Betrayed by Judas Priest

[desdemona]

Betrayed by Judas Priest, Ripper Keeps The Faith

For Heavy-Metal Singer, Rock Life Is Still a Scream

By Dave McKenna

Special to The Washington Post

Sunday, May 9, 2004; Page N01

Tim Owens recently applied for a family membership at a country club in his home town of Akron, Ohio. He warned his daughter that they might get rejected, because his piercings and tattoos could turn off club management. She told him not to worry.

"They'll let you join, Dad," said his daughter. "You're a rock star!" The kid was right on the first count: The club accepted Owens, tats and body jewelry notwithstanding. Dad, however, would quibble with the latter.

"I'm not a rock star," he says, sitting in the dining room at Jaxx in Springfield last Sunday afternoon, killing time before a sold-out show with his new band, Iced Earth.

But Owens, now 36, is unquestionably the rock star: The 2001 feature film "Rock Star," starring Mark Wahlberg as Izzy, a kid from the Rust Belt who improbably becomes lead throat of a famed British heavy-metal act (the fictional Steel Dragon) is based on Owens's fantastical life story. Except that the filmmakers didn't know about the harsh chapter that lay ahead.

read the article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...8-2004May7.html

[Ken]

We've had a lot of washington post articles being posted lately.

Damn them, and there registration bullshit.

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

No time for the story right now.

All I have to say is Tim Owens is the shit! His singing in JP was awesome and he sounds just as great in Iced Earth. I definitely hope he continues to Keep the Faith.

[KiwiCoromandel]

No time for the story right now.

All I have to say is Tim Owens is the shit! His singing in JP was awesome and he sounds just as great in Iced Earth. I definitely hope he continues to Keep the Faith.

ICED EARTH'S TIM "RIPPER" OWENS **EXCLUSIVE**

In For A Surprise, In For A Shock

By Jeff Kerby

Posted 12/22/03

One of the most interesting stories in metal history has to be that of infamous vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens-a musician who once upon a time went from performing Judas Priest covers in unglamorous settings to eventually becoming a member of the group he idolized. Recently, his unceremonious removal from the band in favor of the singer he originally replaced, Rob Halford, led to speculation that Owens was destined to descend back into the metallic abyss from whence he came. Rumors had it that he would either eventually go back to merely playing "Green Manalishi" in front of inebriated patrons at neighborhood bars or trying his hand at a solo career that would be doubtlessly doomed to failure.

During his time with Judas Priest, Tim's job was in many ways a thankless one. Solid performances given during his tenure were still deemed "better if Rob was singing" by many of the fans. Regardless of whatever he did or even attempted to do, the specter of Halford constantly loomed large. His input during the writing process was minimal, and as a result, it was hard for many to see Owens as anything more than a temporary replacement that would allow Priest to tour and record until the inevitable reunion would occur. It finally did.

The time of introspection and confusion that followed for Tim may have in many ways actually provided a relief from the speculation and frustration that accompanied the latter stages of his stint with Priest. Events improved even more when metal fans heard that Owens planned on becoming a permanent member of the highly revered band Iced Earth. The news was instantly met with enthusiasm by numerous listeners who weren't exactly enamored with the vocal stylings of his predecessor. The new project, The Glorious Burden, showcases the 32-minute epic "Gettysburg" and gives listeners a chance to hear what a lengthy collaboration between Owens and I.E. visionary Jon Schaffer could produce. Whether Ripper ever loses the moniker "Ex-singer of Judas Priest" remains to be seen, but whatever the future brings for Tim Owens, it is likely that the period he spent with his previous group will have an undeniable effect on what he is to become.

How hard was it to try to come in and add your own style to the new Iced Earth project?

Well, in a way I was doing the same thing that Matt Barlow did. We're both classic heavy metal style singers. That's what Iced Earth needs too because it's just such a classic metal type band. The great thing about the Iced Earth music and what Jon has told me for years, is that he would write music with a specific vocal style in mind. When he creates this music, he said the voice he would hear in his head that would be mine. He's been telling me this since I first met him in 1998. That's part of why we'd been trying to get together to do the side project over the past year.

