Geezer Butler rekindles friendship with Ozzy Osbourne and agrees to play Villa Park gig
They're now chatting "every day"
Last updated 30th May 2024
Geezer Butler says he’s now talking to his Black Sabbath band mate Ozzy Osbourne "every day practically" following their recent “miscommunication.”
During a November interview with Rolling Stone UK, Ozzy Osbourne publicly chastised Geezer Butler for allegedly not being in touch during his ongoing health woes.
“You do find out who’s a genuine friend when you’ve been through what I’ve had,” Ozzy blasted at the time. “Tony Iommi has been so supportive of me since my illness. Geezer Butler hasn’t given me one f---ing phone call. Not one f---ing call.”
He continued: “It’s sad, man. We all grew up together, and he can’t pick up the f---ing phone like a man and see how I’m doing. Even Bill Ward has been in touch with me.”
“I’m not in shock, I’m just very f---ing sad that he can’t just call me after all this time and say, ‘How you doing?’ F---ing arsehole.”
This prompted Geezer issue a statement, saying: “Rumour has it; Ozzy is upset, saying he never received my get well messages,” Geezer wrote. “I made 2 different attempts at getting in touch during his illnesses. My first email (8 Feb, 2019) went through his office because I didn’t have Ozzy’s new number to text him. Sharon responded but I didn’t hear back from Ozzy.
“11 months later (21 Jan, 2020), I emailed Sharon to check on Oz. That email went unanswered.
“I don’t want to engage in a tit for tat. Having made 2 attempts to wish Ozzy well , without a reply, I figured it best to privately keep him in my thoughts.”
In a fresh interview with Eddie Trunk’s Trunk Nation, Geezer says that he and Ozzy are now chatting every day.
"There was a lot of miscommunication (before),” Geezer explained. “He didn't think I was asking about his health because I know he's been going through a lot of health problems, and I was sending all these messages to him and they weren't being passed on to him. So he thought I was just ignoring him."
The bassist and lyricist added: "The weird way I had to go through Sabbath's accountant to tell Ozzy I'd sent him all these things. Because he did this thing in Rolling Stone saying that I hadn't been in touch with him about his health.
“So I went through the accountant, and he got in touch with Ozzy and said, 'He's just been sending you stuff. He wants to talk to you.' And we've been fine since that."
Geezer was also asked about Ozzy Osbourne’s recent comments that he would like Black Sabbath to play one final gig with drummer Bill Ward.
"Of course there's an interest (on my part to do it), but there's a big 'but' — you'd have to speak to Bill about it. Everybody wants to do it (but I don't know if he is) capable (of pulling it off).
"I'd love to do it. I'd absolutely love to do it.”
Geezer also said: "Ozzy was hoping to finish it all off next year back in Aston, at the Aston Villa ground. I'm definitely up for it, to finish the whole thing off."
Asked if Tony Iommi or Bill Ward had been approached to play together, Butler responded: "Me and Ozzy have agreed, but I'm not sure about anybody else."
Sharon Osbourne first revealed in January that Ozzy was hoping to play Villa Park as a goodbye to his fans this summer. It now seems those plans have been pushed back to 2025.
The real names of 100 rockers, including Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne:
Cozy Powell’s real name: Colin Trevor Flooks
Alex Lifeson’s real name: Alexandar Živojinović
'Lifeson' is a semi-literal English translation of the Yugoslavian surname Živojinović, which means 'son of life'
Ginger Baker's real name: Peter Edward Baker
John 5’s real name: John William Lowery
Yngwie Malmsteen’s real name: Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback
Rudy Sarzo’s real name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont
Eric Carr's real name: Paul Charles Caravello
Vinnie Vincent’s real name: Vincent John Cusano
Tina Turner’s real name: Anna Mae Bullock
King Diamond’s real name: Kim Bendix Petersen
Joey Tempest's real name: Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson
Michael Monroe’s real name: Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm
Mikkey Dee’s real name: Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou
Jonathan Cain’s real name: Jonathan Leonard Friga
Nikki Sixx's real name: Frank Ferrano
Steven Adler’s real name: Michael Coletti
Axl Rose's real name: William Bruce Rose
Bon Scott's real name: Ronald Belford Scott
Fish’s real name: Derek William Dick
Eddie Vedder's real name: Edward Louis Severson III
Peter Criss’ real name: George Peter John Criscuola
Freddie Mercury's real name: Farrokh Bulsara
Flea's real name: Michael Peter Balzary
Perry Farrell's real name: Perry Bernstein
Geddy Lee’s real name: Gary Lee Weinrib
Mick Mars' real name: Robert Deal
Tré Cool's real name: Frank Edwin Wright III
Courtney Love's real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
Pat Smear's real name: Georg Albert Ruthenberg
Gene Simmons' real name: Chaim Klein Witz
Spike’s real name: Jonathan Gray
Iggy Pop's real name: James Newell Osterberg, JR.
