Ozzy Osbourne: I Was A Clown, But Never A Bad Guy

Ian Burrell of UK's The Independent recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne. A few excerpts from the chat follow below:

On finally passing his driving test:

The first test was about 1974, then '75, '76, '77, '78. I've lost count how many times. I remember one time I was doing the three-point turn and I passed out because I'd been to the doctor's earlier and got some Valium for my nerves. At the end they'd say 'You've failed,' and I'd be staggering around the car park. Some [examiners] would say, 'I'm not even fooking getting in the car with you.' Would you?

On being sober and staying physically fit:

I love the feeling of working out. I don't drink anymore; I don't smoke; I don't do drugs. I quite enjoy this sobriety because at least I can kind of remember what I did yesterday.

On the fact that he has driven illegally for years:

I bought a brand new Mercedes AMG and took Sharon to Tramps. I drank a shitload of booze and then went down South Molton Street the wrong way. A 12-year-old cop said to me 'Have you been drinking?' I said, 'Is the Pope a Catholic?' We went to the nick in a black Mariah and I said to Sharon, 'It's not every day you go out in a brand new Mercedes and come home in a police van,' which didn't go down too well.

On the fact that he is not the monster of rock that some believe:

I was the kind of nutter people liked to be around — I'd do anything. Basically I was the clown, I always have been. I was never a bad guy. When I got successful it gave me a ticket to be a lunatic, but I didn't do it with any malice, apart from whacking the wife round the ear now and again.

On meeting Tony Blair at an event in the wake of the invasion of Iraq:

Tony Blair was looking at me. I was quite astounded when he said to me 'Do you know, I was in a rock 'n' roll band myself once?' Then he goes, 'We could never quite get the thing to [Sabbath's second single] 'Iron Man'.' I'm looking at this guy and thinking 'He's the fooking Prime Minister of Britain, and there's kids out there getting blown up and fooking landmines and the rest of it, and he's talking to me about 'Iron Man'. There's something wrong with this.'

On whether he hankers to be an activist:

I don't understand too much about politics and I don't want to. I could always phone Bono and see what he's got to say — he's a fooking political groupie now isn't he? That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician.

On whether an Ozzy Osbourne could have emerged in the 21st century:

I don't know. It's a completely different business now. They say, 'You look good, you look good; we'll call the band whatever.' There are new kids on TV for a month and then they disappear; it's manufactured now.

If I was about to bite the head off a bat now, would people give a fuck? Remember [Sixties American singer] P J Proby when his nuts fell out on stage? They could walk on stage now with no gear on. When something's been done, it's been done.

On the potential for further autobiographical work, as further recollections emerge from the fug of his memory:

Ozzy Osbourne in 350 pages? That's just the first chapter; my life has been anything but dull.

Read more from The Independent.

Comments

[Bonorly]

Legend.

[Reaper-Man]

Ozzy Osbourne, never ceases to amaze me, what a legend.

[Swank]

Bonorly wrote:

Legend.

say no more

[bnull24]

"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."

Agreed.

[spug2guitarist]

lol at the tony blair comment

[jp_cheif]

Long live Ozzy.

[-tempest-]

i liked this article, the tony blair part was the best imo

[Zangetsu 101]

A short but great read.

[Ambush72]

"and there's kids out there getting blown up and fooking landmines and the rest of it, and he's talking to me about 'Iron Man'."

What does he expect tony blair to talk about? I mean I dont think Ozzy will have any comments on what to do about Iraq, he doesnt want to be a politician.
I also do agree he is a ledgend, and deserves to be heard musically, but I thought that comment was funny

[ChucklesMginty]

Just one thing, who translated?

[thedarkblues06]

bnull24 wrote:

"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."

Agreed.

I don't understand too much about politics and I don't want to. I could always phone Bono and see what he's got to say — he's a fooking political groupie now isn't he? That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician.

Redundancy put in this post for "fookin'" truth.

[tickler444]

bnull24 wrote:
"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."
Agreed.

Yep. My friends can't understand why I don't like Bono. Now I've got another person - and a famous one with that - who shares my opinion!

