Special report by "Metal" Tim Henderson

I'm not going to bullshit you here. When I was asked to host/moderate the exclusive and very private Scream album launch at Casa Loma in Toronto, my head filled with excitement and then my heart sank as dark clouds of worry hung over me. Of course this is something you can't say no to. And so I must thank Sony Music Canada and THE OSBOURNES for this tremendous opportunity. But think about it ... you have to address media from across Canada of all shapes and sizes. And then you have to conduct a well-thought-out, coherent chat with The Prince Of Darkness, Mr. OZZY OSBOURNE. Been there, done that before, so I know he can be a tough interview. And Ozzy is always on ... you may have seen him in another light, but don't let Hollywood fool you. He can easily catch you off guard with his sense of humour and playful nature. So no matter how prepared you are, it can get wild n' crazy without notice! And there was also a chance that the metal matriarch Sharon Osbourne may show up. The label itinerary said she'd be travelling with Ozzy, but would she appear? Wow, the pressure! But as many coaches have told me over time, put your head down and grab the puck/ball and focus on the net!

So on Wednesday afternoon May 19th, I arrive at Casa Loma (Spanish for Hill House) in downtown Toronto, a museum and gothic landmark, which was originally a residence for financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. The architect of the mansion was E. J. Lennox who is responsible for the designs of several other city landmarks according to Wikipedia. The castle halls are filled with ornate relics and rare collectibles, all fit for a king. But there is a darkly mystical presence between the walls, especially today as the main hall is set up for a living legend of immense proportions. The godfather of hard rock and heavy metal. One downfall - this entire ceremony is suited for the dark, not a near 30-degree Celsius afternoon in the hot sun! While media and contest winners shuffle in, a hired organist in official garb plays instrumental versions 'Mr. Crowley' and 'Let Me Hear You Scream' to get the small crowd hyped up. Three new songs from Scream are played as a teaser; 'Let Me Hear You Scream', 'Soul Sucka' and 'Let It Die'.

Ozzy and Sharon make their way into the well-secured venue and are ushered into a private room while I meet Ozzy's long-time personal assistant Tony Dennis who has travelled with the BLACK SABBATH icon for ages. It's then time to say hello to our treasured guests as we gear up for the formal festivities. Ozzy, dressed in the obligatory black, darkened shades and shining molten metallic jewellery. Cordial as always, we have a chat about being back in Toronto and how his day has been going - he and Sharon arrived the night before and spent the morning doing high-profile television and radio for cross-Canada consumption. Next up is Sharon, who I've also spoken to before - dressed in black as well, a big British smile, warm and affectionate. We all get miced up and now it's show-time. The official schedule had me asking Ozzy about ten pre-approved questions - all but one was nixed. And it was written word-for-word as follows:

#1) Before we begin the Scream party, I must ask you your thoughts on the tragic death of Ronnie James Dio ... where were you and what went through your mind when you found out one of your fellow metalheads had passed away?

I was told that Ozzy's statement was at his website. No worries. It is quite customary in the world of reporting to deal with the issue at hand ... in this case, Ozzy's new album Scream, especially when the label is trying to build hype to sell some records. So this is the first time in my career that I thought it was appropriate to have a non-album question jumped the queue. I thought you all should know where my head was at.

So the interview portion of the press conference begins after I introduce the Prince Of Darkness to the room. The crowd roars and Ozzy and I sit down in our chairs facing the audience. And the rest of the tale went like this:

"Metal" Tim: Let’s hear it for Ozzy Osbourne once again. Toronto’s almost like your second home. You’ve always thought of us with your promo trips, with your tours. This is an obvious stop. There must be a love for this city.

Ozzy: "It’s great, it’s vibrant, I love Toronto."
"Metal" Tim: Well speaking of vibrancy, let’s talk about this brand-new record, and it is just raucous, it’s upbeat, it’s full of energy, a little bit different than Black Rain, which was more socially aware, a little bit depressing. Where did all this energy come from for Scream?

Ozzy: "Well, a good Canadian producer called Kevin Churko did that. He did a lot of work with me, a good guy to work with, you know?"
"Metal" Tim: And what did he bring to the table?

