It’s been a good year for Brum’s favourite rocker, Ozzy Osbourne. Not only has he been touring and selling more records, but he also has a new TV series and has passed his driving test at the 19th attempt.
Ozzy puts his success behind the wheel down to fact that he turned up at the test centre sober – something he’s never done before. “I’d be walking around the test centre with a bottle of vodka in my pocket,” he confessed.
Having just passed 60, Ozzy has released the inevitable autobiography – I Am Ozzy – though he admits to having had to speak to several friends to fill in some pretty large gaps in his recollection.
It’s been another year of awards for Ozzy, who scooped the Billboard Legends of Live award in recognition of his contributions to live music and touring. He also got a lifetime achievement award in Los Angeles’s Golden Gods awards.
He has a new TV series – Osbournes Reloaded – and gets to enjoy some scary experiences with his extreme sports-mad son Jack.
Despite being 60 Ozzy is not about to leave the rock and roll lifestyle behind, though he does admit to enjoying a cup of Yorkshire tea first thing in the morning.
Ozzy has proved that he can still do it musically.
His first new studio album for six years – Black Rain – was an immediate success and stormed to No 3 in US album charts. He has continued to perform live, including shows at the BlizzCon festival and the Sunset Strip Music Festival in California, and the Quart festival in Norway.
Ozzy’s company, Monowise, has a turnover of more than £4 million and is doing nicely, boosted by his touring, personal appearances and his albums. Sharon continues to boost the Osbourne fortune with TV advertising deals and her latest appearances as a judge on America’s Got Talent.
It’s all a long way from Ozzy’s childhood in Lodge Road, Aston, born into a poverty stricken family with six children. Bullied at school and suffering learning difficulties, he found refuge in music, and Black Sabbath was born.
His big leap from rock star to celebrity came in 2002 when he became the unlikely star of an MTV reality TV series The Osbournes. The series, based on the unconventional domestic life of Ozzy and his family, ran for three years and became one of MTV’s greatest hits.
