Bob is supposed to have a book by years end. This Q&A was done to answer fan's FAQs on his site.
I wonder if this was done in response to things Ozzy wrote in 'I Am Ozzy'.
Looking forward to reading Bob's book, though:
http://www.bobdaisley.com/interview-website.html
lol...He saw at first-hand all that went on within Jet Records, the Arden family and the Osbourne connection. This is a book the Osbournes would not want people to read; I highly recommend reading it.
Oh shit that's awesome.19. On the subject of lyrics, when asked about 'Suicide Solution' and the controversy connected to that song when a teenager killed himself after allegedly listening to it, Don Arden is on record as having said..
"To be perfectly honest, I would be doubtful as to whether Mr. Osbourne knew the meaning of the lyrics, if there was any meaning, because his command of the English language is minimal."
Many would agree, and yet Ozzy has said on several occasions that he wrote the lyrics to 'Suicide Solution'. Would you like to comment on this?
BD. Ozzy has often said that he wrote Suicide Solution about Bon Scott, AC/DC's singer but first and foremost Ozzy didn't write it, I did. Bon Scott was a good friend of mine, I would be the first to say if it had been written about him. I wrote the lyrics as a warning of drinking yourself to death, inspired by Ozzy's heavy drinking at the time and that the 'solution' - as in 'liquid' - is not the solution to the problem. I would like to add that in no way were the lyrics meant to encourage the act of suicide, on the contrary, they meant the opposite.
That was quite a lengthy interview....
I don't if that's such a good idea if you're getting ready to release a book, though.
I mean...what's going to be in this book that he hasn't already discussed (at length) in this interview?
Who knows? Maybe there's even more dirt. If there isn't, I don't think it's a good idea for him to be doing interviews like this one.
Kinda lets the cat outta the bag, so to speak.
That's just my opinion anyways.....
I hope that this book isn't just controversial for the sake of it - I'd like an honest account, not 300 pages of 'I hate Ozzy...'
The Power Of The Riff Compels Me
True Hambon...maybe that big chunk is on the site for the casual fan, those who want more in-depth can go for the book?
I agree, Binnie. It does state Bob's diary goes back to '74, so let's hope we hear about Bob's time with Ritchie Blackmore, RJD, Tony Iommi...even Yngwie!
Bob's doing this on his own, with no ghost-writer or publicist. He has gotten the short end on more than one occasion in his career, I too hope it doesn't wind up being a bitter manifesto.
I checked his FB page earlier today, and he and Lee have yet to be contacted concerning the reissue of Blizzard & Diary.
I would imagine they have to have some form of input, wouldn't you think?
Im buying the sum bitch when it comes out.
I seriously doubt he'll have any input into the Ozzy reissues...........
Maybe, but my point is that he's dealing with Sharon, one of the most ruthless people in the business, and now that all of this information is out there, her and her people have time to counter all of this and spin it into her favor, and making him look like a desperate chump that's just out there to make a buck. I wouldn't put it past her to pull some wicked shit like that.....not for a second!Originally Posted by tojoro
I don't see anything wrong with promoting a book, but spilling the gist of its contents out in an interview is like shooting yourself in the foot , especially if you expect it to sell. The interview is basically the book, is it not?
I wish he would employ someone who's aware of the evil motherfuckers he's up against, and all of the heinous bullshit they're capable of pulling, in order to protect him.....and teach him a thing or two about ruthless marketing strategies. Like the ones his former employer uses.
Regardless of whatever's in the book, I really don't see it doing that well.
He'll be lucky to get any money out of the reissues, much less have any input into them.
Scramby eggs and bacon.
What Sharon and Ozzy are less than honest w/ their business partners?!?!??!?!?!?I had no idea! Bob Daisley is a cool dude but despite his claims of knowing the business he still got screwed.
"Nothing gets a yak over a suspension bridge faster than 'Back in the Saddle Again' by Aerosmith" ~ DLR
I agree with you hambon...I have no use for Sharon or Ozzy anymore. Good business skills, shitty people skills. They care little for others, and only for money.
The book that was written for Ozzy had lots of contradictions, and he already took his jabs at Bob and Lee. Painted himself reaL pretty as the helpless victim.
