Geezer Butler Of Black Sabbath On New Book ‘Into The Void,’ ‘War Pigs’

Growing up in post-World War II England informed the early worldview of Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler.

Butler’s father was a veteran, the roof of his childhood home was damaged by a bomb and bombing sites doubled as a playground in the Aston area of Birmingham, experiences which would influence him as he began writing the lyrics to songs like “War Pigs.”

Soon, concepts like poverty, pollution and famine would make their way into his lyrics, with Black Sabbath writing easily relatable songs during a time when such topics were anything but the norm.

In the new book Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond, now available in hardcover, as an E-book or as a Butler-narrated audiobook via William Morrow, Butler takes a rare look back.

Writing without a ghostwriter, he recalls in great detail the inner-workings of his band and it’s earliest days, recounting time spent alongside iconic frontmen like Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio.

As Black Sabbath struggled to find its footing, Butler’s background in accounting would prove valuable. Though as the band began selling millions of records and countless concert tickets, forging ahead as heavy metal pioneers, even that wasn’t enough to clarify notoriously nontransparent record label accounting practices and a bottom line that didn’t add up.

“The amounts of money we were earning were way above my accountancy level,” said Butler via email this week. “I was learning cost and works accounting, which had a fixed formula. Trying to account for million selling albums, royalties and world wide sell out tours – and the rock and roll lifestyle – was about as far removed from my accounting experiences as can be. Not to mention the different tax systems around the world.”

I spoke with Geezer Butler about the process of putting together Into The Void, writing the still relevant lyrics to a song like “War Pigs” and the multi-generational appeal of Black Sabbath. A transcript of our email exchange, lightly edited for length and clarity, follows below.

Jim Ryan: This is such an in-depth look back. What did you learn during that process? Was there anything that surprised you?

Geezer Butler: No real surprises, apart from the fact that all four original members are still alive and kicking (well, maybe not kicking) as of today.

Ryan: I was impressed by the specificity of some of the recollections – your description of early tours of Switzerland and Germany after the release of the first album for instance were pretty detailed. I know there was no ghost writer but how long did you work on the manuscript and what was your process in compiling it?

Butler: I wanted to be as authentic as possible, to reflect me in book form – an autobiography rather than a biography.

I wrote about three or four manuscripts, updating and altering as I went along. I had help from Benjamin Dirs, who researched the tours and album timelines – where and when – and album chart positions, etc.

When that was completed I sent in a final draft to the publishers. I was surprised at the amount of editing – mainly legal and some political stuff that had to be discarded.

Ryan: You write eloquently about discovering American artists on something like Radio Luxembourg. I’ve also seen artists like Ringo Starr, Tom Jones and Pete Townshend talk about the impact of pirate radio in a similar fashion. How important was that at a young age in terms of exposing you to artists that you probably weren’t going to otherwise hear on BBC Radio?

Butler: The music on BBC Radio was incredibly dreary in the 1950’s: lots of old time ballads, accordion music and big bands rehashing Glenn Miller standards and World War 2 anthems. Rock music wasn’t allowed on BBC so, to get around that, an offshore radio station – Radio Luxembourg – was established that played rock and skiffle music.

I remember hearing Elvis singing “Heartbreak Hotel” and I was immediately hooked. I listened to Luxembourg as often as I was allowed by my parents. When The Beatles came along, I listened every night after I finished my homework.

Young people finally had their own music to listen to. And that sparked a whole cultural revolution in Britain. The post-war gloom was finally lifting – bombed out cities and infrastructure were finally being rebuilt and the future looked bright!

Ryan: In Into The Void, you write about growing up in post-war Aston, where a bomb damaged the roof of your childhood home. Your father was a veteran. How did those early experiences sort of come to inform your worldview at a young age?

Butler: Everything in 1950’s Britain seemed to be war related. There was food and clothing rationing until 1954. All my friends played war games and our playgrounds were bombed out sites and air raid shelters. We played with real bayonets and air pistols – which we had in abundance in our house, left over from the fear of invasion.

The cinemas were still showing propaganda-based war films (how the British army saved the world from Nazis). So I was very much aware of the constant threat of violence.

Ryan: Later you’d come to write the lyrics for “War Pigs.” What’s it like seeing how relevant a song like that remains 53 years later?

Butler: Well, it’s very sad that humans can’t seem to learn from past atrocities. It’s always down to politicians trying to impose their politics through violence then, after years of war and bloodshed, acting as if nothing happened.

Politicians are the devils of this world – and their minions are the demons.

Ryan: Early in the book you write, “Things were bleak, they really were. Yet nobody was singing about that side of life, which is why we thought we should.” Eventually, your songwriting would further hit upon topics like poverty, pollution and famine – relatable concepts that people begin connecting to and which really set Black Sabbath apart from other artists. How important would it become to strike that chord?

Butler: I think those lyrics help to keep the band relevant.

Some are even prophetic. “Computer God,” written in the 1980s, deals with AI replacing humans. “Spiral Architect,” written in 1974, about DNA. “Into The Void,” written in 1971, deals with pollution and the quest for other habitats outside of planet Earth.

Ryan: Early on, you learned on an acoustic guitar that had only two strings, writing that it instilled in you a unique melodic style. Did that formative experience impact you later as you moved to the bass?

Butler: Because I couldn’t afford a whole set of strings, learning melodies on the two strings on my first acoustic guitar gave me a sense of melody which came in very handy when switching to bass. It helped forge my own style of playing.

Ryan: I remember seeing “The End” tour stop in Chicago in 2016. And in the crowd that night, you had parents enjoying that show with their children. Heavy metal just seems so unique to me in its multi-generational appeal – Black Sabbath continually reaches new fans. Most artists just don’t experience that. How gratifying is it to see?

Butler: Well as a father and grandfather, it’s the ultimate compliment to see various generations not only listening to our records and attending our concerts but also learning to play our songs.

My granddaughter recently learned and played “Iron Man” at her (Catholic) school concert – and everyone from the kids and parents to the teachers loved it!

It doesn’t get more satisfying than that!