Ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was interviewed on the latest episode of VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show about what he has been up to since he left PRIEST in 2011 .
Downing said: “I’ve appeared a couple of albums — just did a couple of solos. It didn’t work out great, but… Other than that, I’ve been helping a couple of local bands, giving them a leg up. And, you know, just keeping my finger on the pulse, playing a bit of guitar and stuff. Essentially getting my whole life together after so long. Getting to see the seasons change in the U.K., for once. And, you know, checking in on the family, and just checking in on my own life, really.”
“It’s been good. People say, ‘Oh, do you miss it? Do you miss it?’ But it just seems like yesterday that I stepped off that stage in Japan in 2011. Time goes by pretty quick, you know. You get to a certain age and it goes by very, very quickly.”
When asked if he is still on good terms with his former bandmates, Downing said: “Yeah, pretty much. I mean, those guys have been pretty busy, actually, since I left the band.”
“Obviously, I’m glad that the PRIEST machine is still rolling, because it would be hard to imagine a world without a PRIEST. And I think that that’s good, and it’s good for the fans. And I’m glad Richie [Faulkner] has taken up the baton and has allowed the band to carry on, and all that.”
Downing officially left Judas Priest on 20 April 2011. In an interview with online music publication, Guitarhoo!, Downing spoke on his leaving the band, “There had been an on-going breakdown in working relationships between myself, elements of the band and management for some time”. Downing stated that there were at least “21 reasons” why he decided to quit but refused to go into specific detail about them.
