Bill Ward accepts that many fans of Ozzy Osbourne hate him – and says he “supports them” in their attitude.
The drummer has been the focus of rage since he demanded a public apology from the singer over claims he was too ill to take part in Black Sabbath’s reunion of 2012.
He insists those claims are untrue – and that they were only made after he’d refused to agree to a contract he regarded as “unsignable.”
Ward tells Classic Rock Revisited, “The sickness agenda started after I wouldn’t sign the contract. In 2011, nobody said anything to me about that – they all seemed to be quite happy that I was there. My health was really good.”
He underwent shoulder surgery in 2013, and admits it was “serious shit.” But he adds, “They say, ‘He couldn’t have done it anyway because he got sick.’ That’s a bunch of bullshit. These things are unforeseeable. Ozzy has had to cancel on multiple occasions because of unforeseeable events since all this has happened.”
Asked if the dispute simply boils down to money, Ward replies, “In my particular case, yes.”
He says one of his biggest regrets is that Sabbath supporters have been split by the argument. “I am really saddened,” he continues. “All the Ozzy fans f–king hate me. My team are very concerned about the people who dislike me – but they have every right to dislike me. I actually support them in their right to dislike me. They’re entitled to their opinions. I don’t necessarily agree with them that I’m an a–hole, but if they want to call me an a–hole I will support their right to do that.”
Ward released his solo album Accountable Beasts last month and he’s nearing completion on another record, Beyond Aston. Sabbath were expected to deliver their final album and tour this year, but Ozzy recently revealed it wouldn’t happen until 2016.
source: classicrock.teamrock.com
10 Responses
bill ward I don’t hate you.love Sabbath,i hate Sharon gene simmons osbourne,money hungry,heck she had to have cut ozzy balls off,cause he sure don’t have any left.ozzy I need you to go crazy on her,go out like ozzy could only.
bill makes a lot of sense. if only Sabbath could ensure he makes a lot of cents….
Vinny Appice, good drummer. Bill Ward, beautiful drummer. What I mean by that is, the man is the quintessential backbeat of Sabbath. Nobody lays back like him in War Pigs, nobody jazzes it up like Bill. His playing is 100% necessary for there to be the classic Sabbath sound. Screw Ozzy, his balls are in Sharon’s purse, which she makes him hold onto when she has to go to the toilet and urinate standing up. I saw original Sabbath in ’99 and it was magic. One big biker dude standing behind me was jumping up and down like a 9 year old girl and slapping my shoulders yelling, “IT’S BILL WARD!! DUDE!! BILL F’in’ WARD!!!” It’s deplorable and absolutely shameful that a last tour of The Four can’t happen. I’m speaking to Ozzy when I say this: You are one lucky bastard that you maintained a career. You should have been dead multiple times. Your fans support you and you have all the strings being pulled by your wife. Be a freaking man and respect the dignity of the Sabbath legacy and bury the hatchet for chrissake. And not in anyone’s head (Foghorn Leghorn joke). Don’t get all Gene and Paul on us, man. Cut the crap and do what’s right. Even if you don’t want to. I go to work every day and don’t want to sometimes, but I wanna get paid. Well buddy, we the fans pretty much are the ones that pay you. It’s easy to forget that when you are in your ivory tower, isn’t it, Oz?
It’s sad when some of these iconic bands legacies are being defined by all this grammar school bickering. I love these bands, and many of them provided the soundtrack to my life growing up and still bring back great memories today. But to hear bands like sabbath and kiss bickering like a bunch of little kids is sad. I thank god my all time favorite band ac/doc is professional enough to keep all their private disagreements relatively private. And they’ve certainly been through a lot with the Phil Rudd situation. But they know it’s the fans that are paying them and paying them quite well for being the great musicians that they are. They plug in and go to work and give the fans 110% every time they take the stage.
I think you’d be hard pressed to find an Ozzy / Sabbath fan who hates Bill Ward.
I’m still hoping that, maybe, cooler heads prevail, and Bill can come back into the fold for the final album and tour. I know it likely won’t happen (ala Mike Anthony in VH).