OZZY OSBOURNE
Voices Of Rock & Metal (Issue 028: Jul 2007)
Exactly 13 journalists from all parts of Europe phoned in to a central number in the USA at 10.00 am Los Angeles time on Tuesday 24th April. Thus assembled, we waited with anticipation for the Master of Mayhem to get hooked up. As you can imagine, his answers are peppered with swear words, but it wouldn’t be Ozzy otherwise. Due to the vagaries of the English language as spoken by non-native English speakers, I have adjusted some of the questions for the sake of clarity. When the time came for one final question, suffice to say Dawn Irwin truly managed to get the last word in!
But, you know what, l've always said that if the audience starts to disappear and they want me to play clubs, that's the time when I'll say Goodnight, I'm going home.
Ozzy: "Hello everyone. How are you doing? Okay, let's not mess about, let's get going, come on."
I have listened to your new album. I think it's great.
(Ozzy is so keen to respond that he jumps in before the question is fully asked). Yes, it turned out great.
I have my own studio now, and of course I can't turn a light on in there, but I met a guy who really knows a lot about Pro Tools, the digital recording system. He did a remarkable job, and it made it a lot easier for me, and I could think more about what I wanted to do with it.
There is a lot of concern expressed on 'Black Rain'. How do you feel about these serious issues?
Well, all I can do is say what I feel in my songs. Of course there will always be people that disagree with me, but not getting political, don't get me wrong. I'm not running for office or anything, but in my own little way I'm saying "hey, this is wrong, you know". The news over here (in the US) never has anything good on it anymore, it's always fucking Iraq or global warming, it's always bad news. There's never any good news any more.
On the new record you sound very inspired with some strong vocal performances. Why do you still feel this strong desire to make music?
Well, it's my job, you know. I tried retirement but what can I retire to - just looking at my gold discs on the wall? It's hard to say it's a job - I don't have to get up before I want to. I get up when my eyes open, I have a great life, a great wife and family, and I'm a grandfather now. But, you know what, l've always said that if the audience starts to disappear and they want me to play clubs, that's the time when I'll say Goodnight, I'm going home. I've had such an incredible career, and every step of the way I'm thinking "It's gotta end soon" but then again the audience just makes it. The song 'Here for You' is for my audience.
It was my initial impression that you were trying to tell people that you weren't going to quit with 'I'm not going away' and 'I Don't Wanna Stop'. Did you have certain people in mind when you wrote those lyrics?
Well, the Rolling Stones have just turned 60 and everybody's going "Is this your farewell tour?" If there's some reason I can't tour, like health reasons or if my records aren't selling, and my tours are emptying, then I'll quit. But why should I quit when everything is going ok, you know. If it starts to cost me money to tour, then what's the point of touring? I love it, but I've still gotta live!
You recorded this album in your own home studio. Can you describe a typical working day during the process, and what kind of approach did you have towards this album!
Well the benefit of having your own studio is that you're not paying another studio by the hour. Not that it bothers me, but you can't go into a studio every day and go "'ve got a great idea". I mean, sometimes I go into a studio and I'm scratching my head thinking "what the fuck can I do" and then out of the blue something will come in. Its prevented the anxiety of taking too long, where you run into all sorts of financial problems with the record company, because they want you to go in, do a record for nothing and that's it. Another benefit of having my own studio is I can go and do stuff whenever I want. This is the first record I ever co-wrote and recorded clean of drugs and alcohol. I initially thought I couldn't do it without any of that stuff, but when I got ideas I would get people to give me advice, tell me what they thought and stuff.
I know that you have a strong chemistry with Zakk Wylde, but you didn't write all the songs on the album with him? (Actually, Zakk features on 90% of the songs, so I'm not sure where this guy got his information from!!)
Well, Zakk wrote nearly all of them, but he has his own band, too. He came over when he had a break and did a bunch of riffs for me. Every time I use Zakk - and I haven't used him for six years in a recording studio since my last album 'Down To Earth' - I've seen him play anything. He is such a phenomenal guitar player; he is really one of the greats. He's like me, he's crazy. I can phone him up any time, and when I came round in hospital after my bike accident a few years ago in England, there was Zakk standing there. He's a really loyal friend.
