I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

I never thought I'd ever read this book. Instead of checking it out from the local library, where I risk either seeing some page missing from the book, bringing home bedbugs, seeing some pornographic image scrawled into it or in some other form of disrepair, I simply bought it, knowing that since it was about a singer I like, it was going to be good. AND IT WAS! If you are a Black Sabbath fan, you might like this...

I learned so many cool things about Ozzy. Like his real name is John Michael Osbourne, and his nickname came from a shortened version of his last name. Or that one of the solo songs he did, S.A.T.O. refers to the two most important women in his life- Sharon Arden and Thelma Osbourne. When he was in school, he actually attended the same school as fellow Black Sabbath band mate Tony Iommi, who was one of the only people who didn't bully him

She cracks me up. She'll just say whatever is on her mind :D and also, I think she is a very beautiful person

He held a succession of jobs from working as a car horn tester in a car factory, but he quit that because he did not want to drive himself bonkers or lose his hearing from the horns. Then he got a job working in a slaughterhouse, working a bolt gun that killed cows. Also, his father said he'd probably be in jail before he turned 18. He was right. Ozzy was sentenced to prison for theft. Also, some of his tattoos are home made. Like his hand tattoo, the one that says O-Z-Z-Y on his knuckles, he did himself, or the smiley faces on his knees- yup, homemade tattoos.

Also, when he released the song "No More Tears" as a single, he wanted to make the cover a very mature one, show that he was not the blood spitting, bite the head off the bat clown he once was. He wanted to be seen in a more mature way. The cover showed him with angel wings. And this song is a very beautiful song, if not a little creepy, but still good. He also has a habit of mooning people. Like when Black Sabbath was being inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame, he mooned people. Tony says that he's seen Ozzy's backside more than his own, lol!!!

 



Despite all the drama that bands typically experience, both Tony and Ozzy are good friends to this day and he was especially supportive of his good friend when he heard Tony got lymphoma. When he found out that Sharon had cancer, he nearly had a heart attack. He said he couldn't sleep with her for 9 months, fearing that if he did sleep with her, he'd wake up in the morning to find she had died in the middle of the night. Or that when he'd come off tour, he'd be a little horny and because of that, nine months later, along comes another little Osbourne. One time, when Sharon was in the hospital for her cancer, Robin Williams came in, dressed as his doctor character Patch Adams, to cheer her up. She never mentioned it to him, fearing what would happen. She also said that Ozzy is a loving individual, that he's never cheated on her or anything. He may have screwed up with drugs and alcohol recently, but he's long since been forgiven. Ozzy talked about his kids, naturally, being the awesome dad he is. And he said that when they did the reality show, they were voted #1 Family in America or something like that. Bill Cosby said that with all his swearing, he was not setting a good example. So Sharon set things right and told him that while his opinion was appreciated, please keep them to his self or something along those lines

20 Awesome Facts About Genesis

Think you know all about the band Genesis? Find out if you do here

20
-The creepy laugh during "Mama" was inspired by "The Message", a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
19
-The band got its name from original manager Jonathan King
18
-"I Can't Dance" started off as a joke in 1991
17
-"Invisible Touch" is the only song to reach #1 in the US
16
-When Genesis transitioned over to more pop sounding music, fans weren't thrilled
15
-Tony Banks convinced Phil Collins to use the word "mama" in songs
14
-In 1974, when the band played the song "Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", Gabriel, not surprisingly, had problems singing in his strange Slipperman costume
13
-Against All Odds went to #1 in the US and featured 3 tracks from original members of Genesis
12
-In the beginning, Collins' lyrics came from gibberish. The best example is 1983's "Mama", which is about a young man obsessed with a prostitute
11
-One of Gabriel's best known stage costumes was a red dress with a fox head, to key in with the album cover of the band's album Foxtrot
10
-Phil Collins was the first artist to cover a Genesis song in 1981, for his solo album Face Value
9
-"Follow You, Follow Me" became the first Top 10 UK Hit in 1978
8
-Phil Collins can credit Peter Gabriel for getting the job as the original Genesis drummer
7
-When Collins started singing for the band, the band started getting Grammys, especially for tracks like "Land of Confusion"
6
-Phil Collins never wanted to be the singer. He was suggested after it was said the audition process was going badly
5
-In "The Musical Box", there was an aggressive section that came about from a suggestion by Gabriel to Mike Rutherford
4
-Tony Banks is the most frequent songwriter for Genesis
3
-Gabriel, to this day, remains annoyed that some think Genesis was comprised of "snotty rich kids". When in reality they came from middle-class and working class backgrounds
2
-The acronym ABACAB was used to remember the compositional sequence for the 1981 album of the same name. A is for Verse, B is for Chorus and C is for Bridge.  The final song didn't end up that way
1
-Phil Collins didn't take over on vocals until after Peter Gabriel left

