Jake E. Lee

“Tom Morello said, ‘I can't see this going on without Jake E. Lee in there somewhere’

- - Andrew Daly

JAKE E. LEE was in a unique position when he joined Ozzy's band in 1983. He wasn't just filling Randy Rhoads's shoes; he also was covering some of Tony Iommi's most iconic riffs and solos. “It just sounds evil,” Lee says of Iommi's playing. “He bends so [that] it's not quite in pitch. It just made it sound so much better. There are things like that that I found challenging. Where did he come up with all those riffs? It's not human. It's unfathomable how he just kept coming up with riffs!”

Lee has been recovering from a shooting that took place near his Las Vegas home last October. His left arm was injured in the incident — but he also suffers from arthritis in his right hand, leaving him with little cartilage. It goes without saying he needed time to get up to speed, so he's not all that bothered that his role in the show is still being determined. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing,” Lee says. “There’s a lot of shit to figure out for Tom [Morello]. He's got all these special guests, which I’m included in. It must be a nightmare for him. I've bugged him too much; it’s still up in the air.”

Odds are Lee will take part in a rendition of one of Osbourne’s Eighties bangers — and a Sabbath cut. But none of that matters to Lee as much as simply bearing witness. “It’s a thrill to be a part of it,” he says. “And even more so for me to watch it. I hope Ozzy can get through it. I haven’t spoken with him or seen him in decades. I really don’t know what condition he’s in, but he deserves a final farewell performance. No matter how he is, or how well his singing is, he deserves to have that final farewell. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

What led to your involvement with Back to the Beginning?

Tom Morello called me. He said, “There's going to be a thing, an original Sabbath performance and Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance. I can’t see this going on without Jake E. Lee in there somewhere.”