“Ozzy had a couple beers and said to me, ‘Let’s nick a taxi!”: The incredible story of Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Osbourne’s plan to commit grand theft auto

Bruce Dickinson onstage with Iron Maiden in 1985 and Ozzy Osbourne onstage in 1984.

There’s no shortage of scandalous Ozzy Osbourne stories out there, from pissing on the Alamo to biting a head off of a bat live onstage. However, there’s also one antic that nearly joined that impressive list of wild displays, but was prevented at the last minute. Black Sabbath’s Prince Of Darkness once plotted with Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson to steal a taxi, before the pair were rumbled and cooler – or, rather, more sober – heads prevailed.

Dickinson told the anecdote during an appearance on the short-lived UK chat show Clarkson, hosted by controversial ex-Top Gear man Jeremy Clarkson from 1998 to 2000. On the programme, the topic of classic rock ’n’ roll excess came up. “You knocked around with Ozzy Osbourne offstage, didn’t you?” Clarkson asked. “That must have been chaotic.”