It's Critter Time!

Still can't believe he's gone.

I got my first Black Sabbath cassette when I was 14, and I've been a lifelong fan ever since. From the earliest albums of Sabbath to his days performing with greats like Zakk Wylde and Randy Rhoads (RIP, gone well before his time), he's been a staple in my musical rotation for over twenty years.

Rest well, O Prince of Darkness.

RIP

I'm not really a metal- or hard rock head beyond a few very specific exceptions, but you can't help but have respect for Ozzy. A true iconic fireball of charisma, solo or with Sabbath.

This post is just a veiled excuse to share the below song, which many of Ozzy's fans would probably normally scoff at... but which was actually my very first exposure to him and his vocals. Was (Not Was)'s fever dream of a dance track from the early 1990s featuring Ozzy and Kim Basinger (!) trading increasingly surreal non-sequiturs across a slick house beat. I had an extended mix of this on a random various artists hit comp when I was a wee kiddo and I absolutely adored it. And I still do. Great song - and in a way shows just how willing Ozzy was to just take risks, hop on random adventures and have fun.

I'll always remember that time Ozzy Osbourne appeared as himself in Brutal Legend. He's the shop NPC who sells you upgrades for your car, so it's not a huge role, but his performance has a terrific sense of dry humour ("Oh, me? Oh, I'm nobody. I'm just the Guardian of Metal.")

i feel like after sabbath metal got really into glitz and glam and stuff. even ozzy's solo stuff which i love goes more in that theatrical direction. i love how truly evil, and occult the early sabbath stuff feels especially due to ozzys voice. this music really makes me feel like an evil wizard in a way that nothing else does. its a vibe i love channeling. RIP to one of THE guys who popularized metal in the mainstream. massive respect to how he truly managed to live like a vampire!