Of all the rock stars who have ever lived, Ozzy Osbourne has definitely had one of the wildest reputations. Though he’s done some questionable things during his lifetime, some rumors simply aren’t true, and he’s shared the wildest gossip he’s heard about himself.
The Prince of Darkness’ son, Jack Osbourne, asked his father about the “most incredible” gossip he’s heard about himself during an episode of The Osbournes Podcast.
“That I won’t go onstage until I’ve slaughtered 15 puppy dogs,” Ozzy responded before telling another animal-related story.
“I was once doing a show in Madison Square Garden. There was a circus there, [and] I said, ‘I’m gonna go check out these lions.’ And the guy goes, ‘Not you, you ain’t.’ Do you think I’m gonna bite the f–king head off a lion?”
“He thought you were gonna kill the lions,” Jack added.
See the clip below.
Of course, Ozzy was referencing the times he infamously bit the heads off of a few different birds in the ’80s. The first time was two white doves during a label convention in March of ’81, and the second was a bat onstage during a show in Des Moines, Iowa in 1982. The doves had apparently been dead, but when it came to the bat, the singer thought that it was a toy that had been thrown onstage by a fan. It wasn’t until the bat’s blood filled his mouth that he realized it was real.
“I can assure you the rabies shots I went through afterwards aren’t fun,” the rocker told David Letterman in an interview that year. So, it’s safe to say that he learned his lesson — and he hasn’t bitten an animal since, that we know of.
READ MORE: The Most Shocking Rock + Metal Moments of the ’80s
We have no idea where the puppy slaughtering rumor came from, as Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have had several dogs in their home for years. According to the website McSweeney’s, though, someone once commented on the official message board for the TV show The Osbournes, “Also in 1981, he threw a small puppy into the audience before a show and demanded they tear the legs off this cute little puppy or else he wouldn’t perform that night. They did!”
So, perhaps that’s the puppy gossip Osbourne became aware of.
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Rock and metal music is full of legendary stories about certain artists that may or may not have happened, in all actuality. Can you guess which ones are true and which ones are false? Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but we all definitely heard these stories out in the schoolyard at some point. Keep scrolling for the legendary rock tales and their corresponding answers, and see how many you get correct.
Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp
