With “God Is Dead?” being released later today, this is definitely not the only Black Sabbath post you’ll be getting from us today. Guitarist Tony Iommi gave a candid interview to the Birmingham Mail yesterday in which he discussed the new Black Sabbath album, his grueling cancer treatment, and touring. For a 65 year-old battling cancer, Iommi is surprisingly upbeat. ““Medics say that the condition is manageable with treatment. I enjoy where I’m at now, I really do,” he says. “It’s a good place. I’ve got a good home life and a good family, great friends and support. And I’m fortunate because I’m still able to go out and play music.”
Yet he’s only able to go out and play music on a limited basis. The treatments dictate that he be back every six weeks.
“I have to have an antibody administered by drip every six weeks or so to keep the lymphoma in check. It sort of coats the cancer cells, stops it from going anywhere else. I have to come back home no matter where I might be in the world. The tour dates are arranged so that I can always get back for treatment. It’s the only way I can manage my illness and keep on the road. I’d love to play more shows than we’re doing but my health has to be sorted out first.
“The infusions I have are part of the chemotherapy regime. It’s relatively new treatment and they don’t know what all the side-effects might be yet, but I wanted to try it. After each session I feel sick and tired, and that lasts for a week or so. I’m finding that it takes around 10 days to fully recover from each round of treatment, but if that’s what it takes, I have to accept it.”
Among the other revelations in the interview is that the person that first told him to get checked for lymphoma was Ozzy Osbourne. He’d apparently had a prostate problem, and he thought that’s what the pain in his groin was. Ozzy had dealt with Sharon’s cancer several years ago and urged Iommi to get checked out. With his treatments, there’s only a one in three chance that his cancer will return.Also, while Ozzy has admitted he wants to duet with Adele, Iommi has someone else in mind he’d like to collaborate with: Tom Jones. Read the whole article here.
