Ozzy Osbourne has said he’d be “honoured” to collaborate with Paul McCartney.
The Black Sabbath legend made the comments on his podcast in a new episode of Osbourne’s SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks, when co-host Billy Morrison asked him who he’d like do a duet with.
In response, Osbourne immediately responded with “Paul McCartney”. The Beatles have previously been cited as a “massive” influence on Black Sabbath, with Osbourne telling us in a 2020 NME cover feature that “I was an avid, fucking freaked-out Beatles fan”.
However, though Osbourne is keen to work with McCartney, he expressed some hesitation: “I would be honoured but I couldn’t…”
Perhaps it’s due to Osbourne’s previous attempt to duet with the musician. He once said he tried to get McCartney to play bass on a Black Sabbath song, but “he said he couldn’t improve on the bassline that was there. I said, ‘Are you kidding? You could piss on the record and I’d make it my life’.”
Black Sabbath are soon to play their final show on July 5. Dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning’, the mighty concert will be held at Villa Park in Birmingham. It’ll see frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward perform onstage together for the first time in two decades.
Tool, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the surviving members of Soundgarden are all slated to play on the day.
Osbourne has not played a full gig since 2018. Due to numerous health problems in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease, he has said he would only be “doing little bits and pieces” with Sabbath at the final gig: “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
But despite his health, Osbourne has said he is “giving 120 per cent” as he prepares for his last performance. “I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal,” the singer said. “It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. All I can say is I’m giving 120 per cent. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”
We also spoke to Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi ahead of the gig, with Osbourne telling us that “you can’t say goodbye” to Black Sabbath’s legacy. “Look at what they leave – it’s a huge, great body of work that they’ve left for the world,” she continued. “As long as you’ve got that, it’s never goodbye. It’s there for eternity.”
Elsewhere, see Black Sabbath’s first photo of final show rehearsal – featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward.
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