Ozzy Osbourne has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. And, unlike many of his fellow inductees, Ozzy kept his speech mercifully short.
Speaking from a throne adorned by a vast pair of bat wings, the Prince Of Darkness said, "Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
"My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now. And more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all."
Ozzy then handed over to the live band, who included Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, Wolfgang Van Halen, Andrew Watt, Adam Wakeman, Steve Stevens and Zakk Wylde. Three different frontmen filled in for Ozzy, with Tool's Maynard James Keenan taking the lead on Crazy Train, country star Jelly Roll doing the same on Mama I'm Coming Home, and Billy Idol singing No More Tears.
Jack Black's induction speech was as impassioned as you'd expect, with the Tenacious D star relating his first encounter with the Black Sabbath legend's music.
"I remember the first time I heard of Ozzy," said Black. "I was 13 years old, wandering around the record store. What should I get? Styx? Journey? An older rock aficionado noticed my indecision, and he said, “Stop fucking around, kid. This is the album you need to get, Blizzard of Ozz.”
"Man, was he right! Thank you, nameless rock aficionado, wherever you are, you changed my life. I remember looking at that album cover at Ozzy’s face before I even heard the music. I was transfixed. He looked so cool, that red-white suit with the white fringe on the sleeves, that crazy look in his eyes, the skull, the cross. Holy shit. The whole thing just looked so badass.
"It was the most metal thing I’d ever seen, and I didn’t even know what metal was. He was teaching me. I didn’t realize I was entering a whole new world of heavy metal music."
Ozzy's induction was his second, after receiving the same honour as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006. Other inductees at the ceremony in Cleveland included Peter Frampton, Foreigner, the Dave Matthews Band and the MC5.
