Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee has opened up about his memories of life on the road, contrasting Sharon Osbourne’s strict stage dress code with his admiration for Metallica’s unpolished, authentic performances. The candid reflections came during a new interview with BraveWords.
Discovering Metallica’s Magic
Lee was asked about his impression of Metallica when they opened for Ozzy during the Ultimate Sin tour. He explained that while he was familiar with the band, seeing them live left a lasting impression.
“No, I knew who Metallica was. But they were different. I really liked it. Especially with Cliff (Burton) – nothing against any of the bass players – but there was magic,” Lee said. “I’m glad I got to see them all those times with Cliff. They were heavy as sh-t.”
For Lee, the raw intensity of Metallica’s early performances was a stark contrast to the highly choreographed and costume-heavy shows he experienced while touring with Ozzy Osbourne.
Raw vs. Theatrical
Lee described how Metallica’s unpolished anger and energy resonated with him compared to the glam-inspired production he was part of.
“They were angry, there was nothing polished or pretty about them. I thought that was awesome. Especially that Ultimate Sin tour. That’s where we had to dress a certain way, you know?”
During the Ultimate Sin era, Sharon Osbourne’s vision extended beyond music to the very appearance of each band member. According to Lee, Ozzy had an elaborate gold glitter outfit designed, and the rest of the band were expected to follow suit with custom-made attire.
“Ozzy had that gold glitter big-shouldered thing going and he had a guy that made clothes for everybody. You couldn’t dress yourself if you were in Ozzy. Not back then.”
Jake’s Struggle with the Dress Code
For Lee, the costume requirements often felt unnatural. He recalled requesting toned-down versions of the designs because the flashy style wasn’t his preference.
“So you had to go to the clothing designer and say what you wanted and I remember seeing Ozzy’s outfit, seeing the bass players’, and I was like, ‘Damn, if I have to wear this sh-t can you please just mute it down?’” Lee continued. “I mean, most of my sh-t is black and white, there’s no glitter. And I still felt uncomfortable.”
While he complied with the rules, Lee admitted he never truly embraced the over-the-top look that defined that period of Ozzy’s career.
One memory that stood out for Lee was a strict directive from Sharon Osbourne regarding how band members should present themselves on stage.
“And I remember one of Sharon’s things was ‘You can’t dress like the punters. You can’t be on stage and look like you could also be in the front row.’ When I joined, she told me that,” he said. “I remembered that, but I didn’t think we had to go that far.”
This philosophy reflected Sharon’s approach to showmanship: she wanted clear separation between fans and the performers. Yet, for Lee, it felt unnecessarily theatrical when compared to the authentic simplicity he saw in Metallica.
Admiration for Metallica’s Attitude
In contrast, Lee admired how Metallica delivered their shows in jeans and t-shirts, letting the music speak for itself without glam embellishments.
“And I love that Metallica went out in jeans and t-shirt’s and just f-cking tore it up. I thought that was awesome. It had a punk attitude to it.”
For Lee, that authenticity captured the spirit of heavy music in ways that costumes and glitter never could.
Two Different Worlds in Heavy Metal
Lee’s reflections highlight a defining moment in heavy metal history: the divide between glam metal’s theatrical presentation and thrash metal’s raw, stripped-down aggression. Touring with Ozzy Osbourne placed him squarely in the middle of this cultural clash.
While Sharon Osbourne emphasized stagecraft, image, and production, Metallica was gaining traction with fans by being the exact opposite — loud, aggressive, and unfiltered.
A Unique Perspective
As someone who lived through the Ultimate Sin tour and witnessed Metallica’s rise alongside Ozzy’s theatrical dominance, Jake E. Lee offers a rare perspective. His memories show how two very different approaches to heavy metal coexisted during a pivotal era in the 1980s.
By balancing the spectacle of Ozzy’s shows with the stripped-down power of Metallica, Lee had a front-row seat to the evolution of heavy metal into diverse subgenres that would define decades of music to come.
