Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath [ハードカバー]

As a guitarist and a huge Iommi fan I must say I anticipated this autobiography more than the Keith Richards or the Clapton book; however, having read 3/4 of the book in just two days, I am extremly disapointed. Compared to Ozzy, Tony is almost reclussive, and so one would expect him, when deciding to write an autobiography, to set the record straight. Instead, Iommi glosses over his life, wives, the Ozzy years, Dio, etc. with little detail. He sounds almost detached and uninterested in attempting to document and share, what one would presume to be, a rather storied in unique life. The book reads like a diary or a magazine interview. While he attempts to keep things in chronological order, the stories meander and leave the reader confused at times. Makes one wonder exactly what Mr. Lammers was doing in regard to this book.
Coming from the preeminent architect of heavy metal, this is a real missed opportunity for the rest of us.

Tony is, of course, great, and seems to be really quite a nice guy, smart and kind at the core. However, this book is pretty drab. It is mostly a slow slog through every album he made, such that Ozzy has left Sabbath by half way through the book. Records like "TYR" get as much space as "Paranoid" or "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", which seems quite odd, given that it is for the latter that Iommi is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, not the former. There are anecdotes, but again, fairly boring. Tony played a prank on someone in the band. They played a prank on him. Everyone got drunk. Ho-hum. There is really little if any insight into the music other than a recitation of what was recorded where and when, which you can get from Wikipedia for free. Little insight into any of the personalities involved, including Ozzy and Geezer. What was it really like to be in a band with Ozzy? You won't really hear. I like Tony a lot, and wish him well, but this is really rather a trudge.

I will preface by noting I got into Sabbath relatively late - in the early '90s by way of Soundgarden, and have not read much about them prior to picking this up, so not sure how much of Tony's story has been previously discussed. Having said that, I thought 'Iron Man' was an entertaining look at Tony's life in and out of Sabbath. The stories of Tony's upbringing and family life were insightful into what shaped his work ethic and drive for success. The fingertip-severing story is so widely known, it was almost a waste of print to detail it once again - but on the flip side, it was a key moment in defining the Sabbath sound, so of course it must be told. From an outsider's perspective at least, it seemed like Tony delivered a fair picture of the dynamics within Sabbath - the increasing focus of creative output upon him, the deterioration of band relationships leading up to Ozzy's firing. Then the rebirth with Dio, the various iterations of the band until it basically became "Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath". Then the reunions and up to the present day. On the lighter side, the constant practical jokes, particularly the relentless torturing of Bill Ward, got me laughing many times, as well as the Spinal Tap-ish moments with the Stonehenge debacle and the "Black Sabbath with Magic Show" gig [or whatever the opening act was].

Regarding the format of the narrative - it definitely took me a couple chapters to get the rhythm. At first, I was a little disappointed by how brief each chapter was - 3-5 pages for many. I flipped ahead a little to see if things got longer as it went along - they did not. I was also a little confused once or twice, as he bounced around in time - carrying a given scenario through to its' ultimate conclusion down the road, then coming back to something else contemporary to the start, but after a bit, I came to feel like you were sitting there having a conversation with Tony, and he was reeling off stories. Given he was not setting out to write a band history, I think the relaxed, informal structure works here. He's telling his story, as he thinks of it, and the way he wants. Could I have used a little more detail about the first few albums, versus 'Tyr', of course. As a guitar player myself, would I have liked more insight into his approach to riff-writing, gear, and how he crafts his crushing tone - most definitely. But, this is Tony's chance to tell his story the way he wanted, and have to respect his wishes. Overall, I think he succeded and the book will be enjoyable for fans of Tony/Sabbath.

I will also add, given there's been some debate regarding one or more of his book signings, I attended the one at Bookends in NJ on November 1st, and everything seemed to run in a relaxed and friendly manner. His bodyguard/handler came around outside several times indicating Tony would not be signing anything other than his book, nor would he be personalizing inscriptions, nor posing for pictures [which he actually was doing]. I realize that may have been disappointing for people, but it was a book tour, not a memorabilia signing event. I was happy to get a signed copy for myself, one for a friend who was not able to attend, and a nice picture shaking hands with Tony. No complaints at all.