In this rapid fire interview recorded in San Francisco before the Greg Kihn Band performed a concert recorded for the House Party radio show, you can hear the intensity and speed with which the band played. Funny, direct, and topical, Kihn comes across as a guy enjoying what he’s doing.

00:00 – Performing new tunes 00:47 – The new song / plans for a new album 01:13 – Writing “Jeopardy” 02:06 – Making the video for “Jeopardy” 02:34 – The perks of playing dance clubs 03:31 – The direction dance music is heading 04:27 – Thoughts on electronic instruments 05:12 – Using “Kihn” in the album titles 06:29 – Projections for the World Series* 07:18 – A favorite dance track

*The Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 1.

Amidst a surge of popularity for heavy metal in the early 1980’s, thanks, at least in part, to MTV, Judas Priest released and toured in support of Defenders of the Faith in 1984. Not to be outdone by the “second generation” of metal bands, the group planned a spectacular stage presentation and heavily promoted the tour, which included the press conference and interviews presented here.

Part 1 was for a radio show that allowed Priest fans from all over the country to call in and ask questions of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, and K.K. Downing. It may not be the best source for Judas Priest-related data, but it’s worthwhile to hear the band interact amongst themselves and with their fans, proof that these guys were always up for a good time.

Parts 2 – 4 are individual interviews with Tipton, Downing, and Halford, respectively. Using the same questions for each person, the aim was to edit the interviews together for a promotional montage. While the questions are dumbed down a little towards this end, it is intriguing to hear the differences and, perhaps more noticeably, similarities between the three different segments.

Part 1: Press conference and call-in radio show 00:00 – Intros, joking around 01:03 – A brief history of the band 01:49 – Change of approach for Defenders of the Faith 03:20 – Special live concert – 5/5/84 05:11 – Caller: stopping by the east coast 06:14 – Caller: causes for becoming rock stars 07:23 – Caller: set list for the Worcester show 08:21 – Caller: a special song request 09:06 – Tour dates (in one breath) 09:59 – Caller: playing at the US Festival 10:38 – Caller: a song request 11:04 – Origins of heavy metal: MC5, Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple 13:05 – Threats and bodyguards / not anti-religious 14:35 – Thoughts on other heavy metal bands / inspiration for Kevin DuBrow 17:15 – Working on the “Love Bites” video 18:33 – Caller: a trip to McAllen, TX? 20:01 – Caller: meeting at a bar 21:05 – Tour dates (intelligibly) / the stage set 22:50 – The idea behind the Metallion 23:38 – Caller: Glenn’s marital status 24:02 – Caller: coming to Philadelphia 24:38 – More tour dates 25:22 – Caller: coming to Milwaukee 26:31 – Caller: Rob’s scooter riding 27:44 – Caller: K.K.’s Flying V guitar

Part 2 – Glenn Tipton 00:00 – Defenders of the Faith tour 01:27 – What to expect from the fans 02:04 – Looking forward to touring 02:45 – The magic at a live Judas Priest show 03:37 – Favorite songs to play in concert / selecting a set-list 04:22 – Producing a Judas Priest tour 05:41 – Musical influences: Hendrix, modern blues, Peter Green 06:27 – Satanic imagery in heavy metal / “Sinner,” “The Ripper” 09:20 – Thoughts on the second generation of heavy metal 11:09 – The message stays the same / what American kids want to hear Part 3 – K.K. Downing 00:00 -Defenders of the Faith tour / faith defined 01:52 – What the fans can expect 02:24 – Favorite parts about touring 03:33 – The importance of touring 04:53 – Favorite songs to play in concert 06:06 – The songwriting process 07:39 – Musical influences: Hendrix, Cream, Bluesbreakers 08:56 – Response to heavy metal as satanic music 10:00 – Thoughts on the second generation of heavy metal 12:15 – Other career possibilities

Part 4 – Rob Halford 00:00 – “Metal Madness and Insanity Tour” / instructions 01:21 – Favorite part of touring 02:06 – Touring vs. other media 03:00 – The importance of rock video 03:51 – Favorite songs to play in concert 06:06 – The songwriting process 07:50 – The preferred audience / American vs. European audiences 09:39 – Not writing about being on the road / not writing while on the road 11:40 – Response to heavy metal as satanic music 13:43 – Thoughts on the second generation of heavy metal 15:27 – Other career possibilities / plans for retirement

Keyboardist, producer, and co-writer for the J. Geils Band, Seth Justman comes across as fully committed to the group in this interview with Lisa Robinson. And while there is still no reason to doubt his earnestness, the irony here is that Peter Wolf would leave the group shortly after this chat was recorded.

00:00 – Growth and examination with the band / gaining confidence 01:20 – Possibility of producing other bands / no plans for a solo album 02:00 – Musical influences, R&B and Motown in Atlantic City and Washington D.C.

02:30 – What it was like living in Atlantic City 03:15 – Getting involved in the J. Geils Band in college, “we were meant for each other” 04:55 – Starting to write songs 05:30 – Natural progression to producing and arranging, being part of a songwriting team 07:10 – How do you know when you’ve got it? How long does it take to make an album? 08:25 – Being obsessed with the band / making room for the rest of your life 10:10 – They broke the mold after Peter Wolf 10:40 – Being in sync and fluid as a band, open for change, no egos