Sharon Osbourne Still Resents Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson: “He’s a Fucking Asshole”
The post Sharon Osbourne Still Resents Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson: “He’s a Fucking Asshole” appeared first on Consequence.
Sharon Osbourne is still no fan of Bruce Dickinson. Roughly 17 years after a feud between team Osbourne and the Iron Maiden singer manifested itself in an infamous incident at Ozzfest, Sharon calls the metal singer a “fucking asshole” in a new interview with Consequence, as part of our latest cover story featuring Ozzy Osbourne.
For those who need a quick recap, at Maiden’s final stop on Ozzfest 2005 in Devore, California, the band’s power was cut off and they were pelted by eggs by a certain faction of the audience. It turned out that Sharon had spearheaded the revolt against the legendary metal act. She took the stage herself to say that Dickinson had disrespected Ozzy Osbourne and the festival throughout the tour.
An official statement from Sharon later read, “From day one, Bruce Dickinson started berating Ozzy and belittling the Ozzfest audience. He stated he ‘didn’t need a reality show to give him credibility;’ ‘We’re not just some f—ing reunion band;’ and continuously complained about the sound system, saying that when he comes back to America, he’ll have a better one.
She added, “Might I say, the rest of the band are gentlemen and have a great professional attitude. The crew [is] absolutely great. But how sad it was, after 10 years [of Ozzfest], that this little man tried to ruin it for everyone.”
When Consequence recently interviewed Ozzy, we asked the metal icon if he felt he was underrated as a singer, compared to other legendary vocalists like Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and the late Ronnie James Dio.
“Bruce Dickinson is a great singer, but as a person, I’ve worked with him, and he’s not very nice,” responded Ozzy. “Ronnie James Dio is no longer alive. He was a great singer. I didn’t really know him so well. I’m not one of these guys who says many things about people. The truth is the truth. I met Ronnie James Dio a couple of times. He took my [Black Sabbath] gig. But at the same time, I can’t complain because I did great on my own.”
Ozzy continued, “But I don’t sing for a judge. I sing for my fans. If my fans don’t buy my music, that would tell me my singing isn’t any good anymore, but they’re still buying my records. I’m my own worst critic. I don’t rate myself more than Ronnie James Dio or Bruce Dickinson. That’s not my gig. I don’t care. I have fun doing what I do. My goal is to turn my fucking audience on. And that’s what I try to do. I’m not interested if someone thinks I’m a fucking joke. That’s fine. That’s their opinion.”
Great answer, but what about that “not very nice” comment on Dickinson? Of course, we knew it was related to the Ozzfest 2005 incident, but wanted to get a little more from Sharon when we interviewed her for the same cover story.
Sharon didn’t hold back. In fact, she went scorched earth on Bruce Dickinson — as if Ozzfest 2005 happened yesterday. Here’s what she told us:
“Bruce Dickinson is a fucking prick. Well, no, he’s not a prick because a prick’s nice. He’s a fucking asshole. Because the situation is he was on a tour called Ozzfest. And Ozzy Osbourne was paying him every night to perform. He accepted the gig. He knew what he was doing. He accepted the gig. And every night he would go onstage and say bad things about Ozzy. And the crew and everybody in all the other bands would be like, ‘Are you letting him get away with it?’ And I’m like, ‘I sure am.’ But the last gig was [just outside of] L.A. And I thought, ‘You motherfucker, now you’re gonna get it.’
And so I had about 20 people in the audience and a lot of them were nurses from Cedars Sinai, because I had cancer at that time. And they were all my chemo nurses. And they all came down, and they fucking pelted the shit out of him. And my thing is, you play, you pay!
And the thing is, if you’re being paid to do a gig, but you don’t like the person, then fuck off. But don’t stay, take the money, take all the good that’s coming to your band through being on a festival, doing 24 shows and still slagging the person that’s paying you. It’s like, ‘No, that makes you a fucking asshole.’ And he is. And he’s never apologized, he never even went up and said hello to Ozzy. The thing about him is that he is just so jealous. And always has been of Ozzy. And that’s his problem.
Because the thing is about Bruce Dickinson, he’s hugely successful. He’s got a great fan base, a great fan base that have been loyal. The band are great guys. All the band are great. And they do great. You know, they’re a great band, you can’t take it away, and neither would I take that away from them. But the thing about Bruce is, he is unknown to the public. Bruce Dickinson could walk into anywhere and nobody would know who the fuck he is. Do you know what I’m saying?
He’s a faceless singer to the general public. People aren’t scrambling to get him for an interview. And the thing is, he’s not interesting. But the thing is, Ozzy is original and Bruce isn’t and that’s what eats Bruce away.”
One helluva response from Sharon, indeed.
Ozzy Osbourne Finds Light in the Darkness: “I Have So Much More to Give Before I Go”
Elsewhere in our interview with Ozzy and Sharon, they talked about Ozzy’s health, their move back to England, and much more. Read our full Ozzy Osbourne cover story here.
Consequence reached out to Iron Maiden’s team for comment but Bruce Dickinson was not available to make a statement.
Sharon Osbourne Still Resents Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson: “He’s a Fucking Asshole”
Heavy Consequence Staff
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