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1.0
Introduction (The Osbourne's FAQ)
The Wizard of Ozzy Osbourne
Compiled and edited by David J. Stewart
Few parents realize that there are existing technological devices (evil inventions, Ecclesiastes 7:29) which have been used to develop music which contains subliminal messages... messages that deliberately mess with the listeners head. The following contains shocking information from the Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research (IBAR):
"In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named John M. shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution". When the coroner entered the room, he found the headphones still on John's head. This would be one of the tragedies that caused Ozzy immeasurable grief.
In 1986, Ozzy had just gotten off a plane at LAX airport when people began asking him about the "lawsuits". Ozzy knew nothing about any lawsuit but the details quickly emerged. Three lawsuits had been launched against Ozzy, claiming that his lyrics had caused youths to commit suicide. The family of John hired attorney Thomas Anderson in a lawsuit against Ozzy. Mr. Anderson claimed on the "Don't Blame Me" Ozzy video, that the song contained tones known as 'hemisync' and would cause a person to be unable to resist what was being said in the song.
The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate the song. They claim to have found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the lyrics sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times the normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time listener. The IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough that their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to over and over again." The subliminal lyrics in question were "Why try, why try? Get the gun and try it! Shoot, Shoot, Shoot", followed by a hideous laughter.
Further analysis by IBAR revealed the hemisync tones, which result from a patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual's mental state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the human brain assimilates and processes information. IBAR claimed these tones made John vulnerable to the suggestive lyrics which Ozzy sang.
Ozzy's lawyer claimed that this was nonsense and relied upon the First Amendment of the Constitution to argue that Ozzy could write about anything he wanted. Three people had now taken their lives, and in each case it was Ozzy's 'Suicide Solution' song which was the focus as the cause of the deaths. Mr. Anderson claimed that the words, "shoot shoot, get the gun, get the gun" were audible in the song. There is an effect which can be heard on the song, that could be interpreted as that if one tried hard enough. The sounds were just Ozzy messing around with the soundboard." -SOURCE
Did you read that? ... "The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate Ozzy's music. They claim to have found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the lyrics sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times the normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time listener. The IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough that their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to over and over again."
Ozzy's lawyer argued that Mr. Osbourne could sing about anything he wanted, claiming Ozzy's rights to free speech. Ozzy won! Isn't it crazy that you can be arrested for preaching against abortion; BUT, it's acceptable for someone to sell music that causes teens to commit suicide. America is mentally-ill.
Here's a section of the lyrics from Ozzy's hit song, “Suicide Solution”...
Breaking laws, Knocking doors
But there's no one at home
Made your bed, Rest your head
But you lie there and moan
Where to hide,
Suicide is the only way out
Don't you know what it's really about
Although Ozzy claims that he never intended for his music to cause anyone to commit suicide, the statistics are FACTS. In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named John M. shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's “Suicide Solution.” When the coroner entered the room, he found the headphones still on John's head.1 Dozens of parents have sued Ozzy Osbourne over the suicide of their children from listening to this song.
“I've now been sued by about 25 people who claim their kids committed suicide from listening to my music.”
—Ozzy Osbourne (Source -interview, Ozzy Meets Marilyn Manson, 1997)
Sony Music Entertainment sponsors the official Ozzy Osbourne website at ozzy.com, where one of the bloggers calls parents who have tried to sue Osbourne “idiots,” citing no proof that Ozzy's music influenced those victims to commit suicide.
However, psychological studies have proven that emotionally vulnerable teenagers are at a higher risk of committing suicide from listening to music like Ozzy's.2 In other words, most people can handle it, but some can't. If a teenager is having a difficult time adjusting to life, Ozzy's music is going to put harmful ideas into their head. Unquestionably, apathetic parents are mostly to blame; but Ozzy is also responsible in my opinion. Ozzy's music is like handing a loaded gun to a person who is suicidal. The music itself is a medium through which demons enter into one's mind and soul. Even Ozzy admits Satan's influence upon him...
"I really wish I knew why I've done some of the things I've done over the years. I don't know if I'm a medium for some outside source. Whatever it is, frankly, I hope it's not what I think it is — Satan." (Ozzy Osbourne (Hit Parader, Feb., 1978, p.24)
Everything You Wanted to Know About Ozzy
By Mike L. with numerous contributions by others
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1.1
What was Ozzy's childhood like?
- The year was 1948 and John Michael Osbourne was born on December 3rd ...
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1.2
How did Ozzy start his music career?
- After getting out of jail, Ozzy decided he did not want to go end up ...
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1.2b
Ozzy in Approach
- An old acquaintance of Ozzy's named Jeff Hibbard sent me his story on ...
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1.3
Who was Jim Simpson? (Manager Number One) (The Osbournes)
- Jim Simpson was a musician who played jazz trumpet. He was also the ...
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1.4
Who was Earth/Black Sabbath? (The Osbournes)
- BAND MEMBER FULL NAME ...
