Billy Morrison Reflects on Friendship With Ozzy

The great Billy Morrison joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday (March 12) to dive into his longtime friendship with Ozzy Osbourne, his work with Billy Idol and much more.

Listen to the full conversation in the player near the end of this article.

“It seems like I am continually celebrating over here,” Morrison said as the conversation with host Chuck Armstrong kicked off.

“Since I last spoke to you, ‘Crack Cocaine’ went to No. 1 on the rock charts and ‘Gods of Rock N Roll’ is looking very good right now. The label has let me do this deluxe edition [of The Morrison Project] which is out now. It’s always fun to do, you know, you get to remix stuff and put extra tracks on and really give fans value for their money. It’s good over here in Chez Morrison.”

One of the extra tracks Morrison was excited to include on the deluxe edition of his latest album was the demo version of his aforementioned song with Ozzy, “Crack Cocaine.” He originally wasn’t going to do that, but his friend pushed him.

“That was actually Ozzy’s idea,” he shared.

“I told him we were going to do the deluxe and we were having this crazy ‘Crack Cocaine’ remix done…and Ozzy said, ‘Well, you know what fans often like to hear are the original demos.’ We pulled it up and interestingly, the original demo is not far off from where we ended up. I’ve learned something over the years: When Ozzy Osbourne tells you something, you should do it.”

Another piece of wisdom Morrison picked up from Ozzy was related to the brand-new version of his song, “Gods of Rock N Roll.”

“He told me to put an orchestra and a choir on it 10 years ago,” Morrison admitted.

“Finally, I guess I’ve listened to him.”

Billy Morrison Discusses Ozzy’s Final Show in Birmingham

In addition to diving into his work with Ozzy — as well as being a member in Billy Idol’s band — he spent a little time lamenting the fact that he won’t be at the Back to the Beginning show in Birmingham on July 5.

“It’s a sore point, very sad,” he said.

“Billy Idol is playing a show in Austria that night and God bless Sharon and Billy Idol’s manager. They tried to make it work. We looked into a hail mary right after we get off stage, but it’s just not going to work.”

READ MORE: Billy Idol Discusses Rock Hall, Ozzy, New Music + More

As sad as it was to share that news, Morrison clearly held onto the simple fact that he will be supporting Ozzy from miles away.

“Ozzy knows his best friend is there in spirit and that’s all that matters. He deserves that show, a celebration.”

What Else Did Billy Morrison Discuss on Loudwire Nights?

• What it’s like working with Ozzy and Idol: “I’m kind of living the life, I have to admit. Billy Idol is absolutely overdue for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s no doubt about it. No one could argue it. It’s just long overdue. He shaped and formed music in the ’80s.”
• How he ended up working with all of the different special guests on The Morrison Project: “Every single person involved in my album, every single person is a friend. I didn’t go through managers or agents, none of it … All of the guests are close friends, so I texted them personally and they said, ‘Of course, send me the song.'”
• Why he tries to not concern himself with what’s next: “I tend to take it as it comes. Usually what comes next is not what you expect and if you leave it open, if you leave space for the universe to come at you with something, you have more chance of doing stuff you didn’t know you wanted to do. I didn’t even know I was going to do a solo album at the start of that process.”

Listen to the Full Interview in the Podcast Player Below

Billy Morrison joined Loudwire Nights on Wednesday, March 12; the show replays online here, and you can tune in live every weeknight at 7PM ET or on the Loudwire app; you can also see if the show is available on your local radio station and listen to interviews on-demand.