Actually, he has stated on numerous occasions that when he first heard you on Jugulator that something clicked and he realized that your voice was what he considered ideal for the music he writes. When you started this project, you weren't even a permanent member of the band.

No.

How has your mindset changed now versus back when you were maybe just laying down vocals and thinking of this more as a short term proposition?

Obviously, when I did the vocals, I was still in Priest. Of course, at that time I thought there was no way that I was ever going to be a member of Iced Earth. That's what you feel at the time. That's what you think. We even had a contract drawn up that said that I was just doing guest vocals and that I was a sideman. After I finished it though, I knew that I just absolutely loved it. I knew that I would love to sing that stuff all the time, but it was a difficult decision though. I guess my mindset isn't that much different now, but I've learned a lot more since then. Before joining the band though, I studied up on the old stuff more and listened to the old stuff more. I listened to the Live in Athens cd and checked on Iced Earth's sales figures to see if they have gotten better each year. I always knew that my love for the music was always there, but I wanted to make sure that it was something that was going to continue to grow in the future. I wanted to make sure that the band wasn't something that had already peaked and that it was still growing. That's where the excitement comes from now-when I went in to do the vocals, I just wanted to go in there and do them as well as they could possibly be done. We had so much fun recording the vocals, and at that time I knew that I could definitely be in a band with Jon… 'til he fires me like he does everyone else. (laughs)

The perception of Jon in some corners is that he can be extremely difficult to work with-mostly in light of all the lineup changes. Do you understand where any of this speculation comes from?

I think part of the reason is that many people don't understand that Jon didn't fire everybody. A lot of the older members left on their own or realized they wanted to do something else. Jon has worked so hard and made that band. He's built it from the ground up-obviously Matt has been a big part of it as well-but Jon has handled most of the business from merchandising to song writing. He has been the major driving force in every aspect, and some people didn't want to get involved. I think that maybe Jon may not have even wanted that at the time either, but that was the first thing we talked about was that he said that he actually wanted somebody to help. He said that he actually wanted help on the business end, and he wanted help from others making decisions. In the end though, Jon knows what Jon wants. He's a very determined person, and he definitely knows what he wants. If you don't want that same thing or you don't agree with it, you could very well be hitting the highway. Jon just works really hard, and you should expect to be paid in relation to how much work you put into it whether it's the next record or whatever.

Right.

He's a good guy. I mean, he may be a little hard headed, but he has his beliefs, and that's part of what's good about him. I think that's why he's built this thing up to be as big as it is.

How has your involvement in Iced Earth been a pressure reliever for you? Especially coming off an experience in Judas Priest that not too many people could properly understand or empathize with?

Well, I had a great time in Priest. The only difference may be that now I can hop in my car for four and a half hours and actually see Jon. I have a great relationship with him, and I've always had a great relationship with the guys in Judas Priest. I didn't get to write, and that was a downfall. Basically though, the biggest problem for me was we weren't busy enough in Judas Priest.

There were financial issues tied to that as well that people wouldn't necessarily expect. I mean, if you weren't touring, you couldn't just sit back and live off your writing credits, could you? Being off the road for a couple of years had to be difficult.

It was. You had to figure that I was under a contract where I wasn't supposed to do anything else. Even if I was able to, I never knew when Priest was gonna start working again. If I had decided at some point that I wanted to do a solo record, I never knew when Priest was gonna get back together and start working. It was just a hard thing to do. I was fine with it though because it was just such a great time. We were such good friends, and we all got along so well that it never really bothered me until maybe this past year. That's probably when I first started trying to figure out just what in the hell was going on with that, but it never did hurt our friendship.

How is that possible? I mean, I believe you when you say it, but there are people who would wonder how you could have this type of attitude when it would appear, at least outwardly, that Priest wasn't exactly being truthful with the press concerning your situation.

