Documentary Ozzy Osbourne - 30 Years After the Blizzard

[WombCannon]

I think that Sharon is an eminently unlikable person, and that her and Ozzy play off that to their benefit. Ozzy coming off as the crazy, lovable idiot that you'd love to have a beer with is more image than substance at this point, and has been for a while. The likely truth is that they are a power couple that crushes everyone in their way, and they carefully protect the brand and image that they created.

Ozzy may speak highly of Randy, but that's because he died young. Otherwise, there is a good chance he'd have fucked him over just as hard as Jake E. Lee.

I really think you are giving Ozzy way too much credit here. Ozzy only cared about boozin, druggin, and fuckin. Sharron had to come on halfway through the motley crue/ozzy tour to make sure nobody died and banned Motley Crue of all groupies. And in the later years, after Sharon organized Iron Maiden to get pelted by eggs due to Bruce' on stage banter, Steve Harris went to go apologize to Ozzy and Ozzy had no idea what the hell Steve was talking about. Fact of the matter is, Ozzy never really cared because everything was always laid out for him.

But you're probably right on one thing. Given enough time, they would have fucked over Randy too.

[Mike]

It's especially galling, because apparently Lee needed advanced medical care toward the end that he couldn't afford--but maybe he could have if he hadn't been fucked over on the royalties by Ozzy and Sharon all those years. I don't for a minute buy the notion that everything is Sharon's fault. Sure, she learned how to be a viper from her father, but it's a fiction that Ozzy was never involved in any of those decisions.

I don't know, I suspect Ozzy didn't WANT to be involved in any of those decisions. It always seemed to me that Sharon was the Irving Azoff that Ozzy needed, the ruthless bitch that figured out she could successfully use Ozzy's history to make them both rich. I think he just signed off on what she said because she made it work, and he didn't have to worry about it.

[Mike]

But you're probably right on one thing. Given enough time, they would have fucked over Randy too.

If he put himself in a position to be fucked over, sure. I suspect he just would have walked away, because he really *was* the star. I think if he doesn't get on the plane and leaves later Ozzy's career slowly slides into nothing - or he becomes like Zakk is, coming back to Ozzy when he needs a paycheck.

[jacksonplayer]

I don't know, I suspect Ozzy didn't WANT to be involved in any of those decisions. It always seemed to me that Sharon was the Irving Azoff that Ozzy needed, the ruthless bitch that figured out she could successfully use Ozzy's history to make them both rich. I think he just signed off on what she said because she made it work, and he didn't have to worry about it.

No question that Ozzy has been much more passive than most musicians over his career. However, I don't believe that he was unaware of what he and Sharon did to Daisley and Kerslake. Daisley worked for Ozzy for many years after that (being sure to get paid up front!) and doesn't seem like the type who would have kept that a secret from Ozzy.

Ozzy isn't/wasn't stupid, just very seriously ADHD and often intoxicated. I suspect that Sabbath's experience in the '70s with crooked managers, not to mention his own experience of having to navigate dealing with Iommi, probably hardened him to being able to fuck over band members for his own benefit. I doubt it was tough for Sharon to sell him on doing that.

If he put himself in a position to be fucked over, sure. I suspect he just would have walked away, because he really *was* the star. I think if he doesn't get on the plane and leaves later Ozzy's career slowly slides into nothing - or he becomes like Zakk is, coming back to Ozzy when he needs a paycheck.

Supposedly, Ozzy punched Randy in the face when Randy told him of his plan to leave after the Diary tour.

Hard to say what would have become of Randy. I don't sense he was too attached to the idea of stardom, and becoming a classical guitarist and teacher without having to deal with the Sharon Osbournes of the world might have been a worthwhile alternative for such a person. Grunge would have swept away his stardom eventually, anyway.

One interesting thing I've noticed about Randy's work in recent years is how readily apparent the Mick Ronson influence was. "Goodbye to Romance" could have fit very easily on a Bowie album from the Ziggy Stardust era. Randy had more chops and theory knowledge than Ronson, but he wasn't really a metal guitarist at the core. Maybe he would gone in a different direction within rock if he'd lived.

[General Klinger]

Surprised no one brought up that Ozzy limps his way around the stage nowadays. Basically a string puppet for Sharon to make money.

[mpexus]

Surprised no one brought up that Ozzy limps his way around the stage nowadays. Basically a string puppet for Sharon to make money.

And if he cant anymore then Sharon can hire Steel Panther vocalist

[Mike]

Hard to say what would have become of Randy. I don't sense he was too attached to the idea of stardom, and becoming a classical guitarist and teacher without having to deal with the Sharon Osbournes of the world might have been a worthwhile alternative for such a person. Grunge would have swept away his stardom eventually, anyway.

One interesting thing I've noticed about Randy's work in recent years is how readily apparent the Mick Ronson influence was. "Goodbye to Romance" could have fit very easily on a Bowie album from the Ziggy Stardust era. Randy had more chops and theory knowledge than Ronson, but he wasn't really a metal guitarist at the core. Maybe he would gone in a different direction within rock if he'd lived.

I've always thought he would have moved in a different direction, probably becoming the equivalent of a Joe Bonamassa but more innovative - I definitely did not see him doing the Yngwie thing and just releasing crap albums in the style people expected. Playing club shows, teaching, doing clinics and videos, yeah, I could see that. He definitely did not give a crap about the fame.

[Mattayus]

Got a huge soft spot for Ozzy's albums up to and including the first couple with Zakk. Never really paid too much attention to the politics but I'm absolutely not surprised. I scoffed at the reality tv thing when it came out, and in hindsight its actually pretty fucking horrific. Telling of the Osbourne "brand" and how it steam rolls along. And fuck his kids, so so hard

But meh, psychopathic business practices or not, his music has always been metal guitar-centric and launched the careers of quite a lot of sick musos, even if not under the greatest of circumstances.