Alice Cooper's real name: Vincent Damon Furnier
Slash's real name: Saul Hudson
Mike Dirnt's real name: Michael Ryan Pritchard
Ronnie James Dio's real name: Ronald James Padavona
Brody Dalle's real name: Bree Joanna Alice Robinson
Skin's real name: Deborah Anne Dyer
Nicky Wire's real name: Nicholas Jones
Amy Lee's real name: Amy Lynn Hartzler
Bill Wyman's real name: William Perks
Izzy Stradlin's real name: Jeffrey Isbell
Paul Stanley's real name: Stanley Eisen
Vince Neil's real name: Vincent Neil Wharton
Duff McKagan's real name: Michael McKagan
Jack Black’s real name: Thomas Jacob Black
Lemmy's real name: Ian Fraser Kilmister
John Paul Jones' real name: John Baldwin
Joan Jett's real name: Joan Larkin
Eric Clapton's real name: Eric Patrick Clapp
Siouxsie Sioux's real name: Susan Janet Ballion
Rachel Bolan’s real name: James Richard Southworth
David Bowie's real name: David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones
Little Richard's real name: Richard Wayne Penniman
Sid Vicious' real name: John Simon Ritchie
Ace Frehley's real name: Paul Daniel Frehley
Lou Reed's real name: Louis Firbank
Joe Strummer's real name: John Graham Mellor
Marc Bolan's real name: Mark Feld
The Edge's real name: David Howell Evans
Meat Loaf's real name: Marvin Lee Aday
Steven Tyler's real name: Steven Victor Tallarico
Ozzy Osbourne's real name: John Michael Osbourne
Jon Bon Jovi's real name: John Francis Bongiovi
Joey Belladonna’s real name: Joseph Bellardini
Jack White's real name: John Anthony Gillis
Bono's real name: Paul David Hewson
Sting's real name: Gordon Sumner
Billy Idol’s real name: William Michael Albert Broad
Geezer Butler’s real name: Terence Butler
Pat Benatar’s real name: Patricia Mae Giraldo
Bo Diddley’s real name: Ellas McDaniel
Muddy Waters’ real name: McKinley Morganfield
Stevie Nicks’ real name: Stephanie Lynn Nicks
Doro’s real name: Dorothee Pesch
Sebastian Bach’s real name: Sebastian Philip Bierk
Joe Perry’s real name: Joseph Pereira
Jimi Hendrix’s real name: James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix)
Zakk Wylde’s real name: Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt
Maynard James Keenan’s real name: James Herbert Keenan
Blaze Bayley’s real name: Bayley Alexander Cooke
Biff Byford's real name: Peter Rodney Byford
M. Shadows' real name: Matthew Charles Sanders
Syd Barrett's real name: Roger Keith Barrett
Chris Jericho's real name: Christopher Keith Irvine
Ginger Wildheart's real name: David Leslie Walls
Paul Di'Anno's real name: Paul Andrews
Phil X’s real name: Theofilos Xenidis
Peter Green’s real name: Peter Allen Greenbaum
Nicko McBrain’s real name: Michael Henry McBrain
Noddy Holder’s real name: Neville John Holder
Steel Panther’s real names
Michael Starr: Ralph Michael Saenz, Satchel: Russell John Parrish, Stix Zadinia: Darren Leader, Spyder: Joe Lester.