How much input did Kevin Churko have on the album?
He was very helpful. I owe him a lot. Sharon said "you've got 8 weeks to write and record it", so Zakk laid down a lot of different riffs while l was on tour with the Ozzfest, then when I got back Kevin had worked a lot of the arrangements out. Some of them worked, some didn't, but I have absolutely no complaints with the end result.
What is your opinion about the Heaven & Hell project and don't you think it's a bit odd that they call themselves Heaven & Hell since all of the records are by Black Sabbath?
I have nothing to say about it, because it's none of my business. Everybody has to make a living, and it's what they do, I don't have anything either way to say about them. Tony and I are very good friends now, and he told me what he was going to do. I don't own anyone, and I don't have the right to say anything about Ronnie James Dio. He's a much stronger singer for his age than I ever thought he would be. He's got a definite style, and from what I've heard he's made it quite clear to the press that it's not a lasting thing. I wish them luck.
Do you think you could have made this album while the cameras were still invading your life during The Osbournes'?
No. To be honest, none of us expected that would be such a huge success. At first it was fine, but then strange things started to happen. The more popular the show became, the more bad things happened in my household. My youngest child, Jack, ended up doing heroin; I started drinking and smoking pot again, my wife got cancer; I came off my quad bike. I would walk down the street and I'd get chased by a gang of people, and I didn't know whether they liked me or wanted to kill me. I realise that everyone has a television, and it's the biggest form of entertainment you can get, and at first it was a lot of fun, but it soon got very old. I remember being in one town when I was on the road with the Ozzfest and this woman around my age came up to me and asked, "what are you doing in Boston?" When I told her I was there to do a rock and roll show, she said "oh, you do that also?", and I went "what!!!" And then we became this dysfunctional family! Well, I don't know - I got voted Husband of the Year; I don't know where they got that fucking thing from!!!
Do you ever regret doing 'The Osbournes?"
Every one of us has regret, but you know, that's what makes life interesting, because if you never had any regrets you'd be fucking bored! Of course I have regrets, but as the song goes I did it my way'. If I'd taken a different road, then I wouldn't be here talking to you. I overdosed on drugs several times; I nearly drank myself to death several times; I broke my neck in a motorcycle accident a few years ago and nearly drowned in my own blood from my chest. I'm not saying I'm invincible, because I'm not, and if I was to drop dead right now I don't want anybody saying "fuck, what a drag". The only drag is that I wouldn't be able to see my audience or my loved ones any more. I've had a phenomenal life. I came from a working class back-ground, l've travelled the world, I've met some great people and performed music to the greatest people in the world. It's incredible, my wife asks if I'll ever write a book, and I'm a bit weird about that, because if I write a book I know I'm going to get lots of people who'll say, "he's writing a book, so it must mean he's going to quit". Some people still ask why I haven't quit, but I didn't do so badly last year, or the year before. I get voice problems like any other singer does. I have to insist on taking a break now and again to give my voice a rest. The other side of the coin is the entertainment industry, because if you take a day off, they don't get fucking paid, you know. That's all they're interested in, as far as I'm concerned; they don't give a shit whether l live or die.
Who will be in your touring band and what will be the set list?
Zakk Wylde, Blasko on bass (Rob Zombie), Mike Bordin on drums, Adam Wakeman (son of Rick) on keyboards and rhythm guitar. As for the set list, l'm going to be working that out soon. I'll definitely be doing some new songs. If I decide to do it without any Black Sabbath, people go crazy. I can't please everyone, no matter what the fuck I do! During my research I was amazed to find how much passion still exists for Randy Rhoads. The most consistent request seems to be for a CD or DVD of a complete un-tampered with live set. Would you envisage this as a possibility? (It's a poorly kept secret that 'Tribute' consists of an edited jigsaw puzzle of live performances brought together to create a "cohesive" single live set) Well, I couldn't have tampered with 'Tribute' because Randy was dead! The truth of the matter is, every single thing we ever had on Randy Rhoads has been used for the fans. And whatever money it makes, his mother gets. I don't know the size of that - even Sharon doesn't know. Everything concerning Randy - photographs, videos that kids in the audience took - everything goes to his mother, and I don't want to be involved because it's still a very sad part of my life. He was such a great guitar player and wonderful human being. He loved playing the guitar so much ... he played all day, every day ….. (tails off at the memory)
You are quoted as saying that 'Black Rain' is the true follow up to 'No More Tears'?
