Bill Ward: ‘All the Ozzy Fans Fucking Hate Me’
Since 2012, when Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward dropped out of the group’s latest reunion, things between the drummer the rest of the band, particularly Ozzy Osbourne, have not been good. The gentlemen have been having a fairly public back and forth argument, firing accusations at one another and demanding apologies.
In a new interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Ward touched on the events that took place before the reunion, why he views the open letter he wrote as an “olive branch” and that he understand why fans’ of Osbourne dislike him.
Ward continues to insist he would have been physically capable of carrying out his duties behind the kit had all four members of the original band stuck together for this past album cycle. He states, “The only thing that happened to me that is the truth is that I actually got sick on Oct. 18, 2013. Up until that point, I was fully capable of playing drums and I could have played multiple world tours, et cetera, et cetera. I just had not signed a contract. Had I signed a contract, then I wouldn’t have been sick, according to them.”
On how he is feeling now, both after his shoulder surgery and his departure from Black Sabbath, Ward said, “I am getting better with it now, but I was infuriated when I first heard of that as my health was really good. I was playing drums every day and practicing 130 beats per minute for a half an hour on the bass drum. I wasn’t walking ten miles. I usually walk ten miles a day, but I was walking six to eight miles a day. It is what I would be doing anyway. It is what I am doing now. I am walking on treadmills. I had to rebuild my core after the operation I had.
When it comes to the open letter Ward wrote on April 15 asking Osbourne for an apology, he still views the note as a sign of peace. “That statement that I made was actually an olive branch. It was a real olive branch, not a pie-in-the-sky olive branch,” continued Ward. “I gave exact specifications of what would put me back in the band. I don’t fuck around, you know. You want me back I the band? Then make a public apology about the things that you said about me that weren’t true. That’s the first thing. The next thing is give me a signable fucking contract.” The letter in fact, turned into a back and forth fight between the two musicians.
As for the animosity he has been receiving from fans of Osbourne’s, Ward understands where they are coming from. “I am really saddened that all of the Ozzy fans and all of the Bill fans are all upset. All the Ozzy fans fucking hate me,” continued Ward. “There is a lot of controversy. We try to keep an open mind to all of the fans and all of the interested parties. We are very concerned, my team, we are very concerned about the way these things are handled. We 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 and they are entitled to their opinions. I don’t necessarily agree with them that I am an asshole, but if they want to call me an asshole, I will support their right to do that.”
You can check out Bill Ward’s full interview with Classic Rock Revisited here. Late last month, Ward released a new solo album called Accountable Beasts. Check out his new disc on iTunes.
