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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why the World Never Fell Out of Love with the Prince of Darkness
Ozzy Osbourne told Rolling Stone in 2002 he already knew what his epitaph would say. 'I guarantee that if I was to die tonight, tomorrow it would be, 'Ozzy Osbourne, the man who bit the head off a bat, died in his hotel room …'' he said. 'I know that's coming.' He'd made his peace with that fate. 'I've got no complaints. At least I'll be remembered.' But Ozzy got this one wrong. The world is in mourning for him, after the news of his death yesterday at 76. But not as a cartoon metal maniac chomping on bat flesh. We're mourning for Ozzy as one of the most unimpeachably human voices in music, and one of the most cherished legends in pop culture. It was Ozzy's moon. The rest of us just barked at it. For a guy with such a niche background — no rock band had ever set out to scare normies away like Black Sabbath — he became a universal figure as beloved as Ringo. Who else could sing duets with Lita Ford, Busta Rhymes, Elton John, Post Malone, and Miss Piggy without losing any metal cred? No matter how prolific or unprolific he was, even when he was a mess, people cherished Ozzy with an intensely loyal affection that was really unlike anything else. The world never fell out of love with this Prince of Darkness. More from Rolling Stone Ozzy Osbourne Documentary 'No Escape From Now' Still Set for Release This Fall Lita Ford Remembers Ozzy Osbourne: 'In Ozzy's Name, Keep Rocking' Drake Honors Ozzy Osbourne at Birmingham Concert Ozzy blew up into a Seventies teenage antihero because he seemed to speak for the misfits, the rejects, the outcasts. He helped invent metal as we know it with Black Sabbath, but he kept rolling through the years with one of the longest and strangest rock careers. With The Osbournes, he became the world's favorite sitcom dad. By the 2000s, he could show up at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth's Royal Jubilee, to celebrate her 40th anniversary, and serenade Her Majesty with 'Paranoid.' There was nothing at all controversial about the Prince of Darkness singing for the Defender of the Faith. She greeted him in the reception line with 'I hear you're a bit of a wild man.' 'Prince William said to me later, 'It would have been great if you had done 'Black Sabbath,''' Ozzy told RS. 'If I had done 'Black Sabbath,' the fucking royal box would have turned to stone, and the Archbishop of Canterbury would have had to douse them in holy water.' Ozzy's nine lives had nine lives apiece. He managed the historic feat of getting kicked out of Black Sabbath for doing too many drugs, in 1979. The fact that he kept waking up alive every morning for the next 40-plus years is one of the weirdest things that's ever happened in rock & roll. Nobody would have bet on this guy to survive the Eighties, much less keep getting more famous every year, but his star never stopped rising. He did more farewell tours than Cher, Elton, and the Who combined, following up No More Tours in 1992 with his Retirement Sucks tour, then going out again in 2018 with his awesomely titled No More Tours II. But he hated being offstage, and talked constantly in his final years about his drive to get back out there, despite his Parkinson's diagnosis. He even got to attend his own farewell party, performing his last concert with his old mates in Black Sabbath just a couple of weeks before his death, in his hometown of Birmingham, England. The 'Back to the Beginning' farewell show was a full-on celebration of his life and legacy, an electric funeral, with a host of fellow music legends paying their respects. One of the most poignant and heartfelt tributes came from Dolly Parton, with whom Ozzy has a surprising amount in common. Both became anti-establishment stars in the 1970s, too out there for the mainstream, dismissed as cartoon jokes, yet finally celebrated as true heroes decades ahead of their time. Her video message played on the screen between sets. 'Now, are we supposed to be saying farewell to you?' Dolly said. 'Well, I don't think that's going to happen. How about we just say good luck, God bless you, and we will see you somewhere down the road. Anyway, I love you, always have. And we're gonna miss you up onstage, but you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if you don't show up somewhere else — and I'll be there.' It all came down to his voice. Even when Ozzy wasn't the one writing the lyrics, they were inseparable from his quavering voice, as pure in its earnest simplicity as Brian Wilson. He sang about the morbid sense of doom that Seventies and Eighties kids felt during the era of the superpower nuclear arms race, a topic he revisited far more than any other rock star, in classics like 'War Pigs,' 'Crazy Train,' 'Children of the Grave,' or 'Electric Funeral.' He was one of very few voices anywhere in pop culture who brought this much moral wrath and empathy to the kids living under the mushroom cloud, especially the American teenagers reaching draft age around the time Paranoid and Master of Reality came out. For them, the fiery doom of 'Black Sabbath' was no occult metaphor. Ozzy's Iron Man