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 individuals wanna get excessive, some individuals gotta begin low, some individuals suppose they’re gonna die sometime. I obtained information. You by no means obtained to go. 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 unimaginable soundtrack of BLACK SABBATH and all issues Ozzy Osbourne,” he continued. “Now, did I disagree — in reality, I not solely disagreed with a giant a part of his life-style, I condemned it. I believe getting drunk and stoned and silly is admittedly 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 can’t harp on that, as a result of I used to be very vital 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 realize what? I liked Ozzy Osbourne. [Ted‘s former band] THE AMBOY DUKES opened up for the BLACK SABBATH live shows in Detroit, Michigan, in 1971, 1972, I imagine it was. AMBOY DUKES and BLACK SABBATH… However Ozzy Osbourne had an unimaginable musical drive.”
Talking particularly about BLACK SABBATH‘s music, Ted stated: “They referred to as it heavy steel, however principally it was blues… Bear 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 realize 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, in the end 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 can not keep in mind however drummer’s identify. However anyhow, we might open up for BLACK SABBATH at Madison Sq. Gardens and Largo, Maryland. 18,000 individuals. Right here they’re huge, big live shows. Lengthy Island Coliseum. It was a lot enjoyable. And I attempted to have a dialog with Ozzy. Like I would like a reminder why clear and sober is the one solution to go. It might 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 had 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, together with your unimaginable music, as a result of it was referred to as heavy steel, but it surely was principally heavier, thicker, grinding rhythm and blues music. And he had an unimaginable, uncanny sense of melody and phrasing and cadence that he gleaned and created his personal fashion and his personal style. Heavy steel — he was the God of heavy steel. 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 complete first section to Ozzy Osbourne. And never solely simply his reminiscence, however it can 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 probably the most great, stimulating, defiant, uppity enjoyable music.
“So, to the Osbourne household, we love you. We pray to your energy. 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 turn out to be misplaced, unsure of our each breath once we lose a liked 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 Nineteen Seventies when Nugent was the assist act for BLACK SABBATH on a North American run of reveals. Ted responded: “Nicely, it does not actually matter as a result of — and backside line is we love Ozzy. He was a form man, a gentleman, a hard-working man, extraordinarily gifted. He did a vocalization and a songwriting musical drive 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 might be actually traumatized [by his passing]. I imply, there’s a whole lot of heartbreak and a whole lot of crying occurring. So we’re with you individuals, 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 dad and husband… And as he obtained clear and sober, he was a enjoyable man. He was a humorous man. He was a cocky man. And extra importantly, he is generally known as the Prince Of Darkness. He was a Christian. He was in opposition to warfare…”
Ted continued: “I have been reviewing a whole lot of the testimonies and celebrations of Ozzy‘s life, and a whole lot of his lyrics had been for peace, supporting the army, good over evil, figuring out the scourge of mankind, being unfavorable and being evil and satanic. So I imagine, I am assured after 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 individuals laughing at [him]”. In an interview revealed 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 after I see a practice wreck, I do not take a look at it and snort — I attempt to save injured individuals. You are not purported to wring leisure out of tragedy.
“Ozzy is a pleasant man, he’s a form man, he’s an especially 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 benefit from my drooling situation to make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} from individuals laughing at me. That is what she has performed. And nobody is laughing with the Osbournes — they’re laughing at them. I discover that soulless.”
On whether or not the Osbournes signify the household life that folks suppose most rock stars have, Ted stated on the time: “That is the worst factor. There’s three ranges. Nicely, there’s clearly 1,000,000 ranges. However let’s go along with the plain three. There’s Jerry Garcia‘s stage: They did so many medicine they died. You do not have sufficient tape and I haven’t got sufficient time to checklist all of the useless assholes. That is Degree 1: The final 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 individuals into it. So now, you could have loss of life and mayhem uncontrolled. That is not an opinion; that is an commentary of [more than five decades of] clear and sober. I would prefer to go see Jimi Hendrix, I would prefer to go see John Belushi, I would prefer to, effectively, I would not prefer to go see Jerry Garcia, he is not one in all my favourite guitar gamers. However that is the last word stupidity: Poison your self to loss of life for no different motive besides that some fashionable asshole thought it was groovy, child.”
Ted continued: “The second stage 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 an especially gifted man. Extra gifted for the truth that he took these abilities he does have, that are average, and offered 50 million information 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 massive ‘D’. Self-discipline. My mother and father taught me to shoot a gun rigorously, 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 dose of. God, I want my dad was nonetheless alive. He may repair these youngsters in a single night time. I’d simply say, Dad, may you repair these assholes for me? Thanks very a lot.
“Degree 3 is those that are good sufficient to not drink and drive, to not poison their God-given presents, and to reside 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 individuals and be completely undisciplined. Take a look at how fats his youngsters are. When you could have youngsters that fats, then they’re simply consuming unhealthy meals, which is a manifestation of a sure cultural depravation the place they can not even monitor their very own well being habits.
“Ozzy, God bless him, is tremendous gifted. He is a superb man. He’s a person of coronary heart and soul and goodwill. He’s a really humorous man, however he is an ideal poster youngster 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 loss of life certificates revealed. The certificates additionally reportedly stated the musician suffered from coronary artery illness and Parkinson’s illness.
A bit of over a month in the past, Osbourne reunited with the remainder of the unique BLACK SABBATH lineup for what was his remaining efficiency on the “Again To The Starting” charity live performance of their authentic hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.