Original drummer takes umbrage at being asked to play only three songs at Download festival

Bill Ward will not be reuniting with Black Sabbath. The group’s original drummer has revealed he will not join Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler for any of their forthcoming concerts, including Download festival, Derby, Lollapalooza, Chicago, as well as a show in the band’s hometown in Birmingham on Saturday.

“I’m very, very sorry that it’s fallen to this,” Ward said on his website. “I [can't] help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from, the failure to be as brothers, as we once were. To be clear, I’m not blaming the other guys or finding any faults with them. I would think it can’t be easy for them either, but this situation is just really sad.”

Earlier this year, Ward announced that due to the lack of a “signable” contract, he would not participate in Black Sabbath’s reunion album and world tour. Although recording sessions continued without him, most of the tour dates were subsequently downgraded to shows by “Ozzy and friends”. Nevertheless, thousands of fans – and Ward himself – hoped band and drummer would come to an agreement.

All along, Ward said, he was in negotiation with the band, “standing by” to join the reunion. “Throughout this process, which began over a year ago, I have had to stand up for myself time and time again,” he wrote. “My criteria for a ’signable’ contract is based in mindful principles, respectability, and acknowledgment of my history within the band.”

He seems to have had reason to feel insulted. For Black Sabbath’s Download festival appearance, Ward has revealed, he was invited to play only “minimally”, for “no more than three songs”. “I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a Sabbath set,” Ward said, “while I was to play only three songs.”

As for this weekend’s warm-up show in Birmingham, the drummer only learned of the concert at the end of April, from an online advert. “I had no prior knowledge of the date and location, and I felt totally excluded.” After about a week of back and forth, Ward claims he received the following offer: “Come to the UK, play for free and see how the first show goes.”

“I was tempted,” he said. “Playing for free would not have been a problem for me, but … I can’t come to Birmingham and ’see what happens’ knowing there is a risk of not being able to play Download or Lollapalooza … I had to say ‘no’ to Birmingham on the principle of wanting to play all the shows.”

While Ward maintains an “open mind” about future work with Black Sabbath, the 2012 negotiations seem to have reached a dead end. “I hold no malice or resentment towards the other band members,” he said. “My fight has never been with them. I’ll love them forever. In my opinion, nobody wins this time; the band doesn’t win; the fans for an original lineup don’t win. Nobody wins, nobody. Even the ones who thought they did.”

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

The TV star and businesswoman talks about her family

My parents were very deceitful people so I have made a big effort not to be like that with my own family. I try to be honest and upfront about everything. Practically everything my parents did taught me a lesson – a lesson to do the opposite. My mother was also very cold and I was determined not to be like that with my children. I was estranged from my parents for years because of their behaviour, but we were reconciled before they died.

There was a strong work ethic in our family as I was growing up. I knew you had to work for what you’ve got. Every day was a working day and we never went on holiday. I have passed a strong work ethic on to my kids. I wanted them to have no sense of entitlement. I hate those famous people’s kids who are always saying, “Do you know who my dad is?” I say to them, “No – but who are you?” I wanted them to have pride and dignity in themselves; they need to be able to buy their own car and have pride about that. There is nothing like feeling it for yourself.

I hope my children have more structure and guidelines than I did. My childhood was chaotic and I basically had to bring myself up. Both my parents were in showbiz – my mum was a dancer and choreographer and my dad managed bands – the Small Faces and later Black Sabbath, through which I met Ozzy. They were always all over the place. When I came home from school, I never knew if there would be anyone in. It was often just me and my older brother, David.

My parents didn’t think it was very important for David and me to be close. Because there wasn’t much parental attention, we had to compete for it. I wanted to be the good one. We always fought physically, like all siblings do, and he was stronger. But I’d get my own back in clever ways, like the time I stole his trousers when he was showering after PE and he had to walk home in his shorts. As a result of this competitiveness, we aren’t friends now, because when one does well it can become very awkward.

