Fortunately, they did not close the store and I went inside hopping to get a glimpse of the tenebrous master without buying the CD: they had only allowed the signing of his new album ‘Scream’ with proof of purchase in the store, a good way to boost the sales of CDs that nobody seems to buy anymore!
I was really impressed by the amount of security deployed for Ozzy, I had no idea he was such a guarded celebrity! The Amoeba employees were directing the crowd in a very organized way and the bodyguards in suit were making sure nobody could reach the area of the signing table. Just when I had found a nice spot which was unfortunately only reserved for the press and the photographs, I was told to move by menacing black suits, the type of guys who keep their sunglasses indoor. I was wearing a LAWeekly t-shirt, trying to fool them a little bit but it did not work. And apparently writing for a blog is not sufficient for these people! Iman, I want a rocknycliveandrecorded card or something that could look official?
The press people were given a VIP pass and I was pushed a few rows further. They let the first people get inside around 3:30, and I got a lot of time to watch the crowd of middle age, balding, mostly overweight guys wearing all the Black Sabbath discography on their tank tops, hairy, thin, tattooed youngsters, and weirdly dressed women with black cow-boy hat, deep décolletés or goth-punk shoes.
Among the first fans in line, there was a look-alike Ozzy, a nice guy who actually was looking for attention as he told me he had a Ozzy tribute band ‘Black Rain’ which he advertised right away while posing for pictures. He also said later he wanted an audition for a future biotopic of Ozzy. A young guy with cowboy boots and holding a black guitar told me with enthusiasm he had been in the neighborhood since 10 am like a lot of other people, whereas they had been allowed to only form a line around 3 pm. That’s dedication! People were nice, but the security was tough!
The store was playing AC/DC, then Revolver of the Beatles, may be not the right crowd for this, but the fake Ozzy knew all the lyrics.
A black suit barked to the crowd several times that no photographs were allowed, ‘If you take pictures, we’ll ask you to leave!’, and after this, I had no other choice than obey him since he looked so tough and frightening, the I-go-to-the-gym-every-day-to-look-fit-in-my-suit type.
An announcer said Ozzy was behind schedule, and the fictitious one screamed ‘Show your tits’, which of course made the crowd laugh very hard.
At 5:20 pm, the crowd was chanting ‘Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy’, but he was not still there, then a little later on, Amoeba began playing an Ozzy’s album (I have no idea which one), and the group began to sing along.
I got to see Ozzy’s head with his trademark round glasses when he arrived and posed a few seconds for the press before disappearing from my viewing to get to the signing table. Fans shouted exultantly for what it seemed a few minutes, Ozzy’s music was blasting through the Amoeba speakers, everything was fucking loud!
The signing went fast considering the number of persons, each fan did not stay more than a few seconds with the Black Sabbath’s singer, but what a victory, what an accomplishment once the CD signed! Some were screaming at the top of their lungs, it was quite a vision!
So Ozzy’s fans are loud, mostly male and overweight, but there are some exceptions. I saw this fragile little woman, she must have been in her mid 80’s, trying to find her way through the crowd. I thought first she had got lost, but I met her again later, happy to have reached a place where she could have a bare glance of the signing. She must have stayed there for an hour