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1.5
How did Black Sabbath come to be? (The Osbournes)
- When we hit America we were the wild bunch. We bought dope and f***...
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1.6
Paranoia (The Osbournes)
- While working on their next album the band released a single ...
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1.7
An act of SABOTAGE? (The Osbournes)
- For the first part of their career they were managed by two of ...
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1.8
Don Arden (The Osbournes) part1
- If Jim Simpson sounds like a manager from hell, you should ...
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1.8
Don Arden (The Osbournes) part2
- I had to stop these overtures - and quickly. I contacted ...
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1.8
Don Arden (The Osbournes) part3
- Arden has always been strongly protective of his family, so it is ...
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1.8
Don Arden (The Osbournes) part4
- There was one final footnote to the Arden/BBC extravaganza ...
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1.9
Manager Number Two (The Osbournes)
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1.10
When and how did Ozzy leave Black Sabbath?
- By now, all four members of
the band were staying in their rooms all ...
2.0 Ozzy and Randy
After being fired from Sabbath, Ozzy
spent three months staying in the
Le Parc Hotel in Los Angeles. He would order out for pizza and booze
and have his dealer drop off cocaine for him. He basically thought
his
life was over. It was around this time that his friend Sharon Arden
suggested he start a new band. Over in Los Angeles, a 23 year old
guitar player named Randall William Rhoads was turning heads.
Randy's father was a music teacher and his mother ran a music
school. The following comes from the Official Randy Rhoads Web site:
"His love and understanding for music can rightfully be traced back
to
his mother, Delores Rhoads, and to his introduction to music at such
a
young age. Mrs. Rhoads has owned and operated the Musonia School of
music in Burbank, CA since 1949. After graduating from UCLA with a
bachelors degree in music she taught in the Los Angeles School
system
before leaving to play professionally and to start her Musonia.
Randy's father was a music teacher himself, but he left when Randy
was
17 months old, leaving Mrs. Rhoads to raise her three children,
Randy,
Kellie and Kathy, and to head the music programs Musonia school of
Music, Burbank, CA." The website is:
www(dot)csun(dot)edu/~igra/rhoads/
Born Dec. 6, 1956 in Santa Monica, Randy was with Quiet Riot (who
are best remembered for their hit "Cum On Feel The Noize"). Randy
had recorded two albums with Quiet Riot, released only in Japan.
Randy was introduced to Ozzy through Dana Strum (now of
Slaughter). Randy showed up at Ozzy's audition and reportedly
played for just five minutes before Oz said he was in. With Bob
Daisley on bass and Lee Kerslake on drums, they recorded an album,
"Blizzard of Ozz", in England. The album would also contain a
melody titled "Dee" which was dedicated to Randy's mother,
Dolores, a source of inspiration for Randy. The album was released
on Don Arden's JET Record label. What about Don Arden and Black
Sabbath? Well when Ozzy was fired, and Ozzy went solo, the record
company said bye-bye to the Sabs.
Ozzy then decided to tour, with his first solo concert in Glasgow,
Scotland on September 12, 1980. What you probably don't know is
that Ozzy had two shows before his debut under the band name of
"Law". The opening day of his first solo concert he and Sharon
paced the streets nervously. Since people in Scotland usually
showed up at the concert without prepaying for tickets, they had
no way of knowing how many people would show up. As it turned out
it was a big success.
Ozzy played all of his Blizzard of Ozz album and some Sabbath songs.
Eventually he broke down and cried because he realized that he could
make
it on his own without the other three Sabbath members with whom he
had
paved the road to success. You must realize that when Ozzy was in
Sabbath
he was really not a contributing member of the band. Geezer wrote
most of
the song lyrics and Ozzy would come by and sing the words, but he
had
little to do with the actual contributions to the songs[*]. Now Ozzy
and
Randy were the main writers and had equal say as to what went into
the
songs.
[*] Ozzy did write 'Am I Going Insane' (his feelings about society's
views
towards him and his anger towards society) and 'Who Are You?'
Since this chapter will be the end of the Black Sabbath era, here is
a list
of the albums which were recorded with any of the original members.
As you
can see, in the end only Tony chose to remain in the group:
Ozzy Tony Bill Geezer
=======================================================
Black Sabbath * * * *
Paranoid * * * *
Master of Reality * * * *
Volume 4 * * * *
Sabbath Bloody * * * *
Sabotage * * * *
We Sold Our Soul * * * *
Technical Ecstasy * * * *
Never Say Die * * * *
Heaven and Hell * * *
Mob Rules * *
Live Evil * *
Born Again * * *
Seventh Star (was to be solo) *
Eternal Idol *
Headless Cross *
Tyr *
Dehumanizer * *
Cross Purposes * *
"Who do you think you were in previous incarnations?"
"I think I was a bat" ... Ozzy some years before the "incident"
2.1 What the hell is this about biting a bat? (Diary of a Madman) (The Osbournes)
The following year, "Diary of a Madman"
was released. An
interesting note, Ozzy's son, Elliot is shown on the album cover.
