In a revealing new interview, legendary drummer Alex Van Halen confirmed the long-standing rumor that Ozzy Osbourne almost joined forces with him and his brother, Eddie Van Halen, to record a Van Halen studio album.
Speaking with Gastão Moreira on the Brazilian show “Kazagastão,” the drummer shared the details of a crucial meeting that took place over two decades ago. When asked if it’s true that Eddie Van Halen formally invited the Prince of Darkness to front the band, he clarified exactly how it went down:
“Oh, yeah. No. Ed and I met with Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy‘s wife and manager], because we were kind of at a loss of which direction we wanted to go. That was probably in about 2000… I’m trying to remember, because it was right before [“The Osbournes“] TV show; the next day they had that TV show. So we sat with Sharon. I mean, it was kind of an interesting evening because she’s a lovely lady. I don’t know what people would say about her, grousing and complain[ing], but she’s a lovely lady who really had to fend for herself in a male-dominated world. We played several times with Ozzy on the bill, and she was always there to support him, to guide him, to give him comfort because most performers are not as sure of themselves as they appear to be. So we got together and the final thing we talked about was, she says, ‘Okay, it sounds like a good idea. Let’s do that. Let’s make a record together. Only one thing. I have a meeting tomorrow with some people about a television show.’ And the rest is history. That’s how close it got,” Alex said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
Ozzy Osbourne has spoken previously about his massive admiration for the Van Halen brothers, specifically reflecting on the band’s history and Eddie Van Halen‘s revolutionary guitar playing.
Back in October 2020, during an episode of SiriusXM‘s “Ozzy’s Boneyard,” he recalled the time he received a late-night proposition from the iconic guitarist:
“No, no, no. He phoned me up one time and asked me if I wanted to sing in his band — way after Sammy [Hagar had left the band]. I think he was a bit drunk. We’ve all done one of them — calling at four o’clock in the morning, going, [unintelligible sound].”
In that same interview, he praised the sheer talent that the guitarist possessed:
“You think you’ve seen it all. Then out of the blue, somebody comes out with such a revolutionized way of playing. To watch Eddie play was, like — his hands would turn into a spider. It was remarkable. He always made it look like it was so easy.”
Following Eddie Van Halen‘s passing in October 2020, the former Black Sabbath frontman paid his respects in a tribute to Rolling Stone. He looked back fondly on the legendary 1979 tour where the two bands shared the stage, emphasizing the guitarist’s groundbreaking technique and undeniable stage presence:
“The last time I spent any serious time with Eddie was on the last official Black Sabbath tour I did in ’79, when they opened up for us. They were such good guys to be around. We had such fun. Every time I ever saw Eddie Van Halen, it was fun.”
“I remember seeing Eddie do that finger-tapping thing, and that was the first time I’d ever seen anyone do that. Just when you think nobody can make guitar playing exciting, somebody like that comes out. He was one of them.”
“That thing with finger-tapping in the 80s, with the hair bands, everybody was doing that finger tapping. Once you’ve seen the master do it, everyone else comes second. Anybody after Eddie Van Halen was in second, as far as I’m concerned.”
He concluded his tribute by noting what he loved most about watching the guitar icon perform:
“One thing I loved about Eddie was he always had a big grin on his face, and he looked like he was enjoying every second he was up there. Whether it was showbiz bulls**t or not — I don’t think it was — he always looked like he was having the best time of his life up there.”