Ozzy: "A lot. The last two albums have been absolutely clean and sober, and I didn’t know I could do it without alcohol and drugs, but he helped me through it, you know. (a laugh from the audience)"
"Metal" Tim: Now this is almost like a partnership between you and the producer. It kind of reminds me of what George Martin did with THE BEATLES, he was always there.

Ozzy: "I mean, the way you record now is completely different from the way we used to. You don’t use tape anymore. But Kevin was the guy sitting in my studio, working on the sounds, you know. I’m not one of these studio rats that can sit there forever. I’ll go in and out, you know, drive me crazy."
"Metal" Tim: Now I must ask about you recording in The Bunker, recording at home. How do you stay concentrated working at home with Sharon calling you for dinner!

Ozzy: "Well, when I first built my studio at home I thought this is going to be great, recording in my own home, but it was good fun. I mean, the last album Black Rain was done in my house. And we did the filming for the Osbournes."
"Metal" Tim: And you’re able to survive in that environment over an extended period of time?

Ozzy: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Metal" Tim: And how long did it take then?

Ozzy: Well, we started working on it about 18 months ago. We didn’t actually spend 18 months making it. We had breaks and I wrote the book (I Am Ozzy), did a few gigs including the one with Slash. It was a casual thing. I mean, I say casual. Kevin Churko was living in my house. I’d see him briefly in the morning and briefly at night, and be in there getting all the sounds, you know.

"Metal" Tim: So there was no rush to get this thing done, no timeline at all.

Ozzy: "No, I kind of took it easy on the touring the last couple of years, because I was getting kind of burned out, you know; tour, take a break, write some stuff, the same thing every year. That's when I decided to take some downtime and write the book.

"Metal" Tim: But you get to the point in your life when you get antsy and you need to get back in the studio.

Ozzy: "Well, you know, around my house you really get what you asked for because sometimes you get it. I love playing gigs, I love when it’s going good. ??when I’m on the road I want to be at home, when I’m home I want to be on the road, you know. It’s the way I am."
"Metal" Tim: Now let’s talk about this new flash guitar player, Gus G. How does a person that’s based in Greece, in a Greek power metal band, FIREWIND, get the gig?

Ozzy: "It’s a process of elimination. I whittle it down to about 10 then to 5. I mean, Gus is one of those guys who plays the songs as they were written and recording studio, a lot of people come on who want to play differently, so they don’t quite make it. Zakk Wylde and I are not at war. He has BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and it was time for me to get a permanent replacement. I don’t know what Gus is like to work with on the road.

"Metal" Tim: Well since you brought Zakk up, what would you classify the relationship as now?

Ozzy: "It's more than music. He’s part of my family and I’m part of his. I’m the godfather to his son."
"Metal" Tim: And you’re going to be on the road with him soon, too.

Ozzy: "Oh, yeah."
"Metal" Tim: So there was enough friendship there to invite him onto OzzFest again?

Ozzy: "If something were to happen he’d be here in a heartbeat, you know."
"Metal" Tim: So let’s go back to Gus for a moment. What do these young guns do to your soul?

Ozzy: "Well, it’s that hunger, the fact that they want to get that success. They’re hungry and he’s a great player, he’s a really good player. I’m not comparing him to Zakk, I’m not comparing him to all the other guitar players. He’s just, I have high hopes for him. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so."
"Metal" Tim: And was it instantaneous when you heard him play, it’s like, 'that’s the guy?'

Ozzy: "Yeah, more or less. He came up on the short, short list with about 3 left."
"Metal" Tim: Now what does he bring to the table? You said he just adapted to the material right away?

Ozzy: "When I get a guitar player and a member of the band, it’s not just playing. You gotta remember we're living and working with these people on the road. Some times a great player, you find out he’s a Jesus freak and I’m the wrong guy to work with. 'I’ve come to send Satan out of you!'”

"Metal" Tim: Can you tell me about the first jam session and what was the first song that you played?

Ozzy: "'Crazy Train', 'I Don’t Know', 'Bark At The Moon', and he played them perfectly, you know. He played them with ease as well."
"Metal" Tim: Now what are some of your favourite lyrical moments on this record? What are highlights for you?

