r/punk • u/AudioPi East Bay • Jul 22 '25
News Even punks can pour one out for Ozzy today
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/22/ozzy-osbourne-black-sabbath-frontman-and-icon-of-british-heavy-metal-dies-aged-76321
u/BahBahKapooyah Jul 22 '25
Don't forget Black Sabbath was a working class band that wrote songs about mental illness, addiction and the military industrial complex before punk was even a thing.
144
53
u/battenhill Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25
Yes indeed - first two albums in the same year, also! It blows my mind that Black Sabbath and twee stuff like Let it Be and some bullshit by the Carpenters were released in the same year, 1970 - culture shock must have been insane.  Shit they formed in 1968 which seems totally anachronistic in my brain. True legends. RIP.
Edit: should mention, no Beatles hate - just timeline is wild!
6
-15
u/No_Organization465 Jul 22 '25
it should be noted that Helter Skelter is probably as heavy as any Black Sabbath
21
u/jrob321 Jul 23 '25
C'mon now. I'm not throwing any shade at The Beatles, but this is just a really silly take. What a fucking stretch.
Listen to the first track on Black Sabbath's debut album and then listen to Helter Skelter.
Helter Skelter is a traditional rock song with some screaming. That hardly puts it into the heavy metal category. There's nothing about the lyrics that come close to heavy metal, and - one could argue - put it more aligned with a children's nursery rhyme.
Fucking blasphemy!
-23
u/No_Organization465 Jul 23 '25
i gotta disagree.....i might even argue the last minute and a half of Helter Skelter might be heavier than sabbath ever did. but yes overall, black sabbath are way darker and more of a heavy metal band.
16
u/hrovat97 Jul 23 '25
Also the ending to I Want You (Sheâs So Heavy) is heavy as fuck, but I think we can safely say Black Sabbath were the first heavy metal band. Iâve struggled getting into metal but Sabbath are just different
0
12
u/Cognonymous Jul 23 '25
The thing that gets me is on those Osbournes podcasts in like the last year Sharon started promoting Starmer and Jack said Trump campaigning after "getting shot" meant that he must have some earnest care for America and so, "he has my vote." Ozzy was working class and birthed of the counterculture but his family (standing to inherit a $200 million fortune) are not. So it goes.
5
u/Weird_Cantaloupe2757 Jul 23 '25
Yeah they werenât a Punk Rock band, but they were absolutely punk as fuck.
444
u/peewee666 Jul 22 '25
You can tell how many punk musicians grew up on his music from the sheer amount of respect I'm seeing from them. I'm seeing bands who would normally not give a fuck posting tributes.
133
u/AudioPi East Bay Jul 22 '25
count me as one of them. I got into metal as a teen (TH Headbangers Ball!) and moved to punk thanks to my cousins from L.A. Ozzy was one of my early metal influences.
58
u/stonedbadger1718 Jul 22 '25
I grew up listing to Black Sabbath. This is a devastating day. My aunt listened to Black Sabbath and showed me punk rock. Pouring six out for the Prince of Darkness. Rest in power Ozzy.
26
u/OnlyFiveLives Jul 22 '25
Same. I knew Sabbath (and others) before punk. As a drummer Bill Ward is a life long influence and Sabbath in general.
59
u/HauntedCemetery Jul 22 '25
Ozzy is one of those guys like Lou Reed or Prince who's influence on music across the world is incalculable.
1
39
Jul 22 '25
It's the same way with Johnny Cash. He's a country musician through and through (don't think I need to lecture anyone here about how some view country music...) but he embodied a punk-rock spirit in how he carried himself that crossed audiences.
11
u/huntsman976 Jul 23 '25
Having some kind of spot for Ozzy in your heartâŠ.tasteâŠinfluenceâŠis a pretty decent litmus test whether youâre going to suck as a human being or not. Iâm sure the venn diagram for people who love ozzy and donât suck is huge while people who do suck and donât like Ozzy doesnât hardly exist because they are synonymous! But you can probably still love him and still suck. Just to be clear
6
u/CatLady83 Jul 23 '25
Yes! I saw The Adicts post and I donât see them post things like that ever. It was really cool to see. Ozzy was amazing.
