As Ozzy Osbourne passes away at the age of 76, putting his life in the rear-view is quite an alien, Herculean task.

Because how best to sum up a life so unique and so hellbent on never being repeated? There is no comparison you could make, and little call for “the next Ozzy” to come along and replace all that he has built.

He was a core part of the nucleus of something far greater than himself, while continuing to guide and mentor the monster that he had helped create. It’s a testament to how much of a cultural force he was, how many people out there implicitly understood him.

Osbourne was never locked into the timeframe of his successes nor reliant on the easy blessings of nostalgia like most figures in our cultural iconography – there was always a generation of teenagers in wait, ready to take the mantle and carry on all that he represented within themselves. The sheer influence, not just on music, but on people as a whole, is indescribable.

I wonder if Brian Wilson ever truly knew how much his music meant to people

There has been endless discussion over who or what originated heavy metal. Was it one of the early, harder-edged bands like Deep........

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