Yungblud has fired back at “bitter and jealous” rock stars who slammed his tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the MTV Video Music Awards. The 28-year-old performer, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, teamed up with Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry at last month’s VMAs to pay homage to the late Black Sabbath icon, who died aged 76 in July.
But the performance sparked controversy, with The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins branding it “another nail in the coffin of rock n roll”. His sibling Justin weighed in on his YouTube channel, Justin Hawkins Rides Again, declaring: “Yungblud seems to have positioned himself as a natural heir to the Ozzy legacy, having nothing to do with the really important stuff.”
Now, Yungblud and Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne have responded on Jack’s Trying Not To Die podcast, reports Birmingham Live.
The “I Think I’m Okay” vocalist explained: “I think the strangest thing about that was all I was trying to do was my best for your old man, because he gave me such a gift.”
“When people try and intellectualise a sense of spirit and six musicians on a stage going ‘f****** love you man’, it’s just bitter and jealous,” he continued.
“They are doing the things they say we are doing – they’re trying to insert themselves into a conversation to obtain some kind of relevancy, on the back of us honouring one of the greatest rock stars that ever lived – and then they talk about authenticity and stuff like that.”
Jack was adamant, stating “these people didn’t f****** know” the extent of his involvement in Ozzy’s life.” He continued: “They don’t know the f****** story of it, the things we know, and I was kind of like, ‘F*** you dude’.
“Dom meant something to my dad, my dad meant something to Dom. I texted you the night of the gig and I said, ‘F****** crush it.’ “.
Yungblud responded to The Darkness, asserting that those criticising the tribute weren’t “real rock stars”.
He declared: “Anyone bigger than you or more emotionally evolved will never talk down on you.”
“Your dad [Ozzy] would never do that, [Metallica’s] James Hetfield would never do that, Kerry King would never do that. [They] don’t need to. They’re just like, ‘You know what? That’s sick’.
“People forget that rock is dictated by the people. The people are what make something rock and roll.
“And as far as I’m concerned, the people f****** loved it, and we got to put your dad’s face in front of another 100 million people that night and keep that legacy alive.”