excerpt from new Ozzy book 'our story'

I STILL remember our first American tour. It was October 1970. Black Sabbath’s first album was out and the biggest thing a British band could do was tour the States.

Led Zeppelin’s drummer John Bonham was the first to congratulate me. He said: “It is very cool.”<br>
Then he added with a grin: “But before you go, make sure your d*** is rested and you’ve got plenty of penicillin.” One thing about Sabbath — we were a great f***ing band. Another thing about Sabbath — we were great at f***ing.

In England, you’d meet a girl, take her to a movie and buy her a drink. Three weeks later you might get your hand on her left breast. It took time.

Not in America. The fun started as soon as we got off the plane.

I checked into the hotel about 9pm. By 9.15pm there was a knock at the door. I figured it was one of the guys forgetting something, but it was a girl. She had a great body — not that I noticed anything after I heard her say she wanted to ball me.

“Ball me?” I said. “Do you mean you want to play ball?”<br>
“No, let me show you what I mean,” she said. And for the next few hours she sh***ed my brains out.

Though we were still pre-Aids, there was still the clap. I remember going to a doctor, slightly embarrassed and said I had a pain in my lower back.