What an honor to talk to Geezer Butler, the legendary bass player from Black Sabbath. His book “Into The Void – From Birth To Black Sabbath And Beyond” is out now and it’s fantastic. There are some great stories and tales that Geezer gets into. He told me why he wrote the book “I always wanted to write a memoir for my grandkids, to give them a better understanding of my life beyond what they read in the press.”

Geezer Butler On Sabbath’s Heavy Sound

Geezer talked about the heaviness of Black Sabbath and what caused it. “Tony had to create a new way of playing because he lost the tops of his fingers in an industrial accident. He tuned down the strings to make it easier to play with his plastic fingertips, which gave birth to our heavier sound.”They didn’t get their due until the early 2000s after bands started mentioning them as major influences. “It’s great to finally get positive feedback from newer bands citing us as their main influence.”

Working With Producer Rick Rubin

I have friends who’ve worked with Rick Rubin, and while reading the book, Geezer said everything I’ve heard before. Rick doesn’t do much. “Rick Rubin would come in for ten minutes and say, ‘Do another one.’ He’d lie on the couch and do nothing. It drove us nuts.” He said he wasn’t a huge fan, but he did like the way he worked with Ozzy.

Geezer On His Relationship With Ozzy Osbourne

“I speak to Ozzy practically every other day. We had some communication issues, but now we’re closer than ever.” That’s great to hear knowing everything they’ve gone through over their lifetime.

Lots of great stuff for any hard rock/heavy metal fan!