In a new interview with BraveWords, Jake E Lee talks about the Ozzy Osbourne era, the time he replaced Randy Rhoads.
BraveWords: I’ve always found it strange that Ozzy rarely plays songs from your era. I love those two records, they really are superb and have aged beautifully over time. Are you still happy with them?
Lee: “Yeah, I was happy with them. I do agree with him that maybe The Ultimate Sin should be remixed because it was a bit of a poppy mix at the time and he wanted to increase his fan base at the time – (Ron Nevison) gave it more of a poppy thing, but it’s a heavy record, so I think it should be remixed. Let’s have an alternate mix of that. I would hope he’d invite me to it.”
BraveWords: Just hope that Sharon keeps your guitar on there!
Lee: “Sharon … Sharon can be so vindictive. Why be that way? I don’t understand it. It seems like it takes a lot of energy. She spends a lot of energy to be mad and to get back at people who she thinks have wronged her or Ozzy.”
BraveWords: I think she’s taught a lot of people, particularly women, to be more of a b*tch because it’s always been a man’s game. I’m not justifying some of the really evil things that she’s done, but I think she’s done some good by being that force and face.
Lee: “Yeah. She was probably the first woman manager to probably command her staff, and be feared.”
BraveWords: She wanted to be more of a tyrant than her father Don.
Lee: “Well, that’s a hard job to do, from what I’ve heard. She’s told me stories about him. He was a scary guy. But yeah, she has done good, but she takes it a little too personally and takes it a little too far sometimes. She has a problem with me and I have no problem with her.”
BraveWords: There were rumours about you possibly getting the Ozzy gig again. Is that something you would consider?
Lee: “It would be fun. It would be fun to play with Ozzy again. It would be fun to do another record with him. But Zakk (Wylde) did some good sh*t too. Up through No More Tears I think Ozzy’s catalogue was good. I wanted… what’s the one with ‘Miracle Man’ and ‘Crazy Babies’?”
BraveWords: No Rest For The Wicked.
Lee: “Yeah! I wanted it to suck, you know?”
BraveWords: You wanted it to suck?
Lee: “I wanted it to suck a little bit, you know, because I got fired and I didn’t want the next thing to be good. But it was a good record. I remember hearing it and going, ‘Oh s*it. Oh well, all right, he’s happy.’ But I think through No More Tears he had a good catalogue and was putting out good records. And then I don’t know, he got soft. I think he got lazy. He started letting other people write his sh*t. There used to be a definite Ozzy sound. And it was that sound with Randy (Rhoads). It was that sound with me – still the same vein but still a little bit different sound, even then the first couple with Zakk still sounded like Ozzy and then it quit sounding like Ozzy.”