Rob Halford Reveals Whether He or Freddie Mercury Wore Leather Look First
He may be "hell bent for leather," but did Rob Halford have a leather inspiration in Queen's Freddie Mercury? The Judas Priest frontman was asked the "who wore it first" question during a chat with Spain's Mariskal Rock and settled the debate.
"I remember seeing a picture of Freddie with his leather jacket and a cap and a motorcycle, and I'm like, 'What the fuck is going on Freddie?,'" Halford cheekily laughs (as seen in the video below).
He later added, "But as far as who wore it first, I think I did probably — maybe by a year or two. Yeah, if that's important. I don't know. Is it important? I'll tell you something: we both look good in leather. [Laughs]"
Taking the fashion question out of it, Halford stated of Mercury, "I love him. Freddie is a god — he's a god. His music, his voice, his showmanship, his personality, his charisma. There'll never, ever be another Freddie Mercury."
The leather look has evolved but remained synonymous with Judas Priest over the years, while Mercury had several notable looks within his time with Queen. Check out both musicians donning their black leather look in classic videos below.