Ozzy: "'Latimer’s Mercy', that’s quite interesting. There was a guy in Canada (Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer who was convicted of euthanizing his disabled daughter) who killed his kid. The big thing about it, ‘cause Kevin comes from Canada. He was telling me about it and I said, 'we should write a song about it.' And it must be a very difficult thing when you get a child and it’s all messed up. The quality of life, when you get sick, the agony?? I don’t know whether I could that to my own kid. It’s like a mercy killing.

"Metal" Tim: And how did you connect to that?

Ozzy: "I thought, 'well, to put your child to death it’s a quality of lifestyle, is a big decision.' Not the fact that you’re going to jail, but the fact that you’re killing one of your own children, you know. But I’m not one of these guys 'it’s wrong, you shouldn’t do that, or you did the right thing.' I’m middle of the road. I kinda question myself, thinking 'how would I deal with that,' you know. It’s a very big decision to make."
"Metal" Tim: In terms of just the music, where do you think you stretched yourself this time?

Ozzy: "Well, it wasn’t so much. Kevin Churko was a very good help for me. We’d argue, we’d agree, it’s like it’s a very different process on this last album because it was basically done in the studio where. I used to go with the other albums and go and jam with the band. The next album, we'll see ‘cause when you do it in the studio, it’s kind of like a different process. You lay the foundations and build from there, you know. It was a good process. I keep going on about Kevin. Kevin was a great for me to work with, he’s a really, really good guy.

"Metal" Tim: So were you pulling your hair out at some point in time, did it drive you crazy, or was it just a comfortable??

Ozzy: "When I’m making music, I don’t want anybody to give me advice, so it’s me saying that and taking advice from Kevin, or my wife Sharon or the kids or whatever. And I don’t listen to new music so I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t really want to change from my roots to be like one of these new metal bands. I’ve met a lot of guys in the past who change. So I listen to young people’s advice, you know, but whether I take it or not is a different thing."

"Metal" Tim: Now when you hit the stop button, where is your favourite playback area? Is it your car or favourite set of speakers at home?

Ozzy: "I used to go, “okay, everyday Joe Blow doesn't have all this sophisticated stuff. So I try and get something similar and if it sounds good on a cheap player, it’s gonna be okay, but now, even cheap players sound awesome.

But I listen to it in the car, and on my Bose system I have."
"Metal" Tim: Now does the title Scream mean something deeper than the obvious?

Ozzy: "Well, it’s perfect for me. I was gonna call it Soul Sucka and everyone was saying 'you don't want me walking around Ozzfest with a Soul Sucka t-shirt on! I'd feel like I'm a hip-hopper and I'll get beaten up!' I’m like, 'what’s he goin’ on about?' I had no idea it was 'sucka was a thing they used in hip-hop. I’m sorry."
"Metal" Tim: Now, can you tell us about the artwork? The angels’ wings, the image, where are you pointing?

Ozzy: "That’s my wife, that’s my wife, now you ask her. She’ll be up in a minute."
"Metal" Tim: Well, that’ was supposed to be a surprise. (whistle from the audience) You didn’t hear that. Okay, so we’re gonna hear about the artwork later then. Ah, you’ve seen a lot of changes in the music industry over time, but none more threatening to musicians than the digital age. How do you think you’ve adapted?

Ozzy: "Well, you know what, I don't like using my cell phone. I mean, we rely so much on this technology. But you know what, it’s a necessary evil, you’ve gotta be a part of it or you’ll be left in the wayside, you know. And my wife, my staff, my kids, everybody uses these iPads now."
"Metal" Tim: Part of the solution is what you’ve done with OzzFest, tying in the tickets with the sale of the records.

Ozzy: Well, 24 hours, my wife never stops, you know. 'Remember me, we’re married.'

"Metal" Tim: Now this is a dream bill this year for fans. Did Jack have a hand in picking it this year, or who chose?

Ozzy: "My wife’s the one you should ask."
"Metal" Tim: There’s three questions for Sharon then. Can we go back in your past for just a moment?

