When Ozzy Osbourne mooned at the UK Music Hall Of …
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The UK Music Hall of Fame was a short-lived affair. Launched to great fanfare in 2004, it lasted less than four years before being quietly closed for lack of funding.
The inaugural event, held at Hackney Empire in East London, saw 10 artists inducted – two from each decade, from the 1950s to the 1990s – and the stars showed up: Madonna and Bono were both on hand to pick up their awards, while Priscilla Presley flew in to accept Elvis’s.
In year two it was even bigger. The ceremony moved to the iconic Alexandria Palace in North London. Pink Floyd were inducted by The Who‘s Pete Townshend. Jimi Hendrix received a posthumous induction from Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and then-Velvet Revolver man Slash. Bob Dylan was recognised by Hollywood star Woody Harrelson. And, over in the hard rock corner, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath were both inaugurated.
“Brian May inducted us,” Tony Iommi wrote in his autobiography, Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. “There was a bit of a commotion about that, because Sharon wanted Angus Young of AC/DC to do it. I wanted Brian. Then she wanted Angus and Brian to do it together, but Brian just didn’t want to do it that way.
“I’m glad he stuck to his guns. He wasn’t going to do it and I had to phone him up and said: ‘Please do it. Do it for me.’ He came and made a great speech, absolutely fantastic. I was really proud of him.”
In the end, Ozzy – the solo performer – was inducted by Angus and, as you might expect, the speech was less effusive.
“Angus Young said about three words about that,” wrote Iommi. “Well, his first few words were: ‘Hello, can you hear me? Can you hear me?’ He’s probably as good a talker as I am on those bloody occasions.”
Black Sabbath’s performance was notable for a couple of reasons. First, it would be the last time all four original members would play together onstage. And second, for something that happened during the short set, in which the band played the intro to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath before launching into Paranoid. Halfway through the latter, a cheeky grin creeps over Ozzy’s face before he turns to face drummer Bill Ward, drops his trousers, and moons the audience.
Ozzy, who reportedly exposed his buttocks because the crowd weren’t enjoying the music as much as he thought they should be, “stole the show with a bottom-baring performance,” according to the BBC, who went on to say that he received a standing ovation at the song’s climax.
Iommi, meanwhile, was less enthusiastic. “I’ve seen Ozzy’s arse more times than I’ve seen my own,” he said.
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