In one chapter, he states how talented Bob is. In another he begs the question, if Bob is so tatlented, where are all of his hit records?
Bob won't make much money off this book. It'll sell to his fanbase and that's it. At the very least, he has his talent and his integrity and the motherfucker can sleep at night.
I'll bet you it kills the Osbournes that he has those rehersal tapes...that kind of stuff they'd love to add to the remasters package.
I would have thought there would have to be involvement on Bob and Lee's part, as Sharon said there would be studio chatter and such added. I'm not sure if someone needs to have permission to use someone else's speaking voice in a recording, but you know what I mean.
Pretty interesting look at what he wrote for Ozzy. Hopefully in the book they go into further detail about who wrote the riffs, ect...
+++++++++
BD. I go into specifics and detail with the songs and each album when talking about them in my book but as a brief description and explanation, the following gives you an idea...
Blizzard of Ozz
I Don't Know: I think the title was Ozzy's but I wrote all the lyrics of the song except one line - 'ya gotta believe in foolish miracles' - which was also Ozzy's.
Crazy Train: The title was mine and 99% of the lyrics were mine. I think a word or two came from Ozzy.
Goodbye to Romance: Ozzy had a few lines ready for this one, including the title but I wrote most of the lyrics. My message was directed at Ozzy to 'look ahead' and not get stuck in the past regarding his dismissal from Black Sabbath, which was still bothering him. I wrote the outro lyrics in the control room of a Birmingham demo studio when we first recorded the song as a demo for the record company. I still have that demo. Incidentally, the title is a line from an Everly Brothers' song 'Bye, Bye Love'.
Suicide Solution: My title and all my lyrics except the first line which was Ozzy's - 'wine is fine but whisky's quicker' - and that was his whole and sole contribution, other than his usual vocal melody.
Mr. Crowley: The title was Ozzy's, an ode to Aleister Crowley. Ozzy also had a couple of lines within the song but again most of the lyrics were mine. Being that Crowley was reputed to be a black magician, I didn't want to make it a negative message and turned it into a 'Crowley, what were you thinking?' theme.
No Bone Movies: Title and lyrics all mine. Ozzy, Randy, Randy's girlfriend Jody and I had been to see a porn flick in Soho, London and Randy called it a 'bone movie' which I don't think I'd ever heard.
Revelation (Mother Earth): When it came time to write the lyrics at Ridge Farm during the recording of the album, I was reading parts of 'Revelations' in the bible. I read a lot of philosophy and all sorts of schools of thought, which influenced the lyrics and message in the song. Ozzy did come up with a couple of lines in this one too though.
Steal Away the Night: The 'steal away' part was Ozzy's, I think we used it in another song originally but didn't suit it as much as where it ended up. Nearly all the lyrics are mine.
You Looking at Me, Looking at You: Originally meant to be on the album but ended up as a B-side for the single when 'No Bone Movies' which was supposed to be the B-side but made it onto the album. 'You Looking at Me' was one of the first songs we wrote together. The title and lyrics are all mine, Ozzy may have put in a word or two.
Diary of a Madman
Over the Mountain: Title and lyrics were mine. To be fair, Ozzy's melodies and scat singing before lyrics were written sometimes influenced what I wrote, the lyrics were written to fit his phrasing on most songs.
Flying High Again: The title and lyrics were mine, Ozzy may have put in a word or two again. In my book, there's a whole story about how this song came about from an experience I had as a young lad playing in bands in Australia. The title actually came from a very 'straight' bloke who asked me a question about drugs.
You Can't Kill Rock 'N' Roll: Ozzy's title, and a few words were his but the meat and potatoes of the lyrics were mine. I wrote it about being screwed by record companies and being lied to, a premonition me thinks...
Believer: My title and lyrics. I was reading about the power of belief at the time and wanted to convey a positive message. Maybe a word or two from Ozzy and some inspiration from his phrasing but all my idea.
Little Dolls: My title and lyrics. Again, maybe a word or two here and there from Ozzy but totally my idea. A song about Voodoo without mentioning the word. Fuck knows how I came up with that one...
