Iommi Quotes & Sayings

I was mostly surprised by the rap artists, actually, that were influenced by Sabbath. That was a surprise. But it's very nice and I'm very honored. It's nice to know after 27 years now that what I said in the first place has stuck, and that was the belief in it. — Tony Iommi

I have the greatest respect for Tony Iommi. — Ozzy Osbourne

The feeling you get from playing to a good audience is hard to describe without sounding as though you are talking silly. But reaction is important. You might feel in yourself that you're doing it ok but it's when you get the live reaction that you know you're doing it right. — Tony Iommi

Yeah, I was with Jethro Tull for three weeks, so what? — Tony Iommi

If someone told me when I was 16 or 18 years old that I'd be doing a side project with Tony Iommi, I wouldn't have believed it. — Peter Steele

I didn't follow any rules at all. I made my own. — Tony Iommi

I hated school. After 15, you went off to college if you were good enough. It didn't appeal to me so I left school. I did what everybody did - get a job. — Tony Iommi

Tony Iommi - the undisputed king of demonic heavy rock riffs. In this area, no one had never surpassed him. — Ozzy Osbourne

Like most things that happen with Sabbath, it happened all of a sudden. I was intending on doing some recording, but out of the blue, Sharon called up and said she wanted us to do these gigs with Ozzy. I said that if everybody else was up to it then I would love to do it. — Tony Iommi

There was a cinema called The Orient outside the community centre where we rehearsed in Six Ways, and whenever it showed a horror film the queue would go all the way down the street and around the corner. 'Isn't it strange how people will pay money to frighten themselves?' I remember Tony [Iommi] saying one day. 'Maybe we should stop doing blues and write scary music instead.' — Ozzy Osbourne

They sounded really professional because they had two Vox AC 30 amplifiers. I also had an AC 30, so when you looked at it, three AC 30s, three Fenders - bloody hell, it must be a great band! — Tony Iommi

My early influences were the Shadows, who were an English instrumental band. They basically got me into playing and later on I got into blues and jazz players. I liked Clapton when he was with John Mayall. I really liked that period. — Tony Iommi

It has always been my goal to believe in what I do and love what I do and be true to that. — Tony Iommi

In the past, I'd sort of know before Ozzy sang something, what he was going to sing. I'd know what sort of way a melody was going to go 'cause of the way he'd approach it. — Tony Iommi

Eddie Van Halen was probably the most influential. — Tony Iommi

For me, I've never talked about my private life. It's always been about Black Sabbath. It's strange to open up and talk about me as a young lad, my relationships, marriages and what not. — Tony Iommi

I remember saying to Tony [Iommi], 'Did you hear how heavy that Led Zeppelin album sounded?'
Without missing a beat, he replied, 'We'll be heavier.' — Ozzy Osbourne

Black Sabbath - one of the world's universal language of music. I felt proud, for three or four minutes of my life combining my voice with Tony Iommi's guitar sound. — Henry Rollins

During our first meeting, Tony Iommi was a great jazz guitarist, his capabilities cover all styles - Black Sabbath has even narrowed his horizons. — Geezer Butler

There's only one Sabbath guitarist and he is the architect for everything, Tony Iommi. — Zakk Wylde