There wasn’t a day that went by that Ozzy Osbourne wasn’t happy to be alive.
Most people who grew up listening to him probably thought that the guy wouldn’t have made it past 50 years old, but the fact that he managed to bow out gracefully and even play one more show before his passing is one of the most badass send-offs that any singer could ask for. He considered himself an incredibly lucky man for the chance that he had, but that also came from learning of all the other pitfalls that other bands went through after they broke through to the mainstream.
Because as much as some rock stars can keep to themselves nowadays, self-preservation wasn’t exactly a priority when Osbourne was growing up. He loved to drink anything that he could get his hands on and shove anything that he could find up his nose, and that didn’t exactly go hand-in-hand with having a stable home life offstage. His first marriage already made for some of the most Spinal Tap-style moments of his career, but even he seemed to realise that he was walking a thin line.
But since when was rock and roll supposed to be telling people to slow things down throughout their career? ‘The Prince of Darkness’ was bound to soak up each moment in the spotlight that he could, and that included partying harder than anyone could have realised. From snorting ants to waking up in the middle of the highway after blacking out, nothing was off the table, but Osbourne did hit a wall before everything caught up with him.
He had already seen what drugs could do if someone went too far, and when looking at the good times that he had with AC/DC, he couldn’t help but feel sad knowing that Bon Scott never made it to the other side of mortality. Scott was one of the best drinking buddies that anyone could ask for, and to Osbourne’s eyes, he had one of the greatest voices that a rock band could ask for.
AC/DC was the epitome of a no-frills rock and roll outfit, and while Scott didn’t have an operatic voice by any stretch, not many people sounded like they lived the rock and roll lifestyle more than him. Writing about being in a rock and roll band can always be a bit tricky, but there aren’t many people who didn’t make life on the road seem as fun as Scott did. In fact, given how quickly he passed away after Highway to Hell, maybe the good times were going a bit too well.
Osbourne faced many tragedies throughout his life, but aside from losing Randy Rhoads, he considered the loss of Scott to be one of the greatest casualties in rock history, saying, “[He’d been] working his arse off to make it. And with Highway to Hell, he’d finally got there. He was about to become one of the biggest rock stars on the planet. He had so much to look forward to… so much to give. It was an absolute tragedy what happened. Bon, we’ve missed you, man.”
None of the members of the rock community were the sentimental type by any stretch, but the fact that Osbourne was able to get a great song out of Scott’s death was the silver lining. ‘Suicide Solution’ is a good reminder of how far someone can take themselves before they find themselves too far gone, and that message even applied to Osbourne later down the road when he wasn’t taking care of himself.
But for all of the wasted potential there, Scott wasn’t the kind of person who wanted many people to weep over his passing or anything. AC/DC already gave him one of the greatest tributes anyone could have asked for in Back in Black, and if anyone is still broken up about his passing today, Scott would have been happy to know that his friends are still going strong, keeping the name of the band alive.
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