Though production of the album was rushed towards the end so that
the band could get out and tour, Ozzy has said he liked this album
better of the two. The album came out the same time as Sabbath's
Mob Rules album. Diary soared to the top 15 on US charts while Mob
Rules remained at #29. Ozzy's first two albums would sell over 6
million copies. As they toured, Randy would often hold a guitar
clinic for kids who wanted to learn to play guitar. A kid named
Joe Holmes took lessons from Randy, and would later have an impact
on Ozzy's life as well.
The Diary tour was nicknamed Night of the Living Dead tour due to
various
misfortunes: The entire band was expelled from a San Diego over
Ozzy's
reputation, the prop truck broke down, and in Minneapolis a crane
fell and
crushed $8000 worth of synthesizers. On the upside, the stage
setting for
Diary of a Madman was a huge castle complete with fog. The drummer
was
situated on a raised platform, and there was an opening in the
center of
the stage where a dwarf would come out to give Ozzy water and
towels. The
dwarf was actually Little John Allen who played R2D2 in Star Wars.
It has
been brought to my attention that Kenny Baker actually played R2D2
so I
don't know which name is correct. John Allen suffered mock abuse by
having
pig entrails tossed at him, he was stuffed into a hole and he was
even
hanged for prolonged periods from a noose (as shown on some videos).
This
was accomplished with a harness so as not to really choke him, but
how did
he manage to stay up for so long??
During the Diary tour, Ozzy would throw raw meat at his audience. It
was
even part of his contract that 25 pounds of calves livers and pigs
intestines be thrown. A parent once phoned the promoter of the show
asking
how to get blood out of the clothes. As the tour continued, people
would
bring meat to the show to throw back at him. As time passed, the
audience
brought dead frogs, cats, snakes, etc. to throw onto the stage.
Once,
someone threw a toy doll onto the stage and Ozzy freaked out
thinking that
someone had thrown a real infant up on stage.
On Jan. 20 at a Des Moines, Iowa concert some winner threw a real
bat up on
stage. The bat lay still because of the spotlights on the stage, and
so
Ozzy picked it up, THINKING IT WAS A TOY RUBBER BAT. He bit into the
bat,
taking off its head. Immediately the audience and Sharon freaked
out. Ozzy
was rushed to emergency to have rabies shots. It is reported that at
the
time he was treating the whole thing as a joke, apparently barking
like a
dog when wheeled into the hospital. He sent the crew back to find
the bat
to find out if it was in fact real or not, the bat could not be
found. The
shots would continue for about a week, with needles in each buttock,
arms
and leg. Ozzy would also faint or collapse at the concerts which
followed.
Ozzy's advice on the situation is, "if you want to be a complete
dick, try
it". Subsequently the bat would become a symbol for Ozzy on his
upcoming
albums, and even a tattoo. The animal humane society would become
involved
and show up to boycott Ozzy concerts. From this point on, he was
marked a
madman and his reputation began to precede him. One such nasty
rumor, and
sure sign of people's ability to go overboard with gossip and rumors
is
this little gem: Before one concert even started, Ozzy supposedly
threw
three small dogs into the audience. He refused to play the show
until all
the dogs came back to him dead. The story is not true. It was the
honest
mistake with a bat which would cement itself in people's minds, even
to
this day.
[Ed: I can recall when Ozzy came to my home town on the Diary tour,
the
SPCA and police were there threatening to take action if any animals
were
harmed on stage. Ozzy has never returned.]
"If they were buzzing the bus, like people say, it probably meant
that Randy was struggling with the pilot to stop him from crashing
it"
-Kevin Dubrow of Quiet Riot
2.2 When and how did Randy Rhoads die?
In 1981, Ozzy divorced his
first wife, Thelma. They were separated soon
after the day he came home (drunk) to find a bailiff at the
door, and all
of his belongings outside. He was told that if he stepped
inside the house
he would be arrested. Ozzy was not exactly what you would
call a father
figure. He would leave home for days, weeks, at a time and
stay at friends
places until they kicked him out. Rather than go through the
divorce
proceedings, Ozzy told her to just keep everything. By now
Ozzy and Sharon
had gotten to the point where they decided to get married.
Sharon had been
hoping this would also get Ozzy a better deal since her
father was the one
managing the recording and managerial contracts.
On March 19th, 1982 Ozzy and his band were on their way to
Orlando, FL from
Knoxville, TN. The show was to feature Foreigner and UFO.
Ozzy and Randy had
been talking about their recent success. Randy mentioned
wanting to leave to
pursue a degree in classical guitar at UCLA. Ozzy has said
that if Randy
were still alive, it is doubtful that Randy would still be
playing with
him.]
During the trip, they stopped to do some repairs on the tour
bus at
its base near Leesburg, Florida. The bus driver, Andrew
Aycock (36)
invited some of the people for a ride in his Beechcraft
Bonanza
airplane (9-10 am). The bus driver took Don Airey and Jake
Duncan (the
tour manager) for a spin. Aycock had been involved in a
previous
accident in which a young boy was killed.
