Ozzy looking for a new guitarist

With Ozzfest 2005 winding down, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is looking ahead to his next project. Osbourne is thinking about making a new solo album, but he needs a guitar player, since Zakk Wylde is no longer in his band. Anyone who wants to try out for the spot can send a package that shows off their playing skills to:

Ozzy Osbourne Guitar Player
P.O. Box 5249
Beverly Hills, CA 90209

Even though he's made records with guitar legends including Tony Iommi, the late Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Wylde, Ozzy told us that he doesn't go looking for the flashiest player he can find:
[ click here to listen if you have a Backstage Pass] "When I audition guitar players, I go, 'I don't want to know how fast you can play, I don't want to know if you can stand on your head and play it through your butt, or whatever - just give me a riff that'll make a kid want to go out and buy a guitar.' Simple, but effective - how (much) more simple can you get than (the Kinks song) 'You Really Got Me'? Just go (sings opening guitar part)."

Of course, no time frame has been announced for Ozzy to make a new album, and there's conflicting information about when it might happen. An official statement says that Osbourne and his wife and manager Sharon are either planning a Black Sabbath tour of Canada for early 2006, while the British tabloid The Sun quotes Sharon as saying the couple is getting ready for a two-year break from the music business, during which they'll spend some time in New Zealand.
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