When the decision was made to get Rob back, it was a decision that we all agreed on together. We just knew that it was the best decision. They weren't hiding things-there were rumors all the time, and when they decided to go with it was when they decided to go with it. Obviously, there was speculation because our album wasn't selling well and Rob Halford's records weren't selling very well. Then, when he cancelled the tour, that's when all this speculation came up, but to me, it didn't hurt because I wanted it to happen. I succeeded as a singer. I sang well and was accepted by most of the people. If it wasn't for Judas Priest, I wouldn't be talking to you here right now. They gave me a lot. Let's face it, I'm in Iced Earth now, and I'm about to tour around the world and do a solo album-everything I'm getting ready to do is because of my time in Judas Priest. I know that. They knew that. They sat me down right from the beginning and said, "you aren't always gonna be in Judas Priest-you're a lot younger and at some point we're gonna have to stop."

Do you think they are looking at their reunion with Halford as a last hurrah, or do you think they may be looking down the road for another five or ten years?

I don't think they'd be looking at another ten or fifteen years down the road. I think that right now they're looking at doing another record and another tour and see where it goes from there. The road is a hard thing, and recording a record is a lot harder work than people think. When you're pushing sixty, it's gotta be draining. It's draining on me, and I'm thirty-six. It's hard, you know?

I would imagine it's especially hard when you have family that you're close to-

Yeah, and we aren't talking about guys who need to necessarily do this either. These are guys who live in mansions. They're basically doing it because they love it-that isn't to say there isn't money in a reunion. I just think they want to go out on top and do the thirty-year reunion. I think that's the way to do it too.

It doesn't seem like a lot of people realize that the people who get the residuals are the ones who write the songs. You just weren't really in a position to contribute in that area.

Exactly. Even if the albums don't sell 500,000 copies, they are still selling something, and that money goes to the people writing the songs. They're still getting paid a lot of money in publishing from their old records. They're still selling old records, and when they release these box sets, they're still getting money. They're making a lot of money…well, Glenn, Ken and Rob are making a lot of money. That's because they wrote the songs, and that's why you'd become a songwriter in the first place. Jon isn't stupid either. He found out at an early age that the songwriters make most of the money-so it isn't a coincidence that Jon's writing most of the material. (laughs)

That being said, do you feel freer to express your ideas either about the music or lyrics now that you're with Iced Earth that you felt at any time with Judas Priest? Or is the writing still kind of considered someone else's domain?

I definitely feel better about expressing myself. I've already gotten to write lyrics and the melody to one of the songs on the album, and I wasn't even in the band yet. I was offered to rewrite three of the songs, and that was more than my time in Judas Priest. It's nice to have that offered to me. I feel freer, and basically I'm just looking forward to getting the damn album out. It seems sometimes as if it's the album that's never gonna get released.

What have been some of the reasons for the delays? There has been a lot of speculation-especially on the Internet-as to why the record hasn't been released. Many of the fans seem to be especially frustrated.

The label just wanted to be able to release it at a time when they'd be able to put the best push behind it. I think when they found out that I was doing the vocals for it, it obviously gave them a charge to do it right. I think they thought that they could originally release it in October, but if they held it up, it might give them enough time to come up with the proper game plan for promoting it. Obviously, we were a little upset at first because we really want the record out, but then we have to also consider that if we're able to sell few more copies of the record because of this, then that's the name of the game. I mean, we want it out though-it's just killing us. None of this was our decision, and we will definitely stand behind SPV, but it's like having a new car and not being able to drive it.

How excited are you to begin performing with Iced Earth and showcasing the songs from this album?

I can't wait to do this. I can't wait to perform "Gettysburg."

I was going to ask you about that-are you going to really play all three parts?

We're gonna work on it, and we're gonna get the orchestra. We'll probably end up putting it into a computer and syncing it up and do a clip track which is pretty much what people have to do when they have something like that. When you have a case as with Gettysburg where you have the people and cannons and the orchestra, it'll be fun. I thought it was going to be pretty easy to sing before I started working on it, and that's when I realized how tough it was. It's going to be really exciting.

But you won't shorten it live? You'll play all thirty-two minutes?

Yeah, we're gonna play all three parts, but we're gonna play it so fast that it's only going to last fifteen minutes.

No way-

No, I'm just kidding. We're going to play it all and just see what happens. We've decided to do it, but we've got to make sure that it's something we can do and have all the parts present.

If you do it in its entirety though, you're basically talking about one song taking up a third of your set, right?

Yeah. That's basically it.

Is there any extra pressure on a band that has an audio track or video track accompanying the music? Isn't there always that sense that if the timing isn't right that it is going to be really noticeable to the audience?

