THE WIZARD OF OZZY

How 29-year-old ANDREW WATT — Post Malone producer and former California Breed guitarist — got an ailing OZZY OSBOURNE off the couch and into the studio to make Ordinary Man, a “life-saving” new album that co-stars Tom Morello, Slash, Duff McKagan and Chad Smith

- RICHARD BIENSTOCK

I’M ALWAYS SAYING THE MOST RIDICULOUS THINGS OUT LOUD, BECAUSE THAT’S THE ONLY WAY THEY’LL EVER HAPPEN,” EXPLAINS ANDREW WATT, THE 29-YEAR-OLD SONGWRITER, GUITARIST AND PRODUCER WHO HAS CHARTED HIT SINGLES FOR THE LIKES OF JUSTIN BIEBER, SHAWN MENDES, CAMILA CABELLO AND OTHER MODERN POP STARS, AND IS NOW, AMAZINGLY, THE NEWEST AXE MAN FOR OZZY OSBOURNE, TAKING HIS PLACE IN A RAREFIED SPACE ALONGSIDE ICONIC SHREDDERS LIKE RANDY RHOADS, JAKE E. LEE AND ZAKK WYLDE.

As for the “ridiculous thing” he said out loud that got him here? That involves another pop icon and frequent Watt collaborator, Post Malone — who, as the story goes, was at legendary Sunset Strip hangout the Rainbow one night when, motivated by his longtime love for the Prince of Darkness, he purchased an Ozzy photograph straight off the establishment’s wall.

Recalls Watt, “When I heard that, I got this vision in my head of Post: he’s got his face tattoos, he’s got a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other, and he’s walking down Sunset holding this photo. And I said, ‘How cool would it be to make a song with Post Malone and Ozzy Osbourne?’ ”

Not long after, Watt ran into Ozzy’s daughter, Kelly, at a party, and said as much to her. Kelly, in turn, took the pitch home to dad.

“She asked me, ‘Would you be interested in doing a song with Post Malone?’ ” recalls Ozzy, seated beside Watt on a couch at his L.A. home.

His response to his daughter?

“I said, ‘Who the fuck’s Post Malone?’