I enjoyed such bands as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. This genre was referred to as The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (TNWOBHM). My sister preferred Boy George and Whitney Houston. She and my mother droned on about how Boy George's appearance was just a gimmick and “oh, doesn't he have such a pleasant voice...”
They believed the groups I liked were “...just a bunch of weirdos, don't they look stupid...” I tried to explain how most talented metal guitarists had classical music training. I told them how, at a very young age, Bruce Dickinson was already a military historian and an accomplished fencing master. They didn't believe me.
Oddly enough, nearly every performer my sister liked (Boy George, George Michael, Madonna, Whitney Houston, etc...) turned out to be a freak and their lives became train wrecks.
Amazingly, most of the old rockers and metal heads are either still performing or have settled down quietly.
While some of us might be shocked that the Former Judas Priest vocalist, Rob Halford, is gay (alright, we're not really that surprised) as far as I can tell, he doesn't run around flaunting his behavior and cramming his deviance down our throats. He seemed to have kept his private life out of the public view.
Alright, rant mode off... I hope Mr George gets the help he needs.
Halford prefers to ram his deviance down his boyfriend’s throat.... Even so, he can still friggin’ sing his ass off.
Your point that the seemingly safe and parent-acceptable are the truly depraved is absolutely correct. This is not only true in music but all other entertainment mediums. Richard Dawson used to force his tongue down the throat of any female he liked on the “Family Feud”. Ick.
But we were talking about the awesome vocal talent of Robert Halford! I attended the OzFest in Nashville a few years back, putting up with the monster-growlers on stage and the pierced/tattooed and undisciplined legions in my personal space. Come sundown I got to see Black Label Society (Zack Wylde’s band), Hank III sitting in with someone else (he’s very good) and Judas Priest.
They stole it with the tried and true light show and motorcycle. Did anyone care? NO! Because that voice rang as true as it did 25 years ago. I noticed a 60ish biker type to my left and a 20-something pincushion on the right singing along. That’s how rock transcends generations.