Rocking our world

Ozzy he's not

WAR PIGS, UPDATED: Many folks don't realize it, but heavy metal veterans Black Sabbath, so reviled by parents and the powers that be, were actually long-haired peaceniks back in the 1960s. Fans know that the quartet made its antiwar (and antigovernment) notions known on classic tunes such as War Pigs.

Well, the song -- and the sentiment -- remains the same. Bill Ward, Black Sabbath's legendary drummer, 54, recently released Straws, a solo tune available only by download from his Web site, www.billward.com.

Team Pop wanted to get to the bottom of Ward's commitment to peace and the story behind Straws, so we called him at his home in Seal Beach, Calif. Ward told us he intends to press 2,000 limited-edition CD singles by the end of January. The drummer says he will send half of them to heads of state, humanitarian and peace support groups, media outlets and fellow musicians. (The song will also be featured on Ward's upcoming solo album.)

"The song represents my fear of a violent escalation toward war," Ward says. Straws' lyrics depict a holocaust-type scenario in an America plagued by terrorism. Ward says he's concerned that the Bush administration is concentrating more on getting troops into Iraq than protecting our own turf.

"If we are in a war with terrorism, we need to intensify our home defenses. That begins at a local level. We need to administer jobs to everyone in every community so we all feel a part of some kind of action, which is to protect the safety of the United States," he says.

Ward over decades has worked for humanitarian causes, donating to Bosnian relief funds as well as to hospitals in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Is he a pacifist?

"I'm not sure what a pacifist is," Ward says. "I'm nonviolent at all costs, but at the same time, I'm a human being. I know that people get angry. I've done that in my lifetime. I don't find fault with that. I think it's a natural human instinct. I know these things happen. There's not much I can do about that except take care of myself and my family as best I can.

"My position on this is not necessarily 'antiwar,' only because sometimes in the past, war has been inevitable, no matter how much people try to avoid it. Even though I abhor war -- I don't think anyone really likes it -- my stand on this is basically from the viewpoint of a husband and a father."

A vegetarian for the past 14 years, Ward is no longer the hard-living heavy metal drummer, boozing and drugging with bandmate Ozzy Osbourne. Ward has two sons, Aeron, 27, and Nigel, 21, and a daughter, Emily, 13. Does Ward consider himself a family man?

"Oh, yeah, that's my No. 1 priority," he says. "Especially these days with all the peer pressure and everything. I've got to be as sharp as I can be."

Is Ward's parenting style as permissive as what we see on The Osbournes television show?

"Not really, no," Ward says. "I don't use a lot of profanity. Sometimes with the boys I'll use some cuss words. I don't want my kids swearing in the house when I'm there. I have to lead by example. I can't expect them to listen to me if I don't."

Ward says he and his family could never handle the kind of scrutiny the Osbournes endure.

"I don't find that particularly attractive," he says. "But I totally support Ozzy."

Ward stays low-key outside the band, especially when working for causes.

"I've tried to do things quietly over the past 19, 20 years, rather than go around in the public eye," he says. "Most of what I do is behind the scenes. That's how I prefer it. To really enjoy my involvement with these things, I more or less have to be completely anonymous. If the media pays too much attention to who I am, it can distract from or damage our ability to really get to the issues."

Plus, his relationship with Black Sabbath predisposes him to misconception.

"As Black Sabbath, we are certainly misunderstood, that's for sure," Ward says. "As my individual self, all the support I get and the support for Straws has been incredibly favorable."

Will Ward share Straws with the other Sabbath fellows?

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," he says. "I'm sending a few to Tony (Iommi, guitarist) and Ozzy and Geezer (bassist Terrance Butler)."

-- To contact Gina Vivinetto, e-mail gina@sptimes.com

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