You know what, I've never done it before, so this tour is going to introduce a lot of firsts for me. It's going to be new. It's not that bad for me because I just go along with the music, but it's the drummer who is going to really have to keep the time because if you lose it, it's done. Even if the tape machine messes up, you're in trouble. We'll see what happens.

It has also been said that this new music allows you to sound more like you. Why do you think that statement has been made?

I mean, the whole thing was, the Judas Priest albums were me too. This just showcases other aspects of my voice like the high natural voice that I probably only used on "Feed On Me" and probably not much else. This has a lot more passion and a lot more singing. The Priest stuff was still me-it was just in quicker doses. All the parts that are here with Iced Earth were also part of me in Judas Priest, but the parts were just quicker. Glenn liked to write more in character form while Jon writes in more flowing, emotional melodies. Jon and Glenn are two different style writers. I can sing the Iced Earth material any way I want though. The only problem that I had in Judas Priest that came up was that sometimes I would sing something, and I'd go, "man, I just sang that, and it kinda sounded like Rob." The problem with that is, that's just how I sing. Now, I don't have to worry about that. Now, I can get away with it when somebody says, "that sounds like Judas Priest. That sounds like Rob." That's mostly because I'm not in that band anymore. People used to think that I was trying too hard and that I was trying to sound like Rob.

It's got to be nice to not have the specter of Rob Halford constantly looming over you anymore.

Yeah, it was like when I would sing well live, people would say I was a Rob clone, but if I didn't sing it that way, they would think it was because I couldn't do it. I was always in a no win situation sometimes with some of the fans. Now, I can kind of do what I want and behave how I want without having to worry about that. I guess now all I have to do is worry about being compared to Matt which will be fun because we're two completely different singers. That's fine because the comparisons will be different because my voice is nothing like his.

In your defense, what made some of the criticism even more unfair was that when I interviewed Glenn last year, he said something like, "If we hadn't found Ripper, there probably wouldn't have been any more Judas Priest." It isn't like they could have just went out and got anyone to perform those songs.

The thing is ninety to ninety-five percent of the Priest fans accepted me as being the lead singer, and they saw that the band was happy. If it wasn't me that Judas Priest picked, it would have been someone else who would have been blamed for sounding the same way. The albums they wrote with me were going to be Judas Priest albums anyway, in my opinion, they were great albums. That's how it is.

Occasionally, you play informal type sets with a band called The Sickness. What does that provide you? Is it more of an informal type of environment to just belt out whatever you want?

Yeah, The Sickness was a lot of fun, and I've known those guys for a long time. The drummer was in one of my first bands, and my wife and I went out a few times to watch them, and we really enjoyed it. It was fun, and they played really good. What was fun was that I'd go on stage and have a couple of beers and just play. When I go out on stage with Iced Earth, I won't be drinking, and I won't be drinking before or anything like that. It was just a good time that just finally had to end because I got so busy. It was fun though.

Which songs maybe just really got on your nerves after awhile and that you don't really care to play any time in the near future?

You know, yeah, it's like singing "Breaking the Law" every night. You know, we even took "You Got Another Thing Comin'" out of the set list for awhile which was kind of odd considering it was their biggest hit. At the time we just wanted to bring back other songs like "Cheater" or something else. You have to play them though, and I imagine it's going to be the same way in certain respects with Iced Earth. You'll just eventually come to a point where you say-

"I can't do "Gettysburg" tonight…I can't do all thirty-two minutes anyway."

Yeah, "Gettysburg" would be the one I could see saying that about just because I really might not be able to do Gettysburg that night. It wouldn't be because I was tired of it, it might just be because of the strain involved. I might just lip sync it.

You guys could choreograph some moves too.

Yeah, I could choreograph some moves, get a uniform and push a canon around on stage-maybe even ride a horse.

Were you particularly interested in any of this material historically before your involvement with this record?

I'm not nearly into history as much as John or anything like that. He's one of the most intelligent men I've met within that field. I was aware of Gettysburg and it sounds cheesy to say, but part of it was through watching the movie. It was a great four hour movie.

Hey, and creating four hours of anything that someone can sit through is no small feat.