and Bowie's Major Tom were the twin rock images of alienated youth in the 1970s, pissed off at the nuclear future their elders had built for them, sneering in aloof disdain behind a spaced-out mask. As Ozzy said, they'd seen the future and they'd left it behind. Right from the start, Ozzy sang with an authentic purity, but that purity was more than just part of his voice — it was his voice. Unlike other hard-rock singers at the time, he did not try to get bluesy, and he did not aspire to the muscle of a soul belter. He didn't bother with sexy-stud posturing or macho bluster. He was one of us. His moral force is part of what made him so genuinely scary when he arrived — Alice Cooper, that guy was funny and cool, but Ozzy's power was all in the way he undeniably meant every word he sang. Black Sabbath's music was terrifying to me as a kid, growing up in the suburbs — it was the stuff that the cool, scary older kids listened to when the adults weren't around, when they were smoking and partying, scared kids in the dark. On the bridge near my house, by Milton High School, the words were spray-painted: 'Welcome to Ozzy's Coven.' (Which was how I learned the word coven.) Yet Ozzy's voice sounded so benign and compassionate, downright vulnerable. The first time I ever heard his voice was at my next-door neighbor's house, in his big brother's basement pad, where he kept a piranha and played the first Sabbath album. I remember hearing 'N.I.B.,' with Ozzy singing in the voice of the devil. Yet what made it so scarily piercing was how forlorn and frail he sounded. It blew my mind when he quoted Buddy Holly, singing 'Your love for me has got to be real' — I knew that line from my Fifties-rocker parents listening to 'Not Fade Away.' What did Ozzy mean by making the devil a Buddy Holly-style romantic? It was a world away from the just-call-me-Luuucifaaaah strut of Mick Jagger. Ozzy's devils sounded so scary because they were mostly afraid of themselves. In his solo years, he played up the comedy, in a great hit like 'Flying High Again,' kicking off with a massive Randy Rhoads riff while Ozzy burbles in his most hapless voice, 'Oh noooo! Here we go!' It sums up his immensely lovable warmth right down to the way he sings, 'Am I just a crazy guy?' and then snickers, 'You bet.' But he still had that unimpeachable realness in his voice — for him, it was practically all he had in his voice. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats really captured his mystique for latter-day fans in his novella Master of Reality, written in the voice of an institutionalized teenage Sabbath fanatic. 'No matter how many songs he sings, Ozzy always always sounds like they just grabbed him off the street and stuck him in front of a microphone, and then they either handed him a piece of paper with some lyrics on it or he already had some written on his hand or something.' In Rolling Stone's year-end issue for 1990, the first page had loads of stars giving their summary of the year, mostly pimping their latest career highlights. But Ozzy kept it short and sweet. 'One of the greatest heroes of all time said it in 1969: 'Give peace a chance.' Let's all try for it in 1991.' A typical Oz statement, full of contradictions (he was only a year past getting arrested for attacking his wife in a drunken stupor) but also that innate Ozzy sincerity. John Lennon had a similar cocktail in his personality, but he was also armored with complex layers of defensive wit and irony that Ozzy simply didn't have in his system. 'Give peace a chance' remained an aspirational ideal for Ozzy, the guy who kept doing the peace sign in public long after it went out of style for rock stars. 'We were the last hippie band,' he told RS in 2002. 'We were into peace.' After bombing out of Sabbath, he could have symbolized everything complacent, decadent, and dull about old-school rock. Yet he was never a joke. Like Geddy Lee, his opposite in so many other ways, he was cherished as an evolutionary mishap who symbolized his own kind of uncompromised integrity. One of the highlights of seeing my first Replacements show, a dingy all-aged matinee in the summer of 1986, was seeing Paul Westerberg and the boys lock into 'Iron Man,' one of the few songs they came close to finishing. Later that year, the Beastie Boys opened Licensed to Ill with the sampled 'Sweet Leaf' riff of 'Rhymin and Stealin,' dragging Sabbath into the Eighties the same way Run-D.M.C. did for Aerosmith. One of his best Eighties moments: Ozzy's classic egg-frying scene in Decline of Western Civilization Part II. He's the rock star at home, puttering around the kitchen in a leopard-print robe, a Real Housewife of Darkness, looking more like Rue McLanahan in The Golden Girls then any rock star you could name. He fixes breakfast, ineptly frying eggs and bacon while trying to pour himself a glass of orange juice on the counter. He gets about half of it into the actual glass. He also discusses his latest attempt to get sober. Director: 'Do you feel better now?' Ozzy: 'No.' He became even more iconic in the Nineties. Beck gave him a classic shout-out on MTV's 120 Minutes, in his famous February 1994 sit-down with Thurston Moore and Mike D — perhaps the most Nineties moment of television ever aired. Beck wore a thrift-store hockey shirt that proclaimed 'Stop! Tell Me I'm Ozzy Because I Am.' He'd written 'Ozzy' on a piece of masking tape and stuck it over whatever the original word was. He also made his plea in 'Ozzy' on his album Stereopathetic Soulmanure. (Sample lyric: 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy/What does it mean?