Throughout the July 26 episode of his “Spirit Campfire” present on Actual America’s Voice, Ted Nugent spoke about legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne who died 4 days earlier on the age of 76. Ted stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Within the wind, Ozzy continues to be alive. Some folks wanna get excessive, some folks gotta begin low, some folks assume they’re gonna die sometime. I received information. You by no means received to go. You recognize who’s by no means gonna go? Eddie Van Halen, Dusty Hill, Wayne Kramer and Ozzy Osbourne. And all are dearly departed.
“What an emotional time for individuals who embraced and have fun and can endlessly embrace and have fun the unbelievable soundtrack of BLACK SABBATH and all issues Ozzy Osbourne,” he continued. “Now, did I disagree — the truth is, I not solely disagreed with an enormous a part of his life-style, I condemned it. I believe getting drunk and stoned and silly is de facto disrespectful to God’s present. And he made errors. All of us make errors. I’ve made two. Anyhow, so Ozzy made some errors, so we cannot harp on that, as a result of I used to be very crucial of the TV present that made enjoyable of his situation, made enjoyable of his slovenliness, made enjoyable of his disconnect, made enjoyable of his psychological decline by medicine and alcohol. However you already know what? I beloved Ozzy Osbourne. [Ted‘s former band] THE AMBOY DUKES opened up for the BLACK SABBATH live shows in Detroit, Michigan, in 1971, 1972, I consider it was. AMBOY DUKES and BLACK SABBATH… However Ozzy Osbourne had an unbelievable musical power.”
Talking particularly about BLACK SABBATH‘s music, Ted stated: “They referred to as it heavy metallic, however principally it was blues… Keep in mind, Ozzy at all times celebrated that he was simply obsessive about the spirit, the power, the authority, the musicality of THE BEATLES. And you already know the place THE BEATLES musical authority got here from? Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Mose Allison, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, finally Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, and Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and the Motown Funk Brothers, the Motown supreme artists. Ozzy at all times represented that. So what BLACK SABBATH — Tony Iommi and Geezer [Butler] and… I am unable to keep in mind however drummer’s identify. However anyhow, we’d open up for BLACK SABBATH at Madison Sq. Gardens and Largo, Maryland. 18,000 folks. Right here they’re massive, big live shows. Lengthy Island Coliseum. It was a lot enjoyable. And I attempted to have a dialog with Ozzy. Like I want a reminder why clear and sober is the one technique to go. It would be good to speak to those guys as a result of I do know that Ozzy was given the musical affect by THE [ROLLING] STONES and THE BEATLES and THE YARDBIRDS and THE WHO, and earlier than LED ZEPPELIN, THE KINKS, due to American black artists. All these British invasion guys have been impressed by Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis…
“So Ozzy, thanks,” Ted added. “And the BLACK SABBATH band and Tommy Clufetos and Tommy Aldridge and, and Zakk [Wylde] and Jake E. Lee and Brad Gillis and Randy Rhoads, thanks for enriching the world’s lives, all of our lives, along with your unbelievable music, as a result of it was referred to as heavy metallic, but it surely was principally heavier, thicker, grinding rhythm and blues music. And he had an unbelievable, uncanny sense of melody and phrasing and cadence that he gleaned and created his personal model and his personal style. Heavy metallic — he was the God of heavy metallic. All these different bands — METALLICA and SAVATAGE; I do not even know the names of a few of these bands.
“So we’re gonna dedicate this entire first phase to Ozzy Osbourne. And never solely simply his reminiscence, however it’s going to by no means fade away. Similar to Eddie Van Halen, his music won’t ever fade away.
“So, again to Ozzy, he was a bluesman. Yeah, they intensified the inspiration of these black founding fathers of essentially the most great, stimulating, defiant, uppity enjoyable music.
“So, to the Osbourne household, we love you. We pray on your power. We all know these are tough occasions. It is at all times traumatic, it is at all times heartbreaking and emotional, and we get misplaced, we change into misplaced, unsure of our each breath after we lose a beloved one. Particularly, I gotta inform you, it is magnified when it is such a traditionally profound, influential world determine like Ozzy Osbourne.”
Throughout an look on the “Religion & Freedom” podcast, which is hosted by his spouse Shemane Nugent, legendary rocker Ted was requested what it was like touring with Ozzy again within the late Seventies when Nugent was the help act for BLACK SABBATH on a North American run of reveals. Ted responded: “Effectively, it does not actually matter as a result of — and backside line is we love Ozzy. He was a sort man, a gentleman, a hard-working man, extraordinarily gifted. He did a vocalization and a songwriting musical power to reckon with. So we’re praying for his household and his pals and people hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers on the market which can be actually traumatized [by his passing]. I imply, there’s a variety of heartbreak and a variety of crying happening. So we’re with you folks, and we share your heartbreak, we share your emotion and we share your love for Ozzy. Our hearts are heavy for the Osbourne household as a result of he was an excellent dad and an excellent husband… And as he received clear and sober, he was a enjoyable man. He was a humorous man. He was a cocky man. And extra importantly, he is often called the Prince Of Darkness. He was a Christian. He was towards conflict…”
Ted continued: “I have been reviewing a variety of the testimonies and celebrations of Ozzy‘s life, and a variety of his lyrics have been for peace, supporting the navy, good over evil, figuring out the scourge of mankind, being destructive and being evil and satanic. So I consider, I am assured once I say that Ozzy Osbourne was a Christian.”
