Into the Void
OUT TODAY! – Into the Void by Geezer Butler
A rollicking, effusive, and candid memoir by the heavy metal musician and founding member of Black Sabbath, covering his years as the band’s bassist and main lyricist through his later-career projects, and detailing how one of rock’s most influential bands formed and prevailed.
With over 70 million records sold, Black Sabbath, dubbed by Rolling Stone “the Beatles of heavy metal,” helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band’s renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it.
In Into the Void, Butler tells his side of the story, from the band’s beginnings as a scrappy blues quartet in Birmingham through the struggles leading to the many well-documented lineup changes while touring around London’s gritty clubs (Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and The Who makes notable appearances!), and the band’s important later years. He writes honestly of his childhood in a working-class family of seven in Luftwaffe-battered Birmingham, his almost-life as an accountant, and how his disillusionment with organized religion and class systems would spawn the lyrics and artistic themes that would resonate so powerfully with fans around the world.
Into the Void reveals the softer side of the heavy metal legend and the formation of one of rock’s most exciting bands, while holding nothing back. Like Geezer’s bass lines, it is both original, dramatic, and forever surprising.
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Always good to hear the honest comments of those that have lived life to the full.
PLus , sadly, another legend is getting ready to retire with very little ready to take up the flag.
Love it! If i don’t win….i’m going to buy it! Cheers Geezer!!!
I’m reading into the void today. On page 130 the book mentions that after a 14 month sabbatical Sabbath resumed touring in May of 1974. I have a ticket stub from February 19, 1974 of the first show I had ever seen Black Sabbath. I was 15 years old. They played at the capitol centre in Largo, Maryland outside of Washington DC supported by Bedlam (Cozy Powell on drums). Would you want a photograph of the ticket stub for this site?
The book cover picture, is from the “Born Again” Tour. I saw that show in Corpus Christi, Texas…Ian Gillian, Beverly Bevan and of course Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler
Hello , juste pour savoir si le livre sera un jour publier en français ? un fan français
What a fun read! Thank you so much for taking the time to put it all down in writing. To me, it is so interesting to see how it all started. But even more interesting is the mindset of the band throughout the years and the determination to make it all work no matter what! Also, all of the fun memories that go along with your career, and more importantly, the happy retirement that came from all of the hard work! Great job of covering such a long span of time in a short book. And also, thanks for all of the years of enjoyment that I have had (and still have) listening to your music.
I appreciate your candor regarding depression and mental illness. The humanity in that is refreshing and unexpected. Yes, you’re a rock legend, but above all you’re relatable and real.
This was the first book I picked up in very long time(too much screen time I suppose). Many thanks.
Is there any future plans for public appearances, perhaps book signings in the states?
Reply from Geezer:
Thank you for your comments. I am glad that I was relatable. At the moment, I have no plans for appearances. Best wishes to you! – Geezer
I read your autobiography Into The Void (2023), and felt encouraged to write a short letter. I thought you might appreciate some thoughts and feedback from a reader, who has also been following your musical career for some time. I was born in 1991, so the classic Black Sabbath albums of the 70’s have reached my ears long after their initial release. That doesn’t diminish their impact at all though – they still sound amazing.
My first introduction into your music was from a CD I found from my brother’s collection, which featured Sabbath songs from different eras. At first, I especially liked the one’s with Ronnie. Heaven and hell has been a long-time favorite of mine. And when I noticed that you were touring with Ronnie, Tony and Vinny back in the summer of 2006 at Helsinki, I had to be there. That was the first gig I ever went to see alone by myself, being 14-years old, with the money I had made by helping my late grandfather carrying logs of wood to a small wooden warehouse where they were stored for the winter.