/The fire is green.') By now, Ozzy was a fact of life that songwriters couldn't resist evoking as a way to set the table. 'It's reigning triple sec in Tchula/And the radio plays 'Crazy Train,'' David Berman drawled in the 1996 Silver Jews classic 'Black and Brown Blues,' with Ozzy as an unelectable symbol of ur-American burnout ordinariness. The Hold Steady's Craig Finn sang 'Playing records in a rented room/Hotter Than Hell into Bark at the Moon' in 2012, just as his songwriting heir MJ Lenderman sang a dozen years later, 'I've never seen the 'Mona Lisa'/I've never really left my room/I've been up too late playing Guitar Hero/Playing 'Bark at the Moon.'' He went on to help invent reality TV with The Osbournes, the blockbuster MTV hit that turned him into a sitcom dad. It starred a real-life family who could only communicate with a camera crew present, constantly cutting a promo in every interaction, with dialogue full of bleeped profanity. It's fitting since reality TV became the social menace as feared and dreaded as metal used to be. But my favorite Ozzy memory will always be seeing him on the Retirement Sucks tour in 1996, at Meriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland, a love-fest where Ozzy basked in the adoration of the audience, which he craved, but nowhere near as much as the audience did. Nobody really cared that Ozzy needed a teleprompter, which was a shocking innovation at the time; everybody within six miles of the venue knew all the words to 'Iron Man,' down to the security guards, but absolutely nobody was mad that Ozzy was the only one there who didn't. 'Is anyone smoking that sweet leaf?' he asked. 'When I said I quit, I fucking lied!' It was an overwhelming feeling of warmth and joy just to be in the same room with Ozzy, as it always was. And as long as his music lives on — which it will — being in the same room as Ozzy is always the place to be. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne Documentary ‘No Escape From Now' Still Set for Release This Fall
An upcoming documentary about Ozzy Osbourne's health setbacks in recent years and his desire to stage a farewell concert will still arrive later this year despite the heavy metal legend's death Tuesday. No Escape From Now, described as 'a deeply personal portrait of the rock legend's harsh new realities and his battle to take the stage for one final performance,' will hit Paramount+ this autumn, a rep for the filmmakers confirmed to Rolling Stone. More from Rolling Stone Lita Ford Remembers Ozzy Osbourne: 'In Ozzy's Name, Keep Rocking' Drake Honors Ozzy Osbourne at Birmingham Concert Ozzy Osbourne's Top Ten Beatles Songs 'We are truly heartbroken to hear the news of Ozzy's passing,' Phil and Tania Alexander, the creative team behind No Escape From Now, said in a statement. 'Filming with him, Sharon, Aimee, Kelly and Jack for the last three and a half years will always be a cherished and remarkable experience – largely because we got to regularly witness Ozzy's indomitable spirit, his mischievous, irresistible grin and his masterful display of unique one-liners. We will always love you dear Oz. And we send love and strength to Sharon and her family.' In addition to its access to Osbourne, the film features appearances by Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, as well as several musicians who have played with him over the years: Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, guitarist Zakk Wylde, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. It will also feature commentary from Billy Idol, Idol's guitarist and Osbourne's close friend Billy Morrison, Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, and record producer Andrew Watt. No Escape From Now also filmed footage at Osbourne and Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell concert earlier this month, a rep for the film said. A rep declined to comment on what changes, if any, would be made to the film in light of Osbourne's death. 'The last six years have been full of some of the worst times I've been through,' Osbourne previously said of the documentary in a statement. 'There's been times when I thought my number was up. But making music and making two albums saved me. I'd have gone nuts without music. My fans have supported me for so many years, and I really want to thank them and say a proper goodbye to them. That is what the Villa Park show [in Birmingham] is about.' The documentary is one of a handful of projects Osbourne had in the works prior to his death at the age of 76, just weeks after his triumphant farewell show in Birmingham, England. The singer's now-posthumous memoir Last Rites, which also focuses on his health issues, is set to publish in October, while a concert film centered on Back to the Beginning will hit the big screen in 2026. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder?