My dad was Jewish and changed his name from Levy to Arden before I was born, to avoid antisemitism. I don’t remember any particular stigma to being Jewish, but I do recall once in the playground in Brixton when I was wearing Star of David earrings, some of the kids hissing “She’s a Jew!” I didn’t know what they were on about.

Mum was an Irish Catholic and when Dad married her, she was divorced with two children, so he can’t have been that religious. What a mixed mutt I was. Dad used his Jewishness and would turn it on when he needed it. I don’t like that. In my book, you either are or you aren’t. You can’t just turn religion off and on to suit yourself.

I’m not an atheist, but I like to see what every religion has to offer and I’ve brought my kids up to know and respect all religions. My main principle in life is to treat everyone as you would like to be treated. That is what I hope I have passed on to my kids and will be passed on to my granddaughter, my son Jack’s daughter, who is to be born in a couple of months.

Structure in a family makes you feel safe, otherwise you are all over the place. I made sure my children knew they would have to get up and have a family dinner at a certain time – that was important. Although we moved around a lot, we have always stayed close to our areas in LA and Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, where the children went to school. I have tried to keep stability for them in this way so they can have a continuity of friendships.

My parents didn’t respect money, but they did have this attitude that if you haven’t got any, you can make it again, and I guess I feel the same. However, money certainly doesn’t insulate you from the realities of life – it doesn’t matter if you are a billionaire if you have a child who is very sick. I tell my kids: “You have to be happy with what you’ve got, because there is always someone better-looking, more talented, richer – and that kind of thinking will never end.”

I spent my early childhood in Brixton, living in Angell Road, off Brixton high street, which was very bohemian, full of artists in those days and, of course, very multiracial. I once showed Ozzy the road where I’d lived, but it had been bulldozed and council flats built in its place. In those days I went to the Italia Conti stage school, as did my brother. It taught me to have a good speaking voice in public and to have the right social skills.

I was the fat girl at school but my parents were never bothered – I can’t lay that one on them – but I worried about my body. I wanted to be tall and lean when, of course, I had short, squat legs. I’ve learned to respect my body now – well, it has got me this far hasn’t it, and it is still working.

The greatest value my parents imparted was a strong survival instinct. My dad, for all his misdemeanours, whenever he went down and you thought that was it, he would come back again. You have to admire that.

My mother, Hope, was not at all cuddly. I pined to be a physical, touchy, huggy person when I was young and have loved being like that with my three children – Aimee, now 29, Kelly, 28, and Jack, 27. I wanted my kids to be able to crawl into bed with us if they felt sick or were scared in the night. I wanted them to be able to tell us anything they needed to.

• Sharon Osbourne stars as the voice of Mama Hook in season two of Jake and the Never Land Pirates, which launches on Disney Junior UK on 16 April

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

Black Sabbath world tour reduced to 15 dates under new name, although band will still play Download festival

Black Sabbath’s reunion tour has been downgraded to a string of Ozzy Osbourne concerts. As Tony Iommi continues his battle with cancer and Bill Ward continues his dispute with Black Sabbath, the group have replaced their world tour with a 15-date jaunt under the name Ozzy and Friends.

For the moment, only one Black Sabbath concert is going ahead: Osbourne will play with Iommi and Geezer Butler, although not Bill Ward, at June’s Download festival. While five gigs were cancelled, 14 more, including performances at Norway’s Bergen Calling and Italy’s Gods of Metal festival, are now billed to Ozzy and Friends. The singer’s friends will allegedly include musicians such as Butler, Zakk Wylde and Slash.

Iommi, who was recently diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma, is making “excellent progress”, according to the Black Sabbath website, “and is looking forward to getting back out on the road”. He, Butler and Osbourne are still working on a new Black Sabbath album – their first in 33 years – but show no sign of reaching out to Ward, the group’s original drummer. Despite his initial involvement in the reunion, Ward withdrew earlier this month, complaining of an “disrespectful” contract.

