Rock Reads: Ozzy Osbourne - Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
Reviewed by Kevin Wierzbicki
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Osbourne's I Am Ozzy memoir from last year was such a surprise best-seller that you could almost sense at the time that there would be more to come. But no one could have foreseen the form that this follow-up book would take. It seems that while recounting his exploits for the first book Ozzy asked himself the same question that others have asked for years---how in the world has he survived in the face of massive and long-term drug and alcohol abuse? In seeking an answer, Osbourne actually spent the money to have his genome mapped and the involved scientists found some unexplainable irregularities that could perhaps account for his longevity despite all the poison. Upon the breaking of this news, along comes Rolling Stone Magazine to outrageously enlist Osbourne to write a health-oriented advice column. The column becomes wildly popular and it doesn't take a marketing genius to know what the next step is and suddenly you have Trust Me, I'm Dr. Ozzy. The book collects material from the Rolling Stone columns and lots of previously unpublished stuff, all presented in Q & A style. While his answers are composed with a quirky wit, Osbourne's advice is often surprisingly caring and not at all off-the-wall. When someone inquires as to what to do when they've found porn on their son's computer Ozzy answers that it really depends on the kid's age. Similarly thoughtful answers are given to questions about teens smoking pot, Internet dating and even coping with cancer (Osbourne doesn't support marijuana use as treatment.) Of course there are really goofy questions too; about zits, excessive cussing, the fear of contracting rabies and the fear of being killed by an errant golf ball, to which Osbourne provides appropriately goofy answers. Questions are segmented by category and there are a load of them about sex; between chapters Ozzy spins career anecdotes that weren't included in I Am Ozzy and there's also a chapter explaining the genome mapping. Ozzy might have to come up with a new gimmick if there's to be a third book but for now this one is an absolute hoot.
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