BLACK SABBATH IS ON THEIR FINAL TOUR… Fittingly titled ‘The End’ Geezer Butler took time of of his busy tour schedule to answer our questions and look back on a career like no other.
The Rockpit: How does it feel to be in this final run with a band that has been a big part of your life?
Geezer: It’s bittersweet. I’m sad that it’s the final Sabbath tour, but I’m glad we are ending on a high note.
The Rockpit: Any special moments or highlights from the tour so far?
Geezer: Well every night is special because we get to play to our fans.
The Rockpit: Was it difficult to pick a setlist for the very last tour?
Geezer: Not really. We have to do the “classic” Sabbath songs, such as Iron Man, War Pigs, Paranoid, Black Sabbath, Children Of The Grave, so that takes care of a big part of the setlist. We decided to concentrate on the earlier Sabbath songs for this tour, since we played 3 or 4 new songs from the 13 album on the last tour, which wasn’t too long ago.
The Rockpit: Looking back over your long career, which song do you think most defines Black Sabbath?
Geezer: Black Sabbath. It was the second song we wrote, and we knew we had something different.
The Rockpit: At the opening date of the Australian Tour in Perth there were no songs played from the last album “13”. Was there a reason for this?
Geezer: We did 3 or 4 songs from 13 on the last tour, so this tour we wanted to do more of the “classics”.
The Rockpit: What is your favorite memory from previous tours to Australia?
Geezer: Racing cars along some beach somewhere, on our first tour here; having food fights in some posh restaurant in Sydney, seeing the bridge and opera house in Sydney with my wife, and meeting real life skippy, the bush kangaroo.
The Rockpit: Looking back on your time with Black Sabbath, what has been the absolute highlight of it all?
Geezer: Getting a record deal. Up until then most people we knew, especially our parents, thought we were wasting our time.
The Rockpit: Any regrets?
Geezer: I’ve had a few, but then again , too few to mention [like frank].
The Rockpit: What is the best and worst thing about Black Sabbath?
Geezer: The best thing is the people in the band, and the worst thing is getting blisters on my fingers.
The Rockpit: Who was the one musician or band that influenced you the most?
Geezer: The Beatles, as a band, and Jack Bruce, as a bass player. The Beatles were a huge influence, their music, clothes, haircuts; even working class accents made an immense impact on me. It made me want to learn to play guitar and to be in a band.
The Rockpit: How does it make you feel to hear people say what a big influence you have had on themselves and on bass players around the world?
Geezer: It’s the ultimate compliment to have fellow musicians cite us as influences.
The Rockpit: What do you you think has been the biggest change in the music industry from when you first started?
Geezer: The internet. It has changed the way people see, hear, and buy [or steal] music. The one thing that remains constant is going to see people actually perform live – that cannot be replicated.
The Rockpit: If you could be a fly on the wall for the recording of any classic album in history, what would it be and why?
Geezer: Probably “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane, when he invented the “Coltrane Changes” key progression, all unrehearsed. I still love listening to that album after all these years.
The Rockpit: For you, what is the meaning of life?
Geezer: The meaning of life is to play music that I love, be married to the woman I love, and to enjoy every day as it comes.
The Rockpit: Any final words for the fans?
Geezer: Enjoy the shows, listen to the albums, be good.
All photos by Ross Halfin
