Judas Priest - Better By You, Better Than Me

This weekend I went on a Judas Priest binge.

HEADING OUT ON THE HIGHWAY, DIAMONDS AND RUST, ROCKA ROLLA etc, until YouTube popped up the lead singer's testimony in a 1990 Nevada civil suit accusing the group of inciting two Reno teenagers' suicide pact via subliminal words 'do it' in their reprieve of the Spooky Tooth song BETTER BY YOU BETTER THAN ME.

The suit was thrown out of court to the protest of conservative lawmakers and church leaders threatened by the demonic aspect of heavy metal. Comedians rallied to the defense of Judas Priest and Rob Halford suggested that a better death command would have been 'buy more of our records'.

Those forces of revision; the church and the right, ruled the country for the last 40 years.

In the summer of 2009 in Iowa City I was siting in a bar whith Alan Lage aka Colonel Rockford, and Brock Dundee, a Brit spy serving the West's Endless War in Afghanistan, when I overheard one of three overweight corn middlemen say, "This country was founded on conservative values."

I put down my drink. My good friend Alan Lage lifted his hands. "Violence doesn't solve anything."

"You're right about that." I signaled I was cool, calm, and collected and said to the old hippie, "I'm just going to say one thing."

I walked over to them and glared , as I said, "This country was founded on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and it makes me very happy to tell you dumb motherfuckers to shut your holes."

The fattish trio were stylish attired in Midwest Stretch-band khakis and a blue skirt like they were cult members. I was in black leather. No one threw a punch, but I felt vindicated by my exercising the freedom of speech. The young bartender, who had recently returned from a National Guard stint in Iraq, gave Alan Lage and me a beer.

"I'm working, so I can't say a thing. Thanks for being my voice."

"Can I ask you a favor, can you play HEAD OUT TO THE HIGHWAY?"

Coming right up."

And I still love Judas Priest.

Rock on.

To hear BETTER BY YOU BETTER THAN ME go to this URL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqAPVB4u9Zs&NR=1&feature=fvwp

BREAKING THE LAW by Judas Priest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psTUiQzNoxw

My landlord's wife read a book about Motley Crue. The mother of two was converted to heavy metal. AP her husband exposed her to Penelope Spheeris' DECLINE AND FALL OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION - THE METAL YEARS. For better or worse and I promised her a heavy tee-shirt as a belated Mother's Day gift.

"Black Sabbath or Judas Priest?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"Black Sabbath." She wasn't familiar with Judas Priest.

"Judas Priest was sued by several courts as accessories to murder." Two Texas teens read a little too much into the lyrics of "Better By You, Better Than Me" during a night-long session of drinking and pot-smoking. Their suicides was seen by the DA as a direct result of heavy metal and satanism. Judas Priest was acquitted of all charges. "And Rob Halford is the best dancer in Heavy Metal."

"And even better that millions of young boys idolized him without realizing that he was gay." AP was no Judas fan, but know his rock.

"Gay?" His wife seemed surprised that Heavy Metal didn't exclude gays.

"Very." I loved his dance sequence in BREAKING THE LAW. His sexuality was never a secret to those in the know. "Nothing better than HEAD OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. So I'll get you a Judas Priest t-shirt too."

"Okay." AP's wife had a good heart and a free t-shirt was a free t-shirt.

For a listen to Judas Priest's BREAKING THE LAW go to this URL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L397TWLwrUU

Rattlesnakes In Winter

Eve was seduced by a snake and ate an apple. God exiled Adam and Eve from Eden without mercy. Coming from New England I loved apples and especially my mother's apple pie, but the Church divined that the Apple was sin. An apple, but what else was to be expected from a merciless God who has burned cities to the ground?

Satan has offered us Judas Priest and black leather.

I don't believe in the power of either.

Only the desire of the eternal woman for an apple.

Especially in the dark of a New England winter night.

Here's my video of the Serpent.

Go to this URL:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqODcmZMETU

All hail Judas Priest.