K.K. DOWNING On IAN HILL’s Explanation For Why Guitarist Wasn’t Invited To Rejoin JUDAS PRIEST: ‘Complete Load Of Bollocks’

Ian Hill and K.K. Downing

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing has dismissed as a “load of bollocks” bassist Ian Hill‘s explanation for why he wasn’t invited to rejoin the band following Glenn Tipton‘s decision to retire from the road due to his battle with Parkinson’s disease.

In a recent interview with Backstage AxxessHill said that the idea of bringing Downing back to PRIEST was never entertained. “When he retired, we took on Richie [Faulkner], you know, so he’s playing all Ken‘s parts,” Ian said. “So, it’s not Ken‘s [parts] that are missing, it’s going to be Glenn‘s parts that he would be playing. Really, Ken, what’s he going to do? Come over to my side of the stage and play Glenn‘s parts? It wasn’t his job, if you know what I mean, that had become vacant. It was Glenn‘s. Glenn and Ken are two excellent guitarists, [but] both are completely different in styles and sounds, and for Ken to be playing Glenn‘s parts anyway, it really wouldn’t have sounded right anyway. We never thought about Ken for that reason.”

Asked by the “Cobras & Fire” podcast what he thought of Hill‘s justification for why K.K.wasn’t contacted about coming back to PRIESTDowning said (hear audio below): “Complete load of bollocks. If I had rejoined the band, obviously, I’d step into my role — that’s where people would expect me to be — and Richie is already playing Glenn‘s parts anyway, and we’d do that. It wasn’t the case where I was gonna play Glenn‘s parts and Richie plays mine.

“I was thinking, ‘Ian, was it too early in the day or too late in the evening when you came up with this idea?'” K.K. continued. “I don’t know. But bless him — bless him, because we were like brothers; we went to infant school together and secondary school together, and we lived our career together. But I’m not totally happy about what’s being said. Ian seems to be [saying] things like, ‘None of the fans are missing K.K.,’ and, ‘Richie has brought a new energy to the band.’ And I’m going, ‘Ian, dude, on that last tour, I was the energy. I slowed down because people weren’t keeping up with me.'”

Downing added: “That’s a true story. ‘Cause I started off that tour, I played a few shows, and then Scott [Travis, drums] made a comment, and he said, ‘What do you mean, man? It’s your show.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Did he think I’m trying to steal the limelight by doing what I’ve always done?’ Then I started to back off, and then I was in an unhappy place from that point — I didn’t want everybody to think I was trying to steal the limelight when I wasn’t. ‘Cause Rob‘s [Halford, vocals] reading his Autocue [teleprompter system] — he’s slowed down — Glenn‘s going over there for a beer in between every song, and I’m thinking, ‘Hmm… I don’t know.’

“So I’m thinking, Ian, get a grip with yourself, mate. You’ve just replaced the energy with some energy. Fine — well, great. But that’s not moving forward, Ian.”