I Am Ozzy

Growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, I have to admit that I never really appreciated heavy metal music & was not exactly a fan of Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne. However, as I’ve “matured”, some of my musical tastes have “immatured,” and I’ve started to like some classic Ozzy music, particularly “Crazy Train”, “Changes”, etc. With Ozzy’s celebrity re-emerging due to the MTV reality show featuring his family (and some REALLY funny TV commercials), I have become more and more interested in his life story, so “I am Ozzy” was a great way to satisfy my curiosity.

This was an awesome memoir…but before I get into that, here’s a disclaimer. This book is for those readers who are interested in reading an honest show more autobiographical account tracing the life of an important heavy metal rocker who has run the gamut of experiences, including a prison sentence, extreme drug & alcohol abuse, wife abuse, animal cruelty issues, superstardom and ultimate rehabilitation. Written completely in Ozzy’s voice, the reader will feel like he/she is actually have a conversation with the rocker himself, one who doesn’t water down the details of the past or soften his language to do so. This is what makes the memoir so wonderfully real because it truly shows Ozzy how he really IS…but if you are someone who might not appreciate this type of language and candor, you may not want to read this one.

However, that being said, I LOVED this book for the very reasons mentioned above. Starting with his childhood & traveling to the present day, Ozzy gives the real scoop about his life, without leaving anything out. I think it’s great that he does not try to gloss over the negative elements of his past and he doesn’t try to make excuses for himself…while he is not proud of many of his actions, he knows that these are the experiences that make him who he is, and he should not deny his past. …and despite the seriousness of many of these issues, Ozzy is an outstanding storyteller who is also soooo funny…he definitely had me laughing aloud throughout the book (sometimes after saying to myself “Ewwwww…TMI Ozzy!”, but that’s beside the point :P).

I definitely think this is an important book for anyone who loves Rock & Roll and wants to learn as much as possible about the history of Rock. I’ve seen books about many musicians, singers, etc, but never such a revealing memoir dealing with heavy metal music. Many (including Ozzy himself) have called the rocker a medical miracle…with all the drugs and alcohol he has consumed, a doctor once asked him “How are you still alive?” I think of other musicians from the 60s & 70s who were sooo talented, but who just couldn’t survive the substance abuse…too bad they couldn’t tell us their stories in their own words! Fortunately, Ozzy has survived, and is willing to talk so openly about his memories of his past. His road to rehabilitation has been a long one, and hopefully he will have continued success with it. show less

Kas olete kunagi kuulnud loo mehest, kes hammustas laval nahkhiirel pea maha? Või sellest, kuidas ta sama tegi tuviga? Jah, need lood räägivad legendaarsest rokkarist Ozzy Osbournest. Kuid need lood on vaid jäämäe tipp. "Mina olen Ozzy" on aus ja avameelne autobiograafia mehest, kes on elanud üle kõikvõimalikud hullused ja ekstreemsused, mida rokkstaari elu võib pakkuda.

Ozzy Osbourne'i nimi on muusikamaailmas legend, kuid tema elu pole olnud vaid lavavalgus ja aplaus. See raamat viib teid sügavale tema elu tumedamatesse nurkadesse, paljastades tema võitlused sõltuvustega, surmalähedased kogemused ja isiklikud madalseisud. Ozzy jutustab, kuidas ta üle elas lennukiõnnetuse, mitmed üledoosid ja isegi mõrvakatse show more süüdistuse. Tema elu on olnud täis ohtlikke seiklusi, alates quad-bike'i õnnetusest, mis oleks võinud lõppeda traagiliselt, kuni selleni, et ta on pidanud vastu rohkem kui kolm aastakümmet kestnud alkoholi ja narkootikumide tarbimisele.

Kuidas on võimalik, et mees, kes on elanud nii äärmuslikku elu, on ikka veel meie seas? Ozzy ise ei oska sellele küsimusele vastata. Tema lugu on aga tõestus sellest, et isegi kui sa pärit töölisklassist ja su tulevik näib ette määratud, võid sa oma saatust muuta. Ozzy ei ole lihtsalt rokkstaar; ta on John Osbourne, Astoni linnaosa poiss, kes otsustas tehasetööst loobuda ja haarata elult selle kõige värvikamast küljest. show less

En rolig rock biografi som till skillnad från många andra böcker i den genren inte innehåller massa skryt utan faktiskt är intressan och rolig. Ozzy framstår som galen men sympatisk person som verkligen har förtjänat sin storhet.

