I Don’t Know What I Was Thinking; I Should Have Done It

Extreme‘s Nuno Bettencourt, lately revealed a shocking twist in his musical journey. Chatting with Rick Beato, Bettencourt remembered that he as soon as had the possibility to hitch rock royalty – Ozzy Osbourne. In a narrative full of teenage ambition and perhaps a contact of hindsight-fueled remorse, Bettencourt‘s path took a distinct flip.

Bettencourt, a youngster with goals of shredding alongside the Prince of Darkness, stumbled upon an audition advert in {a magazine} in 1983. Armed with borrowed tools and unbridled enthusiasm, he submitted a cassette tape containing his rendition of Ozzy‘s basic “Loopy Practice.”

“The primary time I ever performed via a correct cab was when the Circus Journal put out an advert; I believe it had come out when Randy handed away sadly, and we had been all devastated. And I believe, in the intervening time, they had been in search of a guitar participant… There was like a bit cutout factor, like, virtually like an advert; ‘Ship your tape right here, Ozzy in search of a guitar participant.'”

“And I am like, ‘That is my gig! I can do that!’ I am on this four-family residence in Hudson, Massachusetts, and the advert says, I do not know, ‘Ship ‘Loopy Practice’ on cassette to this handle.’ And I am all in, man. I name my buddy saying, ‘Can I borrow your Marshall?’, and I put it in my bed room. I can not do with no cupboard, and I borrowed a 4×12; I had by no means performed via one earlier than… I additionally borrowed some harmonizer and I did not even know find out how to run it, and I am like, ‘That is it!’,” Nuno remembered.

“I am enjoying the track, most likely horribly; I am doing the solo… I did not inform anyone. I took the solo, wrote down the handle, licked the stamp, introduced it to the submit workplace, and I used to be similar to, ‘Okay, now I wait. However I am getting this gig.'”

Nonetheless, his youthful ambition wasn’t sufficient to land him the coveted spot.

“Weeks have passed by, and I am getting actually upset. Then, I learn that Brad Gillis is filling in, and I am like, ‘Oh man, they higher not preserve him, as a result of that is my gig.’ I believed I used to be going to do it… I am ready, and months have passed by. After which, I heard they obtained Jake E. Lee. I may need shed a tear as a result of I believed that was my gig.”

Quick ahead a decade, to 1993. Bettencourt is now a seasoned musician touring with Extreme. Enter destiny, within the type of Extreme‘s reserving agent Rod MacSween, who brings Nuno a proposal. Ozzy‘s staff, impressed by his expertise, is providing him the exact same guitarist place he as soon as auditioned for – this time with out the necessity for a do-it-yourself tape.

“He pulls me out and we’re in a hallway. I am going to always remember this. He is dealing with me, and Rod says, ‘Nuno, Sharon Osbourne referred to as me. Ozzy needs you to be his guitarist.’ After which, he says, ‘What do you suppose?’ And all I might say was, ‘They heard the cassette?’, and he is like, ‘What are you speaking about?’… I used to be actually excited about the cassette I despatched once I was 12. That is how a lot trauma I had.”

This is the place issues get ironic. Bettencourt, loyal to his band and decided to carve his personal path, declined the provide. Sarcastically, simply weeks later, Extreme disbanded.

“It lastly labored, and I turned it down, as a result of I used to be in a band, and I used to be doing my job. And that was the stupidest factor I ever did. Why? As a result of I left Extreme about two weeks later. I used to be like, ‘I am an fool.’ I might have toured with Ozzy, and been on the subsequent album… As a result of, enjoying with Ozzy was virtually a ceremony of passage, such as you had been the chosen one… If Ozzy selected you, you had been any person… However, I used to be attempting to carve my very own path, and be my very own individual. I do not know what I used to be pondering; I ought to have performed it.”