20 things you didn't know about Ozzy Osbourne

Think you know everything about Ozzy Osbourne? Here are twenty things you didn't know about the Prince of Darkness

 

 

 

 

 

20

-There was a record for gaps between albums. Bob Dylan had 39 years between one album and the next. Black Sabbath broke it. In 1970, Paranoid was released, topping the UK charts and then 2013's 13 topped the charts, making it 43 years between the two

19
-Nearly 40 years after Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman played on 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Rick's son Adam worked with Ozzy on 'Scream' in 2010
18
-Ozzy's guitarist Gus G. was born in Greece as Kostas Karamitroudis
17
-Metallica bass player Robert Trujillo worked with Ozzy in 1991 on The Infectious Grooves' song 'Therapy' and in 2001 on 'Down to Earth'
16
-A year after Steve Vai worked with Ozzy, he recruited Joe Holmes, formerly of David Lee Roth's band and Lizzy Borden when Zakk Wylde took too long considering his option to join Guns N' Roses
15
-In 1994, Ozzy hired Steve Vai. Their work resulted in 'Ozzmosis' 'My Little Man' and 'Dyin' Day'. from Vai's solo 1996 album Fire Garden
14
-Ozzy lent vocals to the song 'Led Clones' from Northern Irish rocker Gary Moore
13
-There's a mysterious message on "Bloodbath in Paradise", where Ozzy says "Your mother sells whelks in Hull", a line from The Exorcist
12
-Ozzy and Madonna lent vocals to the same song: "Shake Your Head (Let's Go to Bed) by Was (Not Was)
11
-On the song "Speak of the Devil", Ozzy makes a dedication to the late guitarist Randy Rhoads
10
-On the album Diary of a Madman, the strange runes read "The Ozzy Osbourne Band"

9

-On Diary of a Madman, the song S.A.T.O. was said to be strange. In reality, it's the initials of two of the most important women in his life, manager Sharon Arden and then wife Thelma Osbourne

Sharon Arden-Osbourne

 

Thelma Osbourne

8

-Motorhead supported the Ozzy Osbourne Band for the majority of it's first US tour but flipped it around when they returned to England, making Motorhead the headliners

7
-Don Airey, keyboard player for Rainbow, Deep Purple, etc played the signature introduction to 'Mr. Crowley'
6
-When Randy joined Ozzy, he wasn't a big Black Sabbath fan. He took his inspiration from the glam rock scene, like Mick Ronson, the guitarist for David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust"era band The Spiders
5
-Randy Rhoads got the job of guitar with Ozzy with help from future Slaughter bass player Dana Strum
4
-It surprises all that when Ozzy left Black Sabbath to pursue a solo career that it was Sharon Arden who recommended using Ronnie James Dio
3
-1978 marks where Ozzy's solo career really started

2

-In 1972, Black Sabbath recorded Vol. 4. One of the tracks, 'Changes' started off with Tony Iommi doing lines of cocaine and messing around on a piano. When this song came out, a lot of Sabbath fans were let down, hearing their heroes releasing a ballad. But 30 years later, it found fame when it was re-recorded as a duet between Ozzy and his daughter Kelly, sending it to #1 on the UK charts

1

-He was the fourth of six kids born to John and Lillian Osbourne. Early on, he showed an interest in performing by taking part in school plays. Who would have thought that an early interest in performing plays would lead to singing heavy metal? Wow :)