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