Tonight: Ozzy had originally sung 'just a kiss before we say goodnight' to open the song but I thought that was a bit soppy so changed the idea to someone down and out on the street. I think Lee came up with the 'tonight' where it ended up in the chorus but I wrote almost all the lyrics.
S.A.T.O.: Not my title, Ozzy and Sharon changed it from 'Strange Voyage' which had been mine, to 'S.A.T.O.' after Lee and I were ousted. I wrote the lyrics about how life can be a strange voyage and was inspired by a Buddhist text entitled 'A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering'. The S.A.T.O part is explained in my book.
Diary of a Madman: My title and lyrics. The title came from a movie of the same name which I'd seen starring Vincent price. When I told Ozzy about my idea he loved it and that became the title of the next album before we'd even started writing it. I wrote the lyrics about my own personal experience which I go into detail about in the book. When Randy, Lee and I first worked up the music for the song without Ozzy, he came in the next day, heard what we had and said, "Who the fuck do you think I am, Frank Zappa?"
Bark at the Moon
Bark at the Moon: Ozzy's title, which came from a saying he had, 'eat shit and bark at the moon' but I wrote all the lyrics. Based on a fictitious 'Hammer Horror' type character.
You're No Different: Ozzy's title. He wanted it to be about people judging and criticizing him, which was happening in the press at the time, so that's what I wrote it about.
Now You See It (Now You Don't): My title and lyrics. A simple ditty about hiding a sausage...
Rock 'N' Roll Rebel: Ozzy's title and another one about him being accused of being a devil worshiper. Some of the lyrics were his too but about 90% were mine.
Centre of Eternity: My title and lyrics. A tongue-in-cheek philosophical look at 'time' and our existence in eternity.
So Tired: My title and lyrics. Something quite unusual for me to write - a love song. The idea came from a Kinks' song I heard on the radio one night driving back home from Ridge Farm. Their song was called 'Tired of Waiting' but that's where the similarities end.
Slow Down: My title and lyrics. Inspired by The Beatles' song of the same name but again, that's where the similarities end, the lyrics are very different. I remember Jake E. Lee particularly liked this one.
Waiting for Darkness: Ozzy's title but I wrote all the lyrics. I wrote it about the hypocrisy within organized religion, the brainwashing, mind control, paedophilia and manipulation through guilt, and that if that's what equates to the 'light' then I'll wait for the 'darkness'. When Ozzy was asked what the song was about during his interview with 'International Musician' magazine, mentioned earlier, his answer was, "A witch." It seems he didn't understand the lyrics I'd written and he'd sung, although he took credit for writing it.
Spiders: My title and lyrics. When we were recording 'Bark' at Ridge Farm, there were hundreds of little spiders everywhere. They were harmless but the glut of them inspired the song idea. I turned it around at the end with 'the spider's in your head'...
The Ultimate Sin
Ozzy (or someone other than me) came up with the titles for all the songs on this album, including the title track. I had co-written a lot of the music with Jake E. Lee in Palm Springs while Ozzy was in The Betty Ford Clinic there. All the vocal melodies were Ozzy's and most likely the song titles. I was dismissed after a little tiff between Ozzy and me and then called back to write the lyrics for the album a month or so later, so things developed while I was gone. Bass player Phil Soussan used some of my bass lines on the album but I'm glad I didn't play on that one, I think it's Ozzy's worst album. Even he didn't like it and referred to it as 'The Ultimate Din'. But yes, I wrote all the lyrics for that album.
No Rest for the Wicked
Miracle Man: I can't remember who came up with the title for this one, maybe Ozzy. I wrote all the lyrics which were about a controversial character in the news at the time by the name of Jimmy Swaggart, a bible-punching, hellfire-and-brimstone-threatening evangelist who got busted with a hooker in a cheap motel. I was proud of my ridiculing lyrics on that one, I'll probably go to hell now...:-)
Devil's Daughter: I think the title was Ozzy's but I wrote nearly all the lyrics, maybe Ozzy came up with a few words, to be fair. The 'holy war' part was inspired by a familiar cry during strife in the Middle East at the time but I made it about an exorcism, to make it more commercial and less offensive.
