Ozzy Osbourne auditioned 50 guitarists, one played while eating a sword, and then came Randy Rhoads

When Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, he wasn’t just out of a band but was suddenly in charge of building one from scratch. “I was jet-lagged to the max, arguing with some idiot guitar player,” Osbourne later recalled. “I just thought, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’”

The rock legend, who died at age 76, shared the chaotic details of his post-Sabbath solo debut in a 1990 Guitar World interview that has resurfaced in recent tributes. Osbourne, newly solo and emotionally wrecked, began auditioning musicians for his new band. But the process became anything but ordinary.

Eddie Van Halen clones on steroids

Osbourne screened more than 50 guitarists during the search. Many, he said, came in with bizarre gimmicks. One man played standing on his head. Another shredded guitar while eating a sword. Others insisted on changing keys or argued about basic instructions.

“There were all these Eddie Van Halen clones on steroids,” Osbourne said. “One guy even played like Eddie while eating a f***ing sword.”

One auditioner even breakdanced while playing. “Some of them looked like they should’ve been in a sideshow at the circus,” Osbourne joked. “Besides being a great guitarist, you’ve got to look the part.”

The legendary pair that changed American music

Just when he was ready to give up, he came across a soft-spoken, classically trained guitarist named Randy Rhoads. Osbourne wasn’t convinced at first. “He was so frail, tiny, and effeminate,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh no, oh hell.’”

But when Rhoads plugged into a tiny amp and began playing, Osbourne, even in a drugged haze, was floored. “Even in my semi-consciousness, he blew my mind,” he said. He hired Rhoads on the spot, though he had to be reminded the next day that it wasn’t a dream.

That decision proved monumental. Rhoads co-wrote and performed on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, two of the most influential metal albums of all time. Their partnership ended tragically when Rhoads died in a plane crash in 1982 at just 25.