When the plane landed, the driver went for another ride,
this time
with Randy and Ozzy's seamstress, Rachael Youngblood, 58.
The pilot of
the plane was presumably under the influence of cocaine (it
was later
found in drug tests).
The pilot's ex-wife was standing outside the bus and it is
assumed the pilot
dove the plane into the bus in an attempt to kill her.
Aycock circled the
bus three times, and on the fourth pass, the plane clipped
the tour bus and
careened into a nearby house where it exploded. Ozzy ran
into the
house and pulled out a deaf man, who was unaware of the
fire.
Rachel and Randy were both killed in the crash. The fire
destroyed the home,
and adjacent garage.
Ozzy's new solo career had come to a screeching halt.
He would continue the tour in April with a quick shoe in of
Bernie Torme.
Bernie used to play guitar for Gillan (Ian Gillan, who would
join Sabbath).
Bernie would not stay with Ozzy long however. Bernie left
Ozzy's band. The
reason is not known for sure. Some people say he was not
used to playing big
gigs. What is known is that Bernie had a UK tour lined up
for his 'Electric
Gypsies' album. His departure from Ozzy was bound to happen.
Brad Gillis left 'Night Ranger' to replace Torme for the
remainder of the
tour. Brad Gillis also appeared on the 'Speak of the Devil'
LP. After the
tour Ozzy would hire Jakey Lou Williams (Jake E. Lee) with
whom he recorded
1984's 'Bark At The Moon' album. Gillis would later rejoin
Night Ranger.
Brad may have wanted to stay on with Ozzy but Oz didn't
really think the
two of them were compatible.
On Feb. 19, 1982, while visiting San Antonio,
Texas, Ozzy was again drunk after drinking a bottle of
Courvoisier. Sharon
decided to lock his clothes in the hotel room so that Ozzy
would not go
outside and cause trouble. To solve this problem, Ozzy
dressed up in one of
Sharon's evening gowns. While taking some photos of himself
in drag, he had
to urinate and did so on the historical Alamo building. The
Alamo is the
1836 site of the legendary battle between the Texans and the
Mexican army.
Ozzy was arrested and charged with defiling a national
monument and banned
from playing in San Antonio any further. This would be
another blow to his
image that would haunt him to this day. The ban was
eventually lifted.
I received a piece of email from one of the officers who
arrested Ozzy
at the Alamo. Contrary to the dress we was supposed to be
wearing,
he says Ozzy was not in one. This is just one of the many
contradictions
in this FAQ. Until they can be proven, they will remain.
Here is the e-mail I received (Thanks Sam):
"I am one of the officers who arrested Ozzy at the Alamo and
to set the
record straight he was not wearing a womans clothes. He had
on athletic
shoes with no socks, a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants with
no underwear.
He also had a pack of cigarrettes rolled up in one sleeve.
He was wasted
and he never spoke. Billy actually arrested him and I
was driving the "wagon" that day. The wagon is a van
outfitted for prisoner
transport. I was called to transport him from the Alamo to
jail. The jail
was then
directly across from the S.A.P.D. and it now is the
Wackenhut federal parole
violator jail. I've kicked myself several times since then
for not having
kept copies
of the reports.
I know what he was wearing because I searched him for
weapons and had very
close contact with him. Half way to the jail, which was only
about a mile
away the dispatchers were already calling wanting to know
who had him in
custody. By the time I dropped him off there was a long
black stretch limo
waiting for him.
You might note for your records he was actually given a big
break. He was
arrested and booked for public intoxication a class "C"
misdemeanor which
carries a max $200.00 fine. The law that more appropriately
applied was
"Desecration of a venerated Object" which covers among other
things
"Shrines." The Alamo is considered a shrine.
You can post my info on your web page if you like. I think
it would be cool
to hear from fans to answer their questions.
Check back later on the report. Send me the exact date again
as I really do
not remember and I'll try to get it for you. "
(Where did you go Sam?)
Ozzy married his long time friend Sharon, on a
Honolulu-Hawaii beach on
July 4, 1982.
2.3 What is this about a dove? (The Osbournes)
While the bat incident which
still haunts Oz's reputation to this day can
be called an accident, the incident with the dove can be
called stupidity.
Here is the story: After leaving Black Sabbath, Ozzy was
rejected by many
record labels. Tony Martell, CBS records executive, signed
Ozzy to a
contract. Ozzy and wife Sharon were being introduced to the
head executives
of CBS records in Los Angeles (Guitar Magazine claims it was
New York).
CBS was not too interested in Ozzy because they had just
signed Adam Ant.
Ozzy was just another album to them, and they were not
interested in the
person behind the music. Sharon decided it would be a
good publicity stunt for Ozzy to walk into the office and
throw two doves
up into the air.
