Ozzy Osbourne: ‘Heavy metal stars aren’t monsters’

Ozzy Osbourne has laughed off tales suggesting heavy rockers all hate one another, insisting he and his fellow Ozzfest acts are the best of mates.
The Crazy Train singer co-founded the Ozzfest event 21 years ago after Lollapalooza festival bosses told him there was no room on their bill for his people and their music, and now he’s planning to ring in 2019 with an all-star gig in Los Angeles at the end of the year.
And he can’t wait to hang out with the likes of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson, insisting the heavy rock world is a tight-knit one, full of friends who care about one another.
“People look at heavy metal guys and they think, ‘Oh, they’re bad people’. But we’re really not.” Ozzy tells WENN. “If something bad happens, I’ll get phone calls: ‘Are you OK? Do you need any help?’ This goes back to even when Randy (guitarist Rhoads) got killed.
“I recently contacted Jonathan (Davis – lead singer of Korn) after his wife passed. It means a lot to support each other.”
Davis will also be on the bill for the first-ever New Year’s Eve Ozzfest at the Forum.
Meanwhile Ozzy insists he has no problems working on the last night of the year, adding, “I’ve always wanted to work through Christmas. It’s a good start to the New Year…
“I wanna give the fans a great show. I wanna have fun. I’m bringing in the New Year with a big bang.”
Ozzy reveals he’ll be onstage when the clock hits midnight on 31 December, admitting he will be paying close attention to his set to make sure he’s not mid-song as 2019 begins.
“We’ve got to time it so we can stop for the countdown,” he explains.