what comes first the chicken or the egg?
GT: Right!
TL: Do you feel this will be Judas Priests last large scale Canadian Tour and is the band really planning to retire altogether, or just slow down the pace?
GT: Well, its our last tour of the planet. It definitely takes such a massive chunk out of your life. Although we enjoy every minute on stage, and the reaction weve been getting has just been phenomenal. It starts to make you think twice, Hmm, should we ever give this up? Its not the end of the band. We said if a string of dates come along and it makes sense, and its for the right reasons, then we certainly would consider them. And theres at least one more album in us so, its the beginning of the end for Priest, if you like, rather than the end. We enjoy what we do so much, and its quite emotional on stage when we take our final bows, you think, How can I ever give this up? Its a difficult thing.
TL: Besides a hobby, name a Guilty pleasure fans would be surprised to know.
GT: Not really. I like to fish. I love the outdoors. Youll very often catch me at the river banks.
TL: Being an avid fisherman, you must have a One that got away story youd like to share?
GT: Oh, I got plenty of those, plenty of those. Once, when I was in Australia fishing for Marlin, the guys were telling me that they caught the biggest fish, twice the size of any other fish they had ever caught. When we finally got to the boat, they had two fish. One was blind in its left eye and one was blind in its right eye, I figure they must have been swimming around together since birth. I have lots of fisherman stories like that! (laughter). Nah, Ive lost a lot of fish over the years.
TL: Who is the one person you look up to or admire most in the world?
GT: Well, guitar wise, my all time hero, the guy who really made me realize what I wanted to do is Rory Gallagher (of the Irish band Taste). On a record, I dont think Rory was really captured as he shouldve been. But seeing him live, at a young age, I saw the energy and the talent that guys got. It was just phenomenal and magical to watch him.
TL: Whats youre feelings about the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. There are a lot of bands in there that shouldnt be and bands, like Priest (and others), that havent been inducted yet.
GT: If we ever were to be included, clearly it would be an honor. To be totally honest with you, Im not really sure who evaluates or how its decided who gets in and who doesnt get in. Anyway, it would be a privilege to be included, but it wouldnt make me unhappy if we werent. And youre right, theres some people that absolutely should be in there and some people that dont really have the accolades. In the end, Im not really sure what it means.
TL: Being in the this business for 40 years, being pioneers of the genre, did you ever in your wildest dreams think that it would last this long and that there would still be new bands emerging today that were influenced by Priest?
GT: If you were to have asked me 40 years ago would I still be on standing on stage now playing heavy metal, Id have thought you were a raving lunatic! I mean, whod have thought that longevity would be a part heavy metal? When I started to play the music, it was progressive blues, originally, which turned into metal and Im still here, ya know? I think one of the greatest complements Judas Priest gets is that our music has become timeless. Thats not something where we can pat ourselves on the back and say, We intended it to be timeless, we just played from the heart and its still there. I never would have thought my shelf life would have been this long!
TL: I, as Im sure many other would agree, are ecstatic that you and Judas Priest are still here, rockin us to the dawn! We are looking forward to the show in Toronto, Ontario. Thank you for taking the time to talk with us Glenn.
GT: Thank you, Tracey.
We would like to thank Sean Cordner from Sony Music Canada for setting up the interview with Glenn. For more information on the current Judas Priest show including their show in Toronto on November 22, 2011, please go to: http://judaspriest.com/tour/default.asp. for more information on Glenn go to his site at: http://www.glenntipton.co.uk/.
