“We’re celebrating the fact that we survived this! What remains is the true essence of what this music is about”: Ozzy Osbourne's '80s bandmate says it was "a blessing" to work with the singer

Bassist Rudy Sarzo was a member of Ozzy Osbourne’s backing band in the early ’80s — and says he was always treated with “kindness” and “generosity” by the so-called Prince of Darkness.

Sarzo will be one of many special guests at Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell show at Birmingham’s Villa Park on 5 July.

He tells MusicRadar: “We’re at this stage where we’re celebrating the fact that we survived this. What remains is the true essence of what this music is about.

“It’s about the music, not the mayhem or the mistakes. The music brings us all together, along with the memories and experiences that we still deliver.

“There’s so much camaraderie among us all, because we have all grown up, you know?”

He continues: “I’m one of the special guests who will be performing alongside other special guests — Sammy Hagar, Jake E. Lee, Papa Perpetua [Tobias Forge] from Ghost, and others who will be performing. And Steven Tyler has just been added.”

Sarzo says that he can’t give too much away ahead of the show.

“Tom Morello, who will also be performing and is the director of the event, has a full plate,” he says. “It’s a huge operation.

“I only get the necessary information, like the songs that I’m going to be playing, which I can’t say just yet, but that’s all I need. I have all my credentials. My travel arrangements and everything else are ready to go.”

Sarzo credits guitar legend Randy Rhoads for helping him get the job with Osbourne in the '80s. Sarzo and Rhoads had played together in LA band Quiet Riot before Rhoads joined Ozzy’s band.

“I joined Ozzy in 1981 when they were looking for a bass player,” he recalls. “Randy Rhoads is the one who brought me to their attention because I had no resume.

“I came out of nowhere. My resume was basically, ‘Here’s Rudy, who I used to play with in Quiet Riot — he’s the guy you’re looking for.

“So I became part of the family, a very small circle.

“I remember one time Ozzy came in and said, ‘Man, you look like shit! You need some rock star clothes.’ And he gets a suitcase, throws it open, and puts all the clothes on a pool table, saying, ‘Here, grab whatever you want.’

“Nobody had done that for me before. Immediately, when I joined the band, I was welcomed with kindness and generosity. It was such a blessing.”

Sarzo hooked up with Ozzy at a time when the singer’s drunken antics included urinating on the Alamo and biting the head off a live bat on stage.

He recalls: “There was a lot of craziness going on back in the day with a lot of bands, you know? It was a specific time, and completely different from what it is now.

“I mean, there were certain things that if you do them on the road now, they will eventually kill you. But back then, it was before the AIDS epidemic, and we didn’t have drugs like fentanyl that could kill you like that.

He smiles: “It was a little bit lighter and not as dangerous as it is now.”