One of the most infamous true stories about Ozzy Osbourne involves a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 20, 1982. During his "Diary of a Madman" tour, it was common for fans to throw various objects, including raw meat, onto the stage. On this particular night, a 17-year-old fan named Mark Neal threw a bat onto the stage. Ozzy, known for his eccentric stage antics and often under the influence, picked it up, genuinely believing it to be a rubber toy. In a moment that would become legendary, he bit off its head. He immediately realized his mistake when a warm, "goopy" liquid filled his mouth and the creature twitched. The incident led to him being rushed for a series of rabies shots, a less glamorous but very real consequence of the shocking spectacle.
Beyond the bat, another equally wild and true incident occurred in 1981 during a meeting with CBS Records executives to celebrate his new album. Ozzy was supposed to release a dove as a symbol of peace. Instead, while heavily intoxicated, he grabbed one of the doves and, to the horror of those present, bit off its head and reportedly spat it out on the table. This act, meant to shock and perhaps to show his defiance, resulted in him being promptly thrown out of the building. These incidents, while disturbing, cemented Ozzy's image as the "Prince of Darkness" and an unpredictable, boundary-pushing figure in rock and roll history.