Slade's Noddy Holder reveals the Golden Rule of drinking with Ozzy Osbourne

He recounts their debauched antics

Ozzy Osbourne and Noddy Holder
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 21st Dec 2023

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.

Slade in the 1970s

“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.

Lexxi Foxx’s real name: Travis Haley


Jet Black’s real name: Brian John Duffy


Buddy Holly’s real name: Charles Hardin Holley


Elvis Costello’s real name: Declan Patrick McManus


Rikki Rockett’s real name: Richard Allan Ream


Blackie Lawless' real name: Steven Edward Duren


Maxim's real name: Keith Andrew Palmer


Rat Scabies' real name: Christopher John Millar


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