Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler opens up about the band's 2011 reunion, Bill Ward's exit and other behind-the-scenes drama in an exclusive excerpt from his new memoir.
Butler had hoped for a full reunion with Ward, but it wasn’t in the cards. “Ozzy and Tony didn’t think he could do it physically,” the bassist says. “And so the alternative was if he could come along and do maybe three or four songs and then do the rest with a different drummer. But Bill says, ‘No, it’s either the whole thing or nothing.’ And I totally understood and respected that.
As writing was in process at Ozzy’s house, he made the observation that Tony had lost too much weight, and that he should get checked out. When Tony got back to England, he was diagnosed with a form of lymphoma. ] Aston Villa play a preseason friendly against the Portland Timbers in Oregon. Me and Tom Hanks, a fellow Villan, introduced the teams before kickoff. But while I was away having fun with [my wife] Gloria, Tony was at home, getting on with work. He was tired and nauseous, his hair was falling out, but he was determined to plough on, just like he did when he lost the tips of his fingers.
I don’t know the ins and outs, because contracts and the like were always sorted out between our lawyers. However, I suspect Bill was given an “unsignable” contract because Sharon didn’t think he was up to a world tour. In fact, I know that Ozzy and Tony didn’t think he was physically able, because of a shoulder problem and heart condition. Like the Godfather in reverse, maybe they made Bill an offer he couldn’t accept.
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