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The day Geezer Butler pulled a knife on Malcolm Young in 1977: “Go to bed!”
In 1977, while AC/DC were supporting Black Sabbath on a European tour, Geezer Butler and Malcolm Young were involved in a tense hotel-bar confrontation. Young later said Butler, who had been drinking, produced a flick knife after Young dismissed his complaints about Black Sabbath’s long career; Ozzy Osbourne reportedly intervened and told Butler to go to bed. The incident became part of the tour’s lore and reportedly contributed to AC/DC being removed from the bill.
Butler later disputed that he had pulled the knife on Young, saying he had bought it in Switzerland and was merely flicking it while arguing with the guitarist. He said Young had criticised Black Sabbath and challenged him over carrying the knife, but insisted nobody was harmed. Other accounts describe the object as a toy flick-knife comb, leaving the exact nature of the incident contested.
In short
- A 1977 bar dispute involved Geezer Butler, Malcolm Young and a flick knife.
- Ozzy Osbourne reportedly defused the confrontation.
- Butler denied threatening Young and said nobody was hurt.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Young’s account presents the confrontation as a serious escalation: Butler, after drinking, produced what appeared to be a flick knife during an argument, prompting Osbourne to intervene. If so, the incident could reasonably have been seen as threatening and as grounds for removing AC/DC from the tour bill.
The case against
Butler’s account is that he did not pull a knife on Young; he was flicking an item he had bought in Switzerland while they argued, and nobody was harmed. Other retellings describe it as a toy comb, supporting the view that the story’s more alarming versions may overstate what happened.
Explained simply
Black Sabbath and AC/DC are rock bands that toured together in Europe in 1977, with AC/DC playing before the headline act. Geezer Butler was Black Sabbath’s bassist, while Malcolm Young was AC/DC’s rhythm guitarist; Ozzy Osbourne was Black Sabbath’s singer.
The confrontation is remembered as part of the tour’s history, and has been linked in accounts to AC/DC being taken off the bill. Versions differ: Young said Butler produced a knife, while Butler denied pulling it on him, and some accounts describe the object as a toy comb. No one was reported hurt.