The stunt worked, and made CBS pay attention to Ozzy. It
also made the
nation pay attention to Ozzy as well: After throwing one
dove up in
the air, Ozzy bit the head off of the other one. It is not
known
whether Sharon intended for Ozzy to actually bite the dove's
head off
or not. Ozzy has already admitted he (not surprisingly) had
drunk a
bottle of booze beforehand. Make no mistake about it, Sharon
Osbourne
is a shrewd marketer and I wouldn't put any dirty trick past
her. What
follows is an interview with an eyewitness (from Epic) who
saw the
event:
Q: What happened?
A: It was a normal Thursday morning marketing meeting down
in the
conference room. It was just prior to the release of Ozzy's
first solo
album. His management and Jet Records, which is the
associated label that
puts out his albums, had arranged for him to pay a little
surprise visit to
us, to say "Hi, my name is Ozzy Osbourne, and let's make
this record a
hit".
Q: Is it unusual for the artist to come to a marketing
meeting?
A: No, they seldom do. We've had people from time to time
just come in.
Their manager arranges for them to drop by and say,
"Surprise!" just to
push the album.
Q: Then what happened?
A: He walked in with Sharon, who later became his wife, and
[withheld] from
Jet Records. They introduced Ozzy all around, and there was
a photographer
with them. They sat him down on the arm of a chair, and he
pulled a dove
out of his pocket. I looked at it and thought, "Gee how
cute!"
Q: It was a live dove?
A: I'm ninety-nine and nine-tenths sure it was alive, but
now I can't say
for sure. I remember I was leaning forward and thinking,
"How cute," and
suddenly he bites its head off. There was blood on the
floor. I think he
ate the head; he started spitting some feathers out. I was
in shock. It's
hard to remember too much after that, to tell you the truth.
It was
horrible.
Q: What was the reaction of the people in the room?
A: There was a stunned silence, and they got him out of
there, fast. It was
just very quiet-not a good reaction, I would say. People
were going,
"Yucch!". Some looked as though they thought it was a fake
bird, that it
was all just a publicity stunt. And others said "No, it's a
real bird and
what a horrible thing to do." Personally, I thought it was
an awful thing
to do even if it was a fake bird. Sharon called up afterward
and sort of
apologized.
Q: Do you think it was her idea all along?
A: Oh, I know it was. I said to her, "He's not mad, just
desperate for
publicity."
Q: Did it work? Did he get the publicity?
A: I don't think it worked in getting Epic Records to take
notice, but I
think it did work as far as getting the kids to take notice.
When the story
leaked out, with photos and all, it got around everywhere.
I'm sure Sharon
was calling columns all over the country. That sort of
became the Ozzy
legend, that and all the other things he did afterwards.
Q: Sharon said that Epic wasn't taking any notice of Ozzy
before this
happened.
A: I feel that people were already aware of Ozzy, prior to
the meeting. My
impression was certainly that he was a major artist we were
going to be
working with. I doubt if it changed our impression one way
or the other,
although I could be wrong. Obviously, he went on to great
success, and
maybe that was part of the reason, but who am I to say?
Q: So it was all definitely planned in advance?
A: Definitely. It was not a spontaneous act. He just didn't
walk in and
happen to find a dove hanging out in the CBS reception area
and say, "Gee,
I'll take this in with me in case I get hungry and they
don't have coffee
and doughnuts." It was right in his jacket pocket. Come to
think of it, he
had two of them. That was it: he had two of them, one in
each pocket. He
let the other one go afterwards. Everyone made him do it. He
took the other
one out of his pocket and everyone screamed, "No, don't do
it again!"
Q: Did the second one fly away? That would indicate the
first one was
alive, wouldn't it?
A: Not necessarily. He might have had one live one and one
fake one. It's
just all so hazy; I was so shocked.
2.4 Wife as manager/Speak of the Devil (The Osbournes)
"I am something of a madman. I
can do nothing in moderation. If it's
booze, I drink the place dry. If it's drugs, I take
everything and then
scrape the carpet for little crumbs. I took LSD everyday for
years - I was
spending about $1000 a week on drugs... I OD'd about a dozen
times."
...Ozzy on his addictions
Once married, the better deal they had hoped for fell
through.
Sharon did not want her father controlling Ozzy's future any
more.
It was decided that the two of them would buy out Ozzy's
contract
from her father. Before they could buy out Ozzy's management
and
recording contracts, Ozzy still had to deliver an album
under his
old contract. Since he wanted out badly, the result was the
purposely low-budget live album "Speak of the Devil". This
album
was a live concert recorded Sept. 26 and 27th at The Ritz in
New
York. After the album was done, Ozzy could then leave his
contract
with Sharon's father.
Don would not give it up so easily though, even for his own
daughter. The
newly married couple, not having much money, had to buy
Ozzy's contract for
over $1.5 million dollars from her father. Sharon has not
spoken with her
father since. Speak of the devil was released in November of
1982.
The runes on the border of the 'Speak of the Devil' album
and inside cover
actually translate into meaningful phrases. The translation
is found in
Ozzy's autobiography book:
"Howdy! Dial-A-Demon productions in conjunction with
graveyard graphics
proudly presents the madman of rock dumping into El Satanos
toiletto. "
"A tribute to Randy Rhoads, the axeman. That kid was my
lifeline, you
know?
