I Am Ozzy

[Vass]

Picked this up the other day @ the airport. Just about done with it. Lots of things get short shrift due to the fact that he's covering 60 years of life and 40 years of music.

There are laugh out loud parts of the book & I'm not a laugh out loud guy for the most part. If the antics in the book are even 20% true I can't believe he's still alive. He doesn't really paint a great picture of himself (admits to some things he's done that are just ugly, like beating on his first wife and Sharon) but you still come away liking the guy- he's clearly a nervous wreck & a frightened mess that self medicates alot. There's really not a single drop of rock star arrogance to any of it.

There are parts that are quite insightful actually. For example, he talks about getting shelled by some kid critic from Rolling Stone for the original Black Sabbath release. He goes on to explain how he views Rolling Stone during that period- they held themselves out to be some sort of counterculture beacon, when the reality was all the kids writing for them were Harvard-type establishment clowns slumming at a rock n roll magazine & playing the part. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, "What does some poor kid from Aston who grew up with one pair of shoes care that some Harvard grad doesn't get his music? It was like having your music reviewed by aliens- who cares if they get it or not? We were living it."

Anyway, worth a read. The photos alone are pretty sweet.

[Jack Napalm]

I am about half way through the book now. Pretty good actually. Lots of interesting tidbits and stories.

[shreddermon]

Anything about Randy in it?

[Vass]

Anything about Randy in it?

Surprisingly not a ton. Really not alot at all. Just his impressions of the man & his talent & what kind of guy he was. He does not go into stories regarding what they were up to or any crazy things they did, although it's easy enough to figure out because Rhoads was in the band and on the tour when alot of other stuff happened.

I very much got the impression that Ozzy didn't want to tell "stories" about Randy that might be something that Randy wouldn't have wanted written, or maybe things Delores didn't want written.

There are some insights into what Rhoads was all about as a man, but he doesn't really flesh out the relationship all that much. Someone who never heard of Ozzy who picked up the book would get an incorrect understanding of the impact Rhoads had on Ozzy & his music. Osbourne is writing for his FANS, however- I doubt very much anyone is going to pick up this book that doesn't already know a good deal about their history together.

There were other areas where discretion & good manners prevent some mud slinging (he has nothing bad to say about Dio as a person, for example, just some comments re: how he fit into Sabbath). Other than Kerslake/Daisley & Sharon's father, the only person who gets a real beat down is Ozzy himself.

Even with that, none of it feels phony. He does NOT hang himself on the cross of Randy grief. He does, however, go out of his way to defend both Rhoads and their friend Rachel who died from some of the rumors that were flying at the time suggesting they may have had some culpability in their own deaths.

There is a great deal of detail about the accident itself that I was unaware of and frankly could have stayed unaware of.

In general I do not feel like he "held back" in the book except in areas where he felt that it wouldn't be fair because he'd be speaking for or about someone who isn't writing a book.

[Nightbat]

Surprisingly not a ton. Really not alot at all. Just his impressions of the man & his talent & what kind of guy he was. He does not go into stories regarding what they were up to or any crazy things they did

Not surprising with Ozzy being more in outer space with his head than anything else
I'm surprised he remembers anything from that period

[Jack Napalm]

Very good assessment Vass.

[RacerX]

He's doing a book signing in Huntington Beach tomorrow. A friend invited me, but I'm thinking it'll lbe a real madhouse.

[Rsmacker]

In general I do not feel like he "held back" in the book except in areas where he felt that it wouldn't be fair because he'd be speaking for or about someone who isn't writing a book.

Either that or Sharon's having a sequel ghost-written right now : "Ozzy - The Randy Diaries (of a Madman)".

It's a good light-hearted read though, my Mum & Dad enjoyed reading it, as have several other people who wouldn't know Ozzy's music from a hole in their arse.
At least it didn't make me pig-sick jealous of his millions, like when I read some other biogs, there's not much bragging about his loot.

[SlaytanicDude]

I have a copy that I had Ozzy himself sign at the Barnes and Noble in NYC.


I haven't finished the book, but from what I've read so far it's great. He does make a statement about Randy on the dedication page, right under dedicating it to his fans- "And not forgetting one special guy who meant so much to me, Mr Randy Rhoads, R.I.P. I will never forget you and I hope we meet again somewhere, somehow." In the picture section he has a few pics of Randy and there's one where he says "On stage with Randy. This is how I remember him best." So I think that he didn't put more about Randy's antics because that's not how he remembered him, to him Randy was his best guitarist not a drinking buddy.

[Robert Burns]

Sharron admitted to Howard Stern about 4 years ago, that she did indeed
have a one night stand with Randy! And she did this with a low voice
and Ozzy about 4 feet from her in studio! So, there are many stories
i'll bet that Ozzy would rather NOT talk about. :-))

[Jason1212]

I really think she's lying. Not that she is a hot now, but back then she looked like someone's mom and NOT a MILF. I have a hard time believing that Randy hit that. I remember watching Ozzy from the front row on the No Rest for the Wicked tour. She came out behind the barricade, looked up at the stage, actually smiled at me and my friend and then walked back stage. After the show my friend was like who's mom was that? I said that it was Ozzy's wife and he called BS.

[Hellbat]

I picked this up on my lunch break today. IT BETTER BE GOOD!

I'll give my feedback once I finish it in a couple of days.

[m2pmd70]

Any memorable quotes?

I read the Marilyn Manson book and all I remember is, 'Sucking a disk doesn't make you gay. Sucking a dick and getting a hard-on, that makes you gay.' lmao

[RacerX]

Here's a 9 minute clip, Ozzy on Good Day LA http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/good_day_...-gdla-20100201

I like the story of Black Sabbath going to see The Exorcist back in 1973 and being so scared they couldn't sleep that night! Ha!

[Robert Burns]

I really think she's lying. Not that she is a hot now, but back then she looked like someone's mom and NOT a MILF. I have a hard time believing that Randy hit that. I remember watching Ozzy from the front row on the No Rest for the Wicked tour. She came out behind the barricade, looked up at the stage, actually smiled at me and my friend and then walked back stage. After the show my friend was like who's mom was that? I said that it was Ozzy's wife and he called BS.

** Not really a one night stand..more of an opportunity on the bus..
as you know, it only takes 3 minutes to accomplish. I remember it was
some kind of quicky like that..