Ozzy's True Stripes

Sara Rimensnyder | May 6, 2002

After this weekend, we all have new reason to worship Ozzy Osbourne. While hamming it up as one of the stars of the annual glitzfest known as the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, the heavy metal papa was asked what message he wanted to pass on to the president.

Some of Hollywood's beautiful people, puffed up with self-importance (among other things), would have felt the need to twitter portentously about their current cause celèbre.

Not Ozzy. He's his own cause celèbre, and all he wants is dual-citizenship. "I want to be American," he called out. "America is the coolest place on the face of the Earth. You've got freedom of speech. You've got McDonald's."

Clearly, Osbourne's already an American at heart: Only a true Yankee spirit could be at once so patriotic and so gloriously self-interested. Of course, this being the outspoken, opinionated U.S.A., not everyone agrees. Lynne Cheney reportedly joined the short list of naysayers after the dinner. "He's hardly someone we should be applauding... not a role model, I am rather embarrassed."

Ozzy's not. Nor should he be.