Ozzy Osbourne + Billy Morrison Discuss New Podcast ‘The Madhouse Chronicles’ + Friendship — Interview

During a new interview with Loudwire, the one and only Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Billy Morrison discussed their new podcast The Madhouse Chronicles, recalled memories from their friendship and picked their favorite rockers to make the perfect supergroups.

We chatted with the legends about their brand new podcast The Madhouse Chronicles, which is only available to watch via the brand new Osbourne Media House. Fans can subscribe for just $8 a month for exclusive access to the service, where they can also watch everyone's favorite rock royalty reality show, The Osbournes, which originally aired on MTV.

Subscribers will also be able to participate in fan Q+As, monthly giveaways and other offers. This month, a new series will air through the service titled The Basement Chronicles, where the Osbourne family will rewatch The Osbournes and discuss the episodes.

During our interview, the Prince of Darkness and Morrison discussed aliens, shared their favorite memories of each other and other heartwarming bits about their friendship. We also asked each of them to build a dream supergroup out of their favorite musicians, and unsurprisingly, they both had really solid picks.

Read the full interview below to find out who's in their supergroups.

Let's start with a congrats to Billy on the release of The Morrison Project. You two collaborated on the song "Crack Cocaine" together, so that's very exciting.

Billy: Thank you so much, and Ozzy did say when we started this whole rollercoaster, "You watch. This song is going to do something." And sure enough, as he always is — you were right, mate. You were right, so thank you.

Ozzy: You're welcome.

Billy Morrison + Ozzy Osbourne - 'Crack Cocaine'

We're here to talk about The Madhouse Chronicles, which is a new podcast you two are working on together. Billy, I know that you appeared on The Osbournes Podcast a few months ago, so what led you two to start your own podcast together?

Billy: They called me up and went, "Do you want to do a podcast with your mate?" And, of course. Look, this is just an inside view of what we talk about anyway.

Ozzy: So, what it is really — it's like me and Billy, when we see each other, I say, "Have you seen such and such in the news?" He says, "Oh yeah," and we'll have a conversation about things. So, it's not scripted, it's not fantasy. It's just like, a fly-on-the-wall look at a conversation with two guys.

Billy: I guess someone heard us talking one day and thought, These guys would make a good podcast.

Isn't it crazy that fans can have that at their fingertips now? They can just listen to you guys?

Ozzy: You know, I do the thing with the rest of my family, The Osbournes. And that starts a conversation, people write in and go, "I really like your views on such and such." Or you get people say they like it, and people say they don't like it. But it's interesting that people want to hear a conversation, you know?

Billy: It's very different nowadays, I think. You know, when Ozzy first started and when I first started, you didn't have the ability to have a fly on the wall. And so now, it's a whole new genre, if you like.

But clearly, people want to hear the family Osbourne chatting about something, or me and Ozzy being stupid about something or even learning about something. We delve into internet clips and we discuss them. And many times in this first season, Ozzy and I learned stuff by watching these clips.

I had the pleasure of watching the first episode, and I wanted to ask what made you guys decide to talk about aliens for the first one.

Ozzy: Well I'm really intrigued. And I'm kind of thinking, well there's so many sightings of these things — UFOs and whatever, UAPs ... But I'm convinced they live, if they are here, they live in the ocean.

Billy: Ooh, we didn't even touch on that, did we?

Ozzy: Because I mean, why do they want to — and I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't got two arms, two legs, a head and a body, the grade and all that. It could be like an octopus or something.

Billy: We chose aliens, basically, because it's been the longest-running topic that me and Ozzy, we've always talked about.

Ozzy: I'm really interested to find out. I mean it's gotten really interesting now since I've sighted those aircraft carriers. I've seen them things.

Billy: And do you remember the testimony, Ozzy, where we played that testimony of that guy?

Ozzy: Yeah, but you know I found out about that testimony, he was only repeating what he had heard. He didn't actually see one.

Ozzy Osbourne + Billy Morrison - The Madhouse Chronicles Teaser

They said that they found "non-human biologics" or something like that.

Billy: That's right.

Ozzy: He was told they found them.

Billy: You see, there's always that. The whole point of this show is, there's always a deeper level. And so we were trying to play these videos and then discuss the ins and outs. I mean it's not just aliens, the whole season has all kinds of subjects.

Ozzy: But the thing is, it's like that telescope in space. That was interesting as well, that can see the beginning of the universe. And if they ever do find it, that will throw religion out the window.

Aside from aliens, drugs and rock 'n' roll — I saw you had that motto in the teaser — what other topics can fans expect to hear you delve into on the podcast?

Billy: We were talking before we logged on — we shot these a few weeks ago, and we actually can't remember all of them. There's over 20 episodes in the first season. We talk about our love of English chocolate candy.

We talk about Black Sabbath, we talk about all weird animal things. The internet's full of these crazy animals doing weird and wonderful stuff. It's really just anything that we would normally talk about, but just filmed.

Ozzy: It's me and Billy having a conversation.

Billy: It always started from, I would come around and Ozzy would go, "I've just seen the weirdest thing," or, "Have you seen so and so?" And that really, I'm not joking, someone heard us doing that and went, "Well this is a good podcast." And here we are, talking about it.