[godberry]

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

[oncetaken]

damn it love ozzy. this man is highly responsible for everything i am today

[Project Pat]

godberry wrote:

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

Dude I did the same thing! Haha. I didn't know he got off drugs and booze and all that, dude that's amazing.

[BassFishin]

Wow. This article was 100 Percent Win.

Checked.

[guitartilldeath]

tony blair part made me laugh so loud haha

[Pagan_Poetry]

Just because you're a politician doesn't mean all you have to talk about is politics. They're friggen people too with diverse interests. I understand that people are being killed profusely, but one comment towards someone who plays in a band for a living about music is just harmless. It's not as if Tony Blair is the only famous person here. So is Ozzy. To Blair, this is probably as unique of an event as it is to Ozzy. If Ozzy is expecting politics, Blair is expecting some word about music.
But I can see Ozzy's perspective here. If he feels a musician's job isn't to discuss political views with the world, a politician should focus on important issues rather than discuss music. I just personally don't find Blair talking about Iron Man to be the worst thing since Nichole Richie discovered low fat foods, but eh. I can see why it can irk some.

That being said, Ozzy Osbourne's interviews never cease to amuse me. He is always interesting. Rock on, Oz.

[fr33t0m]

Legend? That's a good one.

[Jøhnny]

The Tony Blair part was freaking epic, 100% win. Ozzy's interviews are always great, and I think this was a bit better than an average Ozzy interview. Not so serious, but it's not meant to be.

[Phantasmasaurus]

from now on, when posting on UG, i'm using "FOOKING", because apparently it's the letters that are evil, not the meaning.

[silent caution]

i cant stand ozzy anymore, i grew up a huge fan but now i'll never wear his shirts again, go make commericals or bad comedy shows or something

[DZCunuck]

I agree with the whole "manufactured bands" bit. Its true isn't it? You have these pretty boys suddenly appear out of nowhere with a hit single or two and once these guys turn a profit for the industry they disappear.
You gotta admit that even though ozzy aint what he used to be (ahem Black Rain ughhh..) he does have a staying power in popular culture.

[metalheadblues]

haha funny stuff but uh pointless?

[peckers]

tickler444 wrote:

bnull24 wrote:
"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."
Agreed.Yep. My friends can't understand why I don't like Bono. Now I've got another person - and a famous one with that - who shares my opinion!

Yup I can't stand bono... Although he doesn't really give a damn about 3rd world poverty etc... He's just doing it for status...

[tands]

Thanks Ug. A nice read for once

[Phantasmasaurus]

peckers wrote:

tickler444 wrote:

bnull24 wrote:
"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."
Agreed.Yep. My friends can't understand why I don't like Bono. Now I've got another person - and a famous one with that - who shares my opinion!

Yup I can't stand bono... Although he doesn't really give a damn about 3rd world poverty etc... He's just doing it for status...

and you know this for 100% certainty that that is 100% of bono's motivation for acting like he cares about the world. seems pretentious, at the least.

i don't see what the problem is with people doing more than one thing. that's rather narrowminded of ozzy. sure, there are always those cases of celebrities opening their mouths about some political issue that they aren't really informed about, and the general result is them getting a cringe out of most people. but that's just because most people in general don't give much thought to anything, including celebrities, but there are always exceptions. i personally don't know anything about bono's personality or beliefs, but there's absolutely no reason why someone can't be both a good politician and a good musician. there's no reason why someone who does have opinions and who does care about the world should just pretend that they don't just so that other people won't think they're doing it for status/won't think they're taking advantage of the attention they're getting.

[RockUAway]

Ozzy is just awesome

[schangatang]

win.

[schangatang]

bono is right 60% of the time, 100% of the time

[Mr. Skull]

i totally agree with ozzy about these manufactured bands. cough-jonasbrothers-cough. ozzy's the man.

[Red1337Sox]

bnull24 wrote:

"That's one thing that pisses me off: when people in the entertainment game think it's cool to be a politician."

Agreed.

Why? I think its a shame when people with some sort of power don't stand up for their beliefs. Have a spine.

Also, Ozzy just kind of comes off as an ass in this interview.

[Red1337Sox]

Mr. Skull wrote:

i totally agree with ozzy about these manufactured bands. cough-jonasbrothers-cough. ozzy's the man.

