Judas Priest did not celebrate his victory in the subliminal message court
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Rob Halford recalled how he and the other members of Judas Priest felt “confused” and “angry” as they appeared in court in 1990 accused of instigating two fans to kill themselves.
Raymond Belknap and James Vance both shot each other in the head in December 1985 after consuming alcohol and drugs and listening to music from Priest. Belknap died instantly while Vance survived with serious injuries; he died of an overdose three years later. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Halford and his band mates found themselves accused of incorporating subliminal messages into their recordings which had encouraged the men to commit suicide.
âIt was extraordinary,â the singer said Classic rock in a new interview. “They tried to blame us for it, and it’s a terrible thing to do.” He added that the members of the group weren’t sure they could exonerate themselves because âwe knew the American legal system, we knew how things could go wrong. It was unusual territory, these so-called subliminal messages.
Asked about the famous photo of the group attending court in costume, Halford said: âI see a group of very confused, very angry, very determined guys. We knew we were absolutely going to have to do the best job we could to bring out the truth, so we made all the necessary adjustments and accommodations: wearing costumes, being respectful to the court and the judge. The prosecution created this fictional rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that we allegedly lived, but we came as four smart British gentlemen who knew how to handle what was presented to us.
The leader was then asked if he had celebrated after the judge cleared them. “No,” he replied. âI went into hiding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, because the press was after us. Someone called me and said, âThe judge cleared you. It’s the end of the matter, it’s done and dusted. But no, we didn’t celebrate. We were just relieved. And what got lost in all of this was the loss of these two tragic beautiful boys. It’s the sadness of it all.
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