Celebrated music photographer John McMurtrie recalls what it was like to shoot the sorely missed Black Sabbath frontman. Deputy Editor and long-time headbanger, Geoff Harris, is all ears.
The Internet and global media are buzzing with tributes to Ozzy Osbourne, who died on Tuesday. A troubled working-class kid from Birmingham in the English midlands, Ozzy went on to be lead singer for Black Sabbath and a reality TV star – making him one of the most famous rockers of all time.
The impact of his music, whether with Black Sabbath or during a successful solo career, is well documented, along with his sometimes-lurid offstage antics. But what was Ozzy like to photograph in the studio? Was he really the Prince of Darkness? A prima donna? Or just a pussycat?
John McMurtrie, a celebrated music photographer with a passion for hard rock and extensive experience of touring with Iron Maiden, photographed Ozzy a few times over the years – the ever-affable John shares his fond memories below.
Ozzy apologises, then starts swearing
John first photographed Ozzy for Classic Rock magazine, during the time he was recording At Home with the Osbournes in the early 2000s. ‘I think he was quoted as saying he wanted to concentrate more on the music than reality TV so the magazine’s editors wanted a kind of ‘apology’ angle. My brief was to get the crazy Ozzy, but also to try and get a shot of him looking quite humble and a bit more real. I was more into this anyway, rather than just doing the predictable goofy, clown-face stuff,’ John recalls.
‘Anyway, Ozzy was a real seasoned pro when it came to photography. Either he was professionally trained, or just very astute. The minute you set up the lighting and said you were ready to boogie, he became like a professional model.
He would pull this face, that face, that position… you didn’t have to try that hard. I was soaking it up and then I was encouraging him to try something a bit calmer and more natural and he eventually got it. Ozzy was a delight to photograph, he was such a nice guy. Talkative, chatty, he really put me at ease. The only pause in the shoot came when Sharon called him, and then there was quite a lot of swearing!’
Ozzy nabs some guitars
After this memorable first shoot, John met Ozzy soon after for another shoot for a guitar magazine. ‘The magazine was doing a celebration of all the guitarists who’d worked with Ozzy, from Tony Iommi to Randy Rhoads through to Zakk Wylde. So they had Gibson send in the guitars that these players were most associated with.
Ozzy walked in and seemed surprised to see me again, jokingly asking if I’d f**** up the first shoot we did! Again, he was lovely to work with. At the end of the shoot Ozzy asked if he could have the guitars. I just shrugged my shoulders but there was a record company representative there who was too scared to refuse and agreed. Off go the guitars with Ozzy in his car.
Afterwards she was like ‘oh my god, Gibson will kill us!’ I don’t think Gibson ever got those guitars back… I remember Ozzy clutching the Flying V guitar made famous by Randy Rhoads and closing his eyes. It was a very spontaneous and emotional moment, as I hadn’t directed him to hug the guitar’ (Rhoads died during a tour with Ozzy in 1982, at the tragically young age of 25 – Ed).
Ozzy – quite different to At Home with the Osbournes
John went on to shoot Ozzy a few times after this. ‘I once got shown up to his room at the Dorchester in London and he was talking about how much photography there was in the hotel. Again he totally put me at ease. No ego, whatsoever. That said, he wasn’t really into the process and seeing what I’d shot, he just wanted to get the job done and presumed I was half competent.’
The last time John shot Ozzy was when Sabbath reformed in 2016. ‘He was noticeably frailer but again was totally friendly and took direction really well. The thing to remember about Ozzy is that while he came across like a bumbling madman on the TV show, he was nothing like that in real life. Ozzy was very on it, understood exactly what he needed to do, and was very kind and helpful to me as a photographer.
It’s unbelievable he died when he did, though he did get to play the final show with the other original members of Black Sabbath a few weeks ago… Maybe he’d decided he’d had enough of this life. Who knows.’
A huge thanks to John McMurtrie for sharing his memories of Ozzy. You can buy a limited-edition print of one of John’s iconic Ozzy shots (above) here, and there is a wide selection of other fantastic images for sale on John’s website.
Music fans will also be interested in our guide to the greatest album cover photography of all time, which can you buy here.
