The real story behind Fozzy is that
professional wrestler Chris Jericho met up with
Stuck Mojo
guitarist Rich Ward, the pair striking up a friendship and realizing
they had musical interests in common, and proceeded to form a covers
band (initially called Fozzy Osbourne, later shortened to Fozzy).
That in itself is interesting enough, but Jericho and friends
decided to go one step further and invent a story about how the
band came to be.
And so the "official" story was released, stating
that Fozzy was a legendary band
who had been stuck in Japan for years due to a terrible record
contract, and that bands that toured there actually stole Fozzy
songs and recorded them as their own, which explains why
Fozzy (the debut album) features "originals" such as
"Over The Mountain"
(Ozzy Osbourne),
"The Prisoner"
(Iron Maiden),
"Blackout"
(Scorpions),
and others.
No one believed this, of course, but it still made an amusing
tale and helped get the Fozzy name out there.
Before long the band dropped the story and gradually shifted from
a cover band to a true originals act
(Happenstance features about half covers, while
All That Remains is all original material).
With all that said, a cynic may wonder if this band is really to be
taken seriously, what with a bizarre cover story and a wrestler
as lead singer.
But serious they are -- Jericho is a capable singer (no doubt his
other profession gives him instant stage presence), and the band
rocks (to these ears, the original material is far better than
the covers).
