Don Was on Ozzy Osbourne on My Damn Channel

What do you get when you throw a few Hollywood professionals and a music producer into a room with some venture capital? No, not  new copyright regulations, it’s MyDamnChannel.

Don Was, of Was (Was Not), mega producer to the stars, along with Comedian Harry Shearer and filmmaker David Wain developed an idea, first hatched by former MTV and CBS Radio executive Rob Barnett. The idea is simple: each member dedicates his specific talent to online content that can’t be found elsewhere. No need for cruddy reruns; new content is the backbone of this site. Shearer has taken charge of political/ pop culture, Wain strictly comedy, and Don music journalism.

When the site first launched late last month, we lambasted the effort for being another catch-all comedy warehouse with an ambiguous brand.  But taking a closer look after the site’s added some new content, it seems like it might have found at least one high-quality niche. 

It’s not too novel of an idea to write original comedy and pop culture shows, not to devalue those pieces, but Was’ segment may prove to be the iconic component of this page.  The Wasmopolitan Cavalcade of Recorded Music is a haven to any and all music lovers, and provides online radio and downloadable tracks free to the public. Can it get any better? Yes, yes it can.

Was’ cavalcade adds one more bonus into this already sweetened deal, exclusive interviews. When the site first started kickin out the jams, Slash and Duff of Gun ‘n Roses and Velvet Revolver, were the interviewees of the moment.

But when you want to elevate your webpage to an online dynasty, you need a king, and who better than the King of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne (insert ominous guitar riffs here).

It’s really interesting to see Ozzy speak on his influences and tastes, in a medium that is easily accessible.  The four posted segment discuss Ozzy’s upbringing in Birmingham, England, the early years of Black Sabbath, growth from Black Sabbath to Ozzy’s newest album Black Rain, and songwriting.

The latter video may be the most interesting from a musical standpoint. How often are we presented with an opportunity to hear tales of yore coupled with sage advice cobbled into a tight clip?  But the Black Sabbath stories are by far the most decadent and amazing to listen to.

After watching The Osboures on MTV, these candid interviews help re-establish Ozzy’s former regalia and presence in the music industry. With the dearth of family banter, and a focus on just this icon, these clips reside outside of popularized, mainstream voyeurism, and in their own league of informative intent.

Was as an interviewer keeps a very personable profile, but doesn’t let his own persona invade the quality of the interview itself. He provides a casual musical report, that’s extremely knowledgeably, insightful, and doesn’t step on any black nail polished toes.

Coming up: more installments from Ozzy and more interviewees for Was to question.  Signs bode well for both the King & his empire, and also the damned and their channel.