I’ve known Jesse Schluntz since he was a teenage surf filmmaker struggling to stay awake through San Dieguito math classes. His films featured local talent like Seth Elmer, Hagan Kelly, Chris Cote and a very young Rob Machado.
He followed the local cast as they drifted through Seaside Reef and other North County surf spots. While less than perfect, Jesse’s movies were always great fun, and proved worthy of sold-out crowds at La Paloma Theatre.
In the early ’90s, Jesse’s older brother, Jeremy, was working for Ozzy Osbourne and family. It was then that Jesse hit upon the idea of asking Ozzy to introduce the world’s first surf/horror film, and his classic “TearDevils Trilogy” was born.
Osbourne’s appearance alone is worth the price of admission. After dismissing every other surf DVD in his hands, Ozzy declares “TearDevils,” “The best surf movie I have seen in my life.” If maybe not the best, “TearDevils” is certainly among the most clever.
Around this time, I was serving as editor in chief of Risen Magazine. Our stated goal was to interview celebrities on their spiritually. We were a tiny publication, but with Jeremy’s help, we were granted an exclusive live hour with Ozzy, who was one of the most sought-out celebrities of the time. On the drive there, I wondered if Osbourne really was a Satanist.
What I found instead was a recently clean and sober rock star in the process of rebuilding a life he had previously been quite careless with. When asked about his being a Satanist, Ozzy replied: “We were on the street when I looked up to see a movie marquee reading ‘Black Sabbath’ and thought that’s what we should call our band. It was as simple as that.
“Nobody ever called Vincent Price a Satanist, but they did us. Once, when a group of people were marching around the stadium protesting me, I said, ‘I’m going to make a point.’ I drew a happy face and put it on a broomstick and joined them in protesting me. Turns out, they didn’t even know who I was.”
If Ozzy Osbourne was a Satanist, he did not serve that master very well. Showing kindness to strangers, helping a startup publication, introducing a surf movie upon request and doing everything possible for his family, are all counterpoints to evil.
Ozzy and I were roughly the same age, both dyslexic, and often struggled to make sense of the worlds we inhabited. His world began in the often-dreary town of Birmingham, England, while mine was filtered through California’s ocean water and sunshine.
While contemplating Ozzy’s words on my drive home from Beverly Hills, I wondered if our lots might have been reversed if he had been born in the U.S. and I in England. I know I don’t have what it takes to be a rock icon, but I’m sure he could have become a surfer.
Here’s bidding Ozzy Osbourne a fond Aloha. And thank you for your time with us and your contribution to the surfing world.
To see “TearDevils” for free, hit the link: vimeo.com/channels/teardevils
To check out the entire Ozzy Osbourne interview from Risen Magazine on the Surfers Rule YouTube Channel, hit: youtube.com/watch?v=KOtfC5NiJr4
