OZZY OSBOURNE: 'There's No One Like ZAKK WYLDE Anymore'

Christa Titus of Billboard.com recently conducted an interview with Ozzy Osbourne. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Billboard.com: Your guitarist Zakk Wylde wrote for this album.

Osbourne: He laid some stuff down. People say, "Why do you keep going to Zakk?" 'Cause you know what? There ain't no one else like him. He comes up with the stuff, plus the fact he's a family member. If he said to me, "Ozzy, I need you to do this, will you do (it)?" I wouldn't think twice. ... He's always told me where he's at. Instead of going, "Ah, fucking great tour," he goes, "Next time, you got to (do this)." He's real. He don't fuck around. He's like meat and potatoes. I was very disappointed that his album didn't do better than it did last time. He's getting better and better. ... There's no one like Zakk Wylde anymore.

Billboard.com: How is it being married to your manager?

Osbourne: People often ask me this, and the only answer I can give is, when (Sharon Osbourne) talks to me about something, I have to work at whether she's talking to me as a loving wife or a fucking scumbag manager. But either way, I was drunk every fucking day, out of my mind on something and alcohol every day of my life. ... My therapist said to me: "Imagine something for me. Imagine you are the sober person and your wife is the fucking screwball drunk and fucking lying on the floor and covered in puke or whatever. How long do you think you'd last? Twenty years?" I (thought): "Oh, wow, I wouldn't have lasted 20 fucking minutes. I would have been gone." She makes mistakes; we all make mistakes. I'm not very good at understanding these fucking contracts, what they all mean. I have to let someone do it for me, and if someone's going to rip me off, I'd rather my wife do it than someone else. I don't for one second (think she is, though).

Billboard.com: Are you doing any more work on your play about Rasputin?

Osbourne: It's kind of been nearly done. The thing about it is, I'm singing some of the parts, and it sounds OK, but then, when it does get picked up, it's not as easy as making records. It's a big thing because you've got to get choreography to put what you've written into a stage thing and insert the songs for this thing. And Elton John was telling me, "Well, you do so and so, so and so." I (am more like): "Right, fine. Write me another four (songs). We don't need that many songs about a fucking flower."

Read the entire article at this location.