Well everyone keeps saying this. Every time I go into the studio, I want to do a great album. When we did 'No More Tears' we said we'd do every track as a radio friendly record. You don't want to copy your last hit, but at the same time you want to do something that you're really happy with. I'm happy with 'Black Rain'. My wife said "Do you know how long it's been between this and your last album?" | thought it was 3 years. Six years - fucking hell! So if people see this as the follow up to 'No More Tears', well, I can live with that.
Did you approach the songwriting as if you wanted to follow up 'No More Tears?'
No, I've done two albums since then. I don't play them every day or anything, but every now and again. 'Ozzmosis' is a good album, but it was produced by a guy that I didn't get on with!
What is the most memorable concert or festival that you have had?
Well, I've dropped my pants; l've shown my fishing tackle to everybody. My wife keeps saying to me "Aren't you ever going to write a book" and I say "I haven't finished yet!”
How do you make life interesting when on tour?
Well, looking at my previous history I don’t think I’ve made a bad job of making my life interesting because if it’s not an ambulance, it’s a police officer, or a customs agent. I like to have fun. I’ve never been one to say “you can’t do that”. If anybody at a rock concert says to me “You can’t do that” I will deliberately get on the stage and do what I was told not to do. It’s my fucking stage!
'I got voted Husband of the Year; I don't know where they got that fucking thing from!!!'
What are your expectations from the upcoming European tour?
Well, this is one of the biggest world tours that we’ve ever done. I remember the last time we played Finland, it was great, there were some religious people trying to ban us!
You are a huge Beatles fan, yet you started a band like Black Sabbath – how did this come about?
Well, when the Beatles happened it was like a magic thing. They gave me hope. They had great melodies. What I took from the Beatles was that if you’ve got a good melody, you’ve got a good song. I don’t understand hip hop or rap music, because there are great lyrics, but why not put them with a cool melody? I don’t understand it. Back in the Black Sabbath times, we never thought that we’d write songs that people would still like twenty years later. Being in a band when I was younger was a great life, better than joining the Army, anyway, and you got to travel. The first place I ever travelled to was Denmark, and we played in a club called The Revolution, and we also did a stint in Zurich, Switzerland, then there was the infamous Star Club in Hamburg. We did residency work – I remember going down to the boat to go to Europe one day with Black Sabbath – we were called Earth at that point, and we’d written the song ‘Black Sabbath’ on the first album, and the management at the time suggested we stop off at this recording studio and do our songs like ‘War Pigs’. We had a bunch of songs, and really the first Black Sabbath album was just a live album with no audience and a few overdubs. I’m not a visionary, I couldn’t have said that in 25 years we were going to be a landmark band. I’m very proud of it, and now that we’re all friendly again, people ask me why haven’t I done another Black Sabbath album? We have tried, but we’ve all grown up, most of us don’t drink anymore, most of us don’t smoke, none of us take dope anymore. In the old days, we did jam sessions and Tony would always come up with something. For some reason, I’ve been away from Black Sabbath twice as long as I was with them. It would have been dead easy for us to say who cares what we put out, even if it’s shit, it’s Black Sabbath, but I couldn’t do that.
You’ve been in the game for a long time and as the founder of heavy metal could you tell me why metal has this obsession with darkness?
Well, with a song like ‘Iron Man’, I couldn’t sing a fucking love lyric, could I? Black Sabbath was really dark because we used to rehearse early in the morning in a Civic Centre, and across the road was a movie theatre, and Geezer would say “don’t you find it strange that horror films have music that gets you scared? Why don’t we start writing scary music?” And that’s really how it started. We were just four kids who said “yeah, scary music, great”! We didn’t realise that there were people who really practised this black magic or whatever. But Black Sabbath was not really all about Satan. We wrote about things that people were thinking, but not really talking about, like now they’re talking about global warming, and we were talking about wars and the effects on mankind of rockets burning fuel into black skies and things. I mean, Geezer was a phenomenal lyricist, still is.