My father in law forced me and my brother to watch that movie.

In one sitting?

In one sitting.

That's shocking.

He didn't even use a gun to get us to do it either. It was amazing though, so I was at least familiar with a lot of the material. Obviously, I read up on it when I was doing the lyrics. After I did the record, I went to Gettysburg a couple of times for photo shoots. It's nice to go there and know what happened.

Are you still thinking about and actively pursuing a solo album?

Oh yeah, I've got some friends that I'm working with, and I've written all the guitar parts and everything. We've been practicing some of the stuff together to try to get a feel for it. Then, it's off to the studio to make some demos and shop them around to some labels. Depending on how long I tour with Iced Earth next year, I'd like to get the album out by 2004.

Basically, between your Iced Earth record and potential solo album, your post Priest outlook is a lot brighter than many would have believed.

Yeah, it's really going well. I did a lot of thinking over the past year, and trying to figure out exactly what my game plan would be. I'm really excited about what is to come.

______________________________________________________

An Interview With Judas Priest Frontman Ripper Owens

By Don Sill, Contributor

Thursday, June 27, 2002 @ 9:56 AM

Owens Clarifies The Alleged Feud Between Ex-Priest Vocalist Rob Halford

It's never easy being the “New Guy,” always having to put up with people's snide remarks and constant hazing. Fighting day after day in an ongoing battle to prove yourself to the masses and earn your bones and respect among the pact. People laughing when you trip and hoping to see you fall again and again praying for your demise and you failure. Tim "Ripper" Owens knows the feeling all to well; for 5 years he's been the “New Guy” -- a title that may never go away. Ripper isn't just any “New Guy,” he's the replacement front man of the world famous metal outfit, Judas Priest, taking center stage where the "Metal God" himself, Rob Halford, used to stand tall.

"I said that when [Rob Halford] left and did 'Two,' he left heavy metal, and that's true and that's the end of that, and what I always say is, 'Thank God he's back to heavy metal.'"

Throughout his 5 years with the legendary band, Ripper took lashings from Judas Priest die-hards and rock critics alike, always being compared to Halford and constantly walking in Halford's dark shadow, constantly having to prove his worth time and again. "I still see some people at concerts who come to watch me bomb and they hate me," says Ripper with a laugh in his voice. "I even had people sitting there flipping me off." But, Ripper would stay strong and focused and win over his critics by singing his ass off and proving that he has the talent, diversity and moxie that is worth of Judas Priest status.

Sure, Ripper had won over his critics and maybe a few of the extreme haters, but no matter how much talent he has, there will always be remnants of Halford's shadow lurking behind every corner.

Recently, [according to French Magazine Rock Hard] Ripper was accused of saying "Halford returned to his metal roots to cash-in on metals popularity." In response, Haford stated, "If Tim says that I turned my back on metal because Fight was a failure and Two was a failure, two commercial disasters, that I just went back to metal because that's where I make my money and my living… Fuck you, Tim! Because that's not what happened, and without me you would not be in Judas Priest."

I spoke with Ripper recently about still being the “New Guy” and about the latest feud with Halford…

KNAC.COM: You've been with Judas Priest for 5 years now; you've recorded 2 albums, toured with them, bonded with these guys and all of that stuff. Does it feel like it's your band now? Or is it still their band?

RIPPER: I feel like it's my band on the stage, ya know… But, off the stage I still feel like it's still their band. I mean, I've done 2 studio records and a live record and a soon to be DVD, and hopefully another live record -- and I've been here since ‘96 and it's all going pretty fast. But, I still feel it's theirs; they've done it. You know, when I start getting money from the back catalog, then I'll start feeling like it's my band! [Laughs]

KNAC.COM: [Laughs] Do you get intimidated to voice your opinion? Like when you were recording Demolition?

RIPPER: You know what I do, actually. I still do. I tell ya, I did get to put a lot more into Demolition. I got to change some vocals on things and unfortunately you don't get credit on things like that. I got to sing at my register, the way I wanted to sing it, and I really got to do a lot more on this one. This album was written for my vocals and not somebody who could just sing like Judas Priest. But, the intimidation factor is there because it seems like 9 times out of 10 my opinion gets shot down anyway. I just let them handle it, ‘cause they're probably just thinking, "Wait a minute, we wrote the songs for 20 years and we don't care what you say. You're a kid…" [Laughs] But with this one they gave me more freedom.

