RIDGEWOOD, NJ—The concept still astounds me: Black Sabbath in Bergen County! There are precious few bands around that I will turn into the 13-year-old kid from Nowhere, NJ over. At this point in the biz, there are really only two: Rush and Black Sabbath. So when I heard that Sabbath’s founding guitar player, Tony Iommi, was going to be at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ, signing his new book, Iron Man, there was no way on Earth I was going to miss it. More than worth the hour-plus ride for me.
First thing that immediately struck me was how many incredible people do book signings there. So you’d do well to keep up with their roster online at book-ends.com if this sort of encounter appeals to you. It was very orderly and accommodating by both Tony and the bookstore. I also ran into lots of friends on line outside too, so we could share our Sabbath geekiness! I got my book and shook the hand that invented heavy metal as we all know it. And more importantly, I got to say hello and trade a smile with truly a magic and amazing musician. Read the book for more proof than your old records really can show.
Thanks, Tony, for over 30 years of enriching my life with drop-tuned awesomeness. Thanks also to Bookends, who were great, and to publicist Lissa Warren and De Capo Press.
