Ozzy Osbourne Has No Interest in Becoming a Country Singer
With more and more classic rockers feeling the pull toward country music these days, there's one old-school singer who has no interest in heading down that path: Ozzy Osbourne.
"Not me, thank you," he tells Rolling Stone in a new interview. "Personally, I think you should stick to what you know best. If [Aerosmith singer] Steven [Tyler is] having a good time with it, who am I to complain? But it would be absurd for me to do that. I don't mind country, but the 'Prince of Darkness' with a cowboy hat? I'm a rock 'n' roller, not a f---ing country bumpkin."
Osbourne is contemplating his next move now that Black Sabbath will wrap up their farewell tour soon. The End shows will conclude with a final concert in the band's hometown of Birmingham in February. After that, Osbourne will reportedly start work on his next solo album, his first since 2010's Scream, though he told Rolling Stone he hasn't "really thought about it, honestly."
Sabbath are putting an end to their touring career, and even though Osbourne claimed he's not sentimental about the approaching end – "Right now I'm having a blast," he said. "I suppose I may have a different head on when we do the last show" – he did note he's got a different attitude about touring these days.
"I used to resent going out on the road," he said. "But now it's fun. Nobody gets stoned. Nobody gets drunk. We've been doing some great shows."
One thing he does regret, he said, is not having original drummer Bill Ward onstage with the band. "I'm sad that Bill never came through," Osbourne said. "Every time I reach out to Bill, I get yelled at for something. If something can be worked out [for the last show], great."
In the meantime, Osbourne has other things to worry about, like the lawsuit filed against him by former bassist Bob Daisley and repairing his somewhat fractured marriage in light of a recent affair and sex-addiction admission.
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