The Deal: The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, offers a look at his history. At least, what he can remember of it …
The Good: Upon first glance, the 416-page autobiography looks like it’s going to be a mountain to tackle, but it’s actually quite a quick and entertaining read. Osbourne offers the most detail about growing up and the Black Sabbath years – no surprise as you’d expect decades of drug use have nearly wiped clean those later years. He discusses his youth in England, his brief stint in jail, how a flier posted in a music store – “Ozzy Zig Needs a Gig” – led to the eventual formation of Black Sabbath, his relationship with his wives and children, his own health scares, and The Osbournes television show. The book is written with Osbourne’s wit and sense of humor as he shares laugh-out-loud tales of practical jokes while touring around the world and recording inside a castle. There’s even a look at the sensitive side when he discusses the death of guitarist Randy Rhodes and his wife’s (Sharon’s) battle with cancer.
The Bad: Maybe it’s a bad thing that Osbourne doesn’t offer more details about life on the road, or that the pages are clogged with stories of alcohol and drug-fueled nights, but that’s what he lived and why he can’t remember a lot of it. He doesn’t hold back from discussing the pitfalls, either – waking up in jail, urinating on the Alamo.
The Verdict: An entertaining read. If you think you know Ozzy from his concerts and “reality” show, you really don’t know even half the story.
This article appears in Mar 2-8, 2010.
