OZZY OSBOURNE Says He 'Was Not Allowed To Have Fun' On BLACK SABBATH's Final Tour

Ozzy Osbourne has one again said that his last tour with BLACK SABBATH — the band's farewell trek which ended in February 2017 — was not a pleasant experience for him. He told Rolling Stone: "With SABBATH, all I am is a singer with a band. [My solo group] is a different thing. I've got a lot of freedom and I have fun with it.

"It's not allowed to have fucking fun with SABBATH," he continued. "It's too serious. Tony [Iommi, guitar] was trying to have a go at me, saying, 'Don't fucking talk over my solos.' I go, 'Okay, are you sure? 'Cause most of the fucking song is solos. The intro to the song is fuckin' five minutes and then I sing for about two seconds and then it's another one.' With my own thing, I'm looking to have fun, and that's what music's about for me. I'm not a serious fucking singer. I'm just a frontman who's trying to get the crowd going in front."

Ozzy's latest comments echo those he made in a Philadelphia Inquirer interview in September. At the time, he said that he "didn't have a great time" on SABBATH's final tour. He explained: "I spent nine or 10 years in SABBATH, but I'd been away from them for over 30 years. With them, I'm just a singer. With me, I get to do what I want to do. I was getting bad vibes from them for being Ozzy. I don't know — what the fuck else can I be?"

A couple of weeks after Ozzy's Philadelphia Inquirer interview was published, Iommi was asked by The List if he had a response to the singer's comments. Iommi said: "I saw that, but I don't know what he meant. I had a great time on the last tour playing with the guys, and Ozzy never mentioned anything to me. He seemed to enjoy it and we had a laugh, so I don't know. So I think possibly that quote was taken out of context."

Although Ozzy's current solo tour is billed "No More Tours 2" and has been advertised as his last major world trek, he insisted that he's not going away entirely, saying: "What I'm stopping is doing what I'm doing now — going around the world all the time. I wish people would understand I'm not retiring. Is it my bad English accent? It's called the 'No More Tours' tour. It doesn't say ‘No more tours ever.'"

The legendary singer said that he's easing back on the heavy road schedule in order to be with his family, remarking: "I've got grandchildren that I want to spend time with." But he added that he's been lucky to do what he's been doing for 50 years, saying: "I don't punch a card every morning This is not my job; it's my passion. It's been the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life."

Earlier this month, Ozzy postponed the final four shows on his North American "No More Tours 2" after undergoing surgery for multiple infections in his right hand.