Estranged BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward has accused his bandmates of "selfishness, self-centeredness, dishonesty and disloyalty" in connection with his absence from the group's farewell tour. SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne recently gave an interview with Rolling Stone in which he said he hadn't completely given up on the chance of Ward returning for the band's final show in Birmingham, England next February. The pair became embroiled in a war of words following Ward's departure from SABBATH's reunion in 2012, and he later accused the vocalist of having created an "impassable dilemma." Ozzy told Rolling Stone: "I'm sad that Bill never came through. Every time I reach out to Bill, I get yelled at for something." Asked whether Ward will make an appearance in Birmingham, Ozzy said: "I don't know. If something can be worked out, great. Tommy [Clufetos, SABBATH's current touring drummer] is doing a great job.” In a new post on his Facebook page, Ward responded to Osbourne's comments, writing: "Ozzy has never reached out since January 26-27, 2012 when he called to see when I would be arriving in the U.K. to join rehearsals for the '13' CD. Since that last phone call, he has never reached out to me, and I have not reached out to him. "Ozzy needs to look to those who stopped me from coming through. The contract was impossible to sign; the group rhetoric of 2012, 2013 and throughout, was fault-finding, condemning and full of dishonest evaluations of me as a person, including my so-called health issues. Had I signed the contract, I suspect I wouldn't have been labeled as having poor health or having all the other judgmental character references. "As a reminder, in September 2015, we asked a SABBATH representative if there could be an opening to play with the band again. Their representative answered 'no.' It's hard to come through when you receive a 'no.' "I love all our SABBATH fans throughout the world, and to toss around ideas that I might play the Birmingham shows is both emotionally heartbreaking for me and spiteful. "I think the SABBATH fans who have loved the original band have gone through enough in terms of disappointment and sadness. "For me to play Birmingham only would, I feel, be discriminating and elitist towards our other fans all over the world. I could never be discriminating or elitist to our fans. "It's been heartbreaking enough not to record and tour and it'll be heartbreaking not to play to the Birmingham fans. "Please know the prevailing circumstances are not by my design. "This is not what I would have wanted or what I have chosen. "Had any of you had to choose to sign a contract which undermined and devalued you, I think most of you with some dignity and self-respect would have walked away too. "My absence at the current shows and the future Birmingham shows reflects an undeniable and unseen misadventure that my accusers won't bear. It's called selfishness and self-centeredness; dishonesty and disloyalty. These are the culprits of SABBATH's original lineup's demise." Ozzy and SABBATH are currently on the final North American leg of their "The End" tour, which stops in Noblesville, Indiana on Friday (September 2).
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
