"I am something of a madman. I can do nothing in moderation. If
it's booze, I drink the place dry. If it's drugs, I take everything and then
scrape the carpet for little crumbs. I took LSD everyday for years - I was
spending about $1000 a week on drugs... I OD'd about a dozen times."
...Ozzy on his addictions Once married, the better deal they had hoped for fell
through. Sharon did not want her father controlling Ozzy's future any more. It
was decided that the two of them would buy out Ozzy's contract from her father.
Before they could buy out Ozzy's management and recording contracts, Ozzy still
had to deliver an album under his old contract. Since he wanted out badly, the
result was the purposely low-budget live album "Speak of the Devil".
This album was a live concert recorded Sept. 26 and 27th at The Ritz in New
York. After the album was done, Ozzy could then leave his contract with Sharon's
father. Don would not give it up so easily though, even for his own daughter.
The newly married couple, not having much money, had to buy Ozzy's contract for
over $1.5 million dollars from her father. Sharon has not spoken with her father
since. Speak of the devil was released in November of 1982. The runes on the
border of the 'Speak of the Devil' album and inside cover actually translate
into meaningful phrases. The translation is found in Ozzy's autobiography book:
"Howdy! Dial-A-Demon productions in conjunction with graveyard graphics
proudly presents the madman of rock dumping into El Satanos toiletto. "
"A tribute to Randy Rhoads, the axeman. That kid was my lifeline, you know?
He was such a dynamic player and I'd rather not talk about it anymore because it
cuts me up every day of my life. Randy Rhoads rest in peace and love." One
of the conditions for the transfer of Ozzy's contract from Don to Sharon was
that she get him to enroll in the Betty Ford center for his drinking problems.
She did this by telling him she was "going to teach him to drink like a
gentleman". Ozzy took this to mean that he would learn how to drink
properly, not at all what the Betty Ford center was for. When he showed up, he
asked where he could find the bar. It didn't take long to find out that at Betty
Ford there is no bar! Ozzy would also begin work on his next album, Bark at the
Moon.
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