Honestly more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Thankfully he had a writer help him out so it wasn't all unintelligible gibberish, it was actually quite interesting. I shouldn't be surprised, he's an interesting and crazy guy and this book really highlights the insanity of his life. He starts with his childhood, formation of Black Sabbath, his first marriage, his obscene amount of alcohol and drug abuse, his marriage to Sharon, his solo career, his second family, his TV show, and getting sober. He's accomplished a lot and how he isn't dead I have no idea. My nose was literally itching from the amount of waffle dust and drugs used. I didn't enjoy all the animal abuse, cheating, or domestic abuse, but at least he owns up to those and show more doesn't make excuses for himself. Overall an interesting fucked up enjoyable read. show less

I like reading autobiographies (and biographies to a lesser extent) but tend to find they can be stale and scripted, very much talking up the individual for obvious reasons.

But, then along came Ozzy Osbourne’s!

I cannot remember a book I have laughed so much at, been shocked, been flabbergasted…and so vivid in description.

Whether you like him or not, this is a book you have to read. Some of you might be disgusted by what you read, others will understand the iconic figure more, others may even come to like him and respect him…and God forbid, some of you might go and buy an album (I have all of Black Sabbath’s albums, and a few of his solo works).

Either way, I don’t give a shit, and I can tell you something, Ozzy doesn’t show more either. What does he care? He’s fucken loaded (no pun intended). ‘Nuff said.

From his childhood, to his early career as a burglar, working in an abattoir, and then forming a band with some randoms and becoming Black Sab, each story is a classic, each classic is a story.

It then splits into a second part which chronicles his solo career, his loss of Randy Rhoads (a must read book if I can find one), and his out of control drug and booze problem (which resulted in attempted murder charges). And for those who know of some of those incidents, the dove, bat, and defecating stories are explained fully.

There is some serious shit in here, some of it will have you laughing nervously, some of it will be beyond comprehension, but most of all, none of it is designed to be anything other than reality, and I think that is the refreshing part of the book, and Ozzy.

But funny!? Heck, my wife would near on jump out of the bed at my roaring. I couldn’t even begin to relate some stories to you, but the Great Dane incident, the visit to the doctor (at the end), and his now and again meetings with other celebs are only a small fraction of the enjoyment.

Get it, read it, and then listen to the music. Sometimes you just cannot judge a book by its cover…trust me. show less

It took my most of the first chapter to stop hearing Ozzy’s slurred British accent as I read, but once I got over that this book was very entertaining, as in LOL funny at times. How Ozzy is still alive is a mystery. He doesn’t skip anything in the book. The drugs, alcohol, drugs, more booze, even more drugs, bats, pigeons, jail time, etc are all there. If these are the stories he can remember I’m not sure we want to hear the stories that he’ll never remember. I thought the Motley Crue book set the bar pretty high for rock and roll debauchery, but Ozzy shows that he is the master in that dubious category. I was really expecting him to deny some of the more outrageous stories I heard as a teenager, but it seems as most of it was show more all true. Even with all that, Ozzy still comes off as a genuinely likable bloke. All the usual content warnings apply, this is not a book for anybody that is offended by creative use of the F word. But if you grew up on Black Sabbath and Ozzy, as I did, you’ll want to read this book. show less

I found this book to be hugely entertaining; it serves up one incredible anecdote after another. It really is amazing that he's managed to survive and keep it going after such a long time. Most of the book is just laugh out loud funny, with the exception of two particularly dark moments: the tragic death of his first (and best) guitarist Randy Rhodes, and the time he lands in jail charged with the attempted murder of his wife, Sharon. Despite the fact that Ozzy is a raging alcoholic and drug addict, reading this book I couldn't help but like and admire him for all that he's done.