OZZY OSBOURNE: 'I Want People To Take Me Seriously'

November 15, 2007

George Varga of the San Diego Union-Tribune recently conducted an interview with Ozzy Osbourne. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On substance abuse:

"I don't drink or use drugs today. I don't even smoke cigarettes. I reckon nicotine is the hardest to give up; I've been in rehab with junkies who can get off of the smack, but they can't put the cigarettes down. Somebody asked me, 'What would you have done if you couldn't have done the new album without alcohol or drugs?' I suppose then it would be time for me to call it quits. But this person on my recovery program team said: 'Ozzy's got a lot more years in him. It's not a sin to ask for help.' . . . Even if I don't drink, the disease of addiction is still going on; everyday I have my (12-step recovery) book in front of me."

On his second wife and manager of 25 years, Sharon:

"I love my wife more than anything. I wouldn't be in the position I'm in without her. My wife is the best person in the world not to argue with. Because once she gets going, it's like 'Whoa!' "

On no longer wanting to be a walking punch line now that he's straight:

"Even straight people aren't happy all the time. Even straight people have a bad day or an argument. But what I am geting sick and tired of is, well, I've been sober for a couple of years now and I want people to take me seriously. Because I used to be a piece of (sounds-like-'trucking') flesh and drool on the floor. And now that I've got my (sounds-like-'trucking') head out of the bottle and the bag and whatever (stuff) I was doing, I want people to take me seriously. I have a therapist, and he says: 'Look, do the math. How many years were you geting loaded?' I answer: 'Most of my life.' Then he asks: 'How long have you been clean?' People don't change because they got clean; you have to work at it."

On his future legacy:

"I want to be remembered as a working-class hero, not for biting the head off a (sounds-like-'trucking') bird, or whatever it was. Next year will be my 40th anniversary as a professional musician. I remember when the first BLACK SABBATH album came out (in 1970),and I thought: 'Oh, this will be good for a few years; I'll be to afford a few beers and a bit of dope.' Number one, I don't know how I'm alive. Number two, I don't know."

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