Mark Strigl has released an interview with bass legend David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth), conducted earlier this month. During the chat, Ellefson discusses his participation in the sold-out Back To The Beginning event, which will see the original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – perform together for the first time in 20 years.
The all-star event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy – who is battling Parkinson’s Disease – play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
Back To The Beginning is set for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
During Ellefson’s chat with Mark Strigl, he was asked to recall memories and share thoughts on Ozzy and Black Sabbath.
Says David, “Just getting to know Ozzy just as a gentleman, he’s just such a genuine guy. He’s an old soul in a way, but he’s just a music fan, is, I think, what I took away from it. And he’s not a hippie, I wouldn’t call him a hippie, but, you know, when he grew up and his love of rock and roll, back into the ’60s, you know, just forgetting for a minute that he’s Ozzy and that he’s the lead singer of Black Sabbath and just kind of listening to him talk about Randy [Rhoads] and Mike Inez, and just kind of through all that kind of stuff. It was like a guy sitting on the couch, just sitting around bullshitting about music, you know, it was really, really great. So I was very honoured for that, you know. And, of course, Geezer and I have been friends. Tony, a little bit. I don’t know Bill Ward. So it’ll be great to see him again.
Ellefson continues, “It’s funny. When Ozzy went back to Black Sabbath in 1998, they played in Phoenix, where I live. They played our, at the time, brand new baseball stadium there where the Diamondbacks play. It was called New Year’s Evil, and it was on New Year’s Eve. It was Sabbath, Pantera, Megadeth, Slayer and Soulfly. We performed the show, and then we went right to Nashville right after that, and literally, like a couple days after that, and started the Risk album. So, it was really kind of a cool way to close the door of ’98, headed to ’99, and, of course, now Ozzy’s back in Sabbath with Bill Ward. It was huge. And that was the last time I saw Pantera with Dime and Vinnie.”
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve had a good friendship with Black Sabbath through Ozzy and Sharon,” Ellefson adds. “She had us on an Ozzfest in 1998, I guess, which would have been right before Ozzy went back to Black Sabbath. So, you know, I feel like it’s kind of a good… it feels like a family vibe around there, you know what I mean, it really does. And I commend Sharon for making it that way, that it’s been like that. And Megadeth has been a part of that, and they’ve been nothing but gracious to me.”
Back To The Beginning will feature sets from Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Artists include Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token II (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), and Andrew Watt.
The post DAVID ELLEFSON Discusses His Relationship With BLACK SABBATH & OZZY OSBOURNE Ahead Of “Back To The Beginning” Event – “They’ve Been Nothing But Gracious To Me”; Video appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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The all-star event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy – who is battling Parkinson’s Disease – play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
Back To The Beginning is set for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
During Ellefson’s chat with Mark Strigl, he was asked to recall memories and share thoughts on Ozzy and Black Sabbath.
Says David, “Just getting to know Ozzy just as a gentleman, he’s just such a genuine guy. He’s an old soul in a way, but he’s just a music fan, is, I think, what I took away from it. And he’s not a hippie, I wouldn’t call him a hippie, but, you know, when he grew up and his love of rock and roll, back into the ’60s, you know, just forgetting for a minute that he’s Ozzy and that he’s the lead singer of Black Sabbath and just kind of listening to him talk about Randy [Rhoads] and Mike Inez, and just kind of through all that kind of stuff. It was like a guy sitting on the couch, just sitting around bullshitting about music, you know, it was really, really great. So I was very honoured for that, you know. And, of course, Geezer and I have been friends. Tony, a little bit. I don’t know Bill Ward. So it’ll be great to see him again.
Ellefson continues, “It’s funny. When Ozzy went back to Black Sabbath in 1998, they played in Phoenix, where I live. They played our, at the time, brand new baseball stadium there where the Diamondbacks play. It was called New Year’s Evil, and it was on New Year’s Eve. It was Sabbath, Pantera, Megadeth, Slayer and Soulfly. We performed the show, and then we went right to Nashville right after that, and literally, like a couple days after that, and started the Risk album. So, it was really kind of a cool way to close the door of ’98, headed to ’99, and, of course, now Ozzy’s back in Sabbath with Bill Ward. It was huge. And that was the last time I saw Pantera with Dime and Vinnie.”
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve had a good friendship with Black Sabbath through Ozzy and Sharon,” Ellefson adds. “She had us on an Ozzfest in 1998, I guess, which would have been right before Ozzy went back to Black Sabbath. So, you know, I feel like it’s kind of a good… it feels like a family vibe around there, you know what I mean, it really does. And I commend Sharon for making it that way, that it’s been like that. And Megadeth has been a part of that, and they’ve been nothing but gracious to me.”
Back To The Beginning will feature sets from Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Artists include Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token II (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), and Andrew Watt.
The post DAVID ELLEFSON Discusses His Relationship With BLACK SABBATH & OZZY OSBOURNE Ahead Of “Back To The Beginning” Event – “They’ve Been Nothing But Gracious To Me”; Video appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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