Ozzy: "Whatever you wanna do, sir, as long as it’s not too far back, like last week."
"Metal" Tim: We heard the news recently that your first two legendary solo records are celebrating their 30th anniversary and there might be some special editions coming out. Can you tell us more about this?

Ozzy: "Ask Sharon."
"Metal" Tim: And I guess this will be another Sharon question: There’s also rumours of the Randy Rhoads DVD that is supposed to be coming out, that kinda footage.

Ozzy: "It's amazing. Just when you think you've seen it all or somebody finds more. It’s really good, one of the very early concerts in New York. I was watching and going 'wow, you know.' It’s really interesting. He’s a special guy, that guy. I wish he was still here to do music now, you know."
"Metal" Tim: Now how would you compare, when I listen to this record I do hear some of the classic Ozzy-era riffs.

Ozzy: "See what happens, when you get it all ready to put it on the record I go, “wow I can hear my Sabbath roots, I can hear my solo roots and I can hear this new thing.' It’s a really, it’s like a surprise every time I make an album. it’s really an interesting thing you know. Just took its own shape."
"Metal" Tim: How would you compare Gus to Zakk and even to Randy?

Ozzy: I don’t compare anybody to anybody. I’ve been fortunate playing with some incredible musicians. Not just guitarists, but drum and bass players, keyboard players. I had some great bands. But I’ll say one thing about great bands. There’s only one band to play Black Sabbath stuff - Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and myself."
"Metal" Tim: And is there any future to that remark?

Ozzy: "There could be. I never say never. Never never never never.

"Metal" Tim: Are you comfortable talking about that?

Ozzy: "Well whatever, you know. No (he jokes)."
"Metal" Tim: Are you gearing up for this OzzFest. Are you in rehearsals?

Ozzy: "Oh yeah, I’m trying but I'm been doing this record promotion for a bit, you know. It’s good to be here."

"Metal" Tim: It’s great to have you here. (big cheers and claps from the audience) Well, I know there’s other media here and there’s fans that wanna ask Ozzy some questions.

Ozzy: "Fire away, folks!"

Sharon Osbourne enters the room to big applause and I give up my seat so the pair can address the audience face to face!

Ozzy: "I know you, don’t I?"

Sharon: "I think we’ve met."

"Metal" Tim: Perhaps you can answer some of the questions that Ozzy can't?

Sharon: Go on, what are they?

"Metal" Tim: The 30th anniversary editions of Diary and Blizzard. We heard rumours that they might be coming out this year.

Sharon: "They definitely are coming out this year. They’re coming out for Thanksgiving, they’ll be on the market then."
"Metal" Tim: Can you tell us the extras, the goodies that the fans are looking for?

Sharon: "It’s going back to the original recordings with (Bob) Daisley (bass) and (Lee) Kerslake (drums), and there will be a lot of stuff that you haven’t heard before in the packages. Um, certain conversations that were going on in the studio at that time, where the guys were just messing around while the tape was still rolling. All of that will be added in, too.

Ozzy: "Do I sound good?"

Sharon: "Fabulous!"

Ozzy: "That’s my baby." (big laughs)

"Metal" Tim: There’s talk as well that there’s some visuals in the archives with Randy? There’s a show that might be coming out?

Sharon: "We’ve got two different shows that we have in the archives that we’re working on right now, and of course, you know, in those days I think the tapes were like up to 20 minutes and then you had to change the tape. So we’re trying to clean it up, make sense of it, and we’re working on it, yeah. Along with another film that we have of Randy. So it’ll all be boxed together. So, I mean, it should be a great piece to have for a real fan. It’ll be an amazing piece."
"Metal" Tim: The OzzFest bill this year, that was part of your decision-making. It’s a fantastic bill. Can you tell us about the bands that were chosen and how you feel about getting back on the road again?

