The Darkness' Dan Hawkins blasts 'nauseating' Ozzy Osbourne tribute at MTV VMAs
He wasn't impressed
Last updated 9th Sep 2025
The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins has taken to Instagram to berate the Ozzy Osbourne tribute at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night (7th September).
During the MTV VMAs ceremony at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne keyboardist Adam Wakeman joined forces with Yungblud and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt to perform Ozzy’s ‘Crazy Train’ and Sabbath’s ‘Changes’ after an introduction by Jack Osbourne.
The trio were then joined by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for an all-star rendition of the poignant 'Mama, I’m Coming Home'.
Footage of pop singer Ariana Grande’s astonished reaction to the seven-minute medley went viral on social media.
One viewer who wasn’t impressed was The Darkness’ Dan Hawkins who slammed the tribute on Instagram on Monday night.
Sharing footage of the 'Mama, I’m Coming Home' performance and Ariana Grande’s reaction, Hawkins wrote: “Another nail in the coffin of rock n roll. Cynical, nauseating and more importantly; s---.
“Makes me sick how people jump on this s--- to further their own careers.”
A hashtag of ‘whatabunchofc---s’ was later removed by Hawkins, and he also turned off comments on his post.
The MTV VMAs hasn’t been without its critics over the decades for largely ignoring the heavier side of music and including non-rock acts in its Rock category.
This year’s Best Rock award went to Coldplay for their ‘All My Love’ video. It’s the third time Chris Martin and co. have picked up the gong.
The nicknames of famous rock stars:
Ozzy Osbourne – The Prince of Darkness
Rock stars and bands with honorific nicknames
Chuck Schuldiner – The Godfather of Death Metal
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KISS - The Hottest Band in the World
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Chuck Berry – The Father of Rock and Roll, The King of Rock and Roll
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Tina Turner – The Queen of Rock and Roll
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David Bowie – The Chameleon of Rock, The Picasso of Pop
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Arthur Brown – The God of Hellfire
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Alice Cooper – The Godfather of Shock Rock
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Doro – The Metal Queen
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Eddie Van Halen – The Mozart of Rock Guitar
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John Bonham – The Beast
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Rob Halford - The Metal God
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John Lee Hooker – The King of the Blues
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Jim Morrison – The Lizard King
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B.B. King – The King of the Blues, The Mayor of Bluesville
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Neil Peart – The Professor
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Iggy Pop – The Godfather of Punk
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Elvis Presley - The King of Rock and Roll
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Paul Rodgers – The Voice
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Ronnie James Dio – The Voice of Metal
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Jerry Lee Lewis – The Killer
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Carl Perkins – The King of Rockabilly
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Little Richard – The Architect of Rock and Roll
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Dave Lombardo - The Godfather of Double Bass
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Robert Johnson – The Grandfather of Rock and Roll, The First Rock and Roll Star
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Joan Jett – The Godmother of Punk, The Queen of Rock and Roll
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Roy Orbison - The Caruso of Rock
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The Clash - The Only Band That Matters
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Bruce Springsteen – The Boss
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe – The Godmother of Rock and Roll
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Ritchie Valens - The King of Chicano Rock
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Paul Weller – The Modfather
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Aerosmith - America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band
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Tony Iommi – The Godfather of Heavy Metal
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Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax – The Big Four of Thrash Metal
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John Entwistle – Thunderfingers
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Rod Price - The Magician of Slide, Slide King of Rock and Roll
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The Beatles – The Fab Four
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The Rolling Stones - The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World
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Guns N’ Roses - The Most Dangerous Band in the World
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Peter Murphy – The Godfather of Goth
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Fats Domino – The Real King of Rock and Roll
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Lonnie Donegan – The King of Skiffle
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Bryan Ferry – The King of Cool
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Janis Joplin – The Queen of Rock and Roll
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Joey Ramone – The Godfather of Punk
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Ron Asheton – The Godfather of Punk Guitar
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Prince – The Artist
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