The Power of Celebrity

Celebrity is a curious concept. Mere mortals who walk among us who suddenly have to pay extra for their own security. They have the talk shows, the humor, and the couch. Late night conversations filled with 21st century cool. The legions of those mesmerized by just a glance. The influence their words have on the rest of us, many times defying logic and reasoning. And we are all to a degree prone to their influence at the very slightest.

This week, we lost a celebrity we all had often wondered how he had endured. The man known as John Michael Osbourne. Ozzy. The Prince of fucking Darkness. And in my 45 years, I can’t recall the loss of any prior celebrity hitting as hard as this one. Like, why should they?

This one has hit hard because I grew up listening to his music. While the rest of the world saw him as this cartoonish muppet-like buffoon, I saw him as someone who rose from adversity such as bullying, poverty, dyslexia, impostor syndrome, and addiction. He rose to such a height that his death has been looked at as such a sorrowful event, given that just 3 weeks ago, he gave his swan song concert, breaking a fundraising record for a charity concert as a minute footnote.

I have the privilege of owning a memory of meeting him. I waited in line at a Barnes and Noble in Las Vegas to have him sign a book I bought. When it was my turn, he was very gracious to me. I told him that I was a huge fan, with the restrained jubilation that being starstruck comes paired with. He told me that he was glad to meet me, signed my book, and I went on my way. Security said no pictures, so I abided. Kind of.

Those of us who carry the invisible scars of abusive upbringings identify with Ozzy. He made us realize that we can still fly high, crash, and fly high again, maybe even higher. He showed us that no matter what we think of our indiscretions, there is someone out there for us that will look past them. He showed us that if we keep showing up, great things will happen.

I’ll be honest, I was not happy hearing that Black Sabbath would reunite with all four original members for one final concert. I had gone to their final show in 2017 in Birmingham, West Midlands UK to be a part of rock and roll history, as documented by the concert DVD I appear in for the occasion. Though it was not with original drummer Bill Ward, I made peace with that and assumed he was in bad shape physically to where he couldn’t do his own drum parts justice. And when I heard that this last concert was going to happen, I told myself “It’s going to go off the rails and I think they should just scrap it.” Boy, was I wrong. And I was also wrong for wanting my experience of going to Birmingham in 2017 to not be tarnished. It wasn’t tarnished at all. It was still a trip of a lifetime.

Yes, Ozzy couldn’t stand due to advanced Parkinson’s and multiple spinal surgeries, but it was still Ozzy. His voice was a little worse for the wear, but it was still him and rock and roll is not meant to be perfect (just watch Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains The Same”). However, when watching the clips the day of that appeared on YouTube, I realized how special it was. And then just over 2 weeks after, Ozzy dies.

Where the gratitude lies in this is in his story and wherever one entered into knowing his story, and however far you got pulled into being a fan or not. Most people appreciate his entertainment ability at minimum, and others, well, he changed their lives. We would not have a genre of music that means so much to many had it not been for Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. No Metallica, no Slayer, no Anthrax, no Megadeth. And no bands that were influenced by the big 4.

Everytime he got knocked down, he got back up. From when he got fired from Black Sabbath to coming back bigger than Black Sabbath. And when he would get up and do what he was good at, he would always say how he loved everyone. He was a beacon of light, cloaked in black, cloaked in realness, and what it means to be human. Despite the darkly minor compositions of his songs, his lyrics often were about peace, love, and making things better for everyone else. Very similar to Johnny Cash if you think about it.

I’d like to point out that I haven’t written as many newsletters lately due to <gesturing broadly> the kidnappings that have been happening in our local communities. If you think calling these actions kidnappings is unfair, unsubscribe. If you agree targeting brown people for kidnapping whether or not they are citizens, unsubscribe. Not please, not kindly, just unsubscribe.

I’d also like to take a minute to recognize my barber Joven. He has been my barber of choice for over 2 years. And he has helped my son (who I would have dig deep to physically restrain during haircuts) reach a milestone - my son sat in the barber chair by himself for the first time and didn’t even cry. I owe Joven at Humble Barber Studios a great deal of gratitude. If you are in Las Vegas/Henderson, he will take great care of you and your family. You can book a haircut/beard trim. Don’t be surprised if he becomes your barber for the foreseeable future. Book an appointment at www.humblebarberstudio.com