“I have not declined to participate in the Sabbath album and tour,” Ward wrote on Friday. “At the earliest opportunity, I am prepared to go to the UK and record, and later tour with the band … I remain hopeful for a ’signable’ contract and a positive outcome.”

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

Metal legends dismiss drummer’s complaints over ‘unsignable’ contract, saying their comeback will carry on without him

Black Sabbath’s comeback will take place without Bill Ward. The metal legends have announced they are moving on without their original drummer, dismissing his complaints about the terms of their reunion.

In a statement on their website, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi hardly seemed sympathetic to Ward’s grievances. “We were saddened to hear via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current [plans],” they wrote. “We have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open.”

Though the specifics of the dispute have not been revealed, Ward has emphasised his interest in and commitment to the group – he simply has issues with the contract. “My position is not greed-driven,” Ward wrote on Thursday. “I’m not holding out for a ‘big piece’ of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal … [just] a signable contract … that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band.”

Fans have been vocal in their respect for Ward’s decision. “Your support from across the world has given me further strength and hope for a positive resolve,” Ward wrote on Saturday . “I have been moved and overwhelmed by the thousands of messages. I love you all.”

Meanwhile, Osbourne, Butler and Iommi have begun writing and recording their first album in 34 years. They are currently based in England, where Iommi is receiving treatment for cancer. Black Sabbath still plan to launch a world tour in May, including an appearance at June’s Download festival. But it seems they will do so without Ward – who played on 10 of the band’s first 11 albums.

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

In a week where crime and social dysfunction filled our screens, a close study of social workers provided a much-needed glimmer of light

Coppers (C4) | 4oD

Bouncers (C4) | 4oD

Party Paramedics (C4) | 4oD

My Child the Rioter (BBC2) | iPlayer

Protecting Our Children (BBC2) | iPlayer

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (BBC2) | iPlayer

Perhaps it’s the dispiriting effects of midwinter and the economic gloom, but there does seem to be a lot of television at the moment devoted to crime and social dysfunction. Especially on Channel 4. Since offloading the burden of Big Brother, the broadcaster has taken on the onerous task of showing us that side of British life – punching, vomiting, urinating and flashing – that was once the preserve of Police Camera Action!.

Last week it was possible to watch drunk and abusive people in Tayside in Coppers and drunk and abusive people in Newport in Bouncers. There was not much to choose between them. They were all pink-faced, tattooed, bloated and violent – and, to resort to the old joke, that really was just the women.

With due respect to the Scots offender who relieved himself in the back of a police van, it was the Welsh who edged this unofficial UK gross-out competition. A Newport doorman recalled the time he had kicked his way into a male lavatory to find a woman in mid-bowel movement simultaneously performing a sex act on her boyfriend or, at least, the man she happened to be sharing the cubicle with.

I’m not sure that I needed to hear that anecdote. Still, I feel critically obliged to share it, not because that’s what passes for entertainment in the pubs and clubs of Great Britain, but because that’s what passes for entertainment on British TV.

“Drunk Camera Action!” has become the rallying cry of countless observational documentaries, all put together with the same dramatic division between the forces of chaos and order, the same half-ironic narration, and the same gloating appetite for corporeal excess.

Coppers is the best of the bunch, because it’s the least exploitative and the most informative. But it’s undermined by the ubiquity of its techniques. The almost identical approach was adopted by yet another Channel 4 offering, Party Paramedics, which, for variation’s sake, showed us drunk and abusive people in Kavos.

Never heard of Kavos? It’s a hangout in Corfu for British youngsters who want to screw each other, and, as such, should not be confused with Davos, the global gathering in Switzerland for oldsters who have screwed us all.

This time the head-shaking guardians of society were not Scottish cops or Welsh bouncers but Greek physicians manning a clinic in the middle of Kavos’s nightclub strip, like some outpost of civilisation in the darkest heart of debauchery. Say what you like about the Greeks’ inability to control their spending (and who are we to speak?), but at least they can control their drinking.

