Judas Priest

How old were you when you first got into drumming?
I was 13. One time, I went to a restaurant with my family, and there was a drum set for the band that was going to play that night. – It just always looked interesting to me. I don’t know how else to put it. I guess all the chrome and the metal and the drums themselves (intrigued me). It’s like something you see when you’re a kid, and it attracts you in the sense that you want to know what it’s about, if you can play it, (and) what it sounds like. Obviously, in my case, it was an attractive-looking instrument.

What kind of steps did you take to further your career in the music industry?
Nothing academically, regrettably. I tried to take drumming in high school, but it’s basically band drumming. Because I couldn’t read music, (my teachers) started me out at the very beginner level. And at that time, (I) was (in) high school, and I had already been playing a drum set for several years. To go back and start as if you were a complete beginner was very frustrating, and since I probably had ADD back then, I quit. I didn’t take any academic steps or professional. I just tried to play with other musicians who had the same musical interests that I did. You join one band, you join another. You just use those as stepping stones.

What obstacles did you encounter?
This probably doesn’t sound like what people want to hear, but I’ve been fairly lucky. I’ve just been lucky in the sense that I’ve always gotten to play with cool musicians and like I said, one thing led to another. One time, I got fired from a band, but I got (a job) in another band that was a better band and more musically suited (to) my tastes. The biggest obstacle was living in Virginia, so I moved to California, because that’s where it was happening. I guess location was my biggest obstacle…at that time.

How did you realize your dreams of becoming a drummer for Judas Priest?
Again, it kind of came about in steps It wasn’t just one thing. I had seen Judas Priest in the early 80’s, when I was still living in Virginia. I had seen them in concert. I had their records that I had bought, and (I had) listened to and played along with (them). I had been in various cover bands that played Judas Priest songs so I definitely was familiar with their material and liked the band very much, especially after seeing them live a couple times. I was like ‘wow I’d really like to play with that band’. But of course a kid living in Virginia really has no way in the world of thinking how he can join a band that’s from England. So I moved to California in ’85 and joined a band called Racer X. The singer of Racer X called me one day and said that Judas Priest was looking for a drummer. This was 1989, and since the singer for Racer X was friends with the singer Rob Halford, the singer from Judas Priest… he basically suggested my name, and that’s…how it happened.

How long have you been a drummer for Judas Priest?
Twenty years now.

What is it like being able to work in the industry and job you love?
Well working in the industry comes with the territory. But having a job I love…is a very unique experience. I guess most people don’t have a job they love so … I’m very fortunate, and I never lose sight of that. Like I said earlier, I’ve been very lucky and … I think (that for) all people that make it in entertainment, an element of luck comes into play at some point during their career. It’s obviously something that you can’t go to school for: (to) learn to be an entertainer. And you can’t answer an ad in the paper. It’s got to be several things that get you to that point, if there ever is a point, where you actually (say) ‘gee I actually made it.’ I don’t know if there ever is a point. But it’s usually several steps that lead you there.

What kind of things should aspiring musicians know about being in a band?
It’s really tough, it’s like the ACDC song ‘It’s a Long Way to the Top if You Wanna Rock and Roll’. I think… if you find something you really love, the success part may come or may not come for some people. But if you’re doing something you love to do, then the success part should just be like icing on the cake – maybe you’ll get it or maybe you won’t. But if you’re doing something you truly love to do, playing music with other people or playing it by yourself or whatever, then that should make you happy in and of itself. People have a lot of different ways of measuring success, but the successful part will come, or maybe it won’t, but you’ll certainly be happy playing music.

Any stories about your experiences as a drummer?
No not really, most of the stories are usually travel related which don’t really have much to do with music itself. I guess as a professional musician you do a lot of traveling, and traveling always lends itself to stories and inconveniences. But nothing that I can remember would be really interesting. Sometimes, when you’re on the road or in a situation that is inconvenient, and (the situation) seems like it’s story-worthy, thinking back on it, most people probably wouldn’t care.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians or students?
Just play the music that you like to play, that you want to play. Like I said before, at least if you’re (doing) what you like to (do) – and this doesn’t just pertain to music but to any craft – whether it’s practicing dentistry or gardening or car detailing …then the success part will come afterwards, but you won’t be waiting for it because you’re always concentrating on the thing that you’re doing. That’s my basic advice. Everybody wants to hear a quick ‘this is how you do it story’ or ‘this is what you need to do,’ but I don’t have that answer.

Any last comments?
I hope this inspires somebody to follow their dreams, because I’m definitely the kid who had a dream, from a small town, from a small state, and I persevered. And like I said there was definitely the element of luck that helped me along the way periodically. You don’t even have to be a really young person, you could be someone in your thirties or forties. Maybe there is another career path you’ve always wanted to choose and you hear about that all the time, where someone quits a lucrative career path to try something else, be that pianist or a writer or what have you, a pirate or god knows what. As they say, you only live once and you’re going to be dead a long time, so have some fun.