He was such a dynamic player and I'd rather not talk about
it anymore
because it cuts me up every day of my life.
Randy Rhoads rest in peace and love."
One of the conditions for the transfer of Ozzy's contract
from Don to
Sharon was that she get him to enroll in the Betty Ford
center for his
drinking problems. She did this by telling him she was
"going to teach him
to drink like a gentleman". Ozzy took this to mean that he
would learn how
to drink properly, not at all what the Betty Ford center was
for. When he
showed up, he asked where he could find the bar. It didn't
take long to
find out that at Betty Ford there is no bar! Ozzy would also
begin work on
his next album, Bark at the Moon.
2.5 Suicide Solution (The Osbournes)
"I swear on my kid's life I never said
'get the f***ing gun'"
...Ozzy on his Suicide Solution song
"They know what they are putting out. There are people who are out
there
trying to make money, and they have no hesitation to sell your kids
down the
drain. You see a perfectly normal kid there who doesn't show any
signs of
depression at all. Then six hours later, he's dead. Nobody can
explain it.
The only thing we know is that he was listening to this music."
...Father of suicide victim who listened to Ozzy
A song on Ozzy's first solo album, "Blizzard of Ozz" would cause a
lot of
trouble. The song "Suicide Solution" from the start, would have a
very
misleading title and this was understandable. Ozzy wrote the song
after the
singer for AC/DC (Bon Scott) died after drinking heavily one
winter's night
and passing out in his car, dying of hypothermia as a result. Ozzy's
intentions were to talk about alcohol as a DEADLY LIQUID ('solution'
meaning mixture) but the word 'solution' was looked upon as "an
answer"
instead. If you are not familiar with Ozzy's lyrics and true
intentions, I
strongly suggest before you pass judgment, to read the meaning
behind the
song.
Song name:
Suicide SolutionLyrics...
Wine is fine
But whiskey's quicker
Suicide is slow with liquor
Take a bottle drain your sorrows
Then it cuts away tomorrows
Evil thoughts and evil doings
Cold, alone you hang in ruins
Thought that you'd escape the reaper
You can't escape the master keeper
'Cause you feel life's unreal and you're living a lie
Such a shame who's to blame and you're wondering why
Then you ask from your cask is there life after birth
What you saw can mean hell on this earth
Now you live inside a bottle
The reaper's traveling at full throttle
It's catching you but you don't see
The reaper is you and the reaper is me
Breaking laws, knocking doors
But there's no one at home
Made your bed, rest your head
But you lie there and moan
Where to hide, suicide is the only way out
Don't you know what it's really about
The song is clearly about the dangers of alcohol, but the song title
could
be misinterpreted just as well. Try as I might, I just can't see
anything
which tells a person to commit suicide. The only misleading words
are in
the song title. In October 1984, a nineteen-year-old teenager named
John M.
shot himself in the head, while listening to Ozzy Osbourne's
"Suicide
Solution". When the coroner entered the room, he found the
headphones still
on John's head.
In 1986, Ozzy had just gotten off a plane at LAX airport when people
began
asking him about the "lawsuits". Ozzy knew nothing about any lawsuit
but
the details quickly emerged. Three lawsuits had been launched
against Ozzy,
claiming that his lyrics had caused youths to commit suicide. The
family of
John hired attorney Thomas Anderson in a lawsuit against Ozzy. Mr.
Anderson
claimed on the "Don't Blame Me" Ozzy video, that the song contained
tones
known as 'hemisync' and would cause a person to be unable to resist
what
was being said in the song. On Jan. 13, 1986 the parents of John,
sued Ozzy.
The lawsuit was thrown out on Dec. 19, 1986 by a California Superior
Court judge. On July 18, 1988 an appeals court uphold the decision
to
dismiss the lawsuit.
The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to
evaluate
the song. They found subliminal lyrics that weren't included in the
lyrics
sheet. These subliminal lyrics were sung at one and one-half times
the
normal rate of speech and are not recognized by a first time
listener. The
IBAR institute claimed the subliminal lyrics, "are audible enough
that
their meaning and true intent becomes clear after being listened to
over
and over again." The subliminal lyrics in question were "Why try,
why try?
Get the gun and try it! Shoot, Shoot, Shoot", followed by a hideous
laughter.
Further analysis by IBAR revealed the hemisync tones, which result
from a
patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual's
mental
state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the
human
brain assimilates and processes information. IBAR claimed these
tones made
John vulnerable to the suggestive lyrics which Ozzy sang.
Ozzy's lawyer claimed that this was nonsense and relied upon the
First
Amendment of the Constitution to argue that Ozzy could write about
anything
he wanted. Three people had now taken their lives, and in each case
it was
Ozzy's 'Suicide Solution' song which was the focus as the cause of
the
deaths. Mr. Anderson claimed that the words, "shoot shoot, get the
gun, get
the gun" were audible in the song. There is an effect which can be
heard on
the song, that could be interpreted as that. The sounds were just
Ozzy
dicking around with the soundboard. There is the very real
possibility
which we must consider, that the record company wanted to promote
publicity
and placed these tones in purposely, but this is not for me to prove
or
disprove.