...We get it. You don't like the childrens band that is in no way marketed toward you. Move on

[Charlie4]

DZCunuck wrote:

I agree with the whole "manufactured bands" bit. Its true isn't it? You have these pretty boys suddenly appear out of nowhere with a hit single or two and once these guys turn a profit for the industry they disappear.
You gotta admit that even though ozzy aint what he used to be (ahem Black Rain ughhh..) he does have a staying power in popular culture.

This is especially true if you look at Hip Hop/Rappers etc. Vanilla Ice anyone?

[landspeed24]

now ozzy AND zakk are both sober, heaven must be freezing over.

[rocknroller5]

fooking=F*cking

[Linkerman]

Ozzy is one of those guys who will always deserve respect, wether you like him or not.

Personally, i think he is a legend, and i admire him deeply (and his contribution to the heavy metal genre).

Cheers.

[bleam]

Long live ozzy

[DukeFame]

How come they didn't ask questions about Gus G?I mean changing guitarists after more than ten years of zak wylde is a big deal.By the way "Fooking" hilarious.

[Silentlassassin]

Project Pat wrote:

godberry wrote:

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

Dude I did the same thing! Haha. I didn't know he got off drugs and booze and all that, dude that's amazing.

Psh... When I read anything, I use either Morgan Freeman or Ozzy's voice in my head.

[shwilly]

fooking cool interview

of course Blair resorted to smalltalk: trying to make people like him is his thing. It might not have worked on Ozzy but in spite of all the criticism he still managed to leave his spot as prime minister while his popularity was still on a high, sort of. Look at how Brown's been handling the British press and public since then...

Checked again.

[Ikonoklast]

Bonorly wrote:

Legend.

The /discussion, /thread, /topic thing could be used quite easily after this comment.

[RocksAwakening5]

LOL ozzy. You're gettin old bud, but we still love you.

[Let It Be0o0]

"at least I can kind of remember what I did yesterday."

lol

[Ali-b912]

ChucklesMginty wrote:

Just one thing, who translated?

lol. Nobody believes me when I say he's sobered up, but he can seem to string a few good sentences together

[c-rob6422]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OZZY FOREVER!
this is of course proof that ozzy wouldn't cancel ozzfest in my mind because he's far too dumb to be able to coordinate that kind of thing based on this; DOWN WITH SHARON!

[muse_rule!!]

Ozzy is the man. Just imagine his road rage... There would be enough f-bombs to destroy a small city.

Fook me.

[Goin' Mobile]

O Z Z Y

[red blood]

Ozzy he is one of the best singers of all time. (thats what i think) I do think that Ozzy should have stayed with Black Sabbath. He had his most all time songs with them. So i beileve that Ozzy is still the best singer but was better when he was with Black Sabbath still. Also for all you hard rockers keep ROCKING PEOPLE.

[Joey Radical]

From the original article:

"Then came Sabbath, a band he formed with guitarist Tommy Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Mick Ward, three mates from his Aston neighbourhood. "

I guess one wrong name could be acceptable, yet very embarrassing. But two? Retards...

[DANZIG767]

godberry wrote:

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

haha so did I

[stevezy]

I'm willing to bet Ozzy didn't say "fooking"...haha

[CentriX]

Liked the article, nice ending too, shows he's proud of what he's done so far.

[maximumrocker]

ozzy rule
good article!

[mitch311]

wow has he actually sobered up?

[wheelz]

Ozzy was my hero for over 3 decades, both him and Alice Cooper were why I got into writing music. He sold out imo when he started doing television. I feel like it completely destroyed his image. I agree with him about Bono though, I can't stand listening to him, or looking at him for that matter. I know people love U2, I just never got it, I guess. Black Sabbath is the greatest name for a band of all times. I still love Ozzy's voice and his music, although he definitely destroyed his mystique.. One of my all time favorite albums will always be Sabotage!

[jethro bob]

a. ozzy is rock and roll

b. i hope ozzy releases an autobiography...that would be epic.

c.black sabbath was and still is one of the best bands in the world, but ozzy owns dio with black sabbath

[Restlesscow]

Why do some people think musicians can't talk about politics..? Yeah sure, if they bang on and on about issues 24/7 then its a prob, but once in a while ain't a bad thing.