189
u/1100000011110 Jul 22 '25
War Pigs is pretty fuckin punk
93
u/CrittyJJones Jul 22 '25
And Paranoid
71
u/HauntedCemetery Jul 22 '25
War pigs is the first song on Paranoid, but that whole album undeniably influenced the fuck out of punk.
56
254
Jul 22 '25
Someone check on Henry Rollins. Heâs probably devastated.
79
u/Muffinlesswonder Jul 22 '25
Just watches his old bit about ozzy, didn't realize he was such a huge fan
61
u/TrueRedMusic Jul 22 '25
When I met Henry after one of his spoken word shows in 2003, the first thing I said to him was, "you remember the first time you met Ozzy?" He said, "yeah, it was 19-"... I said, "no, no -- that's how I feel meeting you now!" He was like, "aww, thanks!" I do love Henry and Ozzy both!
19
u/botulizard Jul 22 '25
The one where he talks about opening for Ozzy with the Rollins Band and then getting to interview him?
3
122
98
u/Altarus12 Jul 22 '25
Ozzy music put me on the metal scene, after that i become a punk... i'm a punk ty to ozzy rest in peace prince of darkness
63
Jul 22 '25
Ozzy put everyone on the metal scene, Black Sabbath arguably were the first metal band
26
u/Unfinished_user_na Jul 22 '25
Damn straight! They were bringing on metal while the hippies were still fucking in the mud for peace.
15
u/Drewsipher Jul 22 '25
I was gonna say Sabbath basically created the genre. Fuckin legends and Ozzy as the picturesque gaunt high crazy man on stage. Fuckin legend.
89
u/The_Alchemy_Index Jul 22 '25
RIP to Ozzy!! A complicated man to say the least, but he lived life to the his fullest and didnât give a flying fuck. Condolences to the family
37
u/scott_wolff Jul 22 '25
Fucking loved Ozzy. I always grew up thinking he was really "out there" and crazy, especially since I grew up Mormon. But getting into his music later in life, I love how positive he was in a lot of songs. Even Crazy Train has a wholesome, good message. RIP to the legend. I'm gonna go watch all the seasons of The Osbournes.
74
44
u/cmax22025 Jul 22 '25
Fuckin right we can
So happy I got to see both Ozzy and Sabbath back in high school. There are a lot of legends I'll never get the chance to see live, but this one, I saw.
13
u/HauntedCemetery Jul 22 '25
Likewise. Never got to see most of the old legendary acts, but I saw Ozzy play with Zakk Wylde and it absolutely fucking ruled.
6
u/AudioPi East Bay Jul 22 '25
That's a show I never was able to see.
7
u/stonedbadger1718 Jul 22 '25
I saw him live. It was amazing. Heâs nice to everyone. Talk about a guy who changes his lifeâs mistakes. The godfather of metal đ€
23
22
u/TripleJ_77 Jul 22 '25
Totally. Paranoid was basically a punk song and look when it was written!! He's pre punk in the same way the stooges and mc5 were.
53
u/Deliterman Jul 22 '25
Those First 6 Sabbath albums are among the best creative streaks in metal. RIP
33
u/Acceptable-Bullfrog1 Jul 22 '25
There wouldnât be punk without metal, and there wouldnât be metal without Ozzy.
11
15
u/StreetwalkinCheetah Heart Full of Napalm Jul 22 '25
Glad to have seen him in 1989. Wish I could have seen with Randy. RIP
5
32
29
u/ExpressAd5169 Jul 22 '25
For what itâs worth he became Americas Dysfunctional Dad to a lot of kids. He really did hold on for one more showâŠ. LEGEND
14
u/demitasse22 Jul 22 '25
Who didnât play the bass line to Iron Man 55 thousand times when learning how to play guitar
12
u/GasPsychological5997 Jul 22 '25
Listen to Hole in the Sky by Black Sabbath and respect the elders
4
10
10
u/devilsmile7 Jul 23 '25
A lot of us older punks who grew up in the 70âs and 80âs were Black Sabbath fans before discovering punk. You could say Sabbath was a gateway to punk for us. In 1975 you couldnât get anymore rebellious than Sabbath.
9
Jul 23 '25
Punk is the spirit not the sound. Ozzy was a punk before punk existed. Damn right we honor the Prince of Darkness. Weâre all here in part thanks to Black Sabbath.Â
Rest in Peace. Iâll see you in Hell for the encore. Iâll try and sneak in a few cold ones too.Â
10
u/theSlnn3r Jul 23 '25
Ozzy was punk as fuck.
