I am Ozzy
Ratings6
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings6
Average rating4.3
Born into a life so poor that the whole family slept in one room, Ozzy endured a tough upbringing. Music was his salvation and his band Black Sabbath went on to change the music scene forever.
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I suggest reading my review of [b: Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath 11681414 Iron Man My Journey Through Heaven & Hell with Black Sabbath Tony Iommi https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1318050717s/11681414.jpg 16627587] before reading this one. The same thoughts and comments apply with [b: I Am Ozzy 6952423 I Am Ozzy Ozzy Osbourne https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427769435s/6952423.jpg 7187129] and I'm not going to reproduce them in this review ....When I was a teenager in the 1980's I was always aware that Ozzy was a bad, scary man. He definitely wasn't the shambling person you see on his reality TV program. He was, without a doubt, the Prince of Darkness. But being more into thrash metal at the time, his music always seemed too melodic for me. In fact I recall saying at the time after listening to some of his albums, “they're okay but they're not Black Sabbath”. So, its only in recent years when my tastes have mellowed that I've caught up on his back catalogue. Apart from the same stories being regurgitated when he appears on chat shows, the rest of what Ozzy had to say about his career was somewhat of a mystery to me. So, it was with great anticipation that I picked-up I Am Ozzy and started to read.Hats off to Chris Ayers who has taken Ozzy's recollections and turned them into a coherent narrative. The text is less detailed than in Tony Iommi's book, but perhaps that's because Tony didn't go quite as mad as Ozzy and can recall more? But saying this Ozzy has been on an amazing journey and there are laughs and moments of real sadness too. In a similar way to Tony Iommi, you get the impression that he does not posses isn't much of an ego. It seems like Ozzy has never forgotten his roots. He is also honest too. He feels remorse at the domestic violence and missing so much of his children's lives being high or drunk. There are moments of animal cruelty. He loves guns and he discusses the madness of the TV show. He gives us his thoughts on meeting the Queen and the President, being in jail, his love for Sharon, the list goes on and on. It's amazing how Ozzy is actually still alive, but he's live to tell the tale ... and what a tale it is. If you're a fan of Ozzy Osbourne or Black Sabbath then this book is a must buy. Why not read it in conjunction with Black Sabbath: Symptom of the Universe by Mick Wall and Iron Man too, like I did? By reading supplemental texts I found that it helped to flesh out some of the missing details as I Am Ozzy is more of a series of personal memoirs as opposed to a detailed autobiography.Recommened, although I liked Tony's book more!Quotes:I also highlighted several quotes from the book too. These resonated with me in one way or another and I thought they were worth repeating here:“Hating people isn't a productive way of living. So what's the point in hating anyone? There's enough hate in the world as it is, without me adding to it.”“What can go wrong will go wrong.”“When you're in love, it's not just about the messing around in the sack, it's about how empty you feel when they're gone.”“The power of people, when they focus on something positive, never fails to amaze me.”“I grew up having to piss in a bucket 'cos there was no indoor shitter, and now I have these computerised Japanese super-loo things that have heated seats and wash and blow-dry your arse at the touch of a button. Give it a couple of years and I'll have a bog with a robot arm that pulls out my turds, so I don't have to strain.”“You've got to try and take things to the next level, or you'll just get stuck in a rut.”“‘All I can say is that I lost two of the greatest people in my life,' I said, trying not to choke up. ‘But it ain't gonna stop me because I'm about rock'n'roll, and rock'n'roll is for the people, and I love people, and that's what I'm about. I'm going to continue because Randy [Rhoads] would have liked me to, and so would Rachel [Youngblood], and I'm not going to stop, 'cos you can't kill rock'n'roll.'”“Even now, I have a lot of trouble understanding why Sharon stayed – or why she married me in the first place, come to think of it. I mean, she was actually afraid of me half the time. And the truth was I was afraid of me, too. Afraid of what I'd do to myself or, even worse, to someone else.”“I wasn't exactly much fun to be around. Being with me was like falling into an abyss.”“I even tried to join the army, but they wouldn't have me. The bloke in the uniform took one look at my ugly mug and said, ‘Sorry, we want subjects, not objects'.”
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I really like this book . It's a very enjoyable story, but just short of epic. Certain areas may not be as fulfilling as they could have been. I'm not quite as captivated or blown away, but still had a great experience. I'd recommend this book to others and continue reading from this author. I would probably re-read it.
