Before he joined Badlands with Jake E. Lee, bassist Greg Chaisson auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne’s band – and it was one of the most gruelling audition processes he'd ever gone through.
Original Ozzy bass guitar player Bob Daisley played on 1980's Blizzard of Ozz, but was replaced in 1981 by Rudy Sarzo, who originally declined the gig. Several years later, the bass position opened up once again as Ozzy set to work on what would be his fourth album. Chaisson threw his hat into the ring for the gig.
“Yes, I auditioned for Ozzy for The Ultimate Sin record,” he tells Bass Player. “Ozzy didn’t think I had the right look for MTV. He was probably correct. I do know he liked my bass playing; he told me I was the best of everyone who auditioned.”
But, as Testament virtuoso Alex Skolnick learned, having the right look for Ozzy's band was a vital prerequisite. It wasn’t about talent alone.
As Chaisson remembers, the auditions took place just outside of Inverness, Scotland, at an old manor that featured “a real recording studio in a building outback.” And it was exhaustive.
“When I got there, we didn’t play any of the existing material from either Sabbath or any of Ozzy’s solo stuff,” Chaisson explains. “They had all the songs written, except Shot in the Dark. [Eventual bass player] Phil Soussan brought that song in with him.
“I was there for 21 days and recorded almost every day or night,” he goes on. “I honestly don’t know if anything I recorded ended up on the record, but I do know they liked the bass lines I came up with.”
Chaisson understands why he didn’t get the gig. But the nature of the rejection still irked him.
“If they said I wasn’t good enough, I could go home, practice, and get better,” he reasons.
“But there’s nothing I could do about my image or lack thereof at the time. It would’ve been a great gig, but it was such a trip just to be up there auditioning. Jake E. Lee and I became really good friends while I was there and have maintained that friendship ever since.”
Ozzy liked my bass playing. He told me I was the best of everyone who auditioned
Greg Chaisson
When Lee's relationship with Ozzy deteriorated, paving the way for Zakk Wylde to enter the fray, Lee and Chaisson joined forces under the Badlands banner.
Guitar World's interview with Greg Chaisson will be published in full in the near future.
