"Every day of my life has been an event" 

 Ozzy Osbourne

Now and then a book will sneak up on you, take you by surprise and turn out to be real gem. I am Ozzy is one of those books.
I'm not an Ozzy fan - most definitely not on my 'want to interview' list. Heck, I'm not even a Heavy Metal fan. I do however have two sons who are both - so in one of those moments of wanting to connect with them I figured I would give it a whirl.
I'm not sure what I expected but I do know what I didn't expect. I didn't expect Ozzy's name to be John, I didn't expect him to be quite so funny, and I certainly did not expect him to touch me.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Chris Ayres simply taped Osbourne, transcribed him and then made the decision to simply put the full stops and commas in the right places. This book reads exactly the way I have heard Osbourne speak - fast and slightly disjointed. Also, if you are not fond of profanity I should warn you the word 'fuck' appears on almost every page.
But despite this - I am Ozzy was an enjoyable read - at times sad, at times funny, always riveting.
The only thing that is as startling as the profantiy is how much Ozzy Osbourne loves his kids and his wife. Sharon, I have to say, must have the patience of the proverbial saint; although I supect she can hold her own against her soul mate.
Ozzy Osbourne hasn't always had an easy road. Granted much of the difficulty has been of his own doing - but he knows and accepts that. He hasn't always made the right choices but he doesn't try to pass the buck - and better yet he doesn't try to apologise. He doesn't care if you like it or not - he's just telling it like it is. He is a rock and roll musician. He's done a lot of drugs and a lot of booze and a lot of dumb things. But as he says "A lot of it aint been pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. but I ain't the Devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."
My sons were disappointed to discover when I had finished I am Ozzy that I am still not a Heavy Metal fan (sorry guys thirty years of Bruce are going to be hard to undo). I am however now a huge admirer of Ozzy Osbourne - it's impossible not to be. And if I ever got the chance to interview him I would jump at it. Because every day of his life has been an event - and that is a story worth hearing. More than once.

I am Ozzy
Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres
Hachette NZ
RRP: $39.99