“I wanna get wankered,” spluttered one Englishman, already making a good fist of the job. Others professed a more traditional desire to get “paralytic every night”.

Good on us, it might be said, for bringing Greek tourism and medicine such lucrative business in their hour of need. But, really, what is it with Britons? Why are we on such intimate terms with alcoholic oblivion? And whatever happened to embarrassment?

Drunkenness may be as old as history, but its brazen parade for the camera is a much more recent phenomenon. It’s also one that Channel 4 appears dedicated not just to enabling but celebrating.

My Child the Rioter was a superior but no more inspiring film. Several young people were interviewed, alongside their parents or parent, about why they took part in last summer’s riots. The reasons given were, with one exception, for fun, for free goods or because everyone else was doing it.

Those who insist on seeing the flame of political rebellion in England’s burning cities last year had their work cut out casting these dim-witted kids and their docile parents as the revolutionary vanguard. But Liam, the father of a student rioter called Ryan, was on hand to rouse disappointed sofa insurgents. “Robbing trainers isn’t political,” he explained. “The reasons for robbing trainers are political.”

His son, of whose actions he firmly approved, said that he “wanted to see policeman being attacked, being injured”. Ryan could have stayed in and watched Coppers, but then he wouldn’t have witnessed what he characterised as “a redistribution of wealth” and an attack on “government institutions”.

Liam also cited another motivation for the masses laying siege to Foot Locker – the £20,000 it costs to “get educated”. You could see his point. His son was studying culture, power and identity at Salford University. He certainly has a strong case for a refund.

The best documentary of the week was Protecting Our Children, a close study of the much maligned duties of social workers. The film followed a trainee social worker, Susanne, as she advised and evaluated a couple – Mike and Tiffany – with a three-year-old son, Toby, who couldn’t speak, was still wearing a nappy and had suspicious bruising on his body.

Mike was an aggressively defensive type who couldn’t see the need for his son to have a toothbrush as he himself never brushed his teeth as a child. All you need to know about Mike’s parenting skills and ability to make rational decisions is that he only had one front tooth remaining.

The family’s flat was covered in dog faeces and Toby didn’t have a mattress to sleep on. “Would you leave a dog there?” one senior social worker asked after a visit. “So why would you leave a child there?”

But removing a child from parental care is a complex moral and legal process. When to intervene? Can the parents be helped? Is the state too invasive? What complicates the issue further is that, to have a good chance of being able to recover from the effects of neglect and abuse, a child needs to be placed for adoption as young as possible.

Navigating this impossible path is an embattled group of professionals who know that with one false move they might be starring in a tabloid vilification campaign. There are plenty of strapping men who wouldn’t relish going up against the likes of Mike when, in his own words, he’s “irated”. Susanne kept her cool and was impressive throughout, although she could possibly have done without the face jewellery. Some parents might not appreciate being judged by someone with a ring in her lip and stud in her cheek.

Tiffany became pregnant and gave birth prematurely. Mike hit her, she said, and they split up. Then she decided to put both children up for adoption. In the circumstances, it was a happy end. Or what passes for it in social work.

According to God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, all the most unappealing behaviours discussed above, including the scatalogical indiscretions, were for 35 years part and parcel of the former Black Sabbath singer’s life. He was a mindless rebel, alcoholic, drug addict, wife abuser, neglectful parent and all-round obnoxious idiot. And a hero to millions.

Perhaps sensing that his drunken pranks, such as biting the heads off doves and smearing his excrement on hotel walls, had become the stuff of teenage holidays, Osbourne gave up booze several years ago. If only sobriety could do for his voice what it’s done for his liver. To hear him caterwauling during a sound check was to wonder at the meaning of his claim that he suffered from “terminal perfectionism”. Had the perfectionism reached its end?

Much of the documentary was spent recalling his wild years when he looked like Gazza in a fright wig and platform heels, a riot of mad mugging and destructive compulsions. Osbourne earned his reputation. He put the hours in drinking vodka and snorting coke. He never shirked responsibility when it came to being irresponsible. And, let it be said, he’s not without a certain inarticulate Brummy charm.

