It was in 2002 when I met Ozzy Osbourne.
I was on the side of the stage as he was preparing to perform. Thanks to a brief stint as a touring musician that got me backstage access to Ozzfest in 2002, I had the privilege of watching the inner workings of that fine-tuned music festival from a vantage point few will ever know.
Also read: From The Vault: THE WISDOM OF OZ (1999)
To be clear, I didn’t actually “meet” Ozzy. He just walked next to me as I stood starstruck. Something that doesn’t happen to me often, by the way. He looked back and waved to me. I think he clearly recognized my excitement and threw me a bone. I suppose this was just part of his life, though: acknowledging his fans without a fuss or any sense of self-importance. And I think that’s one of the reasons so many people loved Ozzy. It’s one thing to be a music legend. It’s another thing to be a music legend while also just being a kind and decent person who loved his fans as much as we loved him. And he vocalized that love, which is why I think his death hit us all so hard.
Memorializing Ozzy with Mushrooms
It’s hard to believe that it was 26 years ago when Ozzy graced these pages with an interview. An interview, by the way, that showed Ozzy’s true personality: not an arrogant “Rock God” or untouchable celebrity, but a genuinely funny, approachable, and gracious man. Something that I think all of his fans already knew, but it was nice to see that person break proverbial bread with High Times.
Last week, Kyle Rosner published a beautiful piece highlighting Ozzy’s life, and of course, his love of our …
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Author: Jeff Siegel / High Times
