K.K. DOWNING THE COOL GUY OF METAL STEEL MILL INTERVIEW

Interview by Ville Krannila / March 2007

1) Who were your biggest influences when you were starting out on guitar?

Hendrix for sure, he was innovative and everything he did was new and fresh, but everyone who could play better than me were an influence, I could not begin to name them because there were so many and I would not like to miss anyone out.

2) Probably right from “Sad Wings Of Destiny” on, Priest were known for their guitar harmonies, were groups like Thin Lizzy an influence when you and Glenn developed the classic twin-guitar style?

No, because at the time we only knew Eric Bell as their guitarist, I saw the band many times with him, and we were lucky enough to support them on occasions

3) One of Priest’s trademarks have always been melodic solos, the lead breaks for even on faster numbers like “Painkiller” and slower “Beyond The Realms Of Death” remain in your head after few spins. Was your goal always to write melodic passages like that?

No, not really think both Glenn and I just try to do what we think the song needs,

4) “Judas Rising” has one of my personal favourite KK Downing lead breaks. How much planning goes to a solo like that or does it come straight off by instinct?

That particular solo was improvised; I just cranked it up and let it rip.

5) From your own work, which would you consider to be your favourite/most fun to play live solo?

I think on the last tour the trade offs with Glenn in Hell Rider were fun because they were pretty tough! It felt great when we nailed them.

6) How about a favourite Glenn Tipton solo?

Of course there are many, but Painkiller does take some beating.

7) One of the highlights on a new Priest album from 1984 onwards were lead break credits found inside the booklet. Why did those disappear from albums after “Painkiller”?

To be honest I don’t have an answer, exept maybe we like to think the fans can distinguish between us now.

8) If you could choose, which songs would you bring back to the Priest set-list?

Sinner! Jawbreaker, Dreamer deceiver, Tyrant, to name just a few.

9) Talking about recording albums, compared to mid-70’s and LP’s like “Sad Wings” and “Sin After Sin” and 20th century records like “Angel Of Retribution” what would you say is the biggest thing that has changed over the years?

Not too much, even though technology has moved on the basics remain the same, you still have to play and sing the notes! And yes for some reason everything seems to take longer, you think it would be the reverse.

10) On 1997’s “Jugulator” Priest’s guitar sound was dropped down few notes. How big of a challenge was adapting this to a live situation. Did you have to rethink the way you played the old classics?

No, it did not make any difference, to us; even though the guitars were tuned a little lower the execution of the playing was the same.

11) “Angel Of Retribution” saw the return of more classic sounding twin leads, did you consciously think about bringing those kind of solos back or was it just the case of what the songs required?

Yes on both accounts I guess, we basically put our selves into classic priest mode, it was great, I think it was what we all wanted for both us and our fans.

12) What’s your live arsenal these days, how many guitars travel with you on a world tour?

I like to keep things down to a minimum, on the A.O.R tour I took four electric and two acoustics.

13) Do you still have your first guitar and if so, do you still use it?

No, it got traded in for another a long time ago; there was no choice because I couldn’t afford to have both at the time.

14) Some songs like “Breaking The Law” and “Victim Of Changes” have been standards in Priest shows for three decades. Do you think a song should always be played as close to the album version as possible or is there any room for improvisation? How do you keep it interesting?

This is a good question, I think it is down to the individual, personally when I see my favourite bands I like to hear everything just as I know it especially solos, I think if you are concerned that the fans are getting board with a song the way it was written, then you should drop it for something else.

15) Off the road, how much time do you usually spend with guitar?

Generally not much except when we are in writing and recording mode.

16) During the last few years internet has taken a much bigger role in music consumption. All Halford solo albums for example will soon be reissued as downloads via Itunes. Do you see a point in the future where all Priest albums can only be found from the web or do the classic album formats still hold their own?

Unfortunately we are governed by the industry; personally I think that cds should be presented in a 12 inch double vinyl type cover just like the old days with loads of cool artwork and photos.

17) “Diamonds And Rust” & “Worth Fighting For” both sound great as acoustic interpretations, do you see Priest ever doing an acoustic show, maybe to include some rare or never played tracks like “Before The Dawn” or “Night Comes Down”?

Yes we have talked about it for a long time, but I don’t know if it will happen , but if it did I think it would be excellent to do.

18) You have basically had the same successful song-writing formula Tipton-Downing-Halford for 25 years. Can you describe the process? Do you all work on your own stuff separately and then build a song up from those parts or is it a joint effort from the beginning?

Exactly!, although occasionally we have written spontaneously together.

19) Judas Priest have created many metal anthems over the years, from your perspective what constitutes a classic metal song?

Strong riffs and killer solos and not forgetting great lyrics and vocals

20) Any plans for a KK Downing solo album somewhere down the line and if so what direction musically would it take?

Yes, but if it sounds like priest I probably wont do it!

Thank You!