Throughout the world, this problem would occur only in America.
People were
forced to now take a look at the family life instead of the actual
music.
Rather than blaming the music, families should have realized it was
up to
the parents to be strong role models and have good communication
with their
children. In all cases, Ozzy was found not at fault and has sworn
that this
was never the true meaning behind the song. Heavy metal seems to be
a scape
goat in which to blame teenagers problems such as drug abuse on. Yet
teenagers who may listen to punk, jazz, or blues music may also
suffer from
substance abuse or commit suicide. As a parent, you should be
keeping not
only a close eye on the type of music your child is listening to,
but get
involved in their lives. Talk to them, ask them how are they doing,
try to
forge some kind of a relationship. When kids turn to heavy metal,
sometimes
though not always, it is a form of rebelling against a society or
education
system they dislike.
What follows is an article written by a group calling themselves
"Truth
About Rock":
'' One teenager who unfortunately succeeded in committing suicide
was 14
year old Eric A. of St. Louis Park, Minnesota. His favorite groups
were Van
Halen, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Quiet Riot, and Motley
Crue.
Eric's mother said, "He watched it (MTV) day and night. He...
watched until(sic) six o'clock in the morning." Eric and his friends were so
obsessed with the rock scene that, the very night before he died,
they held
a séance and attempted to contact(sic) the spirits of dead rock
stars. At
2:30 the next afternoon, with his eyes filled with tears, he said to
his
father, "Dad, I just can't cope with the pressure." He then went
into his
room, took his .22 rifle off the wall rack, and killed himself. ''
[Right here we have some problems. If a kid is spending all his time
in
front of the television, it might be a wise idea for the parents to
intervene. If you just let him soak up videos all day, there may be
a
problem. Hosting a seance is also not a normal social activity for a
teenager. Why did the father not talk to his son?]
''Apparently, he had followed the deranged advice of one of his
favorite
rock singers, Ozzy Osbourne, who preaches in "Suicide Solution",
"Suicide
is the only way out/...Why don't you kill yourself 'cause you can't
escape
the Master Reaper..." {3} ''
[This is bullshit. Ozzy never says "Why don't you kill yourself".
This is a
prime example of a religious group portraying Ozzy as a menace to
society.
If you read the lyrics of his song you would see otherwise.]
'' Though Ozzy preaches such deadly lyrics, he defends himself
saying,
"Parents have called me and said, 'When my son died of a drug
over-dose,
your record was on the turntable.' I can't help that. These people
are
freaking out anyway, and they need a vehicle for the freakouts." {4}
''
[I am not a long hair rock freak. I live a conservative life and am
neutral in my views towards the church and Ozzy. I am not under the
devil's
influence, though some religious person could easily claim so for my
negative views, but from my perspective this religious group is
trying to
blame the actions of this 14 year old on Ozzy. Drug abuse may be
higher
among the 'headbanger' heavy metal crowd, but to shift the blame to
the
music itself seems to suggest the person is all too easily
influenced by
music. Shouldn't television and newspapers also be censored then?]
I will leave the closing words to the remainder of the groups
article:
''Pathetically, Rock Stars themselves are being caught in the
devastating
grasp of suicide. Peter Townshend, formerly of The Who,
acknowledged, "Rock
is going to kill me somehow. Mentally or physically or some thing,
it's
going to get me in the end." {5} I myself spent 6 months
contemplating
suicide every day. The influence of Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll had
almost
destroyed my life. Until, with a knife in my hand, after trying to
cut my
wrists, I cried out "God help me!" From that moment on He began to
change
my life, and a short while later I became a 'born again' Christian.
Whether
you like it or not, you are in a battle for your life. The Devil
wants to
destroy you and he is using Rock music as a primary agent. But God
has not
given you life, only to have it choked out by the demented
obsessions of
Rock musicians. There is only one solution to your problems. Begin
to live
for God and not for yourself. Because Jesus loves you, He came to
Earth to
give His life in your place, so that you wouldn't have to die for
your own
sins. If you give your life back to Him, He will give you the peace
you're
looking for.''
For more information on Rock 'N' Roll, write to: Truth About Rock,Box 9222, North St. Paul, MN. 55109
Note: Since there is a constant turnover of new Rock groups some of
those mentioned above may not currently be "hot". However, be
assured
that other groups have taken their place and continue to present a
similar message.
FOOTNOTES:
{1} National Center For Health Statistics
{2} Aurora Mackey, "The Frightening Facts About Teen
Suicide," Teen, 10/83
{3} Truth About Rock Report, June/July '85, p. 6
{4} "Heavy Metal Mania", Anne Fadiman, Life magazine,
12/84, p.112
{5} Time magazine Dec. 17, 1979, pg. 94
- 2.6 Bark at the Moon (The Osbournes)
- Ozzy's next album would be Bark at the Moon. The title track is a ...
