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On this day, January 20, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat.
Thu Jan 20, 2022: On this day, January 20, 1982, forty years ago today, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat.
First hat tip, WTOP, the all-news FM radio station in DC. This has to have been Neal Augenstein's idea.
Second hat tip, Thisdayinmusic.com
1982 - Ozzy Osbourne
During an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the audience threw a bat onto the stage. Stunned by the light, the bat lay motionless, and thinking it was a rubber fake, the singer picked it up and attempted to bite its head off. As he did this, the bat started to flap its wings and Ozzy soon realized it wasn't fake but in fact a living thing. After the show Ozzy was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for rabies shots.
During an Ozzy Osbourne concert in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of the audience threw a bat onto the stage. Stunned by the light, the bat lay motionless, and thinking it was a rubber fake, the singer picked it up and attempted to bite its head off. As he did this, the bat started to flap its wings and Ozzy soon realized it wasn't fake but in fact a living thing. After the show Ozzy was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital for rabies shots.
Ozzy Osbourne Bites Bats Head Off!
5,119,502 views Mar 6, 2010
MetalUndergroundTV
1.37K subscribers
Famous moment in rock n roll history when legendary metal icon Ozzy Osbourne bit this unconcious bats head off!
5,119,502 views Mar 6, 2010
MetalUndergroundTV
1.37K subscribers
Famous moment in rock n roll history when legendary metal icon Ozzy Osbourne bit this unconcious bats head off!
HOME > MUSIC > MUSIC NEWS | JANUARY 20, 2022 12:00PM ET
Ozzy Osbourne Bit the Head Off a Live Bat 40 Years Ago Today
He’ll never live down the infamous moment, even though the whole thing was a complete accident
By ANDY GREENE
When Ozzy Osbourne dies, hopefully several decades from now, his obituary will touch on a great many things. It’ll focus on the pivotal role he played in the creation of heavy metal as a member of Black Sabbath, the brilliant music he made with guitarist Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties, his battles with substance abuse, and how his MTV show The Osbournes helped launch a new era of reality television.
Inevitably, it will also mention a Jan. 20, 1982, incident at the Des Moines Veterans Memorial Auditorium where he bit the head off a live bat during a concert. The unfortunate episode, which occurred exactly 40 years ago today, lasted just a few seconds, but it generated news around the world and gave the religious right a powerful new talking point whenever they railed against heavy-metal music.
Osbourne had been on the road for well over a year when he arrived in Des Moines for the infamous show. During that time, he developed a ritual where he’d pummel the audience with raw meat and they’d chuck back whatever insane things they could sneak into the venues.
{snip}
That night in Des Moines, someone threw a live bat. “I thought it was a rubber bat,” Osbourne said. “I picked it up, put it in my mouth, crunched down, bit into it, being the clown that I am.” ... As blood filled his mouth and people in the crowd looked on with horror, he realized he’d made a horrible mistake. “Bats are the biggest carriers of rabies in the world,” he said. “And I had to go to the hospital afterwards and they started giving me rabies shots. I had one one each rear and I had to have that every night.”
{snip}
Ozzy Osbourne Bit the Head Off a Live Bat 40 Years Ago Today
He’ll never live down the infamous moment, even though the whole thing was a complete accident
By ANDY GREENE
When Ozzy Osbourne dies, hopefully several decades from now, his obituary will touch on a great many things. It’ll focus on the pivotal role he played in the creation of heavy metal as a member of Black Sabbath, the brilliant music he made with guitarist Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties, his battles with substance abuse, and how his MTV show The Osbournes helped launch a new era of reality television.
Inevitably, it will also mention a Jan. 20, 1982, incident at the Des Moines Veterans Memorial Auditorium where he bit the head off a live bat during a concert. The unfortunate episode, which occurred exactly 40 years ago today, lasted just a few seconds, but it generated news around the world and gave the religious right a powerful new talking point whenever they railed against heavy-metal music.
Osbourne had been on the road for well over a year when he arrived in Des Moines for the infamous show. During that time, he developed a ritual where he’d pummel the audience with raw meat and they’d chuck back whatever insane things they could sneak into the venues.
{snip}
That night in Des Moines, someone threw a live bat. “I thought it was a rubber bat,” Osbourne said. “I picked it up, put it in my mouth, crunched down, bit into it, being the clown that I am.” ... As blood filled his mouth and people in the crowd looked on with horror, he realized he’d made a horrible mistake. “Bats are the biggest carriers of rabies in the world,” he said. “And I had to go to the hospital afterwards and they started giving me rabies shots. I had one one each rear and I had to have that every night.”
{snip}
