Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
 superb never laughed so much June 5, 2010
Mr. K. Williams
one of the best books i have read, ozzy is aan amazing character, a lovely guy, cant help but love and feel for this man. a great book has all the stories, never laughed so much at all the stuff he has done. so funny. recommend this book to anyone, such an amazing life story, truly brilliantly written. could not put it down. love the old sabbath days when they first started, makes you realise how hard he had it at the beginning, worked so hard for what he has achieved, a pure genius. top bloke cant help but love this guy.
everyone would love this book not just for sabbath, ozzy fans.
 Disappointing June 1, 2010
Mrs. S. Hanney (Wickham UK)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've just finished this and thought - prior to the read that Ozzy was a one off star- now I just feel polluted! Get it together Ozzy!
 Best autobiography I've read May 18, 2010
E. Clarke (England)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a superb autobiography. If ever a famous person's life warranted writing about, it is Ozzy. The man's life story makes many other "celeb" autobiographies look like exactly what they are - money grabbing, mass appeal, desperate publicity stunts.
This is different; but it's difficult to explain why. You might think "Ozzy Osbourne, spent his whole life doing drink and drugs and went on a reality TV show, so what", but there are some fascinating stories in this book. Many are very funny, but not self-indulgently funny. It's not a "look at me and what a brilliant life I've had" book. Quite the opposite in many respects; a lot of the stories Ozzy is quick to point out his embarrassment and regret at them.
The beginning is a great hook, I found myself reading pages and pages of it in one sitting simply because every story, one after the other, is so enjoyable to read. Sure, it doesn't keep at the same ultra-high level all the way through the book, but for a lengthy book (nice thickness, small typeface) it does a damn good job of keeping you interested till the end.
It becomes obvious from the start that the book is penned by a ghost writer. Which is perfectly understandable, Ozzy wouldn't be capable of writing his recollections well enough, but nevertheless the stories are written as if coming from Ozzy's mouth (credit to the ghost writer for maintaining this and yet making the stories so easy to follow). I suppose my one gripe, however, is the slightly melodramatic style some of it is displayed. By that I mean, the writer separates supposedly dramatic lines in some of the stories into their own paragraphs, as if making them stand out. It can read like a cheesy cinema trailer at times. I don't like it, I think the book is interesting enough without having some writer try and patronise you by portraying some lines with such false dramatic effect.
But it's not going to put you off. There are so many wild tales, like being raided by police and snorting a heap of coke because they couldn't flush it all away. And using curtains to wipe his backside because there was no toilet paper in a new property he and Sharon were viewing. There are also sadder, more "common folk" tales; he tells us about his relationship with his parents, not talking to his mother for years, and then her dying before he could make amends.
I knew very little about Ozzy prior to reading, I don't even particularly like his music. But it's a fascinating, funny and at times tragic account of a very troubled man's life. Whether you are a fan of his music or not, it's well worth reading.
The ballad of whatsisname May 16, 2010
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
Everybody knows Ozzy Osbourne in one way or another -- classic satanic rocker, burned-out family man, or whatever.
So he tries to incorporate a little of everything in "I Am Ozzy," a rough'n'tumble autobiography full of all the embarrassing, unflattering, sometimes bizarre details of his life. It takes awhile to get used to his rambling style, but these stories have an unpolished brand of charm... and he's undoubtedly had an interesting life.
John "Ozzy" Osbourne was born into a working-class, impoverished British family, had a miserable stint at school, and seemed destined for "manual labor or manual labor." Instead, he went to prison.
Fortunately for Black Sabbath fans, that isn't where the story ends. After hearing the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, he became enamored of the rock'n'roll life... albeit a darker, weirder side than the hippie-dippie stuff that was popular at the time. And after a few failed bands, he got into a true, brilliant band that was later named Black Sabbath, hated by critics and much beloved by music fans.
He got married, had sex with groupies (in that order), went on Top of the Pops, encountered satanic freakfans, and produced a slew of albums with Black Sabbath. Lots of booze and drugs. As you'd expect, both he and the band started spiralling out of control. But after quitting it, he got involved with his future second wife Sharon, and launched out on a new life of music, madness, sex, dove-biting, bat-biting and -- most horribly -- reality TV.
Honestly, I didn't much care for "I Am Ozzy" during the first few chapters. The combination of a misspent youth and Osbourne's rambling style gave me a bit of a headache. But after awhile, his life story starts to grow on you -- his stories became funnier and more bizarre (how he almost killed a vicar with a hash cake) and his meandering way of recounting the past begins to flow more easily.
And since this is Ozzy Osbourne, he's got a LOT of freaky stories, so the book feels like sitting down and listening to the old guy natter about the Bad Ol' Days. Some are filthy, some are crazy, and some are just plain hilarious (`There's this incredible new thing. It's American and it's called pizza!"). And he writes in a rough-hewn, unpretentious style that meanders all over the place, but has charm.
Of course, it's got the F-word sprinkled through it hundreds and hundreds of times. What else would you expect?
And to his credit, Osbourne is unafraid to admit to the uglier parts of his life -- he was a burglar, he fired shotguns at small animals, and he cheated on Wife #1, as well as other sundry regrets. He's also pleasantly down-to-earth about his music, even when people didn't like it or didn't get it ("Are you sure they didn't make a mistake, son?" "What d'you mean?" "This cross is upside down").
It took a little while to grow on me, but "I Am Ozzy" ends up being an R-rated funride through the nasty world of rock and drugs -- the good, the bad, and the really gross.
One of the best books i've ever read! April 28, 2010
Jake M (England)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought Ozzy Osbourne's long awaited autobiography on the day it came out, huge fan!
I Am Ozzy is a book that I could read again and again, it's like having a chat with the Prince Of Darkness sat right next to you.
Frank and honest, just what you would exspect from this God of a man. There are some bits that had me crying with laughter, it's a brilliant read from start to finish. His childhood memories are particularly good.
I can't really say anymore about this than the other reviewers have written apart from: If you're a fan (and who isn't?) buy a copy today!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 33
|