Sharon: "Yeah, I felt at the time that after we did Free OzzFest that it was time to take a break, and then when you take your break, you know, it’s like you stay away for a year and then your spot’s filled up with other festivals, you know. They come in and take your place and you know the competition gets more and more, which is healthy. It’s natural and that’s a healthy process. But coming back out this time it was like, 'whoa.' Everybody, it just seems to me, that in the space of two years everybody wants to be something else. And everybody wants to still be bloody alternative or hard rock. 'We’re not metal, we’re not metal, no, no, no, no, no.' Going to ALICE IN CHAINS who are really good friends of ours, you know. They’re a great band, great friends, and they’re too alternative for us. That’s why they took PAPA ROACH to support. So when you’re dealing with people that think like that, it’s very hard to put a tour together, but I think we did extremely well at the end of the day. And I think it’s more of an event with what we put together."
"Metal" Tim: We’ve actually talked in the past that the economics of the situation doesn’t really justify it coming to Canada. You’ve done it twice, I believe, in Vancouver and Toronto. Is there a future for OzzFest in Canada?

Sharon: "Well, I mean of course there is. It’s the situation everybody knows too well that there’s more money here than there is in America, but still dealing with American promoters, they still want it all for them. So trying to say, “c’mon, let’s go over to Canada first.” You know, they get it ass-about-face, they always do. But yes, we’ll be coming here as much as you will have us, we will be here."
"Metal" Tim: Just one final question we have that Ozzy directed which relates to Scream: Can you tell us about the artwork?

Sharon: (to Ozzy) "Oh, here we go, I knew that came from you."

Ozzy: "Not me."

Sharon: "Yeah, it did."

Ozzy: "What the fuck do I know about?"

Sharon: "At first, Scream the album cover was meant to be a picture of Ozzy holding a bomb."

Ozzy: "A bomb?"

Sharon: "And, um, I really liked this. I thought it was a great concept. It’s tongue-in-cheek, he just stood there just holding it like a baby. And everybody said, 'oh, no, no, no, no, that’s sick, that’s sick. We can’t do that' so then it was like, 'alright, we’ll do that one then.' And that one was Ozzy with a red flag pointing to that. It means absolutely nothing. There’s no, there’s no hidden..."

Ozzy: But I have had some great conversations. What point does it have to do with fucking Scream?"

Sharon: "Nothing’s got to do with Scream. The picture has nothing to do with Scream. But that’s it."

Ozzy: "You like the wings, though, yeah?"

Sharon: 'Oh, shut up!'

I proceed to congratulate both Sharon and Ozzy for visiting us ... I bow to Sharon and she gives me her hand and I kiss it! How surreal is this! Then the audience Q&A; begins:

Audience question: What’s the difference from when you were 21 to touring now?

Ozzy: "The difference now is that I'm older. It keeps me out of trouble."

Sharon: "The difference is, really, there’s no drugs and...

Ozzy: "Alcohol or fun."

Sharon: "Yeah."

Ozzy: "No fun, just, you know..."

Sharon: "Just work."

Ozzy: "No sex, no drugs, just the rock and roll."

Ozzy: "I like you much better. Oooh."

Ozzy: "The fact of the matter is had I carried on with the way I was living, I wouldn’t have been here, I’d be long dead. I've tried this sobriety, I kind of like it actually."

Sharon: "Liar."

Audience question: Curious, with this new album, what’s the significance for you with this album being released now in your career. I mean, especially when you’ve got some of the young folks who follow what you’ve done over the years, how do you think you fit in now with the industry?

Ozzy: "The industry is, there’s no record shops anymore. It’s a new beginning, you know. I’ve just been doing it long. If people stop buying the tickets to the concerts or they don’t want to hear my music, then I’ll think and really consider stopping. Why should I stop when I still enjoy it, there's packed houses."

Sharon: "I think more to the point is, how do all these new bands feel about fitting in with Ozzy?"

Audience question: I just wanted to know how being involved in reality television has affected your music and fans?

Ozzy: Well it’s two different animals. There’s people who know me from The Osbournes that didn’t know that I was involved in music. And vice-versa. I’m not a TV guy. I really don’t like doing TV that much, but the Osbournes was like an experiment that went crazy. Um, I mean, we invented a new form of entertainment on TV. Everybody’s doing a reality show or so-called Hollywood Reality, but their reality and our reality is completely different. We were real real. The Hollywood ones have a powder guy following them around. Would I do it again. I think I would, Sharon and my kids don’t mind being on TV. I’m not really comfortable doing TV."

Audience question: Do you like to have the support of your family with what you’re doing with your music?

