It was a sharp, cold winter morning in the unholy year of 2009 when the diabolical winds of nebular frost cast me and Ben Rayner on the treacherous pilgrimage to Birmingham, the official Home of Metal. Aside from making some tour T-shirts for our band F.O.G, we caught up with a few of the more interesting looking people who were there—fans young and old, innovators, DJ's, possible fakes, unintentional impersonators, and people who've basically been around since the dawn of metal—to shed some light on Birmingham's metal heritage. Here's a couple interviews with some Ozzy affiliates.Vice: I'm guessing you're in a Sabbath tribute band
John Laws: No.No?
I used to work with Ozzy and all those guys many years ago, but I'm getting old now.You worked with them before they were in Sabbath?
No, when they were Sabbath. Doing odd jobs, we became good friends. I'm in my own band now: No Retreat, No Surrender. You'll probably see the photographs in the papers this week. I haven't been well. I've been in heavy metal for way over 40 years and always will be.How do you feel about the event?
I think Birmingham needs a proper heavy metal club, like Bogarts used to be. Basically, heavy metal's been slated and I don't like it. At the end of the day I think Birmingham should stand up and say (gives us the finger) spin on that, heavy metal lives! Not all this shit grunge music, you know what I mean.You never waned off metal?
No chance. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've got no time for Metallica, crap like that. I like pure, sweet Sabbath, ACDC…Then he pretty much started telling us how unwell he's been, broken hip, heart attack, etc. He told us how good of friends he was with Ozzy. Apparently he used to put the bullets from the humane guns on frying pans at the slaughterhouse where they worked. To be honest he had the same drawl as Ozzy and it was impossible to decipher him fully on playback. He had some random stories about Ozzy that unfortunately seemed a little made up. We only interviewed him because we thought he was in a Sabbath tribute band, but it seemed as if he had made a living out of looking like Ozzy. And pretty much everything on the internet concerning "No Retreat, No Surrender" involves either Bruce Springsteen or Jean-Claude Van Damme.So, you're Tony Iommi's guitar tech?
Mike Clement: Yes, I've been Tony's guitar tech for 18 years now.How've the 18 years treated you?
They've gone rather fast. He's a good guy to work for, professional.How many guitars to you need to prep for tours?
Not very many. He tends to use one main guitar and we have a backup. When we're out with Ozzy, there's two different tunings so there's a main and a backup—that's four guitars. One for the dressing room, tour bus, you're looking at a maximum of half a dozen really.Any horror stories?
Yes. [He pauses, then laughs.]Oh OK. I've always wondered…he plays left handed, but he's missing the tips of his right hand (his fretting hand).
That's right, it happened in an industrial accident on his last day at work before he left to become a professional musician.Do you think that has added to the dynamics of his guitar playing?
It has, with hindsight, yes. He was obviously a very gifted guitar player before that and he genuinely thought it was the end of his playing days. Must've been absolutely devastating to him totally.So he still has the tips in the tins?
He still has the tips in the tins. There's two tins, one is spare, which I keep in my toolkit, and the main tin he keeps with him at all times.Are they now prosthetically made, 'cause originally they were made out of Fairy Liquid bottles?
That's right, in true Blue Peter style. What we do now is we get two different types made by the artificial limb centre at a hospital in Birmingham. One is what's called a plastic glove, which is basically a plastic hand, and he cuts the finger tips off them. If we get half a dozen hands he'll find three or four suitable tips. Unfortunately they get brittle with age, so we have to keep looking for new ones. The other type is made out of fiberglass, which he sticks a thin strip of leather on and works oil and talcum powder into it so it has a very smooth surface and that's what gives him the ability to do those very fast hammer-ons.Does he use particularly light strings?
He uses extremely light strings, very light. With his accident he had to be very careful with his fingertips as they are now are very sensitive. So that was another problem, he couldn't find guitar strings marketed as guitar strings that were light enough so he had to use banjo strings and select his own sets. The normal gauge we use onstage for the D# tuning is 8-8-11-18-24-32.Whoa. Fuck me, that is light. He gets such a thick sound though.
A lot of it is actual technique. He does have a very unique technique of playing, I swear some of the bass notes coming out are lower than the guitar can generate and I think, "How the hell is he doing that?" We developed some pick-ups with Gibson a few years ago that were electrically a copy of some originals made in Birmingham by John Birch and John Diggins that are unique in their internal structure…What do you think of the event anyway?