A NEW Channel 4 documentary series investigates the brutal death of a 22-year-old sex worker more than 30 years ago who may have been caught up in a criminal drug ring. In the Footsteps of Killers delves into the case of Janine Downes, a mother-of-three, who was murdered in Wolverhampton on February 2, 1991. 1 Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of Janine's murder Credit: Alamy Who was Janine Downes? Janine had been working in the red-light district of the city and was last seen climbing into a distinctive blue car before her naked and beaten body was discovered in a hedge on the A464 near Hatton, just outside of She was found wearing only a paisley patterned blouse, a bra and blue ankle socks and had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of her murder. Emilia Fox, criminologist David Wilson and former senior detective Dr Graham Hill take up the cold case for Channel 4 and interview key witnesses, looking for clues in Wolverhampton's red-light district. READ MORE IN NEWS Lines of inquiry centre around the possibility Janine was the victim of a potential serial killer and linked to a local criminal drug and sex ring. Their inquiries initially lead them to the man dubbed the Instead, they suspect Janine's murder could be connected to local pimps after discovering they were involved with drug-dealing gangs in the city. Janine's murder remains under investigation by West Mercia Police. Most read in The Sun On the 30th anniversary of her death, Detective Inspector Lee Holehouse appealed for anyone with information about her death to come forward. Chilling moment cops find dismembered victims of Australia's 'worst ever serial killing' rotting in barrels At the time, DI Holehouse, from West Mercia Police's Major Investigation Unit, said: 'Now is the 30th anniversary of Janine's death. 'To date, despite a continuous and full investigation and several arrests being made, nobody has been charged with her murder and I desperately want to change that. 'We the police are still unclear as to what happened to Janine in the hours and days before her death. We are unclear as to whether it's likely that Janine was killed by a stranger or someone known to her. 'We do know that Janine was a sex worker working in the Wolverhampton area at around the time of her death and would appeal to anybody who was within this circle at the time or even now and may who have information to contact us. 'Moreover, I appeal to anybody with any information which may lead to the identity of Janine's killer to get in touch in order that we can get the justice that Janine and her family deserve. 'Somebody somewhere knows what happened. Janine's family have lived without closure for far too long. If you know what happened or have any information which may help, please help us.' To report information about Janine's death visit the Tell Us About Section of the West Mercia Police website Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the Crimestoppers website. How to watch In the Footsteps of Killers - Series 3: Episode 6 The Murder of Janine Downes is on Channel 4 at 10pm on July 22.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder?
The 22-year-old mother-of-three was found in a hedge after being sexually assaulted KILLER HUNT Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEW Channel 4 documentary series investigates the brutal death of a 22-year-old sex worker more than 30 years ago who may have been caught up in a criminal drug ring. In the Footsteps of Killers delves into the case of Janine Downes, a mother-of-three, who was murdered in Wolverhampton on February 2, 1991. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of Janine's murder Credit: Alamy Who was Janine Downes? Janine had been working in the red-light district of the city and was last seen climbing into a distinctive blue car before her naked and beaten body was discovered in a hedge on the A464 near Hatton, just outside of Shifnal. She was found wearing only a paisley patterned blouse, a bra and blue ankle socks and had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of her murder. Emilia Fox, criminologist David Wilson and former senior detective Dr Graham Hill take up the cold case for Channel 4 and interview key witnesses, looking for clues in Wolverhampton's red-light district. Lines of inquiry centre around the possibility Janine was the victim of a potential serial killer and linked to a local criminal drug and sex ring. Their inquiries initially lead them to the man dubbed the Midlands Ripper, who was convicted of two other women's murders, but there is nothing that links him to Janine's brutal death due to a lack of CSI-style evidence. Instead, they suspect Janine's murder could be connected to local pimps after discovering they were involved with drug-dealing gangs in the city. Janine's murder remains under investigation by West Mercia Police. On the 30th anniversary of her death, Detective Inspector Lee Holehouse appealed for anyone with information about her death to come forward. Chilling moment cops find dismembered victims of Australia's 'worst ever serial killing' rotting in barrels At the time, DI Holehouse, from West Mercia Police's Major Investigation Unit, said: 'Now is the 30th anniversary of Janine's death. 'To date, despite a continuous and full investigation and several arrests being made, nobody has been charged with her murder and I desperately want to change that. 'We the police are still unclear as to what happened to Janine in the hours and days before her death. We are unclear as to whether it's likely that Janine was killed by a stranger or someone known to her. 'We do know that Janine was a sex worker working in the Wolverhampton area at around the time of her death and would appeal to anybody who was within this circle at the time or even now and may who have information to contact us. 'Moreover, I appeal to anybody with any information which may lead to the identity of Janine's killer to get in touch in order that we can get the justice that Janine and her family deserve. 'Somebody somewhere knows what happened. Janine's family have lived without closure for far too long. If you know what happened or have any information which may help, please help us.' To report information about Janine's death visit the Tell Us About Section of the West Mercia Police website Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the Crimestoppers website. How to watch In the Footsteps of Killers - Series 3: Episode 6 The Murder of Janine Downes is on Channel 4 at 10pm on July 22.