But the whole genre of rock reminiscences is inescapably self-parodic. Not for the first time, as the battle stories of vomit-choking, guitar solos and tour deaths were retold, the ghost of Spinal Tap hovered mockingly over the proceedings. What’s sometimes forgotten is that the joke in that masterpiece wasn’t just on heavy-rock musicians but the very idea of rockumentaries.

If this film largely endorsed the Ozzy myth, it also left the impression that the only truly remarkable thing about Sharon Osbourne’s husband is that he’s not dead. So let that be a warning to the truculent hordes in Newport and Kavos. Carry on acting like you are and in 35 years, when you’re a multimillionaire, you might have to stop. That should give them pause for thought.

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

Drummer says he will not continue with comeback album and tour unless he receives a ’signable’ contract

Bill Ward has threatened to pull out of the Black Sabbath reunion. In an open letter on his website, the drummer said he will not continue with the planned album and tour unless he receives a “signable contract … that reflects some dignity and respect toward me as an original member of the band”.

Ward’s announcement throws the reunion into question. Despite Black Sabbath’s confidence in November, with the promise of a world tour and their first album in 33 years, doubts emerged last month after Tony Iommi was diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma. “[Tony is] determined to make a full and successful recovery,” the band said at the time, explaining they would continue recording in England, where Iommi is receiving treatment.

“Since the news of Tony’s illness, and the understanding that the band would move production to the UK, I’ve spent every day getting to or living in a place of readiness to leave,” Ward wrote on on Thursday. “As I’ve tried to find out what’s going on with the UK sessions, I’ve realised that I’ve been getting ‘the cold shoulder’ (and, I might add, not for the first time).”

The problem, Ward said, is he has not signed Black Sabbath’s new contract. While he doesn’t detail the issues, the current terms are “unsignable”: “I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician,” he wrote. “My position is not greed-driven. I’m not holding out for a ‘big piece’ of the action (money) like some kind of blackmail deal … I want a contract that shows some respect to me and my family, a contract that will honour all that I’ve brought to Black Sabbath since its beginning.”

Meanwhile, the rest of Black Sabbath are continuing with new material. According to an official update on 24 January, writing sessions are underway in Birmingham. “It’s just been amazing,” they said.

Ward said he is prepared to be replaced. “I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted,” he wrote. And yet if a suitable contract is put before him, the 63-year-old says he is “good to go”. “I grew up in a hard rock/metal band,” he explained. “We stood for something then, and we played from the heart with honesty and sincerity. I am in the spirit of integrity, far from the corporate malady.”

For the moment, Black Sabbath’s comeback tour is scheduled to begin on 18 May in Moscow. Their only UK date so far is the Download festival in June.

View full post on Music: Ozzy Osbourne | guardian.co.uk

Guitarist reveals he has early-stage lymphoma but intends to proceed with band’s long-awaited comeback

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has cancer. The 63-year-old musician is “upbeat and determined” after being diagnosed with early-stage lymphoma, and intends to proceed with his band’s comeback album and tour.

Black Sabbath announced Iommi’s illness on Facebook, explaining he is “working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan”. “[Tony's] bandmates would like everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time,” they wrote. “[He is] determined to make a full and successful recovery.”

The lymphoma diagnosis comes about two months after Black Sabbath announced the reformation of their original lineup, featuring Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. The heavy-metal legends still plan to complete a new album – their first in 33 years – with producer Rick Rubin. But they will relocate recording sessions from Los Angeles to England, allowing Iommi to participate while he undergoes medical treatment.

There remains the question of Black Sabbath’s forthcoming tour, which begins in May. For now, the gigs are still on, although Iommi may not be well enough to perform. “Further information will be released as it becomes available,” the band said.

Many of Iommi’s fans and friends offered support over Twitter. “Best wishes for a full recovery,” wrote Slash. “FUCK YOU, cancer!” declared Sebastian Bach. Or as Anthrax put it: “This really does suck. GET WELL SOON TONY!”

