Recently, ex-Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens caught the attention of media outlets when he shared that he had not gotten a call from the band concerning their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Other than a phone call he got from an Australian agent who was upset with a tour Owens was part of using the name “Metal Gods,” Tim heard nothing from the band regarding their induction. Owens was in the band from 1996 to 2003.
During a recent conversation on the White Line Fever podcast, Owens talked about the comments he made in a past Rolling Stone article, his relationship with the band, and how it feels like his time in the band has been “swept under the rug.” This is what he had to say about his comments being picked up by media outlets:
“I knew [my comments about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame] would be [picked up by media outlets]. And I don’t mind talking about it, because, listen, [Judas Priest] should have been in the Hall Of Fame a long time ago. And then they asked about me going in – listen, I’m not going in, and that’s cool; like I said before, I feel like I’m going in anyways, ’cause I was in the band for about 10 years and [I worked on] two studio records and two live records and a DVD and a Grammy nomination. It’s good to see Rob and Glenn and Ken and Scott get in there, for sure.”
He then goes on to talk about how he feels about not hearing from the band regarding their Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. In the past, there have been other bands who have had former members appear on a record or two, and those members have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame – Owens also comments on that point.
“It’s strange for me. It’s not that nobody would be surprised, like I’ve said before. And listen, I’m friends with the guys, and I don’t ever talk bad about my time I was in the band. It’s a business, so your feelings can get hurt for a second, but I still love the guys. But it’s shocking that my era [in Judas Priest] has just been swept under the rug.
“Like I’ve said in the Rolling Stone article, a phone call would have been nice just to say, ‘Listen, you’re not [going to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame].’ Like I said in the article, instead of getting e-mails threatening me for something that some promoter did in Australia, but just a nice message saying, ‘Hey, they’re going in. We wanna thank you.’
“The funny thing is, fans are like, ‘Man, get over it.’ I don’t bring this stuff up. We don’t start our interview and I go, ‘Guess what? They didn’t let me in there.’ It is what it is, I understand it. Again, it’s a business. I’ve got a lot going on with myself. I make a living doing music. And it is what it is.”
Do you think Tim “Ripper” Owens deserves to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? You can check out the full interview with Tim “Ripper” Owens below.