photo by Christopher Wagner
Bill Ward is a founding member and drummer for Black Sabbath. Bill is, without a doubt, a man of true integrity and one of the sweetest guys in the music business. And he’s one helluva drummer, too.
When he’s not playing with Sabbath, making music with his own band or collaborating with other musicians, Bill hosts a truly original metal radio show, Rock 50.
Check Bill’s website for more info on what he’s up to: http://www.billward.com/
Rock ‘n’ Roll Cook: Bill, what are your favorite food memories from the earliest days of Black Sabbath?
Bill Ward: When we first started out, we all lived together and we shared our meals. We’d eat rice with curry sauce. We’d have one plate and the four of us would share that. We were extremely poor at the time, borderline starving. That curry dish would be a daily meal for us and we loved it. It’s a great memory and it shows a sense of unity the band had at the time. We’d share what food we had. That was a bonding experience.
You’ve been a vegan (no meat, dairy or animal products) for quite a long time now. As a drummer, do you find that you have more stamina eating vegan?
BW: Oh yeah. Every year when I get my health checks they come out better and better. I’m 61 but my cholesterol levels are really good. As a matter of fact, I had a heart attack 11 years ago. The doctor asked me if I was on a special diet afterwards when I was in intensive care and I told him I didn’t eat meat or fish. He said that my diet may have helped save my life and got me through my heart attacks as my cholesterol levels were so good. He told me to stick with this lifestyle.
But this lifestyle suits me. I don’t feel I’m taking the moral high ground, telling people to stop eating animals because I’ve done it. It just works for me.
Do you have any favorite restaurants near your home in Orange County, California?
BW: Our favorite one in LA is Vegan Glory. It’s unbelievable. The soups are incredible and they have all kinds of vegan delicacies. In LA we’re spoiled because we have lots of vegan Indian restaurants, especially here in Orange County. In fact, in the US, Indian restaurant chefs really understand not only the vegetarian but also the vegan diet and they offer lots of vegan dishes as compared to the UK where I find they don’t cater for as much. When bands come together on the road, those of us who are vegan or veggies often swap names of veggie and vegan restaurants when we meet up.
Although most people might not realize it, a lot of rock musicians these days eat pretty healthy diets.
BW: Oh yeah. There’s quite a number of musicians who are eating this way or at least vegetarian. Geezer (Terry Butler, bass player for Sabbath) is a longtime vegan and we go to vegan restaurants together.
Do you cook?
BW: I do but my wife Jackie cooks better (laughs). She’s a remarkable cook. She donated my recipe and it’s vegan, of course. It’s one of my favorite dishes that she makes. It’s called Enchilada Pie. We use Tofutti mozzarella cheese instead of dairy cheese and you really don’t’ miss the dairy.
Do you and Jackie make this dish when you entertain?
BW: Yeah. We eat vegan when we have people over. Most pople know we’re vegan so they’ll eat the food and they love it. When we have Thanksgiving, we get soy turkey and we have guests who will eat that and soy ham and they seem to enjoy it.
Stay tuned for Pt 2 of Bill’s interview in an upcoming post!
