Introduced by Dr Erin Beeston

We were incredibly sad to hear about Ozzy Osbourne’s death on 22 July. I had the pleasure of seeing Ozzy smash a surprise performance at the closing of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022. Perhaps you are wondering why I am bringing this up in a blog about autism? In my role as an autistic co-producer, I am constantly reflecting upon my personal and family experiences of autism in relation to research.

Special interests or monotropism, an undivided devotion to a subject, is a recognisable autistic trait. Whilst I cannot claim the mighty Black Sabbath are one of my all-encompassing interests, I inherited an intense love for rock music from my parents. My mum has been a lifelong Black Sabbath fan, so I thought of her when I heard the news. After drummer Cozy Powell died, we attended the tribute concert led by Brian May and the SAS Band at Buxton Opera House in 1999 (admittedly, a lasting memory of this is NOISE – I wish that ear defenders were a thing for kids in the 1990s!).

For autistic people like us, you can feel intense emotional connections with your special interests. So, this will be a difficult time for autistic fans of Ozzy, even if they didn’t meet him or see the band live, these figures can become a part of who you are. My earliest experience of death was that of Freddie Mercury in 1991, and I still think about him every day.

With Ozzy’s passing in mind, I contacted our resident expert, Professor Ellen Polikoff, to find out more about Parkinson’s, and it turned out that Ellen is also a rock music fan! I’ve asked Ellen some questions about her work and memorable Ozzy moments. We hope to continue the Parkinson’s awareness that Ozzy did such a wonderful job of raising.

Interview

How did you first get involved in Parkinson’s research?

As a student, I learnt about how relatively small changes in the brain in people with Parkinson’s could have a huge impact on their movements and day-to-day lives. I found it fascinating that things in the environment (such as stripes on the floor) could help people with Parkinson’s move more easily. So, there were important questions that I could investigate as a researcher interested in the links between perception and action. This has led to finding out how seeing other people moving, imagining movement, and even music may be able to help people with Parkinson’s.

Tell us about a project that you have found inspiring

In the last few years, I have been collaborating on a project looking at how people with Parkinson’s use music in their everyday lives. We found that people use music for many purposes, such as relaxing and managing their mood, as well as some using music to help with walking.

• Research article: Music Moves Me in More Ways Than One: An Online Survey Investigating the Everyday Use of Music among People with Parkinson’s (Sage Journals)

We found varied tastes in music, with many people enjoying rock music as well as classical and pop. Many people with Parkinson’s also told us that they had a personal anthem. This work has led to a new project where we worked with composers at the Royal Northern College of Music to create new music for people with Parkinson’s.

What are your thoughts on the future direction of Parkinson’s research?

There is a lot of important work trying to find a cure and new drugs for Parkinson’s, but it is also important to focus on how we can help people with Parkinson’s in their day-to-day lives. For this type of research, it is critical that we collaborate with people with Parkinson’s to find the most important areas to focus on and new directions. 

Lastly, do you have any special Ozzy moments to share?

I was grateful that Ozzy shared his diagnosis with Parkinson’s – I think this helped others with the condition and challenged some of the stereotypes that people have of people with Parkinson’s (see link below). On a more personal note, I enjoyed covering “Crazy Train” during the 2020 lockdown. Although I couldn’t hope to emulate Ozzy’s singing style, he helped me find my own voice and the joy of writing parody lyrics.

• Article: Ozzy Osbourne’s Death puts spotlight on Parkinson’s Disease (Scientific American).

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