KNAC.COM: You can definitely tell on Demolition that you did put in a lot more of your vocal style.

RIPPER: Yeah, and part of the reason is that I can do every style of heavy metal singing, except maybe for that sissy hard rock stuff. I ain't gonna sing like that. But, who knows, they're may even be a little bit of that in there too. [Laughs]

KNAC.COM: Now, I imagine that growing up you were a huge Rob Halford fan…

RIPPER: Yup.

KNAC.COM: …And now, in the news I read that he's angry with you. Is there a feud between you and Halford?

RIPPER: No, at all. What did they say on there?

KNAC.COM: That you accused Halford of going back to his metal roots to cash in on metal’s current popularity. I'll read you what Halford said in response to this: "If Tim says that I turned my back on metal because Fight was a failure and Two was a failure, two commercial disasters, that I just went back to metal because that's where I make my money and my living… Fuck you, Tim! Because that's not what happened and without me you would not be in Judas Priest."

RIPPER: Man. See, that's just silly. Not what he said. I would have said that, too, if I was him. But, this is just silly, unbelievable stuff… I did say that he left heavy metal, that's all I said, but not with "Fight" ‘cause "Fight" is heavy metal, and I'm a huge fan of "Fight." I said that when he left and did "Two," he left heavy metal, and that's true and that's the end of that, and what I always say is, "Thank God he's back to heavy metal."

KNAC.COM: Well, I'm glad we can clear all this up because they had it like you were taking a shot at him.

RIPPER: No, not at all, "Thank God he's back to heavy metal," that's exactly what I always say. I say that everybody experiments with different stuff, and there's nothing wrong with that. When Rob left Judas Priest, he didn't leave heavy metal then. I'm a fan of Rob's and this is just silly stuff. It's unbelievable that I would say any of that.

KNAC.COM: So, it was taken out of context…

RIPPER: It has to be, because I always say the same exact thing. I say that Rob left heavy metal, that's what I say -- and he did, that's not a lie, there's nothing with that. Fine, he left heavy metal and I never will say anything bad about that, but I do say, "Thank God he's back to heavy metal," because that's what people want.

KNAC.COM: I agree. Halford went on to experiment with new stuff and he's back, thank God.

RIPPER: You know, we have had things going back and forth, and I have had things taken out of context, and I've also probably put my foot in my mouth a few times also, but, this is just silly. I mean, I met Rob and he's a great guy, you know, and why would I say anything bad about him? I might have said some things in the past, but he has to realize that I read a lot of bad things that he supposedly said about me, so I used to come back and react to these things after I read them. I used to; I don't anymore. You know what? It doesn't bother me, and if I was him, I would have said the same exact thing. He didn't really say anything that bad either. He said "If Tim said," and I didn't, so… He's got my phone number…

_________________________________________________________

"Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill formed the band in 1970 in Birmingham, England. Halford joined in 1971 and Tipton came on board three years later. The group's first album, Rocka Rolla, was released in 1974, and Halford sang on the band's next 12 albums before leaving after touring behind Painkiller. The group continued in 1996 with vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, who was recruited from a Judas Priest cover band and whose vocals bore an uncanny similarity to those of Halford.

"We were quite happy being out with Ripper," Tipton said. "He was the only person that could have stepped into Rob's shoes. We've all been enjoying ourselves and we've been relaxed, but we all feel the time is right now to go back out with Rob again, and Tim understands that."

__________________________________________________________

must admit... i prefer rob halfords vocals any day...fav priest track?..."you`ve got another thing coming"...fav album?.."screaming for vengance".

[cjules13]

We've had a lot of washington post articles being posted lately.

Damn them, and there registration bullshit.

The Wash Post is one of the sites I decided to reg at. They haven't spammed me or anything and they have a pretty good news site.

[Ken]

Yeah, but i'm lazy, and don't feel like regging and logging in.

[desdemona]

unfortunately the washington post is one of those sites that would object to their material being used, hence the link