Two Bats on This Day in History

 

This day in history: American singer and actor Meat Loaf (Michael Lee Aday) died on this day in 2022 at the age of 74. He is one of the best selling music artists in history. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy—Bat Out of Hell (1977), Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell (1993), and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (2006)—has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years, as of 2016 still sold an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and is on the list of bestselling albums.

Also on this day in history: Singer Ozzy Osbourn bit the head off a bat while performing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa on this day in 1982. A fan threw the bat on stage and Ozzy, thinking that it wasn't real, bit its head off. He had to get rabies shots after this.

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The Wickedest Man in the World on This Day in History

 

This day in history: English occultist and ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley was born on this day in 1875. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the prophet entrusted with guiding humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. Aspects of Thelema and Crowley's thought in general inspired the development of Wicca and, to a certain degree, the rise of Modern Paganism as a whole, as well as chaos magick and some variations of Satanism. Some scholars also believe Thelema to have been an influence on the development of Scientology. The main teaching of Thelema was a similar principle to the one that Crowley had lived by his whole life: “Do what thou wilt.” He would have sex with anyone and would indulge in drugs and all manner of licentiousness. The John Bull periodical labelled him "the wickedest man in the world" and "a man we'd like to hang" especially as he sided with the Germans against his home country of England in World War I. 

Crowley was such a depraved individual that even the Fascist government of Italy kicked him out of their country in 1923, especially after the death of a follower due to drinking the poisoned blood of a sacrificed cat. He was also fascinated with Nazism and Communism as these ideologies were the most destructive to Christianity and society as a whole. 

Despite all this, Crowley has remained an influential figure, both amongst occultists and in popular culture, particularly that of Britain, but also of other parts of the world. In 2002, a BBC poll placed Crowley seventy-third in a list of the 100 Greatest Britons. He was included as one of the figures on the cover art of The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and his motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" was inscribed on the vinyl of Led Zeppelin's album Led Zeppelin III. Led Zeppelin co-founder Jimmy Page bought Boleskine (Crowley's house) in 1971, and part of the band's film The Song Remains the Same was filmed on the grounds. He sold it in 1992. Though David Bowie makes but a fleeting reference to Crowley in the lyrics of his song "Quicksand", it has been suggested that the lyrics of Bowie's No. 1 hit single "Let's Dance" (1983) may substantially paraphrase Crowley's 1923 poem "Lyric of Love to Leah". Ozzy Osbourne and his lyricist Bob Daisley wrote a song titled "Mr. Crowley" (1980).

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Rock Guitarist Randy Rhoads on This Day in History

 

This day in history: American heavy metal guitarist and founding member of Quiet Riot Randy Rhoads, was killed in an airplane crash on this day in 1982.

Rhoads is best known for his work on Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albums, and especially "Crazy Train" which features one of the most well-known heavy metal guitar riffs. Despite his short career, Rhoads is regarded as a pivotal figure in metal music, credited with pioneering a fast and technical style of guitar soloing that largely defined the metal scene of the 1980s. He helped to popularize various guitar techniques now common in heavy metal music, including two-handed tapping, tremolo bar dive bombs, and intricate scale patterns, drawing comparisons to his contemporary, Eddie Van Halen.

Randy Rhoads is one of many musicians who have died in plane crashes, including Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, Richie Valens, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Patsy Cline, Glenn Miller, Jim Reeves, several members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Otis Redding, Jim Croce, Ricky Nelson, John Denver, and Aaliyah.

In the last conversation that Ozzy had with Rhoads, Randy admonished Osbourne over his heavy drinking. The last thing Rhoads said to him that night was, "You'll kill yourself, you know, one of these days."

Forty two years later and Ozzy, like Keith Richards, is still alive. 

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The Hungarian Suicide Song on This Day in History

 

This day in history: Hungarian pianist and composer Rezso Seress (aka Rudolf "Rudi" Spitzer) was born on this day in 1899. Rezso is mainly known for one song: Gloomy Sunday. "Gloomy Sunday", also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song" was first recorded in 1935. 

The song has a melancholy sound to it with suicidal lyrics of a loved one lost to death. A sample of it goes:

Sunday is gloomy,

My hours are slumberless

Dearest the shadows

I live with are numberless

Little white flowers

Will never awaken you

Not where the black coach of

Sorrow has taken you

Angels have no thought

Of ever returning you,

Would they be angry

If I thought of joining you?

It was reported in the 1930s that the song was associated with at least 100 suicides, both in Hungary and the United States, though many doubt the veracity of this claim. However, Gloomy Sunday was in the news again when Ozzy Osbourne was taken to court by the parents of a teen who shot himself while listening to the Ozzy's song “Suicide Solution.” It's not uncommon for certain works of art to lead to an increased in suicides. In fact, it's actually been named as 'The Werther Effect'. 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' is a novel by Goethe in which a young man commits suicide after being jilted. Following the publication of the book, there were a number of young men killing themselves in similar situations, in the same manner, and even dressed in the same clothes.

Because of the lyrics, Gloomy Sunday was banned in England in the 1940's. Only instrumental versions could be played on the radio because the song was "too upsetting."

Interestingly, Rezso Seress, in an example of life imitating art, would go on to commit suicide himself in 1968.

More Songs About Suicide

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