If you own a failing business and you need some advice to turn things around, you should look at the career of Ozzy Osbourne. The ageing English rock star was considered a dinosaur. That was until his wife and manager, Sharon, signed the family up for the reality TV series The Osbournes. The series was, surprisingly, a smash hit around the world and the once-reluctant TV star Ozzy saw his album sales skyrocket.
Of course, it would be difficult to survive in show business for so long without two other important things: talent and an ability for self-publicity. Ozzy has both of these in droves. When they started in Birmingham at the beginning of the 1970s, Ozzy’s band, Black Sabbath, defined a new form of music: heavy metal. Their musical style, lyrics and wild antics struck a chord with millions of disaffected teenagers. Ozzy was a talented singer and a charismatic frontman for the band, but his personal life became notorious. He had a serious problem with alcohol and drugs which culminated in him trying to kill Sharon. He was also blamed for causing the suicides of two fans. His song Suicide Solution, which was actually about alcoholism, was cited in court for these deaths but he was cleared. His most infamous stunt was when he bit the head off a bat on stage. He claims he thought the bat was made of rubber, but the wildman myth grew. He has also admitted to killing all his pet cats, about 17, with a shotgun. Nice man!