Subject:  Ozzy Comes Down To Earth And Finds A New World |
Author:
Kelly
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 20:21:18 10/19/01 Fri
Little has changed about Ozzy Osbourne's signature style in the six years since the release of his last solo album. However, the world around him has managed to turn upside down in just the last five weeks, and he — like so many others — is coping as best he can.
The metal godfather had whittled away the years between 1995's Ozzmosis and this week's release of Down to Earth leading his annual Ozzfest romp, reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates and making guest appearances with everyone from the Wu-Tang Clan to the "South Park" kids.
For his solo return, Osbourne delivers the usual cast of characters (guitarist Zakk Wylde, drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Robert Trujillo) and a familiar sound: heavy, churning and readymade for the arena circuit.
But if the vintage roar remains unchanged, the same cannot be said of the world that Ozzy is releasing it into. Following the attacks of September 11 and the war that they sparked, Ozzy is thinking long and hard about his work.
"When that dreadful thing happened in New York and Washington, I think that the whole Western Hemisphere kind of got to have a rethink about what they're gonna do," Osbourne told MTV News recently. "Suddenly, about two weeks later, I thought to myself, 'What was going on before the 11th of September? The world was different. Chandra Levy was at the top of the investigative report charts. What happened to her?' "
For Osbourne — who was in New York at the time of the attacks — the events inspired at least a few artistic changes, including trimming images of explosions from his video for "Gets Me Through" and toning down the name of his upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, opting for the A Night of Merry Mayhem Tour instead of the original Black Christmas (see "Ozzy, Zombie To Wreak Merry Mayhem On Tour"). Ozzy is also pitching in financially, earmarking funds from select merchandise and the New York-area date of the tour to benefit the relief effort.
"When we play the Meadowlands [in New Jersey], the proceeds of the gig will go to the charity that [radio personality] Howard Stern's running," Osbourne said. "I trust Howard, and we know that [the money is] gonna go to where it's supposed to go to." Stern has pledged that money raised by his fund will benefit the families of police officers, firefighters, EMS workers, and other city employees lost in the September 11 attacks.
Ironically, one of Ozzy's more fitting artistic contributions in the wake of the attacks — the lilting Down to Earth track "Dreamer" — may not have been intentional. "That's another song that came from nowhere," Osbourne said of the track, which features the chorus "I'm just a dreamer who dreams of better days."
"That was written a long, long time ago. People say it's like Ozzy's 'Imagine,' and I take that as a compliment. It's not that I tried to copy 'Imagine,' but it's in that kind of a vein. It lends itself to a bit of hope. It's very positive."
So Ozzy remains hopeful that his vintage blend of up-front riffs and surprisingly optimistic lyrics will give listeners at least a bit of relief from the weightier matters of the day. And as is usually the case, Ozzy himself isn't too concerned with whether or not any of that means sales success for Down to Earth.
"Everybody in the record industry wants to get a platinum disc. I've got plenty of them," Osbourne said. "I've got Grammys. This year I got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... Nothing freaks me out anymore."
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 