Crazy Babies: Ozzy's title, mostly my lyrics, some of which I'd had since Rainbow days. Ozzy did contribute a few lines here and there but the bulk of it was mine. A simple 'young rebels' theme.
Breaking All the Rules: Ozzy's title and a few lines were his but I wrote a lot of it, more than half. The idea was a 'thinking outside of the square' theme with the obvious rebelliousness.
Bloodbath in Paradise: Ozzy's title and for a while I didn't know what I was going to write it about, he just wanted that particular title. The full story of this is detailed in my book but as a quick explanation, I thought of California being the 'paradise' and then the obvious 'bloodbath' which came to mind was the Charles Manson Family murders in the late '60s, I wrote all of that one.
Fire in the Sky: Ozzy's title and a few of the lyrics were his but 90% were mine. I thought of writing it about a U.F.O. sighting or experience, but Ozzy wanted it about an 'inner child' situation so that's what I wrote it about and included a bit of 'me' in there too.
Tattooed Dancer: I can't quite remember whose title it was but the inspiration for the lyrics came from a strip bar on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood named 'The Seventh Veil' where we used to sometimes ogle the dancing tattooed crumpet. A few lines are Ozzy's but again the bulk of it was mine.
Demon Alcohol: I remember this one well, it was my title and all the lyrics are mine. I wrote it from a standpoint of the 'demon alcohol' singing the song to a weak alcoholic.
No More Tears
I didn't actually write any of the lyrics for 'No More Tears', I only played on it. I was called in at the last moment to play on the album and then when I'd finished recording all my bass parts I stayed on in L.A. to write the lyrics. I got as far as six sets and was then told I'd done enough for the moment. I had asked to be able to retain my publishing rights this time instead of doing a 'buy out' so I could receive royalties... that's when I was sent home.
Picked up a copy of Gods, Gangsters and Honour by Steven Machat, (the book Bob referred to in the Q&A), check this out:
This is Steve talking about himself and Don Arden getting together in LA, in 1999, I believe.
"We met at Nate & Al's Deli in Beverly Hills. Don had a business proposition: He had tapes, records and videos from his most famous groups and asked me to help him sell them in return for a slice of the action. He told me he owned the copyright to them, and that was good enough for me.
I had told him that I had been approached by a friend with connections to this internet company called Musicmaker who were looking for material to sell online.
It fast became clear that Don's most marketable property was a taped video concert of the Blizzard of Ozz featuring Ozzy. I promised him I would sound out Musicmaker and get back to him.
After the inevitable horsetrading, Musicmaker eventually paid out $100,000 for the tape with my commission agreed at 20%. Even there, half of my fee went to the man who introduced me to Musicmaker. He had to split his $10k with his bosses! Everyone was getting a slice of the pie. The video is what Don gave me for the future."
So this must be the show that was supposedly 'stolen' from Don's house, unless he has more, though Steve's dialogue sounds as though there was just the one.
This was in the chapter entitled: 'The Birth of the Queen of Hearts', and you can guess who that is.
I just got the book a few days ago, and there isn't a whole lot with Don/Ozzy, which would lead me to think Machat is being truthful, as he doesn't have anything to lose or gain by saying what he did. He's had a pretty long career, and his dealings with Ozzy were for short periods of time. He did mention he was actually the tour manager with the band for their first spin thru Canada, then came to the realization managing a heavy metal act was not for him. I wouldn't consider this cashing in on Randy. His name is mentioned maybe three times total.
I thought Sharon was disturbed before I read any of this:
..."had She and Ozzy lost that whole royalty case, they would have had to pay up to 75% of BOO current and past earnings to Daisley, Kerslake and the Rhoads estate, and that would have amounted to millions that they simply didn't have. This was right before the MTV show that made her a celebrity".
So before anyone runs to Sharon's defense, remember that Bob and Lee aren't the only ones being fucked over by her, the same goes for Randy's family, too.
I recall hearing once that the terms of Randy's contract were changed shortly after his death. Never knew if that was true, but the above sure makes it sound that way.
These guys were not hired as sidemen when the Blizzard first started blowing.
More than once, Machat refers to the Band as the Blizzard of Ozz. Not Ozzy or Ozzy's band.
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