Ozzy Osbourne: I’ll Always Be Remembered as ‘The Man That Bit the Head Off the Bat’
Ozzy Osbourne harbors no illusions when considering his legacy, especially when it comes to how mainstream audiences will most remember him. That is, as "the man that bit the head off the bat." The rocker unleashed the benchmark shock tactic onstage 38 years ago and underscored it in a new interview.
Last year, The Washington Post summarized the grotesque memory. A plush bat toy hawked by Osbourne's official store commemorated the occasion. Indeed, during a 1982 concert in Iowa, the singer bit the head off a real bat that "may or may not have been alive." And the musician knows it will follow him forever.
"It's not the way I want to be remembered [but] I know I'll be the man that bit the head off the bat," Osbourne admitted to the Los Angeles Daily News in an article published last week (Feb. 26). The newspaper recently tagged along with the musician as he promoted his latest solo album, Ordinary Man.
The "Prince of Darkness" continued of the bat incident, "That will be my epitaph. It won't be, 'Here lies Ozzy Osbourne … he did a bit of good …' It's going to be 'The bat-biting lunatic,' which … I don't care."
Regardless, Osbourne continues the work of making music for those who will appreciate it the most. His dedication to those listeners was never more evident than on Feb. 21, when the musician held his first in-store signing in a decade at the Amoeba Records location in Los Angeles.
"The fans are what have kept me alive," Osbourne offered. "I knew they had been camping out and about two-thirds of the way through I got a bit fatigued, but I had to keep going. They waited all that time and I'm a little uncomfortable … so what? They deserve my effort."
Last month, the rocker revealed a diagnosis with Parkinson's disease after a year marked by accidents and ill health. Two weeks ago, Osbourne canceled his 2020 North American tour due to health issues.
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