(The Hill) – English rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on Tuesday, had a large following in the U.S., yet his interactions with American politics were quite mixed.
Here are some memorable moments from the time that Osbourne, who died at age 76, spent dabbling in the U.S. political scene:
WHCA, WHCA, WHCA:
In 2002, he was a prominent guest at the annual White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) event during the peak of his renewed fame, and he was said to have “stolen the show” by many attendees.
During his speech, then-President George W. Bush welcomed “Washington power brokers, celebrities, Hollywood stars, Ozzy Osbourne,” humorously mispronouncing his last name as “Os-burn.”
Osbourne then stood on the table and raised his hands in the air in front of the cheering crowd.
“Ozzy, mom loves your stuff,” the then-president quipped, referring to former first lady Barbara Bush.
According to reports at the time, Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, made their way to the president’s table during the event.
“Ozzy told [Bush] he should grow his hair long,” Sharon Osbourne told the New York Daily News.
The well-coiffed president reportedly replied, “maybe in the second term.”
Members of Congress, politicos mourn:
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) was among the first lawmakers to post about Osbourne’s death on Tuesday.
“Ozzy was a true pioneer of heavy metal and an enduring symbol of the rebellious, freedom-loving spirit that resonates across our nation and throughout the world,” she wrote. “He will be missed.”
The Libertarian Party of New York also posted a tribute, along with a video of Osbourne singing Black Sabbath’s 1970 anti-war protest song “War Pigs.”
“Don’t forget to call out the war pigs all around us,” the group wrote.
Anti-war efforts
Osbourne was a well-known anti-war activist. When the GOP used his song “Crazy Train” at a campaign event without permission in 2004, he spoke out against the U.S. military campaign in Iraq.
A few lines from Black Sabbath’s 1970 song “War Pigs”:
“Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor…”
In an episode of “The Osbournes” podcast last year, he warned that the U.S. should be ready for another war.
“If there’s a war again, which it looks like [it] very possibly could, China’s already for it,” he said. “They’ve got mandatory [military service].”
“You got a choice: You gotta go to jail or military,” he added.
Going off the rails…
Many musicians have taken issue with President Trump’s use of their tunes during his campaigns, and Osbourne is no exception.
When Trump used the song “Crazy Train” to blast Democrats in a 2019 video on social media, the Osbournes asked him to stop.
“Based on this morning’s unauthorized use of Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Crazy Train,’ we are sending notice to the Trump campaign (or any other campaigns) that they are forbidden from using any of Ozzy Osbourne’s music in political ads or in any political campaigns,” Osbourne’s team said in a statement at the time. “Ozzy’s music cannot be used for any means without approvals.”
“In the meantime, we have a suggestion for Mr. Trump: perhaps he should reach out to some of his musician friends. Maybe Kanye West (‘Gold Digger’), Kid Rock (‘I Am the Bullgod’) or Ted Nugent (‘Stranglehold’) will allow use of their music,” the statement added.
Across the pond
Osbourne was a critic of the so-called “Brexit” movement in his home country. He called the effort a “f— joke” in an interview with the music magazine “The Big Issue” in 2018.
“I don’t understand Brexit — I don’t think anybody does,” he told the outlet. “You watch TV, and it’s all this shouting and screaming about Brexit, but nobody’s got a f—ng clue what it really means.”
“Brexit” was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union alliance in 2020, following a far-right push that’s been celebrated by some in the U.S.
