While more of a doom preacher than a political ideologue, the themes of war, mental health, and social decay remained a constant in his work
~ Stanton Cree ~
Ozzy Osbourne, heavy metal’s “Prince of Darkness”, is dead at 76. Though not explicitly ideological, many of Ozzy’s songs still reflect the working-class anger, fear, and disillusionment he grew up with. These still have resonance today and their dystopian, apocalyptic, or moral commentary feels as relevant as ever.
Growing up in 1960s working class Aston, Ozzy and his band-mates in Black Sabbath heavily contributed to a movement that changed the face of music. Emerging from the hellish industrial smoke with demons that would haunt his entire career, his dubious reputation as a thief, dropout, and brawler made him a controversial figure from the start. Channelling the atmosphere of Birmingham’s poverty and factories, Ozzy’s distinctive and mournful voice was well suited for his eventual persona of end times prophet.
While Osbourne can’t be called a political radical, Black Sabbath’s early lyrics did manage to capture the alienation and horror of modern life by critiquing war, authority, and the spectacle of consumerist society in a way that was easily accessible and spoke to many. These themes were hardly unique for the time, but stuck out due to the dark and occult imagery used to get them across.
Lyrically, these topics followed Ozzy throughout his career right up to his final album. Another constant issue from which he never shied away was his struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues. Given the macho posturing generally associated with rock and metal culture, Ozzy’s willingness to put his emotions and vulnerabilities on display is genuinely admirable. His struggles are obviously not without problematic elements, but the sincerity with which he approaches them, without glamourising them, is clearly an enduring and endearing element of his personality.
It is impossible to talk about Ozzy’s complicated legacy without addressing his relationship with his wife Sharon. Ozzy’s volatile temper had led to him attacking band members both in Sabbath and after, and it is public knowledge that he tried to strangle her in 1989. Neither have shied away from publicly addressing his abusive behaviour, and both attributed it to his substance abuse. While I reject the attempts by some to turn this into a romantic story of hardship, redemption and forgiveness, it seems fairly obvious that they loved each other and worked through it together.
Despite his dark image, Ozzy always had more of the ‘apolitical hippy’ vibe, preaching peace and love to all mankind, without giving it deeper thought. His anti-war sentiments are commendable, but seem more in line with idea of pacifism as a moral principle rather than an understanding of its nationalist and imperialist causes. Ozzy always maintained that he wasn’t interested in politics and this certainly seems to hold up.
This isn’t to say he couldn’t have taken better and clearer positions on specific things, but his apparent disinterest in politics is more representative of mainstream opinion than our obsession with them. A prime example is his alleged support for Israel and refusal to support the cultural boycott. His response to the associated criticism was typically vague and devoid of any political commitment. While this is clearly disappointing from our perspective, it shouldn’t be all that surprising given the state of the media establishment on mainstream opinion.
As an icon and public figure people clearly expected a lot from Ozzy Osbourne. But the reality is that despite his talent and showmanship, he was still a regular individual and as flawed as any. Ultimately, the emotional politics of his music comes not from theory, but from personal experience. Through it he evokes the dread of nuclear annihilation, the betrayal and lies of political leaders, and the fallout of war’s destructive legacy on ordinary people. While this offers only a simplistic, surface level understanding of politics, what made Ozzy appealing is his raw honesty—even in its incoherence.
Photo: Ozzy Osbourne official Facebook page