Ozzy: Tell us the truth, what did you think of the first one?

I thought it was very entertaining. I like that it's really candid and it just seems like you guys are talking about whatever. I think any fan would like to see something like that. As music fans, we like to see the candid and authentic side outside of just what you guys do onstage and in the studio.

Billy: Right, I'm glad that came across, because that really is the essence of what we're trying to do here is just a couple of mates talking about some stuff.

Can you recall, for those who aren't aware of your history, how your friendship came about?

Ozzy: Well, I was in jail.

Billy: And I was a lawyer in another life, and I got him out! In a nutshell, we bonded over the fact that neither of us do really well in a house full of people. There was a party, we were both at that party, and we both went into a room to try and get away from the madness of the party. He was already in there, and we just sat down and we talked.

You know what we talked about was the Sex Pistols, Cadbury chocolate. We just bonded, and that was it. He's been driving me mad ever since, right?

Your working relationship, is it any different when you guys are working on a piece of music together vs. when you're just sitting around having a conversation and recording it for the podcast?

Ozzy: Oh, the music is completely different. We have disagreements, but it's like, whoever's got the best idea gets the place. Writing music, it's just like doing a jigsaw puzzle. You put a piece, might need that one piece, you put it in. As songwriters, we instinctively think we know when we got a song.

Billy: I think what's important to note is that it's only by chance that me and Ozzy have even written music together. Primarily, we just hang out as mates, but as it happens, we're both musicians.

So if you've known someone for 30 years, there's gonna be times in a hotel room or whatever where you go, "Yeah, what do you think of this riff?" It's just been a side arm of our friendship. We don't get together and go, "We're going to write music." It just happens occasionally.

Absolutely, so is it safe to say that even if you weren't musicians, you would have a friendship and have a connection outside of that?

Ozzy: Absolutely.

Billy: Yeah, I think the music probably gets in the way because we both have to go and work a lot. We would see each other a lot more if we weren't musicians, that's for sure.

Can you each tell us your funniest memory with each other?

Billy: Jesus, now be careful Ozzy.

Ozzy: I can't remember.

Billy: While he's thinking, I'll give you one of my funniest memories of Ozzy. It's very hard to know what to buy the Prince of Darkness for his birthday or whatever. Because basically, he's got a phrase, "If it ain't bling, I don't want it." But I thought it would be a great idea to buy him a Japanese samurai sword.

The birthday dinner was in a very high-profile Los Angeles restaurant, and I was a bit late. I came down the stairs, and the family are there, Sharon's there, everyone's there. And I give him — it's wrapped up — I give him this samurai sword. And he proceeds to open it, pulls the sword out and start waiving it around the restaurant.

Sharon's looking at me like, What the fuck have you done? So that was a funny moment. I don't know whether he can remember any about me.

Ozzy: I can't.

Billy: That's because I'm not funny.

I don't think that's true!

Billy: I think he's being a good mate and not throwing me under the bus.

Ozzy: I can't think of anything! He's helped me out a lot, Billy has, over the years.

Billy: I think one of the main things people have said when they watch The Madhouse Chronicles is the overriding sense of how we are together. And I think that's a testament to 30 years of friendship and, you know, a real friendship.

Ozzy: We don't argue.

Billy: We call each other names a lot.

Ozzy: We send each other crazy texts. I said to Billy one day, "You know what, Billy? If anybody ever read our texts, I swear to god we're both insane."

Billy: We would both be locked up if anyone read our text stream. And I've gotta tell you, there is something interesting, which I've never said to Ozzy — I don't think we've ever had a real argument.

Ozzy: No.

READ MORE: Why Is Ozzy Osbourne Called 'The Prince of Darkness'?

Billy: Ever, in 30 years, we've never. You know, he'll say something and I'll say, "Oh don't be so fucking stupid." But we've never fallen out in 30 years. It's kind of cool.

That's awesome, it's always good to have productive disagreements.

Billy: Yeah, he's gonna hit me in a minute, I know it.

Ozzy: No I'm not!

Do you have any other podcasts that you listen to?

Billy: I listen to The Osbournes, I think that's brilliant. And even having been around the family for a long time, I learn stuff all the time when I watch The Osbournes Podcast. But I don't listen to podcasts, do you?

Ozzy: Not really. My thing is, I don't like to hear myself talking.

I have one last question, and it's music-related. If you each had to pick one singer, one guitarist, a drummer and a bassist to be in a supergroup together — not one that you would play with, but just that you could be a fan of — who would it be?

Billy: That's a great question. Go on, Ozzy.

Ozzy: John Lennon.

Billy: John Lennon, but doing what? What's he playing?

Ozzy: Singing. Jimi Hendrix playing guitar. Tommy Clufetos playing drums. Who can I have on bass? Paul McCartney on bass.

Billy: Oh my god, that's a good lineup. Alright, let me think. I would go with, you know what? I'm gonna go with Ozzy singing, greatest voice in rock 'n' roll. I'm gonna go with Steve Jones from The Sex Pistols on guitar, Keith Moon on the drums and John Paul Jones on bass.

Check out 'The Madhouse Chronicles' for more stories from Osbourne and Morrison.