S Poddar
Geezer Butler, the legendary bassist of Black Sabbath, recently shared a hilarious anecdote about a time when the band, in their drug-fueled haze of the late 70s, fired him and then promptly forgot about it.
While speaking with LifeMinute TV about his new memoir, “Into The Void,” Butler spoke about the band’s riotous past. Describing it candidly, he said, “Everybody was totally out of their brains all the time. We’d sold millions of records, played sold-out shows worldwide, yet we were barely scraping by. We realized we were being ripped off by our management.”
Things got hot in 1977. “I was a scapegoat,” Butler said. “Bill Ward came to my apartment and just casually said, ‘Oh, by the way, you’re fired.’ I was shocked, but truly, it was a relief. The constant pressure was unbearable. Those two weeks were probably the best I’d had in years. I could finally relax and forget about the music industry.”
However, the band’s amnesia was as legendary as their music. Weeks later, Ward called Butler, confused about his whereabouts. When Butler reminded him of the recent firing, Ward’s response was classic: “Oh, yeah, forgot about that.” Butler returned to rehearsals as if nothing had happened and continued as normal.
While Butler left the band for brief periods in the early 80s and the mid-90s, he was a regular member of the group since 1997. He has lately discussed his probability of making an ultimate appearance with the four members. Though Butler does not think a complete tour is possible, he spoke of Osbourne’s concept of one-shot performance in Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert. “Maybe we’ll do three or four songs together, and that’ll be it,” Butler said. “Definitely no more tours.”
Butler’s frank memoir gives a fascinating glimpse into the turbulent world of Black Sabbath, a band that defined heavy metal. His story, of being fired and then immediately forgotten, is a testament to the band’s chaotic and often humorous nature.
