“Why are you doing this!?”: Watch Ozzy Osbourne try to kickstart his ancient ARP 2600 vintage synth

Don’t worry. It’s not just you. Every musical genius can occasionally be completely floored by the tools of their trade.

Take this touching video of the recently departed Ozzy Osbourne that’s doing the rounds. In it we see Osbourne attempting to revive – not an ancient Les Paul or Marshall stack, as you may have been expecting – but an ARP 2600 synthesizer.

Yes, it's an original. A sideboard-sized piece of synth history that once graced Black Sabbath recordings but now, having doubtless endured unimaginable punishment at the hands of Osbourne and his bandmates over the years, has decided to take the rest of its life off.

And while it’s certainly a surprise that Osbourne, of all people, has a large vintage synth in his den, what’s perhaps less so is the fact that he can’t get it to work properly.

Read the f__king manual?

“Come on you motherf__ker! Why are you f__king doing this?” Osbourne ponders, recreating a moment that every music producer will have experienced more than a few times: Keys are pressed, knobs are turned but… all you get in silence.

Or, in Osbourne’s case, worrying, crackly fuzz that suggests that his prize possession may be about to go up in hellfire any minute…

“Come on you f__king thing,” he implores, before going off to get help. “I had it when I was in Sabbath. I forgot how to use the f__king thing. I haven’t used it for about 20 years,” he explains before – with the aid of a little help – the machine magically stirs into life, issuing forth deafening unholy sounds completely befitting the Prince of Darkness.

You may remember him as a charismatic (and more than a little unhinged) frontman but it appears an alternative career as a sound designer was once well within his expert grasp.

Sleep well, Ozzy. Thanks for the memories.