Anyway, Ozzy is legendary

[hanselrocks1]

Restlesscow wrote:

Why do some people think musicians can't talk about politics..? Yeah sure, if they bang on and on about issues 24/7 then its a prob, but once in a while ain't a bad thing.

Anyway, Ozzy is legendary

like ted nugent? but yeah i agree id like to hear some views even though im gonna guess a majority is liberal

[dysfunkshon]

I love how Ozzy said hes not a bad guy and he just kicked his Guitarist ( the best in the world IMO) out of his band and let him find out about it in the media.... what a smuck

[devilskommander]

Silentlassassin wrote:

Project Pat wrote:

godberry wrote:

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

Dude I did the same thing! Haha. I didn't know he got off drugs and booze and all that, dude that's amazing.

Psh... When I read anything, I use either Morgan Freeman or Ozzy's voice in my head.

i would do morgan freeman in the shawshank redemption

[marcelaguiar]

the thing about tony blair is hilarious

[MTDREW]

this artical proves ozzy is a real nice dude.
ozzy is a legend and awesome vocalist

[palefire]

I like how everyone is calling him a legend, and ignoring the off-hand comment about smacking the wife around the ear as part of being a harmless clown, especially when what it should say is "trying to kill her while out of his head"

Much respect for Black Sabbath and his solo career... but "i was never the bad guy" and all this asskissing for him? Bullshit.

And for the record, I'd be more alarmed if Tony Blair started asking Ozzy for his opinion on how to handle the Middle East crisis than how to play Iron Man. He's meeting a famous musician, what the hell else was he meant to say? "I liked it when you bit off that bat's head"?

[tyler_j]

My friend's father used to be his roadie in the 70's. Amazing stories have been heard.

[tigerking615]

I hate Ozzy. I love Sabbath because of the rest of them, and the Dio albums are the best.

The best thing Ozzy ever did was find Randy Rhoads.

[hendrix n page]

oncetaken wrote:

damn it love ozzy. this man is highly responsible for everything i am today

Good lord...
One question how do bats taste?

[RockInPeaceDime]

shwilly wrote:

fooking cool interview

of course Blair resorted to smalltalk: trying to make people like him is his thing. It might not have worked on Ozzy but in spite of all the criticism he still managed to leave his spot as prime minister while his popularity was still on a high, sort of. Look at how Brown's been handling the British press and public since then...

Given Blair set everything up to collapse on the person who took his place, it's not really a surprise...

[[travis]]

I really agree with Ozzy how he says that a lot of the celebrities like Sean Penn, Madonna, Bono, Green Day have to be so political. They should just do what they do: make movies or make music. When the bands don't get political, they seem to make more money off their albums. Leave politics to the real politicians.

[Phantasmasaurus]

[travis] wrote:

I really agree with Ozzy how he says that a lot of the celebrities like Sean Penn, Madonna, Bono, Green Day have to be so political. They should just do what they do: make movies or make music. When the bands don't get political, they seem to make more money off their albums. Leave politics to the real politicians.

yeah, people should all just conform to your idea of what they should be and think. who are people who make music to think that they could possibly have any legitimate ideas about anything?

Checked again again.

[Jesus_Dean]

Does anyone remember the song Ozzy done with Lemmy? "I ain't no nice guy after all" LOL

[perilouspete]

Project Pat wrote:

godberry wrote:

i read this aloud in an ozzy-esque voice. it makes the article even better. give it a try.

Dude I did the same thing! Haha. I didn't know he got off drugs and booze and all that, dude that's amazing.

Yeah he's been sober for a while now. Ozzy is the shit, I've always loved him and his entire career of music. The majority of it is good in its own way. He's rock n' roll's biggest chearleader, and even if you don't like him you gotta respect him for what he did in the music world.

[destöroyah]

this interview would have been so much better if they swapped the words "ozzy" and "osbourne" with "tony" and "iommi"

[perilouspete]

Phantasmasaurus wrote:

[travis] wrote:

I really agree with Ozzy how he says that a lot of the celebrities like Sean Penn, Madonna, Bono, Green Day have to be so political. They should just do what they do: make movies or make music. When the bands don't get political, they seem to make more money off their albums. Leave politics to the real politicians.

yeah, people should all just conform to your idea of what they should be and think. who are people who make music to think that they could possibly have any legitimate ideas about anything?

