Gene Simmons recently reflected on the humility and authenticity of Ozzy Osbourne, describing the late metal icon as a walking “lesson” in humility. There are many wild stories about Ozzy, known as The Prince of Darkness, ranging from dramatic events like biting off the heads of bats and doves to legends of him snorting ants instead of cocaine.
Although the Osbourne business circle faced its share of legal disputes, very few people have ever spoken ill of Ozzy as a person. In a recent interview on “Fail Better With David Duchovny,” Gene Simmons shared that he, too, experienced only positive interactions with his late colleague.
Gene Simmons opens up on Ozzy Osbourne’s passing
The subject arose as Gene Simmons reflected on Ozzy’s passing, noting how there was a profound sincerity about the way he always used to treat everyone with equal grace.
“That was heartbreaking, ’cause I knew him for decades and decades. And there was a unique human being, a giant who, no matter what anybody said, was always Ozzy and treated you and the next-door neighbor exactly the same. ‘Hey, how are you? Nice to see you.’ No airs about him. No anything.”
“And it’s a good lesson for idiots like me who sometimes — guilty as charged — get full of themselves and say, ‘Wow, I’m Gene Simmons.’ And if you would’ve met Ozzy, you’re on your best behavior, because it was a big deal. ‘Nice to see you. You know, I just bought Vermont,’ those sorts of stupid things which you just meant to impress. [He was] not about that at all. Just, ‘Hey, how are you? How are the kids?'”
“So it is humbling for someone like me who based my life on creating armor around me so that I wouldn’t be hurt — change my name, change my appearance, do whatever I have to do to survive and appear stronger and more successful than I am.”
According to Simmons, this defensive mechanism made many believe that he is much better off than he actually is:
“People think I’m much richer than I actually am. I mean, I’ve done okay, but [they say], ‘Oh, you must have billions.’ No, I don’t. It’s just that thing. And I like that thing because it means you might not be hurt as much, ’cause there are a lot of people who are out to get you, because they have empty lives; I don’t know why. But humbling — it’s important for people like yours truly…”