Again in 2002, Nugent slammed Ozzy‘s household actuality TV present “The Osbournes” for being “soulless” and singled out Osbourne‘s spouse and supervisor Sharon for “[taking] benefit of [Ozzy‘s] drooling situation to make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from folks laughing at [him]”. In an interview printed at Salon.com, Nugent had the next response when requested for his opinion on the collection that on the time was the highest-rated program in MTV historical past: “I believe the success of ‘The Osbournes’ as a TV present is an indictment of the soullessness of mankind.
“Now, I am only a guitar participant, however once I see a prepare wreck, I do not have a look at it and snigger — I attempt to save injured folks. You are not alleged to wring leisure out of tragedy.
“Ozzy is a pleasant man, he’s a sort man, he’s a particularly gifted man, extraordinarily tenacious, clearly. However he’s the poster boy of why I by no means touched poisons in my life. As a result of I do not need to drool, nor do I need to enable a girl in my life to reap the benefits of my drooling situation to make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from folks laughing at me. That is what she has finished. And nobody is laughing with the Osbournes — they’re laughing at them. I discover that soulless.”
On whether or not the Osbournes symbolize the household life that folks assume most rock stars have, Ted stated on the time: “That is the worst factor. There’s three ranges. Effectively, there’s clearly 1,000,000 ranges. However let’s go along with the plain three. There’s Jerry Garcia‘s degree: They did so many medicine they died. You do not have sufficient tape and I haven’t got sufficient time to record all of the useless assholes. That is Degree 1: The last word failure of people and society to establish lethal conduct. Horrifically, not solely did not they establish it, they fucking celebrated it. They inspired it, they wrote about it, they danced about it, they drew folks into it. So now, you might have dying and mayhem uncontrolled. That is not an opinion; that is an statement of [more than five decades of] clear and sober. I would wish to go see Jimi Hendrix, I would wish to go see John Belushi, I would wish to, effectively, I would not wish to go see Jerry Garcia, he isn’t considered one of my favourite guitar gamers. However that is the final word stupidity: Poison your self to dying for no different cause besides that some stylish asshole thought it was groovy, child.”
Ted continued: “The second degree is Ozzy: you are not useless, however rattling shut. And once more, I am to repeat this: I like Ozzy. He is an efficient man. He’s a particularly gifted man. Extra gifted for the truth that he took these abilities he does have, that are average, and offered 50 million data with them. He surrounded himself with the Randy Rhoadses and the Tommy Aldridges and the Zakk Wyldes and mastered constructing 1,000,000 houses out of timber that most individuals could not have constructed a barn with. That is actual expertise.
“In order that’s Degree 2: You probably did all of the silly issues, however you survived. Nice. Then there may be Degree 3: Ted. He defied the stupidity and his American dream soars on the wings of an American eagle. As a result of my happiness — the content material, the fiber, the thrill, the emotion — is all thriving in my life, as a result of I self-discipline myself. Aha! That is what Jerry and Ozzy did not have: The large ‘D’. Self-discipline. My mother and father taught me to shoot a gun carefully, safely, and responsibly, and disciplined me if I did not. I might get my block knocked off, which is what Ozzy‘s little brats want an excellent dose of. God, I want my dad was nonetheless alive. He might repair these youngsters in a single night time. I’d simply say, Dad, might you repair these assholes for me? Thanks very a lot.
“Degree 3 is those that are sensible sufficient to not drink and drive, to not poison their God-given items, and to dwell the American dream of searching for excellence, and the ensuing happiness that may not be stopped.”
In a 2003 interview with Traditional Rock Revisited, Ted doubled down on his criticism of “The Osbournes”, saying: “God bless Ozzy and Sharon. God bless their household. I hope they will discover happiness. What I see is just not happiness; it’s superficial happiness. You do not encourage and far much less enable your youngsters to swear violently at folks and be completely undisciplined. Take a look at how fats his youngsters are. When you might have youngsters that fats, then they’re simply consuming unhealthy meals, which is a manifestation of a sure cultural depravation the place they cannot even monitor their very own well being habits.
“Ozzy, God bless him, is tremendous gifted. He is a good man. He’s a person of coronary heart and soul and goodwill. He’s a really humorous man, however he is an ideal poster baby of why I’ve by no means touched medicine, alcohol, tobacco or quick meals. You get silly, fats, gradual and drooling. He’s an absolute shell of a person. He does not have any capacities bodily or mentally. It’s simply pathetic that somebody would discover leisure or leisure pleasure from watching a wounded man shuffle about and mumble. It is embarrassing.”
Ozzy died on July 22 of a coronary heart assault, his dying certificates revealed. The certificates additionally reportedly stated the musician suffered from coronary artery illness and Parkinson’s illness.
Just a little over a month in the past, Osbourne reunited with the remainder of the unique BLACK SABBATH lineup for what was his last efficiency on the “Again To The Starting” charity live performance of their authentic hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
