MusicCares Honors Ozzy Osbourne

Dax Shepherd summed things up at Monday night’s MusiCares MAP Fund event with the appropriate amount of inappropriateness when he noted “Ozzy Osbourne” and “Joe Walsh” aren’t exactly the first names that spring to mind with the word “sobriety.”  Of course, the evening’s host got away with a handful of “roast” style jokes; he’s a recovery veteran himself, with a decade of sobriety under his belt. The industry came out to watch Ozzy receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his support of the MusiCares MAP Fund, which helps folks deal with substance abuse.

The Eagles guitarist was on-hand to present the award to the Black Sabbath frontman. Ozzy told the crowd at Club Nokia in Los Angeles that when he heard the news, he asked Sharon: “Was I really so bad all these years that they’re giving me an award for being sober?”

Craig Ferguson was equally riotous when making an introduction for his friend Jeff Greenburg. The “Late Show” host joked that the Village Studios owner and CEO had kept the notorious Escobar drug cartel in business during the late ’80s and even noted that the From the Heart Award would make a great surface to snort cocaine from should he ever relapse. He took aim at downloading too, blasting the “18 to 34” demographic with glee because, “I don’t care, I’m rich.”

Earlier in the day, The Used manager Sean Akhavan praised MusiCares, particularly for their role in helping Bert McCracken with sobriety. “[Senior Director] Erica Krusen played a big part. She was very helpful,” he told Billboard Biz. Bert has been sober for well over a year now. He looks and sounds better than ever.”

Attendees included rockers like Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour), Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver), Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Sully Erna (Godsmack), Wesley Geer (ex-Hed PE), alongside MusiCares Senior Director Erica Krusen, Grammy Museum publicist Andy Cox and others associated with the NARAS, Grammy Foundation and MusiCares, plus comedian Tommy Davidson, actress MacKenzie Phillips and Travel Channel’s Mike McGuiness.

The industry was out in force, as well: Gerardo Martinez (Label Manager, Nuclear Blast Records); John Fenton (Divine Recordings, Mercenary Management); Marc Wilson (A&R, Warner Chappell Music); “Pesci” Jeff Gray, Phil Jaurigui and Sarah Berkowitz from Swing House; MSO PR’s Mitch Schneider, Libby Coffey and Bari Lieberman; Brian Bumbery and Sam Citron of BB Gun Press; director Kevin Kerslake, producer John Alagia, Nadia Prescher (Co-Founder, Madison House), Victoria Cecilio (Digital Media Coordinator, Fox), Kevin Mazur (Co-Founder, Wire Image), Rynda Laurel (Founder, 1968media) and skateboard legend Tony Alva.

“I don’t think there’s a more public figure in metal than Ozzy,” Gerardo Martinez told Biz. “We’ve known about his struggles with addiction and so on. So for him to be honored by such great people, it not only shows the respect they have toward him, but also the huge respect Ozzy has toward this noble cause.”

Metallica came and showed everyone that besides being the biggest band in rock or metal, they will make time for something this cool!”

Source: Billboard