It's great. Really, really good. Not a day goes by where I'm not doing something related to Tony's work.DYLAN HUGHESphotos by Ben Rayner
Advertisement
John Laws: No.No?
I used to work with Ozzy and all those guys many years ago, but I'm getting old now.You worked with them before they were in Sabbath?
No, when they were Sabbath. Doing odd jobs, we became good friends. I'm in my own band now: No Retreat, No Surrender. You'll probably see the photographs in the papers this week. I haven't been well. I've been in heavy metal for way over 40 years and always will be.How do you feel about the event?
I think Birmingham needs a proper heavy metal club, like Bogarts used to be. Basically, heavy metal's been slated and I don't like it. At the end of the day I think Birmingham should stand up and say (gives us the finger) spin on that, heavy metal lives! Not all this shit grunge music, you know what I mean.You never waned off metal?
No chance. I mean, don't get me wrong, I've got no time for Metallica, crap like that. I like pure, sweet Sabbath, ACDC…Then he pretty much started telling us how unwell he's been, broken hip, heart attack, etc. He told us how good of friends he was with Ozzy. Apparently he used to put the bullets from the humane guns on frying pans at the slaughterhouse where they worked. To be honest he had the same drawl as Ozzy and it was impossible to decipher him fully on playback. He had some random stories about Ozzy that unfortunately seemed a little made up. We only interviewed him because we thought he was in a Sabbath tribute band, but it seemed as if he had made a living out of looking like Ozzy. And pretty much everything on the internet concerning "No Retreat, No Surrender" involves either Bruce Springsteen or Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Advertisement
Mike Clement: Yes, I've been Tony's guitar tech for 18 years now.How've the 18 years treated you?
They've gone rather fast. He's a good guy to work for, professional.How many guitars to you need to prep for tours?
Not very many. He tends to use one main guitar and we have a backup. When we're out with Ozzy, there's two different tunings so there's a main and a backup—that's four guitars. One for the dressing room, tour bus, you're looking at a maximum of half a dozen really.Any horror stories?
Yes. [He pauses, then laughs.]Oh OK. I've always wondered…he plays left handed, but he's missing the tips of his right hand (his fretting hand).
That's right, it happened in an industrial accident on his last day at work before he left to become a professional musician.Do you think that has added to the dynamics of his guitar playing?
It has, with hindsight, yes. He was obviously a very gifted guitar player before that and he genuinely thought it was the end of his playing days. Must've been absolutely devastating to him totally.So he still has the tips in the tins?
He still has the tips in the tins. There's two tins, one is spare, which I keep in my toolkit, and the main tin he keeps with him at all times.Are they now prosthetically made, 'cause originally they were made out of Fairy Liquid bottles?
That's right, in true Blue Peter style. What we do now is we get two different types made by the artificial limb centre at a hospital in Birmingham. One is what's called a plastic glove, which is basically a plastic hand, and he cuts the finger tips off them. If we get half a dozen hands he'll find three or four suitable tips. Unfortunately they get brittle with age, so we have to keep looking for new ones. The other type is made out of fiberglass, which he sticks a thin strip of leather on and works oil and talcum powder into it so it has a very smooth surface and that's what gives him the ability to do those very fast hammer-ons.
Advertisement
He uses extremely light strings, very light. With his accident he had to be very careful with his fingertips as they are now are very sensitive. So that was another problem, he couldn't find guitar strings marketed as guitar strings that were light enough so he had to use banjo strings and select his own sets. The normal gauge we use onstage for the D# tuning is 8-8-11-18-24-32.Whoa. Fuck me, that is light. He gets such a thick sound though.
A lot of it is actual technique. He does have a very unique technique of playing, I swear some of the bass notes coming out are lower than the guitar can generate and I think, "How the hell is he doing that?" We developed some pick-ups with Gibson a few years ago that were electrically a copy of some originals made in Birmingham by John Birch and John Diggins that are unique in their internal structure…What do you think of the event anyway?
It's great. Really, really good. Not a day goes by where I'm not doing something related to Tony's work.DYLAN HUGHESphotos by Ben Rayner
