In a new interview with Dave Lawrence, host of “All Things Considered” on Hawai’i Public Radio, TOOL guitarist Adam Jones reflected on his band’s participation in last month’s “Back To The Beginning” concert in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which marked Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH‘s final performance. Speaking about SABBATH‘s influence on TOOL, Adam said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, [SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi‘s just a huge influence, because not only is he just an amazing player, but his playing was obtainable. It’s not like Eddie Van Halen where you go, ‘Oh, I’m not even gonna try. That guy is just this crazy wizard.’ So to have that as an inspiration — to me, an obvious inspiration, in at least my playing… And then doing the show was just such an honor. Out of all the bands, we got asked, Sharon [Ozzy‘s wife and manager] and Ozzy and their family have been incredibly supportive to our band.”
Asked if he had an “endearing” story to share about Ozzy, Adam said: “There’s many… There’s so many stories and good memories, real positive. But the one that I really like that stands out was we were playing [U.K.’s Castle] Donington. They told us, ‘Oh, the Osbournes would like to have you guys for dinner.’ And we were, like, ‘Wow. That’d be cool.’ So we sat down and we were in this huge room in this castle and had dinner. It was a hotel, so there’s people serving there, but we were the only ones there. It was really fun, really inspiring, kind of like watching their show. [It was] Sharon, Ozzy and Jack [Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon‘s son]. And it was funny, ’cause Ozzy was sober, but he kept sneaking downstairs to the hotel bar and sneaking a drink and coming back. And Sharon had had that stomach surgery, so she wasn’t supposed to eat certain things, and she was eating french fries and stuff that makes your stomach expand, and after surgery you’re not supposed to have that stuff. So she kept taking trips and coming back, going, ‘Yeah, I just threw up my meal. I’m really sorry.’ But it was with laughter. And they were very open. And Jack‘s great. I love him. I’ve seen him grow up, and he’s been a huge supporter of our band and a really good guy. So, yeah, that dinner, it’s a core memory.”
Regarding whether he got a chance to spend any time with Ozzy or the other members of BLACK SABBATH at “Back To The Beginning”, Adam said: “I didn’t see Ozzy until they wheeled them by at one point just before they went on. And I’m kind of sad about it. It makes me kind of choke up. It was such a good thing and a bad thing at the same time. But the good really outweighed the bad. And it was a crazy sendoff. And the part where he thanked — I think it was during the Ozzy set, Ozzy thanked the crowd about his career and if it wasn’t for them… I mean, everyone was crying… Those were really heavy words. And you’d think about growing up, listening to all that music and how it affected you, and you don’t hear a lot of people express that. I mean, they might say ‘thank you’ at the end of the night. They might say, ‘We really appreciate our fans,’ but I just don’t think that cuts as deep.”
Jones continued: “What a day. It was really overwhelming being able to perform and then watch the show at the same time, watch the other bands. It was just quite a day. And then, a week later, Ozzy dies. And it was just shocking. But I kept telling people, it felt like a historical moment, just growing up, listening to that. I mean, I remember skateboarding ramps and listening to BLACK SABBATH and maybe smoking pot. I’m not gonna admit to anything. And then where I am now, being on the stage playing their music for those guys. I can’t think of anything I’ve done that’s been like this.”
Not long before “Back To The Beginning” took place, Jones told Guitar World magazine about BLACK SABBATH: “I always wanted to do a compilation of music that scared the shit out of me when I heard it for the first time. BLACK SABBATH was like that for me. I loved horror movies, and [SABBATH] had the same temperature to me. There’s just something romantic about it. I feel lucky that there are so many songs I’m obsessed with. I still put that music on today, and I get the same thing I was getting out of it when I first heard it. I can’t say that about a lot of bands.”
Asked how far back his personal SABBATH fandom goes, Adam said: “To when I was young. We had different [radio] stations in Chicago that were my main source of music. And I have an older brother and sister who influenced my early taste. It goes way back. I think everyone has the same story of how wonderfully haunting and attractive that music was, how they were innovators and influenced so many people.”
On the topic of how Iommi shaped his guitar playing style, Jones said: “You’re talking, like, ’70s headphones turned up all the way — and air guitaring! [Laughs] Learning later in life that he’s missing parts of his fingers was inspiring because when you’re a kid, and you’re playing guitar, you go, ‘I could never be as good as a real rock star,’ and here’s a guy that is a professional, a rock star and amazing, and he’s missing parts of his fingers. It’s inspiring. It makes you feel like, ‘I can do that.'”
Asked if Tony‘s style affected his riff writing, Adam said: “It’s why I’m obsessed with drop D. The stuff he did — the tone, the playing the notes and then pulling off, you know, the open D, or whatever tuning they had that’s comparable — it was just haunting, and the riffs were so good. I could play them, but there’s a vibe, and it’s wonderful. And if you don’t hear it in TOOL, you probably aren’t really into BLACK SABBATH.”
Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.
A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer’s friends and family members attended the service.
Photo courtesy of Gibson (via Prime PR Group, Inc.)