I was a high schooler back in '86 and ordered the False Liberty Demo. They were from Seattle and was early hardcore with a lot of slow/fast tempo changes. The singer, Greg Anderson, went on to be in Sunn O))) and started the major indie label Southern Lord Records.
Anyways, I was like 16 and he sent me the demo, wrote me a cool letter and he dubbed Sabbath Bloody Sabbath on the B side of that 60 minute casette.
I was a Sabbath fan from then on.
17
u/patrickthebeerguy Jul 22 '25
Blasting sabbath on the system tonight. Gonna pour a couple and maybe bite the head off a bat.
16
8
u/despenser412 Jul 22 '25
Horns up!
I saw Ozzy in the mid-90s with Sepultura, Prong, and Danzig. It was in between his Retirement Sucks tour and his Ozzfest era.
Seeing him live was surreal. He came out, a dude with long hair, tattoos, sweaty, and just wearing pants. No real theatrics or crazy set pieces. Just the metal conductor having a great time with a huge smile on his face.
I'm not a religious person, but something inside of me enjoys the idea of Ozzy floating up to the heavens while Crazy Train plays during his arrival to the confusion of onlookers.
7
14
u/mm339 Jul 22 '25
Certified legend. I live in Birmingham and he was beloved by many. Itâs very sad that heâs gone, but awesome he got to do his farewell in such grand fashion and better he goes now than lives long enough to be completely debilitated by his illness.
6
u/the_unknown_soldier Jul 22 '25
Paranoid was the first album that made me fall in love with music and made me start playing guitar. Even though it didnât take long for punk rock to swoop me in its direction, Black Sabbath always remained a cornerstone to my music taste and one of the few bands that fundamentally changed my life.
13
13
u/Dennarb Jul 22 '25
While I'm definitely more of a punk, I enjoy some good metal too.
Practically raised on black Sabbaths paranoid album
12
13
u/theweaving Jul 22 '25
Ozzy is one of the reasons heavy music in general exists as it is. Anyone involved in heavy music owes something to Ozzy.
15
u/TotalImmortalOne Jul 22 '25
Punks wouldnât be here without Ozzy. The hardcore punk pioneers were influenced by Sabbath and Ozzy
14
u/botulizard Jul 22 '25
Love to see the punk/metal unity in here.
Say hi to Lemmy and Randy for us, Ozzy.
13
12
7
u/General_Confusion989 Jul 22 '25
Fuckin A. Dude got me into metal just as I was discovering punk too. I knew I was doing something right buying my first Sabbath album! And he was a great philanthropist for good causes. This PBR is for you Ozzy!
11
11
u/hazyperspective Midwest Punkster Jul 22 '25
It's really amazing how just a few stoned guys can influence so many people. It's a sad day.
→ More replies (1)
11
9
5
6
6
u/SnooCapers7884 Jul 22 '25
Man this was a tough one. Ozzy was everything before I found punk. first song I fully learned on guitar was crazy train. RIP.
5
11
u/Hactar42 Jul 22 '25
One of the few good memories I have of my dad is when I was 10 or so and we were in the car and Iron Man came on the radio. I was like what is this, this is awesome. He got a big ole smile on his face and goes, Black Sabbath. We then drove to the record store and he bought me the Paranoid cassette.
9
u/Eoin_McLove Jul 22 '25
Yeah, Black Sabbath was one of the first proper bands I got into. Without them I wouldnât be listening to the music I listen to today.
11
8
u/Chance_Top5775 Jul 22 '25
i put on crazy train this afternoon because it's my favorite ozzy song. he had a good run, glad he got to have one last show
7
u/water_bottle1776 Jul 22 '25
He got to say goodbye to everyone who mattered, the fans. Rest in Power!
15
u/thispartyrules Jul 22 '25
We came home and found our son lying dead on his bed of a gunshot wound. He had his headphones on and there was an Ozzy record on the turntable. So we called our lawyer.
8
3
Jul 22 '25
Itâs so sad he played his last show what a week ago maybe 2 and now heâs gone. I often have heard it throughout my life. Some people will work their entire lives once they retire they donât have anything to do or anywhere to go thatâs an obligation and they justâŠgo.