I see your point, obviously people can sing about whatever they want but a lot of people hold the opinion* that music is often better when musicians leave politics out of it, or at least one-sided views.

[innertom]

bono hahahaha,

ozzy should be in politics, id vote for him

[KurdtStaley]

I don't really listen to Sabbath or a whole lot of Ozzy. But his interview is amusing/interesting and he's definitely a great artist. Although, didn't he write at least a few somewhat political songs in his time? I Just Want You comes to mind.. I think that song is subtly political or philosophical if you'd prefer. It really makes no difference to me. I think politics in music is a great thing so I completely disagree with that one blurb. If you've got a platform and an opinion you may as well let the people know. And to the comment above mine, how is their view any less one sided than anyone else is? Everyone is exactly the same in the sense that their perspective is tainted by their own personal interests/view/desires ect. Having a more diverse collection of opinions only helps one to see things more clearly, it gives you sources of all types to evaluate and then come to a more clear and balanced conclusion. Everyone has their bias and everyone's view is one sided, the only way to reach a decent compromise is to take them all in, why would a musicians opinion be any less qualified than a politicians? Because the politician is in a position of authority? Does that automatically make him right?

[Camstrong]

haha Iron Man good song

[Plaeghdraeger]

Ozzy = Legend

[KreatorRage]

Dio > Ozzy

[Dave Gilmour]

Plaeghdraeger wrote:

Ozzy = Legend

BRUTAL LEGEND! Rocktober this tuesday!!! woohoo!

[hawkdude9]

so when he's sober he's got incredible insight? thats ****ing amazing

[thirteenburn]

Legend, no doubt about it.

Sad, though, that while a paragraph of the snippit of interview talked about politics, the majority of the comments relate to that, making the whole thing a bit of an oxymoron, at least ironic.

I look to music to escape the day-to-day bullstoke of "he said, she said" bickering and outright lying from politicians, so when I see this, it's a bit depressing. Who really cares what Tony Blair thinks about anything in this context? Last I saw, neither Blair was a rocker nor Ozzy a political leader so why even begin to think to mix the two? If, as an interviewer, I want to know what someone thinks about any of the myriad political topics, I'll ask a polititican.

Best to leave music and politics seperate and let the rulers of the asylum beat each other into a intellectual pulp for all I care - and I do care; it's important to know what's going on in the world - just leave my rock & roll to the rock & rollers, ya know? I'm not looking for any sort of political commentary when I'm looking for an interview, be it with Ozzy or anyone else I admire, which is why I avoid any and all interviews with the likes of Bono, Vedder or any of the other so-called "politician/musicians" who seem to think they have the answer. They don't or they wouldn't be in the business they are.

Just my opinion, here. Not a matter of being right and/or wrong, it is what it is. Now I'm going to get back to reading music reviews and continue practing my guitar lessons. After all, this IS a website about guitars and not politics, at least the last time I looked...yep, still a website dedicated to all things guitar.

Sweet...

[FearOfTheDuck]

KreatorRage wrote:

Dio > Ozzy

Nope. : )

[flyboyC17]

RockInPeaceDime wrote:

shwilly wrote:

fooking cool interview

of course Blair resorted to smalltalk: trying to make people like him is his thing. It might not have worked on Ozzy but in spite of all the criticism he still managed to leave his spot as prime minister while his popularity was still on a high, sort of. Look at how Brown's been handling the British press and public since then...

Given Blair set everything up to collapse on the person who took his place, it's not really a surprise...

Pretty ignorant to think that way, biased too. If a politician meets a famous musician who he listens to or used what's wrong with making a comment about their music. Does it have to mean that he's TRYING to mkae people like him? Of course not. Grow up.

[GenerationKILL]

I want news on the zakk wylde situation, people are saying he got fired, people are saying that the Ozzman got Gus G from firewind to be his new guitarist, i wanna know whats going on, because a new guitarist is what he needs!!