Shaun Says: Let the man rest in peace for a while first?
This week the world of music lost an Icon, in fact this last few weeks haven’t been great, Brian Wilson, Sly Stone, but this latest one hits hard.
Just three weeks after performing his last ever show at Villa park the legendary rocker Ozzy Osborne has passed away, peacefully, surrounded by his family and with all the love in the world. Ozzy was a controversial figure, his exploits with alcohol, drugs, mental illness and some unfortunate incidents with the animal kingdom are his legacy but they only scratch the surface of the man.
Born John Osborne in Aston, Birmingham, he grew up in a working class environment where hard work meant a hard life for all concerned. He suffered physical and sexual abuse, bullying at school, and went on to serve time inn borstal for petty criminality.
But what set him apart was a love of music, and a desire to perform.
Black Sabbath emerged in 1969 and quickly established themselves as a pioneering new mix of jazz timing and chops, with a hard rock sound, and lyrics which were both mystic and reflected a gritty world view from four young men from Birmingham.
After five albums, and becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet, Ozzy and his excesses became too much for his bandmates, and he was sacked from the band. He later said it was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to him, because it set him on the road to an incredible solo career.
Multi-award-winning albums and megatours followed, Ozzy seemed to have a knack for choosing incredibly talented musicians to help him realise his creations, Randy Rhodes being the pinnacle and the most tragic.
Ozzy was reunited with Black Sabbath later in life, inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, and was still singing with all the enthusiasm and passion that the 20-year-old had begun with, right up until that final concert at Villa park.
There have been lots of detractors since his passing, rightly calling out his disregard for animal rights, and some mentioning his stance on Israel. It has to be considered that for many years, Ozzy didn’t really know much about what was happening around him, and the Parkinson’s disease which finally took him, would never have helped with his judgement.
These are right to be called out, but surely, let the man rest in peace for a little while first?
With much love and respect, Ozzy, fly free.