Do you think it’s possible to ‘Civilise the Universe’ (track from the album)?
No, but it would be nice, wouldn’t it. I don’t know, or want to know, about politics – I think they’re all fucking liars. This Iraq thing right now is just fucking out of control; I mean 9 soldiers got killed recently. Haven’t we all learned that violence achieves nothing? When I was born it was 2-3 years after World War II, and the number of people who died in the last century from war is greater than any other century in the history of the earth. I like to watch documentaries, and there was a programme about future weapons, and I’m thinking “why the fuck would they want to build a weapon that can do more than they’ve already got”? They’ve got a gun now that can fire a million rounds a minute – it’s fucking ridiculous. Wherever you come from, we’ve only got one world, and we’ll never do anything as long as we’ve got these empires all over the fucking place. Now they’ve invented these fucking bombs and fuck knows what else. Someone’s going to start using them eventually. I mean, the Americans have used them twice already!
How is the development of the musical ‘Rasputin’ coming along?
It’s temporarily on hold. I’ve finished the music, but then there’s another guy called a book writer, who reads your story line, tells you what will and won’t work on stage, and advised what needs to be changed. He’s the guy who transforms the music into a play. It’s all finished, but I’ve gotta be in the thick of it, you know. When I get around to it, I’ll probably do something more with it, but it takes so fucking long with these things.
How long did the recording process for ‘Black Rain’ take?
I wasn’t rushed. It took, with breaks, about a year. That doesn’t mean to say that I was recording and writing for that length of time. We’d do a bit, then I’d go off, and have the luxury of thinking about what I’d done, then I’d come back and do more. End to end, I think the whole process took about four months, but I could be wrong.
Can you tell us something about the black rain in the album artwork?
I was watching a DVD about the first atomic bomb they dropped over Hiroshima. When they first used that dreadful device, nobody really knew what was going to happen. They’d tested it in the desert, so they knew there was going to be a massive bang, but they didn’t know about the radiation or anything else that was going to come from it. When it exploded it was a thousand feet in the air to get the maximum blast to blow down again. So people got vaporised, and the land was so burned it was carbonite. Then it sucked back up again, and all the dirt and the carbonite turned to dust, and it went into the clouds which made it rain, and the rain was black. On the DVD I saw, it shows these kids who know it’s raining, and they’ve got their hands out, and it’s black rain – it’s water but it’s black from all the shit that’s gone up into the air from the explosion.
You’ve decided to make Ozzfest free this year. How did that decision come about?
To be honest, I have nothing to do with Ozzfest apart from playing. That’s Sharon. Don’t quote me, but Ithink sponsors are going to pay for it. I don’t know. The agents are going crazy over here (in the US). What we were getting pissed off about was that as it developed, people were asking for more money to play, and it got out of control, because we’d have had to put the ticket price up, and that’s not the spirit of the fucking Ozzfest. So Sharon said “I’ll do it for free, just leave it to me.”
With all the albums, all the touring and the hugely successful reality TV show, is there anything you’d still like to achieve?
I’d like to get a No. 1 album. ‘Paranoid’ got to number one in England for a couple of weeks, but I’ve never had a No. 1 in the States. I’ve sold millions of records, and achieved some phenomenal things in my life, but never a No. 1. I was at a company conference in Las Vegas last week, and I told them that with their help we could get a No. 1 album, but you know what, if it doesn’t make number one, I can’t fucking complain. The fact that you guys want to talk to me is good enough for me, because when the phone stops ringing and the doorbell stops ringing, it’s probably all over.
You appear rejuvenated more than ever with a headline tour, new record and of course Ozzfest. Is this the second coming of Ozzy Osbourne, and was this the master plan?
I think it’s the twenty-first coming! I absolutely love what I do. One of the most memorable tours I ever did was in Canada a couple of years ago. It wasn’t Ozzfest; it was just my own shows. I was on stage for over 3 hours, and it’s the longest show I’ve ever done in my life anywhere, anytime. I’d been to see Paul McCartney before I went on that tour, and he did a 3 hour show, and I thought if he can do it I’m sure I can. So every night on the tour the show would get longer and longer and it became a challenge for me.
