I appreciate all the Ozzy posts and tributes I've seen all over Social media today. Ozzy was my connection to music. To Rock n' Roll. To metal.
I was a Sabbath fan in High School, and Ozzy was just their singer, but when Blizzard came out, I had to have the album. I listen to it constantly. It was so... different than what was on the radio and what was Sabbath.
Then I got a picture disk with Mr. Crowley on it. I played that damn record - I know, I know - over and over and over, singing out loud so my whole neighborhood could hear it. I didn't know squat about singing.
I remember when I went back to the Army after 30 days leave. I walked into the barracks and screamed at the top of my lungs, "The MADMAN is BACK!!!"
When I tried out for VOA, no one knew what to play, so I grabbed the mic and sang the bridge from NIB, and the room stopped. Kirk, who became my best friend - that I haven't talked to in 20 years, walked in and in his Kirk-way, "Huh, sounds just like Ozzy!"
That stuck with me for years. I saw him many times. Alone with Metallica, on Ozzfest twice, with Sabbath 4 times, and a few other tours in between. In awe, every time. I loved Ozzy like millions of people did. He was my alter-ego.
Back to The Begining was magic to me! I even paid to stream it - and get the T-shirt. Glad I did!
I see a lot of new-age Ozzy fans dropping Mama I'm Coming Home and other recent songs, but this song, this was Ozzy. This was the definition of Ozzy - by Ozzy! Not some radio-friendly hit.
I was a Sabbath fan in High School, and Ozzy was just their singer, but when Blizzard came out, I had to have the album. I listen to it constantly. It was so... different than what was on the radio and what was Sabbath.
Then I got a picture disk with Mr. Crowley on it. I played that damn record - I know, I know - over and over and over, singing out loud so my whole neighborhood could hear it. I didn't know squat about singing.
I remember when I went back to the Army after 30 days leave. I walked into the barracks and screamed at the top of my lungs, "The MADMAN is BACK!!!"
When I tried out for VOA, no one knew what to play, so I grabbed the mic and sang the bridge from NIB, and the room stopped. Kirk, who became my best friend - that I haven't talked to in 20 years, walked in and in his Kirk-way, "Huh, sounds just like Ozzy!"
That stuck with me for years. I saw him many times. Alone with Metallica, on Ozzfest twice, with Sabbath 4 times, and a few other tours in between. In awe, every time. I loved Ozzy like millions of people did. He was my alter-ego.
Back to The Begining was magic to me! I even paid to stream it - and get the T-shirt. Glad I did!
I see a lot of new-age Ozzy fans dropping Mama I'm Coming Home and other recent songs, but this song, this was Ozzy. This was the definition of Ozzy - by Ozzy! Not some radio-friendly hit.