Leaders
5 days ago
- Business
- Leaders
Baby Grok: Elon Musk Launches Kid-friendly AI Chatbot
The tech billionaire and founder of artificial intelligence startup xAI, Elon Musk, has unveiled plans to develop a new AI app, called Baby Grok, focused on delivering child-friendly content. The new app aims to provide safe content for children, marking xAI's first move towards producing AI tools dedicated to children, to ensure they can access to digital assistance without being subject to inappropriate content. Baby Grok On Sunday, Elon Musk surprised his followers by announcing the launch of the new app. 'We're going to make Baby Grok, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content,' he posted on X. We're going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2025 Although he did not provide details, Baby Grok is expected to be a more-child friendly version of the Grok AI chatbot, developed by Musk's xAI, according to Fox Business. This version will be simpler and designed for safe and educational interaction with children. Musk's Criticism of Social Media The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has previously criticized social media and their impact on kids. In May 2024, Musk warned of the negative effects of children's exposure to social media. 'A lot of social media is bad for kids, as there is extreme competition between social media AIs to maximize dopamine!' he said in an interview with Viva Technology. Musk also urged 'parents to limit the amount of social media that children can see because they're being programmed by a dopamine-maximizing AI.' Baby Grok Features The Baby Grok app is designed to keep children safe from harmful material and address concerns related to algorithmic content safety for younger users, according to the Times of India (TOI). By providing child-tailored content, Baby Grok aims to filter out adult or controversial topics and deliver age-appropriate responses. It also aims to provide simplified user interface for children. Moreover, it will provide educational and entertaining interactions suitable for children of different age groups. The new app will also integrate strong parental controls and safety measures to enable families to review and manage conversations. The launch of Baby Grok comes as major tech companies face growing criticism after their generative AI chatbots gave inappropriate responses to minors. Hence, Musk's child-focused app seeks to meet the growing demands for a safe AI support in home and educational settings. Grok 4 Most recently, Musk's xAI launched Grok 4, which it describes as 'the most intelligent model in the world.' It has cutting-edge features such as advanced training capabilities and real-time search integration. Grok 4 can also use powerful tools to find information from X, using advanced keyword and semantic search tools and view media to improve the quality of its answers. 'Grok 4 is the first time, in my experience, that an AI has been able to solve difficult, real-world engineering questions where the answers cannot be found anywhere on the Internet or in books. And it will get much better,' Musk posted on X. The tech billionaire reiterated his confidence in Grok 4 capabilities. 'I think it may discover new technologies as soon as later this year. And I would be shocked if it has not done so next year. So I would expect Grok to literally discover new technologies that are actually useful no later than next year and maybe [the] end of this year,' Musk said. Grok Controversary Two weeks ago, xAI's Grok came under fire as the chatbot delivered controversial responses which included hate speech and insults to political figures. X users shared screenshots showing Grok praising Adolf Hitler, in response to users' queries. Other screenshots included insults to Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Polish politicians, including Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. After these posts went viral, the company acknowledged the issue and said it was working to fix it. Then, it apologized to users and said the issue was caused by a code update. 'We have removed that deprecated code and refactored the entire system to prevent further abuse,' xAI said at the time. Short link : Post Views: 22