You’ve experienced some health issues on the road in the past. How do you preserve the longevity of your voice on the road these days?
I’ve done a lot of research on that, and what happens is that it’s so fucking loud on that stage that when I try to sing, I have to overpower the volume, instead of doing it the right way and turn the fucking thing down. These days you can mike the amps and get the volume through the PA. As a singer, to get the pitch, I’ve gotta be comfortable in my head, and when it’s playing too loud, I can’t think. It’s like fucking being beaten up; it’s like trying to fight a heavyweight title with a band play ing in the fucking ring. On saying that, every singer gets voice problems. I don’t smoke any more, don’t do drugs or drink alcohol any more. I don’t stay out late because there’s fuck all to stay out for now!
What’s life like with Sharon these days?
Well, she’s got her own career. She manages me but she’s got her own TV career, she’s a great mum, great husband (!) and it wasn’t that long ago that I thought she was going to die! I don’t think people are very educated about cancer. I was like “don’t tell me about it, because if you do, I’ll know about it and if my partner gets it I’ll go fucking crazy”. I remember when Sharon got diagnosed, I couldn’t accept it. I didn’t freak out; I just shut the fucking thing out of my mind. I couldn’t sleep with her because I was terrified of waking up to find my wife dead. It was a very hard time for us all. Of course she pulled through it.
Did you ever consider working with producer Rick Rubin?
Many times, actually. Rick is a very dear friend of mine. When I did ‘No More Tears’ we spent loads of time writing, and when we thought we’d finished, right at the end we wrote ‘No More Tears’. We thought Rick might be interested, and we’d been in rehearsal for a long time, so when he came along, he asked “do you want a hit record?” I said yes of course, and he said we’d need to re-write everything. I’m not saying anything bad about him, because he’s a great guy, but I thought he was joking, and obviously he wasn’t. Anyway, I didn’t re-write it, and it was a very big album for us.
As a creative person, what kind of impact has your new sober state of mind had on you?
I never thought that I could do it without drugs or alcohol. I thought it was the drugs and the alcohol that made me get creative. Maybe it was for a while, but then they all stopped working because everything I tried I went down. Then I thought “what’s the point in taking something that used to get you high, but now does the opposite!” But I still didn’t know if I could do another album. Then I was speaking to Bill Ward, we keep in regular contact and he doesn’t get loaded any more either. I asked him “how do I get over this fucking barrier?” He said “don’t be afraid to ask anyone a question and take their advice, even if it is against your ego.” So that’s what I did, and Kevin Churko was very administrative on the album. He had done a lot of albums before but he’d never been on the production side. The reality is, if I don’t have fun making a record, then how can I say “that’s fucking great?” I’d be a liar.
Now that you’re a father, do you want to encourage your own children to go along the same path you did?
Well, I always said if they wanted to get involved in music then great, and if they wanted to get involved in anything else, as long as it’s legal, great. In my opinion, a lot of well known rock and rollers have kids who have such a hard time getting success. Kelly had a go, and she had a couple of records, but she works in the industry in a different way now – she works in TV. Jack’s got his own thing where he does fucking crazy stuff, climbing mountains and things, which I’m not really that happy about.
Is there any album that you are most proud of?
Well, if I said one, then it would mean that I think that the others aren’t that good, so I couldn’t say.
If you weren’t a musician, could you imagine yourself doing another job?
No – who would employ me? (laughs)
Obviously your 40th anniversary is a huge milestone. I was wondering what plans, if any, you have for a celebration?
Well, right now all I have is to do a great tour this year. A celebration to me means everybody gets drunk and when I go to any function these days I go, make my presence known, then leave because when you don’t drink there’s nothing worse than someone who does drink trying to talk to you and breathing their fucking fumes over you. I’m sure something will happen, but what exactly, I don’t know. I’m just blessed that I’ve lasted so long.
Listen to the album on Spotify
'Well, with a song like ‘Iron Man’, I couldn’t sing a fucking love lyric, could I?'
VOICES OF ROCK & METAL
OZZY OSBOURNE
Issue No: 028
