Rob Halford says it was "a lot of fun" to see JUDAS PRIEST's music included in a State Farm commercial. Released this past September, the 30-second spot features NFL star Aaron Rodgers cruising around with his personal agent, Gabe Gabriel, and his State Farm agent Patrick. After Aaron inquires about the Drive Safe & Save app, the insurance agent calmly explains to Rodgers that he will save more money by driving safely. At that point, Gabriel, donning a suit and a Bluetooth earpiece, cranks "Breaking The Law" by JUDAS PRIEST over the car speaker and asserts that Rodgers does not know how to play it safe. Annoyed that his agent messed with his discount, the quarterback kicks his agent out of the car, leaving him to walk the rest of the way. Asked how PRIEST's inclusion in the commercial came about, Halford told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station: "I didn't even know about that [before someone told me that they saw it]. 'Hey, you're on a commercial.' 'What?' 'You're on a commercial.' 'I am?' 'Yeah.' "I'll tell you what's so beautiful about that — the way that PRIEST is in American culture," he continued. "You have to be really embedded in this great country, as a nation, to have that opportunity. Your music, for that to be on a TV commercial across this vast landscape of the United States, and there's a guy doing the [air] drum thing to 'Breaking The Law'. What a great song to choose… It was a blast, man. It's a lot of fun… And that's cool. It's a bonus — heavy metal bonus." This is not the first time JUDAS PRIEST's music has been used in a commercial. Back in 2012, Honda chose PRIEST's classic 1982 track "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" for its campaign dubbed the "Honda Summer Clearance Event." Two years earlier, Honda used another PRIEST song, "The Hellion", in a commercial for its redesigned 2011 Odyssey minivan. The 30-second spot featured a young, ex-rocker dad and an iconic Marshall amp. This past October, it was announced that PRIEST is among the nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's class of 2020. The top vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall. Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for last year's class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list. Current members Halford, Ian Hill (bass), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums) would be inducted along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar), Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland. In 2020, PRIEST will celebrate its 50th anniversary by embarking on a special tour. This past summer, PRIEST completed a North American trek with support from URIAH HEEP.
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