-
2.7
The Ultimate Disaster (The Osbournes)
- After the release of the 1984 Bark at the Moon album and subsequent tour,...
-
2.8
No Rest for the Wicked (The Osbournes)
- The following year, in 1988, Ozzy released his 'No Rest for the Wicked'...
-
2.9
No More Beers (The Osbournes)
- A lot of my drinking friends died in their 40's-heart attacks, ...
-
2.10
Ozzmosis (The Osbournes)
- In 1993, Ozzy was officially retired. His fans had the 'Live and Loud'...
-
2.11
Why did Zakk leave Ozzy?
- Ozzy would name his Ozzmosis tour, Retirement Sucks in an ...
-
2.12
Of Priests and Devils (The Osbournes)
- Years ago a particular news snippet caught my attention. It was a news ...
-
2.13
Will there ever be a reunion? (The Osbournes)
- It depends on what kind of reunion you want to know about. ...
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) Ozz Records
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) 1995-1996
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) 1997 into 1998
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) 1999
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) 2000
- Ozzfest 2000 continued with acts such as Pantera, Incubus, Godsmack,...
-
2.14
After Ozzmosis (Ozzfest) 2001
-
2.15
2002 and the world goes crazy! (The Osbournes)
- The Osbournes portrays Ozzy as a ...
-
2.15
2002 and the world goes crazy! (The Osbournes) Bill Cosby had
this to say on the show:
- First of all, all of you (media) need to stop with this ...
-
2.15
2002 and the world goes crazy! (The Osbournes) Cancer ======
- On July 3rd, 2002 Sharon underwent surgery for recently ...
-
2.16
Kelly Osbourne
- And I'm not trying to be a supermodel, so I wish people ...
-
2.17
Jack Osbourne
- I just find it really immature, I'd like to see them say it to my face,...
-
2.18
Aimee Osbourne
- Aimee remains a mystery, no music release no appearances on The Osbournes....
-
2.19
Who is Robert Marcato? (The Osbournes)
- Editor: This section has been included into the biography because ...
-
2.20
The Family (The Osbournes)
- =====
-
2.21
Money money money (The Osbournes)
- Ozzy is no longer that rags to riches success story that kept ...
-
2.21
Money money money (The Osbournes) Example One
-
2.21
Money money money (The Osbournes) Example Two
-
2.21
Money money money (The Osbournes) Example Three
-
2.21
Money money money (The Osbournes) Example Four
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part1
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part2
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part3
- The Ultimate ...
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part4
- Crazy Babies (Crazy Mix)...
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part5
- The Urpney ...
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part6
- Shake Your ...
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part7
- The Ballads of ...
-
3.0
Ozzy Album Discography part8
- The Ozzman Cometh [Image]...
-
3.1
Rare/B-SIdes/etc. (The Osbournes)
- The following are B-sides, bonus tracks, demos, or unreleased ...
-
3.2
Song Definitons (The Osbournes)
- SWEET LEAF : Marijuana....
-
3.3
Did You Know? (The Osbournes) part1
- Ozzy's LA house has a urinal in the bathroom. The reason for this ...
-
3.3
Did You Know? (The Osbournes) part2
- Ozzy has a sketch of his on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Tokyo?...
-
3.3
Did You Know? (The Osbournes) part3
- In a testament to his supposed animal cruelty... Ozzy was staying in ...
-
3.4
Tattoos (The Osbournes)
- Ozzy has over fifteen tattoos over his body. Some of them are:...
-
3.5
Milestones (The Osbournes)
- Dec. 3, 1948 - Ozzy Osbourne is born in Aston, Birmingham, ...
-
3.6
Questions (The Osbournes) part1
- Q: Where can I find a Black Sabbath FAQ?...
-
3.6
Questions (The Osbournes) part2
- Q: What is said at the end of Crazy Train?...
-
3.6
Questions (The Osbournes) part3
- Q: I saw Ozzy on his recent tour. Why doesn't he play a lot of his ...
-
3.7
Quotations (The Osbournes) part1
- In a weird way, Ozzy is a great anti-drug promotion. Look at him and ...
-
3.7
Quotations (The Osbournes) part2
-
3.8
Fan Club Info (The Osbournes)
-
3.9
Where to find lyrics, tabs, links, and other info (The
Osbournes)
- The internet boasts a vast array of Ozzy and Black Sabbath links ...
-
3.10
Ozzy's Movie Career
-
3.11
Where are they now? (The Osbournes)
- AIMEE OSBOURNE moved out of the house and chooses not to participate ...
-
4.0
Closing Remarks (The Osbournes)
- Black Sabbath are undoubtedly one of, if not, THE band, which created ...
-
4.1
Credits (The Osbourne's FAQ)
- The information from this file was gathered from various sources. If ...
All of the preceding information has been gathered from hundreds of sources all over the internet (and there's a bunch more).
Please feel free to copy and share this information with others.
