So it’s official. Sharon Osbourne and her little minion Ozzy have truly tarnished and scorched the legacy of Black Sabbath. It wasn’t enough that she basically transformed Ozzy from one of the most legendary and outrageous metal icons into a bumbling Muppet and laughable cartoon character. She had to go and completely rape and ravage the legacy of the almighty Black Sabbath. Is nothing sacred to this woman beside the almighty dollar sign? I just don’t understand why things had to come to this. Sharron has turned Ozzy into a goddamn piece of merchandise and it’s something I never thought I would see. It took me years to get over it but now she has gone and totally fucked with Black Sabbath. That shit is just completely unforgivable.
When word of a full on Black Sabbath reunion hit the media earlier this year, immediately I got excited but that didn’t last long. I took a step back, breathed a little bit, and after doing so my first thought was, “Sharon Osbourne will fuck this up without a doubt.” Following the Black Sabbath press conference announcing not only a reunion tour but a new album, things started fall apart. The rumor mill was running at full speed fueled by rumors that Bill Ward would be sitting out the reunion. As the weeks and months passed the truth began to leak out. It was announced that Bill Ward would not be joining because he had yet to be presented with a “signable” contract. This was a bit cryptic and it definitely drew harsh criticism from people on both sides of the fence. Some fans criticized Bill for being greedy and making it a money thing while others shot flaming arrows at the Black Sharron camp for being disrespectful and for making it into a business thing more so than being about the music.
This month, Bill Ward released a lengthy statement shedding some new light on his decision to not join in on the Black Sabbath reunion. Here is a snippet of what he had to say to the people:
“Earlier in April 2012, I’d been asked to participate ‘minimally’ in the Download festival. I believe I’d been offered no more than three songs to play while another drummer presumably played the rest of the show with BLACK SABBATH. I was not willing to participate in that offer. I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a SABBATH set, while I was to play only three songs.”
“Although the statement was made that ‘the door is always open’ for me, as explained above, walking through that door is not always as easy as it sounds. There are many complicated issues and unseen and unspoken agendas on hand. I can assure you, my criteria for a ‘signable’ contract is based in mindful principles, respectability, and acknowledgement of my history within the band.”
What the fuck? How in fuck’s sake would it be a Black Sabbath “reunion” with Bill only playing three songs? Do they think that Bill might not be able to handle a full show? Bill has had some health issues over the years but if this is the case, DON’T DO A FUCKING REUNION. It’s really not that fucking hard. I smell something totally funny here and it smells like a Sharon Osbourne bait and switch. Book shows as Black Sabbath, have Bill do three songs and bring out some other scab drummer to do the rest of the show? Yeah, that’s called bait and switch and I wouldn’t and will not even dream of paying for that shit.
It really breaks my heart to read Bill Ward’s statement. I’m not saying that he’s completely innocent here. I’m sure that if there’s money to be made, Bill wants to make it but that’s his right. He was an original member of Black Sabbath as much as any of those other three so why cut him short? If this is really about the music and about preserving the legacy of the band, why didn’t Terry and Tony stand up for their friend and put up fight? Tony’s battling cancer as we speak so may he doesn’t have the fight in him but c’mon Geez. I thought so much more of you but yet there you are being the submissive pawn to the Osbourne dynasty that has now taken over Black Sabbath. Much like with Ozzy’s tarnished legacy, this is the kind of bullshit that will leave a scar upon the face of Black Sabbath that didn’t need to be there. Sabbath had a great reunion run in the 90’s and they were amazing. Why not just let us all remember it as it was rather then have everyone’s last memory of Black Sabbath be one of bitter battles, money grubby feuding, and eventually changing the name to Ozzy and Friends?
I think it’s pretty safe to say that this Black Sabbath reunion will never see the light of day. It was a great idea that was completely devoured by greed and ego. I am really disappointed in all parties involved here but obviously I can’t help but feel more for Bill in this matter. Bill Ward seems to be the only one here that has any concern for the musical integrity and legacy of Black Sabbath and seems to be really genuine about his love for the guys and the band in general. He seemed excited about possibly closing the chapter of Black Sabbath with a new album and tour yet it all just crumbled in front of him. At the end of it all, the ones that are truly screwed out and left out in the cold are the fans. The fans who could only dream of seeing the original Black Sabbath and hearing those classic tunes performed live are the ones that will pay for this.
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