Ozzy Osbourne bit a bat in Iowa in 1982. It sealed the Prince of Darkness' legacy
Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76, just weeks after his farewell show. Though he will, of course, be remembered for his Hall of Fame-worthy heavy metal talent, the former Black Sabbath frontman will also go down in history for a particular moment he shared with a dead bat in Iowa.
During Osbourne's Diary of a Madman tour in January 1982, the demon-invoking musician bit the head off what he thought was a fake, rubber bat that had been thrown on stage at Des Moines' Veterans Memorial Auditorium (now the Iowa Events Centre). However, as soon as he noticed the blood seeping out of the fanged mammal, he realised it was a dead, but very real, bat.
Speaking in the 2020 documentary The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, he recalled thinking it was fake when it was thrown towards him.
Loading
'I picked it up, put it in my mouth, crunched down, bit into it, being the clown that I am,' he said. 'I had to go to the hospital afterward and get rabies shots, one in each rear.'
It was later revealed that Mark Neal, an Osbourne fan who had been at the Des Moines concert that night, had allegedly thrown the animal on stage. According to an Iowa-based report, Neal said the bat was already dead before the show. However, Osbourne later said he felt the bat's head 'twitch' in his mouth.
Osbourne had already earned the 'Prince of Darkness' moniker during his time as the lead vocalist for Black Sabbath, but the bat incident certainly cemented his anarchic, unpredictable brand, and launched him into mainstream fame.
He went on to appear on popular talk shows such as The David Letterman Show to explain why he bit the animal, and even sold plush toy bats with detachable heads as merchandise. From there, Osbourne continued to leverage his more mainstream stardom, but it arguably reached a peak in 2002 when he and his family launched The Osbournes, one of MTV's first reality television shows. Its first season was cited as the most-viewed series ever on MTV, attracting as many as 8 million viewers in one airing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Kim Kardashian's underwear brand sets its sights on your face
Kim Kardashian's shapewear and underwear brand Skims has moved from muffin tops and bulging bellies to above the neckline, crossing the final frontier with a sculpting fabric face mask targeting the jawline. Released on Tuesday, the $88 mask has already sold out and has a waiting list on the Skims website. The cost of aiming for firmer features is greater than money. The in-demand product, with velcro straps at the top of the head and nape, resembles a post-surgery mask, and has earned comparisons with Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs on social media. 'We've been doing shapewear for a really long time, and now we're going to offer amazing face shapewear, which is just such a necessity,' Kardashian said in an Instagram video. 'You can see that it just snatches your chinny chin chin with the jaw, and it's super comfortable to wear at night or just around the house.' The item is marketed on the company's social media as 'infused with collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support' and 'a must-have addition to your nightly routine'. However, Sydney-based plastic surgeon Dr Mark Kohout suggests customers manage any expectations of waking up contoured and camera ready. 'The facial shapewear is analogous to elastic waist trainers,' Kohout says. 'The idea is that the elastic fabric supports your tissues and makes them less susceptible to sagging from the effects of gravity. The downside is that to have any appreciable effect, you would have to wear them around the clock for months or years.' 'The garment does not change the structure of the skin, nor does it tighten the collagen or elastin fibres in your skin. This may make it of limited practicality and effectiveness.'
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Kim Kardashian's underwear brand sets its sights on your face
Kim Kardashian's shapewear and underwear brand Skims has moved from muffin tops and bulging bellies to above the neckline, crossing the final frontier with a sculpting fabric face mask targeting the jawline. Released on Tuesday, the $88 mask has already sold out and has a waiting list on the Skims website. The cost of aiming for firmer features is greater than money. The in-demand product, with velcro straps at the top of the head and nape, resembles a post-surgery mask, and has earned comparisons with Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs on social media. 'We've been doing shapewear for a really long time, and now we're going to offer amazing face shapewear, which is just such a necessity,' Kardashian said in an Instagram video. 'You can see that it just snatches your chinny chin chin with the jaw, and it's super comfortable to wear at night or just around the house.' The item is marketed on the company's social media as 'infused with collagen yarns for ultra-soft jaw support' and 'a must-have addition to your nightly routine'. However, Sydney-based plastic surgeon Dr Mark Kohout suggests customers manage any expectations of waking up contoured and camera ready. 'The facial shapewear is analogous to elastic waist trainers,' Kohout says. 'The idea is that the elastic fabric supports your tissues and makes them less susceptible to sagging from the effects of gravity. The downside is that to have any appreciable effect, you would have to wear them around the clock for months or years.' 'The garment does not change the structure of the skin, nor does it tighten the collagen or elastin fibres in your skin. This may make it of limited practicality and effectiveness.'
