Pumpkins hire new manager, become part of Ozzy's 'family'

Call him paranoid, but Ozzy Osbourne always has felt disrespected by rock critics, which explains why he lashed out recently at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for repeatedly snubbing his old band, Black Sabbath.

Too bad for Ozzy that Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins doesn't handle the inductions.

"(Black Sabbath), that's the sonic obsession," Corgan once told Rolling Stone magazine.

"Those are some of the best-sounding records ever made. ... 'Masters of Reality' sounded pretty awesome to my wee ears with the doubled Ozzy vocals. Right there you pretty much have the Pumpkins sound: that voice cutting through the thick guitars."

Sabbath and the Pumpkins will share more than a sound - Corgan's alt-rock powerhouse search for a new manager has ended with a surprising selection: Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and Sabbath's manager.

"Billy talked to every manager in the industry, I think, and he liked me best," Sharon Osbourne said with a chuckle. "And I can't blame him."

The Pumpkins split late last year from the New York-based company Q-Prime, and their search for a replacement has provided major grist for the rumor mill.

Industry players from John Silva (who represents the Beastie Boys and Beck) to Michael Ovitz's Artists Management Group have been among the purported candidates, but instead the band will go with an outsider on the modern-rock scene.

"There's going to be some bruised egos, I'm sure," the Englishwoman said. "I think (Corgan) wanted someone who would be hands-on, someone who doesn't have a whole roster of superstars, somebody who has been around a long time. ... Nobody has the history I do."

Indeed, Osbourne grew up on tour buses and standing near the spotlight. Her father, Don Arden, carved out a reputation as one of Britain's most colorful and controversial promoters.

"My first memory is being on the road with Sam Cooke, and Gene Vincent taught me how to swim," Osbourne said.

"Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, I met all of them. I never went to school, I grew up on the road and in this business. It's the only thing I know."

She was hired to help with the family business at age 15, and, when Arden became a manager for Black Sabbath in the 1970s, she met her heavy-metal husband-to-be.

Now, with Black Sabbath bowing out after a successful reunion tour, the mother of five finds herself representing one of the biggest bands in rock.

"This is the goods, it's not like I'm bartering off with Tommy Lee," she said. "Billy is a huge talent, and the band is hugely talented."

Osbourne expects to be busy - the Pumpkins' new album is due in February and a world tour will follow. But she says her job is also about helping artists survive and thrive. "I'm married to one, I know what they're like," she said. "They are delicate people. They're not like us."

Speaking of Ozzy, what was his reaction to becoming his wife's second-biggest client? "He was so happy," Osbourne said. "He called Billy up and welcomed him to the family."

10-13-99