February 3, 2012: Sad news these past two days as Bill Ward announced on his site that he could not in good conscience sign a contract that he described as "unsignable."
"The place I’m in feels lousy and lonely because as much as I want to play and participate, I also have to stand for something and not sign on. If I sign as-is, I stand to lose my rights, dignity and respectability as a rock musician. I believe in freedom and freedom of speech. I grew up in a hard rock/metal band. We stood for something then, and we played from the heart with honesty and sincerity. I am in the spirit of integrity, far from the corporate malady, I am real and honest, fair and compassionate.
If I’m replaced, I have to face you, the beloved Sabbath fans. I hope you will not hold me responsible for the failure of an original Black Sabbath lineup as promoted. Without fault finding, I want to assure everyone that my loyalty to Sabbath is intact." (Please read the full statement at his site)
In response, Tony, Geezer and Ozzy wrote today, "We were saddened to hear yesterday via Facebook that Bill declined publicly to participate in our current Black Sabbath plans…we have no choice but to continue recording without him although our door is always open… We are still in the UK with Tony. Writing and recording the new album and on a roll… See you at Download!!!"
Judging by the comments I'm seeing on various sites, newsgroups and blogs, the majority of fans are upset, with many expressing the thought that they won't support a Black Sabbath without Bill, and that he deserves equal respect and compensation as a founding member of the band. Let's hope and pray that a peaceable reconciliation is to be found. “There’s one thing about Black Sabbath which should not be understated: If Black Sabbath is missing any one of its members it’s no longer Black Sabbath.” ~Henry Rollins
January 31, 2012: I just wanted to pay tribute to (Voytek) Wojciech Nowakowski, who passed away a year ago tomorrow. A wonderful artist and human being, Voytek was one of the earliest illustrators who agreed to contribute paintings to this project, and I'm indebted to his kindness and talent. While his website is no longer extant, you can still find his works scattered across the net. See you in the next world, my friend!
January 30, 2012: Welcome aboard our newest artist, Yaroslav Gerzhedovich, an amazing illustrator/photographer, whose arresting, haunting images you should check out on Flickr here!
January 23, 2012: Good news for Iommi and Black Sabbath who recently composed two additional songs for their upcoming album, making progress despite his diagnosis, and encouraged by all the fan support he's received.
On the book front, I've updated "Wicked World" on this site with its final draft. Check it out here. In addition, I've added another entry. This time, "Planet Caravan"! Enjoy!
January 12, 2012: Tony's illness
In regards to the recent new of Tony Iommi's diagnosis of lymphoma, Ozzy, Geezer, and Bill have requested "everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time." This can be in the form of prayers, good energy and/or upbeat messages (such as to his website: http://www.iommi.com/). Tony himself "remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery."
In other words, "Tony, you will kick this cancer, enjoy many more years of life, and make the upcoming album and tour something to remember!"
