THE FANSITE FOR TONY IOMMI FANS CELEBRATING HIS BRILLIANT 50 YEARS OF DEDICATION AND SERVICE TO MUSIC
British Honour to Tony Iommi
Former Black Sabbath bassist Neil Murray talks about Tony Iommi!

Former Black Sabbath bassist Neil Murray talks about Tony Iommi!


(A citation from Neil Murray - Snakecharmer - Uber Rock Interview Exclusive written by Matt Phelps, Saturday, 09 March 2013)

--- What's it like to work with Tony Iommi?

--- Well people think that Tony is probably a very scary guy. Kind of doomy, evil. Steer well clear of him! Probably practicing black magic all day but he's actually a really funny guy, a really nice bloke. Quite into his practical jokes actually. I mean I wouldn't wanna get on the wrong side of him.

Occasionally when people do it's mostly because they don't see that he's getting a bit narked with them and they just keep on talking rubbish or whatever it is they're doing. Then suddenly they might find themselves grabbed by the collar and being told to shut up, you know? I'm not saying anything more that that (laughs). But he's an incredibly creative musician, I really envy him. He can go to his studio and just churn out endless new riffs all of the time. He just has that kind of creative personality where he can come up with things that I wouldn't even think of. He's just coming from a different direction and he will do something that other people haven't done before, you know? He's not concerned with trying to fit in with anything, he just plays Tony Iommi if it were. He's very concerned about his guitar sound and he's always trying to improve it. trying out all sorts of different amps and effects and pick ups and all sorts. He's definitely a perfectionist from that point of view.

 I very much enjoyed my time in the band though I know the majority of fans want the original line up, or as much of it as they can get. The only thing I can say is that in the eighties for example, late eighties, Tony wasn't wanting to do the same music, or the same exact style of thing that he'd done in the seventies with Ozzy. In certain countries that was welcomed but sometimes the hardcore Sabbath fans just wanted them to stay exactly as they were originally. It was as if at times they would almost prefer there was no Sabbath than there be a version with, for example, myself and Cozy Powell which I think is a bit wrong but there you go. Sometimes heavy metal fans, and particularly teenage heavy metal fans are the most hardcore kind. They won't deviate from their point of view. It's all very black and white. Some things either amazing or it's crap. So if I'm not amazing then I must be crap (laughs). There's no grey areas. As you get older you can begin to appreciate things that aren't just one particular thing. You can broaden your taste a bit.

 


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