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Searching for the authentic Ozzy

June 1, 2007 | Author: Joel Falconer | Filed under: Entertainment, Culture & Commentary, Music

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I’ve long been a fan of Ozzy Osbourne, and his newest release, Black Rain, hasn’t been a disappointment (and has done pretty well commercially). “The Almighty Dollar” is by far my favourite song, and is a great example of what grok rock can be; music with substance, with principle. It’s the kind of socially responsible song that the fundies like to pretend doesn’t exist. “Here For You” captures the soul of Ozzy’s soaring ballads, a fresh sound in the lineage of other greats such as Dreamer and Mama, I’m Coming Home.

What has intrigued me lately, from the perspective of a fan and the perspective of public relations and marketing artists, is the disconnect between Ozzy’s music and his image, and even between various images he has cultivated. A friend remarked to me recently that, following his viewing of The Osbournes reality TV show and reading the lyrics to The Almighty Dollar, he found it hard to comprehend the disconnect between the washed-up rocker image, and these lucid lyrics that herald the nature of our times.

It was then that I realized that the ‘washed-up rocker’ image isn’t his only image–it’s a byproduct of the TV show, shot when he was strung up on drugs and alcohol. As a fan, I had been exposed to the marketing collateral that built up his ‘Prince of Darkness’ image and hence perceived him as that–not as Satan himself, of course, but his image as an artist has been labelled as such previously.

Then there’s the thinking artist in songs such as War Pigs and The Almighty Dollar; the anti-apathetic activist (he’s definitely not fond of the White House). All three images seem so conflicting and disconnected, and the bulk of his discography conflicts again with the image, and with the discography itself.

I wonder whether these disconnects were strategically placed by his manager and wife to create a certain ‘uncertain’ perception around Ozzy. Or maybe they’re to create confusion and form a smoke shield that protects the real Ozzy from view, to give him a sense of privacy. Maybe it was unintentional.

I haven’t quite figured him out yet.

More new Midnight.Haulkerton tunes coming for you really soon.

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This entry was posted on Friday, June 1st, 2007 and is filed under Entertainment, Culture & Commentary, Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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1 person has left a comment

Ozzy Osbourne keeps on reinventing his public image. I think it’s just so that the public never does catch on.

Con wrote on June 1, 2007 - 11:51 am | Visit Link

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Alfadir's Piercing is the blog of Australian grok rock band Midnight.Haulkerton, bringing you free songs, tips and guides for songwriters, musicians and band leaders, and Midnight.Haulkerton news.

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