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GW Would you like to do a solo album with guest artists?

OSBOURNE No, it would never work. [Black Sabbath guitarist] Tony Iommi did it. A lot of people do it, but I don’t know many that have been successful.

GW How do you feel when you hear other people covering your material?

OSBOURNE I’m really honored. I’ve got a good body of work.

GW What is the current state of affairs with you and Black Sabbath?

OSBOURNE I speak to Bill Ward almost every day. I haven’t spoken to Geezer [Butler, Sabbath bassist] for some time now, not for any reason. I’m doing my own thing now. I wish them all the best. I don’t think Bill wants to do it. I think he’s happy in his own little world, and I’m happy in mine. If it did happen, it would have to be the four of us, or I wouldn’t do it.

GW Do you feel that the Osbournes television show damaged your musical career?

OSBOURNE Yeah, that was kind of an experiment that went crazy. I never really watched it. I look at myself and think, What a fucking moron! What happened with that is a lot of people only know me from the show; they didn’t connect that I’ve been around for a long time before that. In fact, I was in Boston touring and this woman came up to me and said, “What are you doing in Boston?” I said, “I’m doing a show.” She said, “What kind of a show?” I said a rock show, and she looked surprised and exclaimed, “Oh, you do that as well?” I thought, Fucking hell, I don’t know where you live.

GW How do feel when that happens?

OSBOURNE Highly resentful, because my primary thing is my music. I don’t like doing TV, but once the ball starts rolling you’ve got to hold on to it to get through it. Now everybody is doing reality shows, and Hollywood reality isn’t reality—it’s bullshit.

GW If you met the young Ozzy today, what advice would you give him?

OSBOURNE I don’t know what I’d say. My life has been up and it’s been down; everybody’s life’s like that. I was watching an interview with Eric Clapton and he said, “You know what? When you come to the crossroads, whichever direction you decide to take, you got to live with the pros and the cons.” That’s true. I say to my kids, “Every action has a reaction; every positive has a negative.” People say to me, If you could change anything, what it would be? If I changed anything, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

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