Man of Many
2 hours ago
- Man of Many
Return of the Rabbits: Franck Muller and #FR2's Bold New Collaboration
By Rob Edwards - Sponsored Published: 31 Jul 2025 Share Copy Link 0 Readtime: 4 min Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here. Few things have the potential to turn heads within the Man of Many office like a partnership linking the worlds of haute horlogerie and urban streetwear. Combining the esteem and elegance of a supreme watchmaker with the devil-may-care attitude of a cutting-edge clothing label will always produce something compelling, but when those involved happen to be the Swiss masters of invention and refinement at Franck Muller and the playful streetwear gurus of the Tokyo-based firm #FR2, well, the results speak for themselves. Not for the first time, this partnership has given us plenty to be excited about. Building on a 2023 collaboration that saw the launch of a limited-edition #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard timepiece, Franck Muller and #FR2's triumphant return consists of not one, not two, but three striking new watches, and we were fortunate enough to go hands-on with them in Franck Muller's elegant new Sydney boutique. Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat This trio of irreverent and sporty surprises comes in the form of the #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition references, each of which is a vibrant and slightly provocative celebration of the spirit of summer. Available exclusively across the Asia Pacific, each colourway is strictly limited to 300 pieces and playfully illustrates #FR2's iconic Fxxking Rabbits in a summer-ready beach scene; catching a wave on the Surf Blue colourway, lounging on the Heatwave Red, and hiding in lush greenery on, you guessed it, Tropical Green. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller These spirited scenes are vividly brought to life with the kind of attention to detail Franck Muller is renowned for. An illustrative example of the impish attitude these watches embody can be found in the repositioning of the date window from the 6 o'clock position to 2 o'clock, where it forms a sun shining down on the rabbits at the centre of the scene. This fun take on the watchmaking arts is further emphasised by the way each scene springs to life after dark, thanks to the watches' liberal use of Super-Luminova across their dials and skeletonised obelisk hands. Plus, the watches' graphic nylon straps, printed with bold streetwear-inspired elements, act as the final flourish, while the leather backing ensures maximum comfort for the wearer throughout the day. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller Having Fun is a Serious Business The #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition releases are certainly playful in nature, but there is serious watchcraft on display here. This was evident from the moment we managed to get our hands on them, as the quality of the materials and construction, as well as the bold nature of the imaginative engineering, are undeniable. The iconic tonneau-shaped Vanguard case has never looked quite like this before. Rendered in a composite of glass and fibre that combines lightness of weight with robust construction, these watches are designed to stand up to everyday wear while ensuring they turn heads everywhere you go. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller According to Franck Muller, the process used to create cases of such a deeply saturated hue required glass to be first melted at 1,500°C and drawn into extremely fine threads, before being cooled and formed into sheets at 700°C. From there, the sheets were impregnated in special colour baths to attain their rich and vibrant colour, before being compressed into fibreglass composite blocks. The result is certainly striking, and a fitting tribute to Franck Muller's technological innovation. Inside, this technological know-how continues with each piece powered by the self-winding MVT 2536-SCDT2H, an artfully constructed movement of 191 components and boasting a power reserve of 42 hours. It's a suitably premium engine for these striking timekeeping machines. #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition Timepiece | Image: Franck Muller A Celebration of Summer As Franck Muller states, 'Summer is not just a season, but a state of mind,' and these #FR2NCK MULLER Vanguard Beach Limited Edition timepieces capture that notion with aplomb. From the carefree abandon of the rabbits that occupy their dials to the sheer technical wizardry that goes into making every piece, these watches boast personality and refinement in equal measure. If you would like to embrace the summer spirit by securing one of these limited-to-300 pieces for yourself, you can only do so by paying a visit to one of Franck Muller's elegant Asia Pacific boutiques. We cannot recommend such a visit highly enough.