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Y el otro es nada más y nada menos que el hijo predilecto de las tinieblas, el padre de familia más revoltoso de los últimos años. ¿Adivinaron? Mmm…otra pista: padre de Jack y Kelly y esposo de Shannon. Sí, el irrompible Ozzy será parte del nuevo trabajo del ex guitarrista de Guns n’ Roses.

Esto fue confirmado por la esposa de Slash (Perla Hudson), quien confirmó a la bomba de Fergie y a Osbourne para el nuevo trabajo de su marido. Ya hay muchos demos de las canciones, serían unos 15, que formarían parte del primer disco solista del hombre de la galera.

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By James Montgomery

Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Ozzy Osbourne will be given the Lifetime Achievement Award at Epiphone’s Revolver Golden Gods Awards, the country’s first-ever hard-rock and heavy-metal awards show.

The Golden Gods, presented by metal mag Revolver, will be handed out Tuesday, April 7 at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles. MTV2 and “Headbangers Ball” will offer exclusive coverage of the awards, both on air and online.

Hosted by stand-up comedian and avowed metalhead Brian Posehn, the awards will honor Osbourne’s contributions to hard rock (something the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame forgot to do until 2006, when he got in as a member of Black Sabbath), and will feature performances by Hatebreed, Killswitch Engage, All That Remains, Suicide Silence and a special guest to be announced shortly. Icons like Glenn Danzig and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan are also scheduled to appear, along with Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson of Testament, Protest The Hero, Marta Peterson from Bleeding Through, Isis, Brendon Small from Dethklok, WWE Wrestler CM Punk, plus many more.

Starting on the week of April 20, fans will be able to check out behind-the-scenes info on the awards at the Headbangers Ball blog and MTV2.com. On April 25, MTV2 will air a one-hour Revolver Golden Gods Awards nominee special and on Saturday, May 2, the channel will broadcast the ceremony.

For more information on the awards — including nominees and how you can score tickets to the show at Club Nokia — check out GoldenGodsAwards.com.

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By MTV News staff

Photo: Sergio Dionisio/ Getty Images

Ozzfest will return as a touring festival this summer, it was announced on Friday (April 30), with Ozzy Osbourne and Mötley Crüe headlining, according to a statement on the festival’s official site. The tour will mark the first time the two bands have toured together since 1984, during the Crüe’s breakthrough appearance as Ozzy’s opening act on a major U.S. tour.

Ozzfest, which took a year off in 2009 and was a one-day event headlined by Ozzy and Metallica in 2008, will kick off August 14 in San Bernardino, California (the birthplace of the first Ozzfest in 1996), and then make stops in Chicago; Hartford, Connecticut; Camden, New Jersey; Pittsburgh; and Boston. Live Nation will promote the tour nationally.

The main stage will feature full sets from Ozzy, the Crüe and Rob Halford, the latter performing songs from his solo career along with material from Judas Priest and Fight. DevilDriver and Nonpoint will fill out the main stage lineup. Second-stage headliners and six-time Ozzfest veterans Black Label Society will be joined by Drowning Pool, Kingdom of Sorrow, Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch, Saviours and Kataklysm.

Each date on the tour will include 13 bands on two stages with music beginning at 1:00 p.m., according to the statement. There will also be a “Village of the Damned,” featuring interactive activities, shopping and entertainment throughout the venue concourses.

Ozzy will release a new album, Scream, on June 15.

Tickets for the shows will go on sale May 22 at OZZfest.com and LiveNation.com.

Ozzfest 2010 dates, according to the festival’s website:

8/14 – San Bernardino, California @ San Manuel Amphitheater
8/17 – Chicago @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
8/19 – Pittsburgh @ First Niagara Pavilion
8/21 – Hartford, Connecticut @ Comcast Theater
8/22 – Camden, New Jersey @ Susquehanna Bank Center
8/24 – Boston @ Comcast Center

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