BLACK SABBATH Are 'All Just Normal, Nice Guys,' Says Keyboardist ADAM WAKEMAN

August 10, 2012

MTV Hive conducted an interview with keyboardist Adam Wakeman (BLACK SABBATH, OZZY OSBOURNE, HEADSPACE) prior to BLACK SABBATH's August 3 headlining concert at this year's edition of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, Illinois. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

You're several decades younger than the guys in BLACK SABBATH. What's hanging out with them on tour like?

This year, we've only done two shows with SABBATH. It's such a different ballgame to being in Ozzy's band. Ozzy's band is a band, and it's all great. With SABBATH, I'm kind of like the hired keyboard player, shoved off the stage. So it's a bit of a weird one with me, especially after being in Ozzy's band for my ninth year now. The first two years were actually spent with SABBATH. So I was really young, then. But it's great — they're a really nice bunch of guys. When I first started doing it in 2003, when [drummer] Bill Ward was doing it, as well, we rehearsed for a month in the studio in White Horse, and we'd all go out for walks and stuff. Spending time with them — I was surprised at how little they spoke about music.

What are they like to hang out with? Is Ozzy eating crisp apple salads, watching the History Channel, and going to bed at ten o'clock these days?

He's obviously left the curtains open! That's exactly what happens. He's mad on the history and documentary channels. With the SABBATH guys, it's been a while since we've all been touring together. I think with the Ozzy thing, it's slightly different — we tend to fly everywhere, so we're all on the same plane, and there's a good camaraderie. With this, Tony's [Iommi, guitar] coming from England, I'm coming from England, Geezer's coming from Los Angeles, Ozzy's coming from England or L.A. — their schedules are ridiculous. We try to get together for a dinner when we can. I haven't seen Tony since we played Download on the 10th of June. But Geezer's been on the Ozzy tour, so I've spent a lot of time with him. They're all just normal, nice guys. Like the old-school rock royalty that they are. I've played with quite a few pop artists in my time, and very few of them come close to the kind of class of the older generation.

Read the entire interview from MTV Hive.

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