Slade's Noddy Holder reveals the Golden Rule of drinking with Ozzy Osbourne
He recounts their debauched antics
Slade vocalist Noddy Holder has revealed the one thing you should never do when drinking with Ozzy Osbourne.
Marking the half-century landmark of Slade’s ubiquitous festive anthem ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, bona-fide music legend Noddy Holder appeared on The Late Show with Jen Thomas last night (20th December) for a chat.
During the interview, Noddy reflected on touring life with Slade in the 70s and 80s before recounting his debauched antics with Ozzy Osbourne.
Asked by Jen what Slade song he’s most proud of, Noddy replied: “It’s hard because we wrote so many. I always have a soft spot for ‘Far Far Away’ because I remember the time it was written, we'd be away from home for 18 months. We were looking forward to getting back home. We’d toured around and round and round the world and the song’s all about that.”
He continued: “We had a thing in the band, which we used to call tour madness. Once you've been on the road for six months, of course you’re living in one another's pockets, and you start to do the daftest things to entertain yourself outside of the stage.
“We used to call it ‘tour madness sets in’, and then it gets worse and worse. You have to do more outrageous stuff to entertain yourself so that it doesn't become boring. You know, just travelling dressing rooms, hotel rooms, airport lounges. It's constant.
“When you're out there doing it for 18 months on the trot, it's hard. And people think ‘oh, it must be great doing that that all that time on stage being adored.’ Of course it is. But there's another 22 hours in the day when you're not on stage.”
When Jen stated that with many bands she’s interviewed say the Golden Rule is you never fall asleep on the tour bus as you might lose your eyebrows, Noddy claimed that his fellow West Midlands rock legend Ozzy Osbourne was the originator of the eyebrow prank.
Laughing, Noddy chirped: “Absolutely! Ozzy Osbourne started that! If you passed out with Ozzy drinking or whatever, he would shave your eyebrows.
“I could always keep up (drinking) with Ozzy so he never did it to me. But quite often, he'd shave people's eyebrows. And of course when they wake up in the morning, they look in the mirror and they know there’s something wrong but they don't realise that their eyebrows have gone. Ozzy came up with that one, he used to do it all the time.”
Noddy added: “Or the classic was as well, when you passed out, with indelible ink he used to draw a moustache under (your) nose. That was another classic.”
Listen to Noddy Holder’s chat with Jen Thomas:
You can listen back to Jen Thomas’ full interview with Noddy Holder below.
Noddy also spoke about how people shout ‘IT’S CHRISTMAAAAS!’ at him up to 40 times a day, his health, and whether he’ll record music or tour again.
The real names of 100 famous rockers:
Cozy Powell’s real name: Colin Trevor Flooks
Alex Lifeson’s real name: Alexandar Živojinović
'Lifeson' is a semi-literal English translation of the Yugoslavian surname Živojinović, which means 'son of life'
Ginger Baker's real name: Peter Edward Baker
John 5’s real name: John William Lowery
Yngwie Malmsteen’s real name: Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback
Rudy Sarzo’s real name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont
Eric Carr's real name: Paul Charles Caravello
Vinnie Vincent’s real name: Vincent John Cusano
Tina Turner’s real name: Anna Mae Bullock
King Diamond’s real name: Kim Bendix Petersen
Joey Tempest's real name: Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson
Michael Monroe’s real name: Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm
Mikkey Dee’s real name: Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou
Jonathan Cain’s real name: Jonathan Leonard Friga
Nikki Sixx's real name: Frank Ferrano
Steven Adler’s real name: Michael Coletti
Axl Rose's real name: William Bruce Rose
Bon Scott's real name: Ronald Belford Scott
Fish’s real name: Derek William Dick
Eddie Vedder's real name: Edward Louis Severson III
Peter Criss’ real name: George Peter John Criscuola
Freddie Mercury's real name: Farrokh Bulsara
Flea's real name: Michael Peter Balzary
Perry Farrell's real name: Perry Bernstein
Geddy Lee’s real name: Gary Lee Weinrib
Mick Mars' real name: Robert Deal
Tré Cool's real name: Frank Edwin Wright III
Courtney Love's real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
Pat Smear's real name: Georg Albert Ruthenberg
Gene Simmons' real name: Chaim Klein Witz
Spike’s real name: Jonathan Gray
Iggy Pop's real name: James Newell Osterberg, JR.
Alice Cooper's real name: Vincent Damon Furnier
Slash's real name: Saul Hudson
Mike Dirnt's real name: Michael Ryan Pritchard
Ronnie James Dio's real name: Ronald James Padavona
Brody Dalle's real name: Bree Joanna Alice Robinson
Skin's real name: Deborah Anne Dyer
Nicky Wire's real name: Nicholas Jones
Amy Lee's real name: Amy Lynn Hartzler
Bill Wyman's real name: William Perks
Izzy Stradlin's real name: Jeffrey Isbell
Paul Stanley's real name: Stanley Eisen
Vince Neil's real name: Vincent Neil Wharton
Duff McKagan's real name: Michael McKagan
Jack Black’s real name: Thomas Jacob Black
Lemmy's real name: Ian Fraser Kilmister
John Paul Jones' real name: John Baldwin
Joan Jett's real name: Joan Larkin
Eric Clapton's real name: Eric Patrick Clapp
Siouxsie Sioux's real name: Susan Janet Ballion
Rachel Bolan’s real name: James Richard Southworth
David Bowie's real name: David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones
Little Richard's real name: Richard Wayne Penniman
Sid Vicious' real name: John Simon Ritchie
Ace Frehley's real name: Paul Daniel Frehley
Lou Reed's real name: Louis Firbank
Joe Strummer's real name: John Graham Mellor
Marc Bolan's real name: Mark Feld
The Edge's real name: David Howell Evans
Meat Loaf's real name: Marvin Lee Aday
Steven Tyler's real name: Steven Victor Tallarico
Ozzy Osbourne's real name: John Michael Osbourne
Jon Bon Jovi's real name: John Francis Bongiovi
Joey Belladonna’s real name: Joseph Bellardini
Jack White's real name: John Anthony Gillis
Bono's real name: Paul David Hewson
Sting's real name: Gordon Sumner
Billy Idol’s real name: William Michael Albert Broad
Geezer Butler’s real name: Terence Butler
Pat Benatar’s real name: Patricia Mae Giraldo
Bo Diddley’s real name: Ellas McDaniel
Muddy Waters’ real name: McKinley Morganfield
Stevie Nicks’ real name: Stephanie Lynn Nicks
Doro’s real name: Dorothee Pesch
Sebastian Bach’s real name: Sebastian Philip Bierk
Joe Perry’s real name: Joseph Pereira
Jimi Hendrix’s real name: James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix)
Zakk Wylde’s real name: Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt
Maynard James Keenan’s real name: James Herbert Keenan
Blaze Bayley’s real name: Bayley Alexander Cooke
Biff Byford's real name: Peter Rodney Byford
M. Shadows' real name: Matthew Charles Sanders
Syd Barrett's real name: Roger Keith Barrett
Chris Jericho's real name: Christopher Keith Irvine
Ginger Wildheart's real name: David Leslie Walls
Paul Di'Anno's real name: Paul Andrews
Phil X’s real name: Theofilos Xenidis
Peter Green’s real name: Peter Allen Greenbaum
Nicko McBrain’s real name: Michael Henry McBrain
Noddy Holder’s real name: Neville John Holder
Steel Panther’s real names
Michael Starr: Ralph Michael Saenz, Satchel: Russell John Parrish, Stix Zadinia: Darren Leader, Spyder: Joe Lester.