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The Osbournes - Entertaining or ridiculing?

Written by Thomas, September 2003

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iary Of A Madman:
When I watch The Osbournes at MTV I cant help but getting mixed emotions from seeing the things I see.
Of course I find it funny and I'm laughing my ass off at times, but is that what I really want?
I mean, Ozzy is the main reason together with Iron Maiden why I became a metal freak in the first place, so shouldn't I rather be banging my head listening to Sabbath then to laugh at one of my heroes? It would be one thing if the show was about his good deeds, but the show feels more like a sit-com about a crazy family that hardly seems to get anything right.

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iller Of Giants
When he is getting exposed in this way all the myths are getting killed. Do we really want to know all about our heroes "everyday life", shouldn't we be happier off if their lives was shrouded in mystery rather then to be hanged out like as in cheap tabloid-magazines? Since they are humans they obviously has to have a life outside the music, but do we really have the need to know all about that? Well apparently we do, according to the popularity with the show and with the media flow of today, people seem to be eager to find out everything possible. For me it is enough to know that he has bitten the head of doves and bats and to know about his music and the things that follows with that, I don't have the need to know all about his life at home, but then I'm sitting in front of the television watching the show with the same great interest as everyone else, driven by the same urge to find out more about things I have no need to know about, and I'm loving it.

Don't Know
And I also has problems about how serious the show really can be taken, since MTV is behind it all. Even if it is the biggest show of the channels history I find it hard to take MTV for a serious channel since they decided to cancel Headbangers Ball on MTV Europe, but mostly because it feels to childish and simply doesn't make a serious impression, but then I'm way past twenty years of age so it might just be that I'm to old for that channel. And then there is of course the editing, miracles can be performed in the editing-room, so how trustworthy is the things that we finally get to see? In order to get higher ratings I'm sure that they are keen to create a "twist of the truth", taking things out of context so the show will be more extreme and on the edge making it more viewer friendly.

razy Train
Someone said that The Osbournes is the best anti-drug propaganda ever when you see Ozzy rambling around, shaking like wreck and mumbling so you hardly can hear what he is trying to say. And I can only agree, I have never been attracted to drugs and seeing the direct effects of a destructive living I cant say that I'm getting more attracted to it. It must be a miracle that this tired old man still can perform on stage in the extend that he does.

The show can actually be really entertaining and sometimes you can see that there actually is lot of love and warmth in the family, but mostly there is just chaos and disorder and a lot of screaming and curse-words, cant see that kind of language as the case of a "normal" family.
But then I guess you have to take the show with an glimpse in the eye, and hope that they are somewhat more of a normal character when the cameras are switched off.

But it isn't always amusing, sometimes when I'm laughing the most, the laughter can get stuck in my throat, suddenly I start to realise, hey wait a minute that isn't fun, that is sad or pathetic, and nothing I should be laughing at.
Is it comedy watching Sharon fighting her battle against cancer?, I have a hard time to look at that as entertainment. But there could be something good coming out of her struggle, hopefully she can be an inspiration for others in the same difficult situation to not give up, but to keep on fighting.

And then there is the kids, I does in no way question Ozzy and Sharon's ability as parents, I'm confident that they are great as parents, but the two little devil-spawns named Jack and Kelly give us little proof of that. I really do think that they can behave as "normal" kids but their chance of spotlight has probably made them so horny for fame that they have forgotten about normal manors.
But then, how would the show look without them, it would be like the X-Files without the aliens.

 

 

And what is it about all this animals? Looks like they are living in zoo, has anyone tried to count how many dogs and cats they have, and how many times they have been taking a shit inside the house?

I have most respect for Sharon that manages to keep the family together being the centre of gravity in the house, I find her to be one hell of a strong woman for her ability of keeping control over things the way she does.
She is constantly eager to keep everyone in the house happy at the same time that she is manager for Ozzy while she is all along going through a struggle against cancer.

ark At The Moon
Jack and Kelly isn't the only children in the family, besides those two Ozzy and Sharon had another daughter before them, the 20-year old daughter named Aimee. And she is my favourite of the kids, but why you ask? She hasn't been in the show. That's right and that's why she's my favourite, and the proof that there might be some sanity running in the family. She wanted to be left out of the series so that she can make a music career on her own rather to get a free ride on her fathers name, well good luck with that now since the family is one the most well-known families of today, and when you cant hear the name Osbourne without associating with the show.
But I give her standing ovations for her decision to stand beside all this hysteria that the show has created, I really think that it is strong of her to say no.

o More Tears
One thing that hurts me is when people that has absolutely no idea who Ozzy really is and what he has done in the past is laughing at him. Damn it, it is one of my heroes that they are ridiculing. But then, I am also laughing loudly, and should that be more justified only because I know who he is and is a big admirer of his work?
In anyway metal music seems to be on the rise and if it has anything to do with The Osbournes I will let be unsaid, but it feels like a new era is on the rise. Hopefully the show can breed a new generation of metalfans, I believe that many people including myself discovered metal through Ozzy and from there started to grew an interest to go further into that kind of music. And I have some hope that some of the kids that watches the show might go the same way and find that there is a new world to them of great metal music beneath the surface if they look closer, rather than the lame mainstream nu-metal that we are being force-fed with. There is more music than what they show you on MTV, it is called Heavy Metal.

he Ultimate Sin
And then one can always wonder why the family has agreed to take part in this, has Ozzy sold his rock ´n´ roll soul when he is participating in this?
Looking at what they got to make a third season of the show it just makes it more hilarious, first we have the money: 20 million dollars, well that must be ok, lots of money of course but nothing astonishing. Then they wanted a new house, still an ok demand if you ask me. But if we look at what they wanted next: a contract signed in blood, seriously now, haven't heard about one of those since Manowar signed their first record-deal.
And last but not least, and this is my favourite: lifelong therapy for their dogs, Hello!?
Of course the show is enormously great publicity to give his career an extra boost, when there is a whole generation of kids watching that he would in no way reach out to normally.
Despite the shows popularity or how funny it actually can be I would like to remember Ozzy for the great contributor to metal music he is rather than to remember him because of his nutty family.

Heavy Metal is the law!
Or as the Prince Of Darkness himself would say:
ROCK ´N´ ROLL!!!


Thomas - September 2003