Ozzy Osbourne on why he sorely regrets biting a bat’s head off: “Thank god he’s dead”
In the broader context of rock and metal history, nothing seems more rock ‘n’ roll than the famous stint involving Ozzy Osbourne and the bat. This story has been told, used, and embellished countless times through the years, and it has become somewhat mythological, leaving many to wonder if it actually happened or is just a folklore tale. Still, despite the confusion, Osbourne actually once bit a bat on stage.
Despite his consistent individuality and undisputable desire to do whatever he pleases, Osbourne wasn’t always completely in control while he was in Black Sabbath. In fact, even his departure wasn’t his decision at all, which makes sense considering the detrimental impact he was starting to have on the band as their lead singer. Even Tony Iommi later said they either broke up or searched for a new frontman, so they did the latter.
However, Osbourne wasn’t pleased with the decision, as you might expect, and even recalled feeling “betrayed” by how things turned out. “We were four blokes who’d grown up together a few streets apart. We were like family, like brothers,” he said, “And firing me for being fucked up was hypocritical bullshit. We were all fucked up. If you’re stoned and I’m stoned and you’re telling me that I’m fired because I’m stoned how can that be? Because I’m slightly more stoned than you are?”
Osbourne’s provocations have been central to his legacy and professional story, shaking up some of the most rock ‘n’ roll figures in history. Outlandish and always for shock factor, Osbourne’s drug and alcohol abuse was a springboard for his eccentricity, with actions that simultaneously disgusted and delighted those around him. One of which was undeniably the incident with the bat, which he has long since regretted.
The musician was performing on stage at Des Moines in 1982 when someone threw what looked like a fake rubber bat on stage. Not questioning it, Osbourne picked it up and bit into it, suddenly realising his mistake. “Immediately, though, something felt wrong. Very wrong,” he reflected, “For a start, my mouth was instantly full of this warm, gloopy liquid, with the worst aftertaste you could ever imagine. I could feel it staining my teeth and running down my chin.”
Osbourne would mistake the bat for being alive until the person who threw it on stage confirmed it had been dead long before he launched it at the performer. Still, he had to endure rabies jabs as a precaution and other expected traumas, though nothing came close to the associations he couldn’t sever, even to this day. Moreover, the stunt seemed to become more exaggerated and dressed up with every impassioned re-telling.
Though he has never shied away from addressing the topic, his own colourful responses prove his disdain and how he longs for it to have never happened at all. Speaking to Edward Helmore in 1997, the singer said the story had followed him “every day since 1982” in countless headlines and notorious questions, some asking what it tasted like while others carried sensationalist remarks like “THE BAT-BITING MADMAN.”
Irked at the lack of focus on other elements of his artistry, he said, “It’s not Ozzy Osbourne the man who’s travelled more miles than an astronaut and sold x billion records. It’s all they’re going to remember! When I die it will be OZZY Osbourne THE BAT BITER IS DEAD; BATS CAN NOW LIVE IN PEACE. The bats will go, ‘Fuck me, thank god he’s dead. I was waiting for him to come round our fuckin’ belfry.”
Though Osbourne has done other surprising and confusing things throughout his career, it’s clear that this is the one event that haunts him the most. Usually, he holds his accomplishments proudly, no matter how controversial. However, something about this particular mishap lurks under his skin, following him around like an unwanted ghost, never able to leave his side no matter how many years go by. To him, it’s always going to be 1982.