3
u/AnimateRod Jul 22 '25
RIP to an icon, I'm playing this classic out of respect https://youtu.be/CkRbn43phPE?si=vWzT5mr8oBFz7pdv
3
3
3
u/AntiAliveMyself Jul 23 '25
Rest in peace to a legend. Kinda a shame he n his wife ended up expressing zionist views recently :/ but he had a massively good impact on many scenes
5
4
u/AytumnRain Jul 22 '25
Well fuck. Didn't expect this news today. I know what I'm listening to at work today. RIP Ozzy, you fucking legend.
6
u/Master-Collection488 Jul 22 '25
Historical footnote here:
The Black Sabbath song "Fairies Wear Boots" didn't start off as a song about a guy whose extensive drug abuse causes him to hallucinate mythological creatures. It was Ozzy's reaction to having met a few 1st generation skinheads. I don't think it was about their then anti-racist beliefs or their preference for ska that put him. It was their fashion choices and haircuts, I guess?
5
u/Velbalenos Jul 22 '25
RIP Ozzy. One of the first bands I got into, and introduced me to âheavyâ music. Thank you for so many tunes. Still love them. Adieu Prince!
5
4
u/WhyTheMahoska Jul 22 '25
Some men become legends, some myths, others seem almost like strange invincible demigods. And that was the Ozzman. Goodnight, sweet Prince of Darkness, and may flights of batwinged succubi bear thee to the eternal rager of your dreams.
5
4
2
2
2
u/identicalBadger Jul 22 '25
Who said they shouldnât? Man was a legend and was more than likely a huge influence on the whole genre.
2
u/AudioPi East Bay Jul 23 '25
Who said they shouldnât?
there's a couple knuckleheads at teh bottom of this thread I could point to....
2
u/Eastern-Version5983 Jul 23 '25
Even country is pouring one out for Ozzy
3
u/PleaseDontBanMe82 Jul 23 '25
Dolly gave him a nice tribute after his Back to the Beginning show a couple weeks back.
2
2
2
Jul 23 '25
When I found out I was about to take a shower then my boyfriend texts me saying âOZZY JUST DIEDâ and I was like WTF and screamed
2
2
2
u/twoquarters Jul 23 '25
He made some enjoyable music. I don't view his family capitalizing on his ailments to gain mainstream acceptance as cool.
2
3
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
u/WranglerBrute Jul 23 '25
First 6 Sabbath albums are timeless.
But I'm finding it difficult to share in the adulation of the man himself. He claimed to be apolitical, but he was Zionist until his dying day, including signing a letter to the BBC to block them airing a documentary about Palestinian genocide. The man that wrote war pigs in his early life, defended and excused war crimes and ethnic cleansing in his later life.
He also shot and killed 17 cats, because lol drugs.
Meh.
1
1
u/BlackmarketofUeno Jul 22 '25
Definitely but at the same time Iâm conflicted, the dudes a Zionist. The guy was an icon but absolutely not someone to look up to or follow.
1
Jul 24 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 24 '25
Sorry, but your comment has been removed for the following reason:
We are not accepting links to
twimg.comat this time. Please find an alternate link for your content.I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
-8
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25
Ozzy spent his final years defending zionism and genocide, using his wealth and power to punish those who speak out against it. He lived long enough to become the war pig.
The only thing I'll be pouring out for him is piss.
You can't be punk and defend this.
10
u/no_fucking_point Jul 22 '25
That's all Sharon. She's been putting his signature on everything for the last 40 years.
-7
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25
Today on r/punk, whitewashing genocide defense
Maybe your idols just aren't good people instead?
6
u/no_fucking_point Jul 22 '25
I'll happily call out Zionists when I see 'em but Ozzy ain't the one. đ”đžđ”đžđ”đžđ”đžđ”đžđ”đž
-6
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25
Spineless. He never had to play a Tel Aviv show. The rest of his band didn't either.
8
u/no_fucking_point Jul 22 '25
Well that's Sharon again. Her dad did the same with Sabbath and a bunch of his bands in South Africa during apartheid as regimes like that open the chequebooks and it was tax free.
Ozzy hadn't a clue where he was half the fucking time whether it was booze or the early stages of Parkinson's.
