Geezer Butler in action with Black Sabbath on February 4, 2017. From Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones to the Who’s John Entwistle, bass players are often cast as...
Geezer Butler in action with Black Sabbath on February 4, 2017.
From Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones to the Who’s John Entwistle, bass players are often cast as the strong, silent types. That seems to be especially true of Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler, who has been described as “quiet and reclusive” by no less than longtime bandmate and friend, Tony Iommi.
Reserved, yes, but as Black Sabbath’s primary lyricist and bassist, he’s had plenty to say. As a musician, his gigantic sound and nimble fret work has practically defined heavy metal, earning praise from virtuosos like Les Claypool, Pantera’s Rex Brown and Dream Theater’s John Myung. And as Black Sabbath’s wordsmith, he spoke volumes via frontman Ozzy Osbourne. His unvarnished assessments of war, drug abuse and mental illness paved the way for a whole new way of writing music, and were light years from the hippie platitudes that were popular during the band’s early years.
In 1970, the year Black Sabbath released their first album and Paranoid, the charts were filled with the soft rock of Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. One can only imagine what the world made of Butler-penned lyrics like “Push the needle in/Face death’s sickly grin/Holes are in your skin/ Caused by deadly pins.”
Songs like “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” were shockingly modern, direct and ahead of their time. Part of the fun of the new Black Sabbath live DVD The End of the End is getting one last opportunity to hear the great riffs and marvel at Butler’s sharp observations one more time.
I was eager to chat with the bassist about the band’s last show and his visionary lyrics, but there was that “strong, silent” thing to contend with. These days, Butler prefers