Just last year, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler revealed that he and Ozzy Osbourne had fallen out of touch, but it appears the longtime Sabbath bandmates are now back speaking “every day practically” according to Butler.
The bassist’s comments came during an appearance on SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk’s Trunk Nation show, with Butler explaining that there had been a lot of miscommunication between the two musicians prior.
What Geezer Butler Had Previously Said
While promoting his Into the Void memoir in 2023, Butler spoke to Ultimate Classic Rock about his Black Sabbath bandmates explaining that he and Tony Iommi remained in touch and “slag each other to death,” and that it was tougher keeping up with Bill Ward as the musician wasn’t frequently on the internet.
He then shared of Osbourne that they hadn’t been speaking. The bassist insisted at the time that he and Ozzy were still good, explaining, “We didn’t fall out, it was the wives.”
Geezer + Ozzy Resume Communication
During the chat with Trunk (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Geezer explained that he and Ozzy were back in communication after a period of silence between the two. He said that they spoke now “every day practically,” and explained how they got back in touch.
“There was a lot of miscommunication [before]. He didn’t think I was asking about his health ’cause 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,” explained Butler. “So he thought I was just ignoring him.”
The bassist adds, “The weird way I had to go through Sabbath’s accountant to tell Ozzy I’d sent him all these things. ‘Cause 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.”
What Have Ozzy + Geezer Been Discussing?
Osbourne recently shared on his Madhouse Chronicles podcast that his biggest regret about Black Sabbath was not being able to finish the run with drummer Bill Ward, who sat out the reunion over a contractual dispute.
That talk has carried over to some of Ozzy and Geezer’s discussions, with the pair discussing the possibility of doing one final Black Sabbath show. “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].”
Butler later added, “Ozzy was hoping to finish it all off next year back in Aston, at the Aston Villa [football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, United Kingdom]. I’m definitely up for it, to finish the whole thing off.”
When asked if there had been any discussion with Tony Iommi or Bill Ward, Butler responded, “Me and Ozzy have agreed, but I’m not sure about anybody else.” He later went on to add that he would love to play a reunion show, “even if it was just for a short set.”
READ MORE: 20 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath ended their farewell tour with a Feb. 4, 2017 hometown show in Birmingham, England. Ward was not part of the lineup for the tour or the last show, with Ozzy, Geezer and Iommi playing with drummer Tommy Clufetos at what was supposedly the group’s final performance.
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum