Staying relevant
"Ozzy Osbourne in Philly" by Kevin Burkett is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
On the 21st of February 2020, weeks before the world fell apart, Ozzy Osbourne released his 12th studio album as a solo artist, Ordinary Man.
It had been nearly ten years since his previous album, and this new venture includes collaborations with both Elton John and Post Malone, which begs the question:
How is Ozzy Osbourne still relevant?
The Artist’s Mantra
In Steve Martin’s autobiography Standing Up (one of the greatest books about show business, creativity, and the life of an artist ever written), he describes the sinking feeling he got as a young comedy writer in the '70s that sooner or later, there would be nothing left to say. That all the comedy would dry up, and he’d be out of work.
And then he had a lightbulb moment:
“Comedy is about what’s happening and there is always something happening.”
Now replace “comedy” with any artistic pursuit, including human connection (which is absolutely an art form).
How has Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness, the lunatic who once bit the head off a bat during a live show (by accident, according to him), and an aggressively average singer by all objective measures, stayed relevant for 50 years? So relevant that both living legends like Sir Elton and the biggest up-and-coming artists 45 years his junior still want to be a part of his work?
Because Ozzy’s music is about what’s happening, and there is always something happening.
What’s that? Why’s that?
“We’re all desperate to be relevant.”
-Denny Crane, Boston Legal
Relevance isn’t as hard to maintain as some make it seem. It’s as simple as developing the habit of noticing things.
What’s going on that affects your community, or your audience? Why is it that these things are happening? What might happen next? What predictions did you make that turned out to be wrong, and why?
Always remember the guiding principle of human interaction: meet people where they’re at.
Whether you’re trying to stay relevant in the eyes of your spouse, colleague, friend, or client, you must continually ask yourself: Where is this person in their head? What are their beliefs, wants, needs, and desires?
Then engage with them on a level that addresses one or more of those things.
Caution
Be careful you don't lose yourself in your quest for relevance. Otherwise you risk ending up like the character in “All My Life” from Ordinary Man:
“I know all the lies that you hide behind every fake smile;
Am I going to be lonely like you for all my life?
I’ve been living in yesterday.”
Your beliefs, wants, needs, and desires matter too. Take care of others, but first and foremost, take care of yourself.
