Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Gets Real About His Mental Health Struggles and How He Fought Back

For nearly six decades, Geezer Butler toured the world, showcasing his love for heavy metal. While many know the musician as a member of Black Sabbath, Butler also played with Deadland Ritual, Heaven & Hell, and GZR. Getting the name Geezer at an early age when attending school, the nickname went on to define him. And while thrilled about the success he created on and off the stage, not every day was great. The musician recently discussed his struggles with mental health and how he fought back.

Appearing on TalkShopLive, Butler held nothing back when talking about depression and how it can take over a person’s life. “Unless you’ve experienced true depression, you can’t describe it. It’s like you’re going to this awful black hole.” Although speaking with family and friends about his struggles, he added, “People would say, like, ‘Oh, just go and have a drink or take the dog for a walk.’ That’s what the doctors used to say. ‘Well, go and watch television or read a book.’ And, of course, you’ve got no interest in anything.”

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Geezer Butler Thankful The “Big Cloud” Eventually Disappeared

While continuously battling depression, Butler used his gifts to find a way out. “So the only way I could express myself was writing the lyrics for [Black Sabbath’s] Paranoid. I mean, I wasn’t depressed all the time, but when I used to get the bouts of depression, you just couldn’t explain it to anyone, and you were terrified that you [would] go to a mental health person, maybe, and they put you in hospital for years, in a mental institution.”

Thankfully, Butler sought the help of medical professionals. “In 1999, I was finally properly diagnosed, and they put me on Prozac for six weeks. And the doctor says, ‘It’s not gonna work straight away. Keep taking it for six weeks and eventually you’ll start feeling like normal again.’ And I said, ‘Well, what’s normal?’ After six weeks, this big cloud seemed to lift off me. It was great.”

Although having fame, Butler added that nothing compares to depression. “You can have everything you can possibly want in the world, but when you get into those dark, depressing days, nothing matters.”

(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for SXSW)