Monday, August 27, 2007

Ozzy Osbourne

Was there ever a man for whom getting married made more sense than Ozzy Osbourne?

Born into a poor family from Birmingham, England, with the perfectly fine name of John Michael Osbourne, he's taunted at school with the name "Ozzy." He doesn't do well in school, probably due to dyslexia, and falls into the life of rock n' roll with a band called Black Sabbath.

Then gets fired from the band.

And struggles with alcoholism.

And is sued for causing the suicides of a couple of kids who took his song lyrics too literally.

And bites the head off of a bat, thinking it was rubber, during a concert -- which earns him not only endless grief from animal rights supporters but a week's worth of rabies shots as well.

But along the way he meets the 17-year-old Sharon Arden, who takes over his career and marries him and (despite an unfortunate arrest in 1989 for trying to strangle Sharon while he was drunk) turns him into one of the richest and most successful acts of the rock era.

It's almost as if they are the poster couple for rock n' roll marriages.