TV executive Mike Fleiss admits it can often be risky to meet your heroes, but he revealed when he met his — Ozzy Osbourne and Bob Weir — it was the stuff of which rock ’n’ roll dreams are made.
Fleiss is the mastermind behind two top rockumentaries: The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir and God Bless Ozzy Osbourne.
He says working with the music icons was an unforgettable experience.
“Those guys are from my favorite bands, my two favorite bands of all time,” Mike Fleiss says. “I love two things. I love Grateful Dead, and I love Black Sabbath. I’m sitting in a room that I have decorated all with Black Sabbath stuff. I have another room in my house, it’s all Grateful Dead stuff, but right now, I’m in the Black Sabbath room. I just love those bands, and then when Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife] called me to see if I wanted to help them with the Ozzy documentary, that was beyond a dream come true.”
Fleiss released his documentary on Osbourne in 2011.
“I couldn’t believe it. The first time I got to meet Ozzy, and then to be working with him, blew my mind,” the director explains.
Fleiss has some priceless music memorabilia to treasure from his experiences working with Osbourne.
“I’ve got an original artwork from what was supposed to be the cover of the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album, but it was nixed by the label because it was considered sacrilege because what it is, it’s a picture of Jesus at the Last Supper surrounded by the members of Black Sabbath. It’s awesome. I’m looking at it right now. I love it.”
Fleiss says Weir also gifted him with cherished items from Grateful Dead.
“I have a bunch of stuff that Bobby’s given me that I treasure, and I’ve got quite a collection of Grateful Dead stuff,” Mike Fleiss adds.
When it comes to working with rock stars, it can be an adventure. Fleiss says these guys are a dream come true to work with.
“Ozzy and Bobby are both terrific guys. They’re just really nice, good people, and they never acted like prima donnas,” Fleiss says. “They were really honest subjects and they’re good guys. You always hear ‘Be careful, don’t meet your heroes,’ but I ended up loving both those guys more than I did before I met them, and I had a newfound respect for both of those guys, even though I was a huge fan to begin with.”
In case you were wondering if the producer has stayed in touch with the talent after the last scenes were shot, he has!
“I still stay in touch with Jack Osbourne [Ozzy’s son], and I’m still very close to Bobby,” Mike Fleiss states. “I talk to him a lot. Our families are very close, too. It’s so weird.”
Fleiss says he even discovered a new tableside tradition while dining with Weir.
“Before we started eating, we all held hands, he calls it the hippie handshake,” Mike Fleiss concludes. “It’s a little bit of a prayer thing, but it’s got more of a hippie vibe to it. He’s the genuine oracle.”
