Metalheads are in mourning for bad boy Ozzy Osbourne, who has left the world to all its sin and hate
Ozzy Osbourne wowing the crowd with Black Sabbath in 1974. Pic/Getty Images
On the afternoon of July 6, some 80 metalheads gathered at The Stables in Andheri East, a day after Back To The Beginning, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert at Villa Park, Birmingham. They were watching the gig’s video footage on a large screen, culminating with Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. The Mumbai event was conceptualised by Salsa Fortynine, and fans headbanged to the song Paranoid, showed horn signs to War Pigs, and sang along to Mama, I’m Coming Home.
Nobody imagined that 16 days later, Osbourne would breathe his last. The “Prince Of Darkness”, nicknamed thus because of his obsession for dark themes and the occult, passed away in his mansion in the UK. He was 76, and had been suffering multiple illnesses including Parkinson’s and spine ailments.
The tributes started flowing in. Subir Malik, keyboardist of Delhi band Parikrama, said, “It was all too soon. Here was a man who just did not want to go away in bed, but did it in a grand way with that concert.” Added Teemeer Chimulkar, vocalist and guitarist of Mumbai band Sceptr3, “His passing is a significant loss, specially to the younger talent whom he consistently supported through his rock festival Ozzfest.”
Osbourne is often described as the godfather of heavy metal, thanks mainly to Black Sabbath, which also had guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward, who all joined him at the final gig. He was also known for various controversies, including an incident where he ate the head of a dead bat at a concert, stories of his biting off the heads of two doves after a record label meeting, and a drunken attempt to strangle his wife Sharon.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3, 1948, in Marston Green, Warwickshire (UK), the singer called himself Ozzy Zig. His mother worked in a factory and his father was a toolmaker. He was dyslexic and, as a child, suffered school bullying, and attempted suicide. But he heard The Beatles and took to music, though he was also jailed for burglary. Once out, he joined Iommi and others to play in the Polka Tulk Blues Band. They later called themselves Earth, but discovered there was a pop band with that name. The name Black Sabbath was inspired by the title of a horror film.
Before Black Sabbath put out its eponymous debut album in 1970, the hard rock sound had already become popular with bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, and Iron Butterfly. But with its occult themes, Osbourne’s trademark wail, and Iommi’s heavy riffs, Sabbath had its own identity. While the songs Black Sabbath, NIB and The Wizard established their sound, the second album Paranoid (1970) had huge hits like the title track, War Pigs and Iron Man.
Sold-out stadium concerts, along with the albums Master of Reality (1971), Vol 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) and Sabotage (1975), put them in the top league, but creative differences and business disputes began affecting the band. Osbourne’s alcoholism and drug abuse took their toll and in 1979, he was “dismissed” and replaced by Rainbow’s vocalist Ronnie James Dio.
Osbourne wouldn’t give up. He successfully launched his solo career, producing the hits Crazy Train, Bark At The Moon, Shot In The Dark, and much later No More Tears and Mama, I’m Coming Home. He and Sharon launched Ozzfest in 1996, and a year later, there was a reunion with him, Iommi and Butler joined by Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin. The singer again made headlines in 2002 with the reality show The Osbournes on MTV.
Osbourne’s influence on the next generation remained huge. At the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai this year, singer Ruthie Foster did her own version of War Pigs. According to Sceptr3’s Chimulkar, many Mumbai bands played Paranoid in their early days. Added Parikrama’s Subir Malik, “I don’t think anybody in Parikrama has not been influenced by Ozzy and Black Sabbath.” On August 24, Mumbai guitarist Ravi Iyer is doing a “Celebrate Black Sabbath” show at The Stables.
Osbourne’s following is clearly proved by the number of bands who played at the farewell show. From younger acts like Yungblud, Tobias Forge of the group Ghost and Rival Sons to rock monsters Steven Tyler, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer and Metallica, they were all there. The gig raised $190 million for charities helping children and Parkinson’s research. After all the controversy, Osbourne went away in style. To quote from the 1971 Sabbath song Into The Void: “Leave the world to all its sin and hate, find another world where freedom waits.”
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