Did Ozzy Osbourne Really Bite The Head Off A Bat? Read Some Crazy Backstage Stories From History’s Biggest Music Acts

Bowie And His Missing Memories

Most of David Bowie’s best work was done in the ’70s. But he also had to deal with a heavy schedule, and he did this by developing a cocaine and drinking problem. This reached its peak during 1975 and ’76 when he made the film  “The Man Who Fell To Earth” and the album “Station To Station.”

The funny thing is Bowie didn’t remember anything about the album’s recording. He even said that he only knew the recording studio was in Los Angeles because he read it. His biographer even described his state in this period as being “a state of psychic terror.”

Ozzy Osbourne Did Bite The Head Off A Bat

In a move that may have singlehandedly inspired the birth of the band Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne had his crowning moment. This happened at a show in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1982, and, yes, you guessed it, he bit the head off a bat. Not the baseball kind either.

The Prince of Darkness, as he came to be known, was warned not to do anything animal-related on this gig. He would usually release seven doves into the crowd but refrained from that in this one. Then someone threw a limp bat on stage, it was never confirmed if it was a prop or the real thing, and the rest is history.

Ramones Held Hostage In Studio

The Ramones are regarded as the first genuine punk band. They were also quite the image, with none of the members having Ramone as a last name, despite using it as stage names. While there are some wild stories about them, none get wilder than this one.

Reportedly, producer Phil Spector pulled a gun on them and held them hostage during the recording of their “End Of The Century” album. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone and guitarist Johnny Ramone claimed this was true. However, drummer Marky later debunked this rumor. The truth will never be known since all of the members from that recording, barring Marky, have passed away.

Neil Young And Rick James Were In The Mynah Birds And Signed To Motown

Neil Young and Rick James are two of the most respected singers and songwriters in the music industry. But despite being from different countries, both were in a band called The Mynah Birds. They met after James was drafted for Vietnam. He ran to Toronto, Canada, to avoid the draft, where he met Young and formed the Mynah Birds.

They were set to record for Mowtown, but after the record label discovered that James was a fugitive, they broke off all plans to work with him, and he ended up doing hard labor to make up for missing the draft. Hence this project never really left the ground.

It’s Our Party, And We’ll Crash If We Want To

Grunge wasn’t just a sound or genre. It was a way of life, and Nirvana was its most prominent proponent. A lot of this is owed to the album Nevermind and its megahit “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” This catapulted them to stardom, although the speed with which this happened left them a little flabbergasted.

This is why they showed up in their low-key grunge best to the album launch party with a room full of suits. Then they proceeded to get drunk, take over the DJ booth, and throw food. This eventually got them thrown out because the venue owner feared he might lose his liquor license.