OZZY OSBOURNE THE BURGLARY STORY PAUL MCCARTNEY REFERENCED

Have you ever seen the moment a starstruck Ozzy Osbourne first met Sir Paul McCartney? Here is the story if you are unfamiliar with Paul McCartney's reference to Ozzy trying his hand as a burglar before going into music. TUNE IN TO JAMES COUSINEAU ON THURSDAY FOR THE PRIME TIME LIVE EPISODE FEATURING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF OZZY OSBOURNE. JESSFM.CA PHONE LINES AND WHATSAPP WILL BE OPEN FOR YOUR CALLS. 8PM MST.

#OZZY #OZZYOSBOURNE #JohnOzzyOsboune #paulmccartney #sirpaulmccartney #musiclegends #howardstern #howardsternshow #princeofdarkness #blacksabbeth #ripozzyosbourne

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
OK, let's dive into this one. Imagine 2 absolute Titans of
music. You've got Sir Paul McCartney,
the Beatle, and then John Ozzy Osborne, Prince of Darkness.
I mean, you'd think their world's like would never
collide. Right.
Completely different universes, seemingly.
But what's so fascinating here is how this one brief meeting

(00:21):
just outside of studio in New York back in 2001, right?
It became the sort of legendary moment, and it all hinged on
this single kind of disarming question from McCartney.
Totally cut through all the, youknow, the fame and the persona.
So today that's what we're doing, a deep dive into that
specific moment. It's really a story about an
anecdote, isn't? It is an unlikely connection.

(00:42):
Yeah. Our mission really is to
understand how this botched burglary from Ozzie's teenage
years. Yeah, the infamous.
One became the key, the surprising key to this report
between them. So we'll look at that story.
Ozzy side of things is like reverence for The Beatles, which
went way back. Decades back and we're really
dissect that exact exchange. You know how it went from just a

(01:05):
fan meeting his hero to something, well, more human?
It shows even legends have thesepasts, these moments.
OK, so let's set that scene a bit more before all the stadiums
for the whole Prince of Darknessis then kicked off.
What was life actually like for Ozzy?
Growing up in Aston Wasn't smooth sailing, I gather.
Oh, far from it. Born in 48, you know, struggled

(01:26):
a lot in school. Dyslexia, left when he was 15
and sort of drifted into petty crime.
And he famously said he was, well, pretty useless at it, put
it mildly. OK, this attempt to burgle a
local clothes shop, I mean, it was almost comical, wasn't?
It totally the gloves. Yeah, the gloves with the
fingers cut out left his prints everywhere.
Natural. Of course, so caught pretty

(01:46):
quick then. Ohe yeah, within about 3 weeks.
Classic. And, the story goes, his dad
refused to pay the fine right to.
Teach him a lesson. Exactly So.
Ozzy, 17, ends up doing six weeks in Winson Green prison in
Birmingham. Six weeks.
He said himself it certainly curbed my career in burglary.
I bet it sounds like that failure, that slightly

(02:09):
ridiculous failure, actually pushed him towards music.
Close one door, opened another. Absolutely crucial.
And it's not like some hidden shame, you know, he's talked
about it openly for years. It's part of his story, that
turning point that led him eventually to Black Sabbath.
OK, and Speaking of music, wheredid The Beatles fit in?
Because he talks about She LovesYou like it was a lightning bolt

(02:30):
moment. Massively profound.
He was about 14 or 15. Heard she loves you and he
described it like like going to bed, seeing black and white and
waking up. Boom, everything's in colour.
That's incredible. Yeah, and that kicked off
decades of basically hero worship.
He even said meeting Paul McCartney would be like meeting
Jesus Christ. Gives you an idea of the nerves.

(02:52):
Right. Definitely sets the stage for
that meeting in October 2001 outside the Howard Stern Show.
I think there's video of it, isn't?
There there is. Yeah.
You can see Ozzy. He's visibly, like, starstruck.
He finally gets face to face with McCartney.
What does he say? Must be struggling for words.
He kind of blurts out something like, it's great to meet you,
man. It's been a lifetime ambition,
You know, you guys made me startmusic.

(03:13):
Standard fan stuff, but really heartfelt.
Yeah. And then this is the brilliant
part. McCartney just leans in, big
smile, totally knows what he's doing and asks clear as day
after the burglary. Oh, brilliant.
Just like. Just like that.
And you see Ozzy just deflate with relief.
He bursts out laughing. Confirms Yeah, the.

(03:36):
Burglary. He knew.
McCartney actually knew the story.
Knew the details, Ozzy apparently even added something
like I love that story with the the gloves with no fingers
confirming Paul knew that specific comical bit instantly
changed everything. No longer fan an idol, just two
guys sharing a laugh about, well, a failed robbery.
Exactly. And it didn't just end there.
Ozzy later asked McCartney to play bass on one of his tracks.

(03:58):
Dreamer. Do.
You do it. No, Paul.
Politely declined, but Ozzy was still just thrilled he even
considered it, you know? And later, when Ozzy won a
Grammy, McCartney apparently reached out to congratulate him.
Ozzie called that very, very special.
So that connection kind of continued.
What about this story with McCartney song Fine Line a few

(04:19):
years later? Right, 2004 Ozzie.
Here's McCartney song Fine Line and apparently just joking
around. Thought that's a great tune.
I think I'll kick it. Ozzie being.
Ozzy totally. Word gets back to McCartney, who
then sends Ozzy this letter saying something.
Thanks for not nicking fine lineOzzy.
And that led to them actually exchanging emails.
Amazing. So the burglary joke became this

(04:39):
running theme. Almost.
Kind of. It didn't make them equals,
exactly. Ozzie still had that reverence.
But it's set this comfortable dynamic.
McCartney set the tone warm, knowing, and Ozzie played along
within that mutual respect. So where does this leave us?
What's the take away here? That moment after the burglary,
it feels like it was about more than just knowing a fact.

(05:03):
Really, it was empathy, wasn't it?
McCartney, knowing that specific, vulnerable, slightly
embarrassing detail. It was like saying, I see the
whole story. I see the kid from Birmingham,
not just the rock star. Right.
Acknowledging that the failure of that burglary was actually
critical. It led him to.
Music, precisely that comical low point was foundational.
This whole story, it really justhighlights the power of, you

(05:26):
know, sharing something real, even if it's a bit embarrassing,
right? Like those stupid gloves with
the fingers cut. Out exactly that.
Shared vulnerability, Genuine connection isn't always in the
big public stuff, it's in those small authentic details.
It's quite a testament, really. Yeah, Sometimes the best way to
connect even with someone you see as a God is to remind them

(05:46):
of a time they were just human. Hilariously human.
Maybe it really is, and maybe this makes you think for you
listening, what's surprising, authentic bit of your own story
or someone else's you know couldbe the thing that unlocks the
connection you weren't expecting.
Something to Mull over.