BLACK SABBATH's GEEZER BUTLER Says He Hasn't Eaten Meat Since He Was Eight Years Old

In a new interview with Dave Lawrence, legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler spoke about how he became vegan virtually overnight more than six decades ago. The 74-year-old British-born musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I've always loved animals, and we always had animals in the house. We always had a dog around the house and various cats. I found a tortoise one day, so I had a tortoise. There was goldfish and all kinds of stuff in the house. And this one day… I never really liked eating meat, but my mom used to always put it on my plate; it was always, like, the last piece… She to feed seven kids and my dad, so I always got the smallest piece of meat. And this one day I cut it up and then blood came out of it. And I didn't know what meat was. And I said to my mom, 'There's blood coming out of this thing that you've given me.' 'Yeah, it's meat from a cow.' And I went, 'What? From an animal?' And that was it. I was about eight years old at the time. And that was it. I've never eaten meat since."

Butler went on to say that he was "lucky" that his mother "didn't pressurize" him into eating meat. "She understood where I was coming from, so she always gave me vegetables," he explained.

Back in 2009, Butler teamed up with peta2 — the world's largest youth animal rights organization — to shoot a pro-vegetarian ad featuring Geezer as he picked at his bass next to the tagline "I'm Geezer Butler, and I'm a vegan." At the time, he told peta2 that he enjoyed having friends over for dinner, serving them faux meat, and waiting for the compliments to start rolling in before telling his guests that they just ate a delicious vegan meal. And his compassion for animals goes beyond the dinner table. Butler and his wife are very involved in the battle against puppy mills and the cat and dog overpopulation crisis.

"There are so many dogs and cats and all kinds of animals [who] need homes," he said. "You know, there's no reason to go out and buy them from a pet shop when you can just get them from your local shelter."

In 2016, Butler told Devils Gate Media about his involvement with peta2: "I've grown up with animals in the house, I have three brothers and three sisters, and all of us had cats, dogs, mice, chickens, frogs, tortoises, so they've always been a big part of my life. My dog, Scamp, was my best friend when I was growing up, and he was just as much a brother to me as my human brothers. Someone threw acid on him, and he almost died, but my parents spent their life savings having him treated. It appalled me that people could be so cruel, and ever since I have stuck up for animals. It is something I can be active in, unlike trying to figure out the appalling things humans do to each other."

Butler is promoting his autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath – And Beyond", which was released on June 6 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books and on June 8 in the United Kingdom.