I’ve had a f***ing great time, said Ozzy Osbourne as we celebrate his last hurrah as rock’s greatest hellraiser OZZY OSBOURNE is the “Prince Of Darkness” who, for decades, has shone a bright light into our lives.
When he appeared at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony there in 2022 alongside Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi dressed like a Christopher Lee-style vampire, Ozzy told me: “It doesn’t get any better than playing Birmingham — just to stand on stage in my hometown, playing live.”.
The announcement that Black Sabbath are reuniting for a mega heavy metal fest at Villa Park alongside Metallica and a host of great bands reminded me of this classic Ozzy anecdote.
Ozzy also talked about how he loved to clown around, a bit like the late great Tommy Cooper in his pomp, but that his antics didn’t always go down too well with his bandmates.
When I spoke to him last October, just before he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for a second time, Ozzy managed to put a positive spin on his situation.