Ozzy: Sharon and I have never said to the kids, 'you’ve gotta follow in our footsteps.' We never forced any of our children to go into what we do."

Sharon: "I think the best thing is that we support each other with whatever we do, and it’s not just about being successful or in the limelight. Whatever we do, you know, we support each other."

Audience question: You’ve been happily married now for so long. What is love?

Ozzy: "It’s the title for the next album, What Is Love? To be honest with you, there are moments when we fight and then we get back together. We didn't jump off the boat when it got rough. Life is full of surprises, some good and some bad, you know. We just get on with it, you know. Besides, I don’t know anybody else that’d have me."

Audience question: Just want to ask what’s next? What haven’t you done that you still want to do?

Ozzy: "I suppose death. I don’t know, I mean I would continue to tour for as long as they wanna hear me and for as long as I have an audience. I don’t really know what’s next. Surprise me, you know."

Sharon: "Your movie."

Ozzy: "Oh, my movie! They’re making a movie about me."

Sharon: "Yeah, we sold the rights to Ozzy’s book and it’s being turned into a movie. But Ozzy’s not going to be in the movie, but it’s about him."

Ozzy: "Denzel Washington will play me."

Audience question: If you could have one super power?

Ozzy: "I don’t know. I don’t know. A neverending voice. I’ve got one of them. I don’t know, it’s a good question."

Sharon: "I think, I think the ability to read minds."

Ozzy: "Oh, yeah, I’d be in trouble then, wouldn’t I?"

Audience question: When you’re on tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE, do you have to take any safety precautions?

Ozzy: I was with Nikki recently and he says to me, 'do you remember when we toured?' I go, 'no.' But we’ve all grown a little wiser in our old age since 1984. People ask me this question all the time: Did you really snort a lot of ?? I don’t remember but it’s very, very possible."

Audience question: After all these years, the highs and lows, what makes you keep going?

Ozzy: "It’s my spirit. I should be by all accounts, I should have been dead a long time ago, but fortunate enough for me I’ve survived, I’m a survivor as it was. But I don’t like to take too much for granted anymore, you know."

Sharon: "It’s life, too. I mean, who wants to give up on life, and to say you know, 'oh, you’re gonna retire, you’re gonna start taking it easy,' all of this. Life is so short. Who wants to retire on life, it’s too short and it’s too great. So you just keep going and just be happy that you can still do what you want to do."

Audience Question: Who would you like to play you in the movie if Denzel can’t make it? Denzel cancels on you? I heard the rumour Johnny Depp.

Ozzy: "PRINCE."

Ozzy: "No, actually, what I’d like to do, I’d like to get an unknown actor from maybe Birmingham, England. I don’t really want to get an American. Americans don’t do very good English accents. There was talk of maybe Johnny Depp, but that was before I went and nearly killed myself in a motorcycle accident."

Sharon: "Yeah, literally about 6 years ago we had a meeting with Johnny playing Ozzy and the next day Ozzy was in intensive care."

Ozzy: "Again."

Sharon: "But I think with something like this it’s really great to have an unknown actor, because always when you see famous people playing other famous people, you still think of them as who they are. I don’t really like that, I think it should be somebody totally unknown."

Audience question: Ozzy, did you watch Sharon on Celebrity Apprentice?

Sharon: "Ozzy never watched, I never watched it."

Ozzy: No! I live with you."

Sharon: "No, he would call me every day and go, 'you’re fired!'"

Ozzy: "Come home, you’re fired."

Audience question: Have you spoken with BRET (MICHAELS)? He’s doing interviews now, he’s going to apparently be on the finale.

Sharon: "I just think it’s amazing. It’s his show, he should win, I mean I just hope he wins. Um, he’s just amazing and there is an example of somebody, you know, that loves life so much. He’s such a great spirit. He ain’t goin’ nowhere. You know, he belongs on stage and that’s where he’ll be."

Ozzy's upcoming new studio album, Scream - his first album in almost three years and tenth studio album overall - will be released on June 11th in mainland Europe, June 14th in the UK, June 22nd in North America and June 23rd in Japan via Epic Records.

(Special thanks to Mike Bax for providing photos for this report)