Interview With Glenn Tipton

Chad Bowar: With both Cozy and John having passed away, do you regret you won't ever be able to play these songs live with the original lineup?
Glenn Tipton: There are right and wrong reasons for doing solo projects, and this album was done for the right reasons. At the time there was no Judas Priest and I certainly wasn't going to hang my hat up on my musical career. Our intention was to go out and play and it would have been fantastic, a three piece band like this. It would have been absolutely wonderful. Even if we just did small clubs it would have been magical because of the blend of John and Cozy. Their talent is something I wish people could have seen. That was our intention, but fate took a hand and neither one are with us now. It would have been wonderful, but at least it's down for posterity and it's on record for everyone to hear. I think that's the most important thing.

Do you have any particular expectations for the albums?
I have no expectations at all. I'm very proud of both albums. Baptizm Of Fire is, in a sense, a solo album. But Edge Of The World isn't a solo album. It was with a band, and I wouldn't want people to think of it as a solo album. I don't have any expectations. They are there if people are interested in listening to them. I believe there are some great songs and exceptional playing. I'm just privileged to work with all the musicians on there.

When you do a solo project, it can be the kiss of death and it can be viewed as "look at me, look what I can do." That isn't what these projects are about for me. It was about working with other musicians, but more than that it's about exploring musical areas that you could never do with the band you're in, in my case Judas Priest. You could tackle musical areas and lyrical areas that wouldn't be appropriate for Priest. It enables a different artistic outlet. It's that, plus the joy of working with such great musicians that performed on this album. That's what it's all about to me. I hope everybody appreciates their playing, because they are legendary guys. It's a magical blend and I hope people enjoy it.

What's the status of the next Judas Priest album?
We started this month. We finished touring at the end of December and took January off. We've been jotting down ideas as individuals, which we always do. Then myself, K.K. (Downing) and Rob (Halford) will meet up in about two weeks and begin work on the next Priest album.

Do you know who is going to produce it yet?
We aren't really sure yet. We've got a very special idea for our next project. As it hasn't gotten underway yet, we always want to find out if the direction works. When we've gotten enough material and we're confident we're going in the right direction we will then decide who the best person is to produce it.

On your last tour it looked like the band was having a lot of fun on stage.
We do have fun on stage. A lot of bands that reunite do it for the wrong reasons. They do it for the bucks and everybody can sense it. We love not just Judas Priest music, but we love heavy metal and we love to get out on that stage every night and perform. It's a joy to be able to do it. It's not us on stage, it's us and the audience. They sing along with the choruses and we have a fantastic time. You can have a bad day, but as soon as you set foot on that stage it's joyous. And because of the reunion I think we've got more energy and enthusiasm than we've ever had. And it's genuine. I think the fans can detect when you're genuine, when you love what you do, and we love to be there on stage. That's what we thrive on.

Is there more of a sense of appreciation now than you had in the past?
Absolutely. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, and you can get complacent. You should stop and think now and again. There are a lot better musicians than me out there that just haven't had the luck to fall into everything like I have. On a writing level we have a magic formula in Priest. It's a great formula that works and locks in and gives the band such strength of character. I think we all appreciate it now just how lucky we are to be in a band like Judas Priest.