After the recent award ceremony on which he received the Lemmy Lifetime Achievement Award, legendary Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was asked by Loudwire what does it feel to receive an award with Lemmy Kilmister’s name.
He replied (transcribed by UG):
“It’s so inspiring, more than anything else. Lemmy’s music, his life, everything that we love about Lemmy is embodied in this award. When it comes to achieving all the stuff that you do you owe so much to so many people around you in music.
“And I knew Lemmy from the Hawkwind days, so I always looked up to Lemmy in terms of the great kind of figurehead of rock ‘n’ roll. And beyond that, it’s a whole lot of other people that are connected to any kind of thing that you get in life in terms of an achievement. But to get it with Lemmy’s name, what a thrill.”
When asked about his reaction to being nominated for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Halford said:
“I think I was back at the house in Phoenix, Arizona, and somebody told me that it may be looming. They just give you the tiny little heads up.
“I was buzzing because it’s still and always will be a revered institution like the Baseball Hall of Fame, the NFL, anything that’s related and embodies people that have put the heart and soul into what they do and try to make a big footprint with their work. To even be nominated in that class of people in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is just tremendous. We’re keeping everything crossed that we may or may not get inaugurated.
“But even just to be associated with the name is absolutely fantastic, for a British heavy metal band in a great American institution like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”