Rating: B+
In a page out of your parents “What has the world
come to” lecture comes a new book consisting of Dear
Abbey style advice from Ozzy “The Prince of Darkness”
Osbourne. Yes, you heard me correctly; Ozzy is giving
people advice on issues ranging from sex to
relationships to coworkers who suffer from body odor to
testicular hygiene.
The book, co-written with Chris Ayres, comes from
Ozzy’s advice columns that ran in Rolling Stone magazine
and the Sunday Times in London. The publisher sums up
what is found on the pages of Trust Me, I’m Dr. Ozzy
by stating that the book will "tell incredible
survival stories not found in his memoir, offer advice
that no human should follow, and shed light on his
seemingly superhuman ability to keep breathing."
What is surprising is that Ozzy really does give some
good advice. I suppose, upon deeper reflection, it is
not that surprising, as it is easy to tell people what
not to do if you have screwed up every area of
your life on numerous occasions.
Ozzy’s sense of humor comes across loud and clear but
he also has genuine concern for the people who are
asking his advice. When a man named Hugh asks Ozzy if he
should sneak out to a massage parlor for a hand job,
Ozzy writes with conviction:
"A hand job is a very personal thing, and after a
lifetime of practice, most blokes get a pretty specific
preference for the kind of technique they like. So
unless you're acting as a co-pilot and barking out
instructions to your dodgy masseuse every two seconds,
it might end up feeling more like she's skinning a dead
rabbit than driving you wild with forbidden pleasure. In
fact, it sounds to me like you've already built this up
in your head to the point where it's gonna be an
expensive disappointment. You also ain't factored in
guilt. It's all very well you telling Dr. Ozzy that 'it
doesn't seem wrong' to hire an extra pair of hands to
help out in the monkey-spanking department, but I'm
afraid to say that if you're anything like me, your
conscience won't agree."
At the end of the day, this is another project that
throws Ozzy from center stage into our daily lives,
making him more of a pop icon that a heavy metal rock
star. It should make him a lot of money and, at the same
time, make American love him even more than they already
do.
Underneath Ozzy’s tendency to urinate on public
landmarks, defecate in elevators, bite the heads of
winged animals and take copious amounts of drugs and
booze, there lies a sweet, gentle and sensitive man --
possibly crazy as a loon but very human nonetheless.
Trust Me, I’m Dr. Ozzy is a fun read from
beginning to end and a must-own for any fan of the Lord
God of Hellfire.
By Jeb Wright