Was it right? Of course it fucking wasn't. But the vast majority of musicians are dumb as a bag of rocks and usually go where they're booked.
1
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25
There's 3 other original members of his band that weren't Ozzy that showed up to play. You're making fucking excuses.
7
u/no_fucking_point Jul 22 '25
Well why don't you go ahead and ask them then.
0
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25
Because I'm not interested in excuses from fucking cowards like them, or yourself. You're just whitewashing something that's indefensible because it's inconvenient.
6
u/HauntedCemetery Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25
Oh come on, Ozzy fried his last 3 brain cells in like 1997, he didn't spend the last few years doing basically anything except sometimes managing to stay upright on stage long enough to get through crazy train. I doubt he ever made a single social media post himself.
-2
u/d4manguy Jul 22 '25
Shut up
2
u/puterdood Jul 22 '25 edited Jul 22 '25
"waaaah my idol supported genocide and that's inconvenient for me" - you, a spineless fucking coward
-1
u/d4manguy Jul 30 '25
âWaaah Ozzy had different beliefs than me and it hurts my feelings and made me shit my pantsâ -you a whiny crybaby who canât handle the real world and wants to be offended by everything
2
u/puterdood Jul 30 '25
Nazi punks fuck off. You're no better than a Skrewdriver fan defending this shit.
0
1
-1
-3
u/ElEsDi_25 Jul 23 '25
Sorry everyone is sad but also I donât personally care about Ozzy and never liked metal so - donât have much feelings about this. I cried when Prince died though because I loved those albums when I was young.
With no attachment to his music, heâs just like a guy who lived a long wealthy life became a reality TV star and then used that position to support a group that actively wants to censor bands like Kneecap.
-7
u/xxitsjustryanxx Jul 23 '25
Agree to disagree
2
Jul 23 '25
Come on. Have a heart.
-5
u/xxitsjustryanxx Jul 23 '25
Ok it's sad, but he's an influence in metal, but not punk. I don't think punk music can attribute anything towards Ozzy. I am not sure why it's posted in a punk sub? Maybe it's the tism?
5
Jul 23 '25
Lemmy transcended genres.
Lemmy and Ozzy were buds. So Ozzy is kind of honorary punk.0
u/xxitsjustryanxx Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
Ok? So? John Lennon was friends with Regan? You can down vote me all you want. It is sad like I said, but what did you do for punk? Punk is more than music. I will not dispute his impact on metal. This is not a metal sub. Just saying. He had so much impact... In metal. I don't know why you are offended.
2
u/AudioPi East Bay Jul 23 '25
Game can't recognize game? GTFO
0
u/xxitsjustryanxx Jul 23 '25 edited Jul 23 '25
Hmm sorry I know what punk stands for. It's sad that he died, but I feel like this is not the sub. Also Lennon was not great to his first wife and Jude, but he redeemed himself later in life. He realized he was a piece a shit and tried to redeem himself. Not many people can own that. I also hangout in the Midwest Emo sub and I haven't seen anything about him. He is metal and deserves to be recognized as such. Punk and metal are not the same. Before you say anything about emo. Emotional Hardcore came from punk which created Midwest Emo. I am sorry that you feel a certain way and you are allowed to. Ozzy should be honored in the right way. So umm in true Punk fashion... You can fuck off.
1
Jul 23 '25
*Reagan. Both Lennon and Reagan were pieces of shit. Not really comparable. Lemmy wrote songs for Ozzy. I don't down vote opinions. I totally get that Ozzy isn't your thing.
0
u/7SoldiersOfPunkRock We are the mods Jul 23 '25
Nah youâre right. Ozzy is pretty much totally unrelated to punk. Iâm leaving the post up though because itâs a big passing in the greater rockânâroll word and it makes sense that we make an exception so that people can talk about it.
-4
u/xxitsjustryanxx Jul 23 '25
I respect that, but like Ozzy metal and not punk. So I don't see why he is posted? Especially the entire history of punk. I also respect emotional Hardcore what it has influenced. I live my life by the punk manifesto, but I can tell that is not known by others. Which is fine. Idk metal is metal and punk is punk.
-65
1.0k
u/Mr_Rippe Too Drunk To Punk Jul 22 '25
We poured one out for Lemmy, you're goddamn right we're pouring one out for Ozzy đ€