How did the ‘Prince of Darkness' impact the music industry?
Music commentator Eric Alper says the 'world is a lot more boring' following the death of heavy metal legend and Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne.
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Musician Tom Lehrer sits beside the piano in his house in Santa Cruz, Calif., on April 21, 2000. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) LOS ANGELES — Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. 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He'd gotten into performing accidentally when he began to compose songs in the early 1950s to amuse his friends. Soon he was performing them at coffeehouses around Cambridge, Massachusetts, while he remained at Harvard to teach and obtain a master's degree in math. He cut his first record in 1953, 'Songs by Tom Lehrer,' which included 'I Wanna Go Back to Dixie,' lampooning the attitudes of the Old South, and the 'Fight Fiercely, Harvard,' suggesting how a prissy Harvard blueblood might sing a football fight song. After a two-year stint in the Army, Lehrer began to perform concerts of his material in venues around the world. In 1959, he released another LP called 'More of Tom Lehrer' and a live recording called 'An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer,' nominated for a Grammy for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960. But around the same time, he largely quit touring and returned to teaching math, though he did some writing and performing on the side. 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That's what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can't be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time.' He began to teach part-time at Santa Cruz in the 1970s, mainly to escape the harsh New England winters. From time to time, he acknowledged, a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs. 'But it's a real math class,' he said at the time. 'I don't do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly.' Former Associated Press writer John Rogers contributed to this story. Rogers retired from The AP in 2021. Gillian Flaccus, The Associated Press
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How well did you know Ozzy? Take this quiz
The death of Ozzy Osbourne has generated more stories and attention than any other rock star's passing since Bowie and Prince in 2016. The man, to put it mildly, lived an extremely colourful life. Now that he's gone, there's a massive amount of interest in his life. How well did you know Ozzy? No fair using Google. 1. Ozzy used to torment one of his teachers, a certain Mr. Lane. How? (a) Leaving dead bats and lizards on his chair. (b) Heating up a penny coin with a blowtorch and leaving it for Mr. Lane to pick up from his desk. (c) Screaming 'I AM IRON MAN' at irregular intervals during class. Story continues below advertisement Answer: (B) Poor Mr. Lane burned his fingers on many occasions. He was happy to see Ozzy drop out of school at the age of 15. 2. In 2010, Ozzy was the subject of some serious medical research in a project costing US$65,000. What did doctors find? (a) His genome had a never-before-seen mutation that allowed his body to tolerate drugs and alcohol with superhuman strength. (b) DNA analysis showed that he was related to the House of Windsor and was 132nd in line to the throne. (c) Ozzy's body contained an undeveloped conjoined twin. Answer: (A) In a paper presented at a medical conference, researchers revealed that he was a genuine mutant as a result of an extremely rare anomaly possessed by both his parents. 3. Which pre-Sabbath job did Ozzy really like? (a) Tuning car horns at the factory of an automobile manufacturer. (b) Head cow-killer at an abattoir. (c) Plumber's apprentice. Answer: (B) He rather enjoyed his time at the slaughterhouse. The only thing he liked about the horn-tuner job was his ability to sniff toxic chemicals used for decreasing machine parts. The less said about the plumber experience, the better. Story continues below advertisement 4. What was the name of Ozzy's first wife? (a) Thelma Riley (b) Louise Carson (c) Sharon Arden Answer: (A) He married Thelma Riley in 1971. The marriage lasted until 1982 and shared three children, including one from Thelma's previous relationship. Their names are Elliot (whom he adopted), Louis, and Jessica. He had three kids with Sharon: Aimee, Kelly, and Jack. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 5. In the 1980s, Ozzy was responsible for nearly killing the visiting neighbourhood vicar. How? (a) Sharon accidentally served him cake Ozzy had made. She didn't know that it was 20 per cent cake mix and 80 per cent Afghani hash. (b) He thought he was a burglar and went after him with a shotgun. (c) The vicar was nearly run down by a drunken Ozzy on his riding lawnmower. Answer: (A) Ozzy and Sharon had a man who delivered fresh produce to the house. He also supplied Ozzy with some extremely potent Afghani product that Ozzy used for baking. Story continues below advertisement 6. On Jan. 20, 1982, Ozzy famously bit the head off a bat during a show in Des Moines, Iowa. What did Ozzy later say the bat tasted like? (a) Bitter (b) Sweet (c) Salty Answer: (C) Now you know. Ozzy needed two rabies shots every night for the rest of the tour. 7. Don Arden, father of Sharon and Ozzy's original manager for his solo career, had this nickname for his son-in-law. (a) 'Brummie Moron' (b) 'Vegetable' (c) 'Loser man' Answer: (B) The nickname came when Ozzy passed out in a hotel hallway the night of their wedding. 8. In the 1980s, Ozzy enjoyed watching TV with: (a) A donkey named Sally (b) A monkey named Curious George (c) A lizard called Iggy Story continues below advertisement Answer: (A) Sally was allowed into the living room to keep Ozzy company while he watched the telly. 9. When Ozzy checked into the Betty Ford Centre, what was his first question? (a) 'When's checkout?' (b) 'Is there room service?' (c) 'Where's the bar?' Answer: (C) Ozzy misunderstood. He thought the Betty Ford Centre was a resort. 10. Ozzy loved what breed of dog? (a) Yorkshire terriers (b) English bulldogs (c) Doberman pinschers Answer: (B) The most famous were Lola and Bugzy from The Osbournes TV show. 11. What was Ozzy's favourite snack food? (a) Burritos (b) French fries (c) Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwiches Story continues below advertisement Answer: (A) He'd often have multiple burritos a day. 12. One of Ozzy's next-door neighbours and friends was: (a) Dolly Parton (b) Donny Osmond (c) Pat Boone Answer: (C) Pat and Ozzy got along famously. You might remember that Boone's cover of Crazy Train was used as the theme for The Osbournes. By the way, Dolly and Donny were both friends and fans. Dolly sent a video tribute to the final show and Ozzy once appeared in a Pepsi commercial with Donny and Marie. 13. What tattoos did Ozzy have both knees? (a) Upside-down crosses (b) O-Z-Z-Y (c) Happy faces Answer: (C) Ozzy was full of surprises. 14. How many times did Ozzy fail his driver's test? (a) 5 Story continues below advertisement (b) 19 (c) 23 Answer: (B) He got it on his 20th try at the age of 61. 15. Just before he died, Ozzy raised money by selling some paintings he'd done with the aid of: (a) His Sabbath bandmates (b) His grandchildren (c) A group of chimpanzees Answer (C): Of course, it was chimps. The money went to Save the Chimps, a sanctuary in Florida. There was never anyone like Ozzy. And we'll never see his kind again.
