Book Review: I am Ozzy
I am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As a long time fan of Ozzy, I was excited to find he had written an autobiography. Even if I’ve stopped following his recent activity, his music has been a constant in my life for at least thirty years. So I decided to read this book. I’d already heard so many of the stories, and remembered a lot of them from the news. So I didn’t expect too much.
I was wrong. This book is phenomenal. It is everything an autobiography should be. Ozzy starts from childhood and goes straight up to the writing of his memoirs. He leaves no detail out. It is one amazing ride. That Ozzy has lived to 64 years old is nothing short of miraculous, and he knows it. He’s done just about everything possible to get himself killed.
The writing in this book is top notch. It’s what you would expect if Ozzy came to your house, sat down, and started telling you about his life. His voice is captured so perfectly and vividly that I could hear him speaking in my head. Hat’s off to Ozzy’s ghost writer, Chris Ayres, for not only capturing the voice but also organizing the stories in logical yet dramatic order. I honestly couldn’t put this book down once I had picked it up.
The book did have its downsides. It dragged a bit around the two-thirds mark. By that time the pattern of drug-fueled freakout followed by waking up confused gets old. But then things pick up and the book flies to the finish. It’s a bluntly honest look at Ozzy’s life. I have more respect for him now than I ever did before. He’s still the Prince of Darkness, God of Metal. But he’s also a regular man who’s amazed at his luck… which he has in spades.
Go read this book, even if you don’t know who Ozzy is. You will love it.