The gig was spectacular, you were all on fire that night. I still regard that concert as the best I have ever seen, from any band. I was especially struck with Tony’s playing – not just the riffs, but the solos, and the jaw-dropping feel that he had in his playing. It made me want to learn guitar. It took me a while longer to truly appreciate how important the bass is for that kind of sound, and to realize that Tony’s playing sounded so good because you were there. I learned that from listening closely to the 70’s albums. It is now quite obvious that songs like Fairies Wear Boots, War Pigs and Behind the Wall of Sleep sound so groovy because the bass is playing these intricate melodic parts with a style that I find quite unique. After nearly 20-years of playing guitar, I have now acquired a bass and started a new way of approaching music.
I am not famous as a musician, but playing an instrument might just be the best decision I have made in my life. It opens a never ending journey of discovery, challenge, frustration, and the fruits of that dedication can be felt in the incomparable joy of making something beautiful come out of metal and wood. Music is a place of solace in this distracted, disenchanted world. It reminds me that the magic is still there. Thank you for pointing it out to me in your music, leading me to discover some of my own, and sharing it with the world, even if it is only three other people at some cafe. I am a philosopher by training, but the most valuable things I have not learned from books, but from the endless hours of practice with the guitar, when sometimes everything else disappears but the music.
When I started to familiarize myself with the world of literature and philosophy, I started to appreciate the fact that you wrote the lyrics for Sabbath. As you wrote in your book, the songs feature some dark themes, like war, drug abuse, confusion, and the problems of organized religion. But by some strange alchemy, the music of Sabbath has a way of transforming the darkness into something else, which is quite beautiful, and leads me to be more able to confront the difficulties of life.
During some very difficult years, I draw a lot of inner strength from the music you had made. The essence of Sabbath to me is the human spirit, which will prevail in adversity, and will never stop trying to make things better.
From reading your book, I have glimpsed how hard it must have been at times. The managerial hassles seem like the stuff of nightmares. I can’t imagine trying to be creative with all that going on. And being constantly on the road, exhausted, and still returning to form during the gigs is surely not an easy task. I’m glad to know that you managed to have a family in the midst of all the touring. Despite things turning bleak at the end of the 70’s, all the line-up changes, and the bouts of depression that you wrote about, you never gave up. I find joy in knowing that during the 2000’s Sabbath has had a massive following, and that after all of these years you have also been properly compensated for your efforts. And not only compensated, but appreciated by new generations of music listeners. The story of the band seems to mirror the spirit I can hear in your music, which will will refuse to be defeated by adversity. There is something timeless and very precious in that attitude.
There is one part of the the book which I was somewhat surprised about, and would like to offer an alternative interpretation. You write that the line in Wheels of Confusion which reads ”The world will still be turning when you’re gone” meant that nothing really matters, because we’re here only for a brief time and the world will carry on just fine without us. (2023, p. 120). I have found that thought being quite liberating, instead of being bleak.
That song has reminded me that I am not the center of the world, that I will only be here for a short while, and therefore I am motivated to try and find meaning by participating in something larger than myself. That song is one of my favorites. To me, the song’s message is that as we grow wiser, we start to see through the illusions of the past. That is somewhat painful, but facing our confusion is the only path to greater clarity. Of course, there is always the risk that the increasing clarity is only another illusion – but then we must go deeper. And then new levels of illusion will make themselves known.
Thank you for all the music, and the book was a great read as well. I’ve wished that some day I could read your perspective on the story.
All the best,
Anssi
Hello , je réitère ma demande ; est-ce que le livre sera un jour traduit en français ? je vois toutes sortie en anglais , allemand , espagnol , portugais et italien ! Un fan frustré
Very much enjoyed the book. Good luck at the back to the beginning gig. I’ve no doubt it will be historic.
I totally loved Into The Void . Just finished it before the Back to the Beginning show . Looks like you had fun there . I have always loved your style of playing bass . It must have been difficult to be a vegan way back when it was so common for kids to have a ‘piece of meat before the pudding’. Keep up the great work with PETA too . Cheers ! If you’re ever in Vancouver ,I’d love to show you and Gloria around . Take you to places the tour buses don’t go .