After writing about discovering the magic of Rogetโs Thesaurus, I started getting really interested in what reference books writers keep near their desk.
What I did notย anticipate is this photo of Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford with his MacBook and a big stack of reference books:
From his Fresh Air interview:
I love the English language.ย My favorite book is a thesaurus, you know. Iโm constantly looking to findย words and language that some bands would maybe hesitate to use or theyโre notย able to because of the arena that they work in.
In his memoir, Confess, Halford writes aboutย Rogetโs Thesaurus being โworth its weight in gold!โ and bringing it into the studio with him:
When I wasnโt recording vocals, I was low-profile in the studio and usually sitting on my own in the corner, studying hard from a book. Roger was obviously curious, and after a few days he wandered over to have a word with me.
โYouโre very engrossed in that book, Rob,โ he noted. โIs it aโฆ Bible?โ
โHardly!โ I laughed, showing him the book. โItโs Rogetโs Thesaurus!โ Roger looked pretty relieved.
Mr. Roget and I were coming up trumps. I have always been keen to widen my songwriting vocabulary and still have that same tome today.
He writes more in Biblical:
I have a book that is very dear to my heart. Itโs forty-five years old, but itโs in extremely good nick for its age. Published in 1977, itโs my well-thumbed copy of Rogetโs Thesaurus, and it has helped me to write the lyrics for every single Judas Priest album from Sin After Sin onward.
What you need to write a hit, Halfordย says, is โpaper, pencil and a good Thesaurus.โ
Hell yeah! (Big thanks to my pal Julien.)