The Alamo in San Antonio.
The Alamo in San Antonio. Angi English

Photos ofย Ozzy Osbourneย walking through the state Capitol circulated on Twitterย Wednesdayย afternoon, prompting questions about his intentions and numerous jokesย about the Congress Avenue Bridge bats.

It turns out the Black Sabbath front man and his son,ย Jack, were in Austin shooting footage for their new show coming to the History Channel that will discussย “history with an Osbourne slant.”

The Osbournes met with state Rep.ย Eddie Rodriguez,ย D-Austin, to discuss Texas history and politics, according to Rodriguez’s chief of staffย Laura Stromberg-Hoke.

โ€œThey probably spent about 50 minutes in our office meeting,โ€ she said. โ€œThey were very gracious, very down-to-earth… I did get to escort Ozzy to the bathroom, so that was exciting.”

On Thursday, Osbourne visited the Alamo in San Antonio in part to apologize for a 1982 incident where he urinated on a monument to the defenders of the Alamo that is located in the nearby Alamo plaza.

The General Land Office, though, denied his request to film on the parts of the Alamo property that are state owned.

โ€œWe repeatedly denied requests for a permit to film on Alamo grounds,โ€ said GLO spokeswomanย Brittany Eck. She noted that the incident at the cenotaph happened in the city-owned Alamo plaza. Osbourne had been coordinating with San Antonio District 1 Councilmanย Roberto Treviรฑo for the visit.

Eck said when deciding whether or not to grant filming permits the land office looks at โ€œwhether or not the program is related to the history of the Alamo, is primarily educational in nature, and whether we are confident the Alamo mission and its history will be portrayed accurately and positively.โ€

According to a report from theย San Antonio Express-News, Osbourne arrived mid-afternoonย at San Antonioโ€™s city hallย in advance of the expected meeting with Treviรฑo.

A subsequent tweetย showed Osbourne and his son at the Alamo.

*****

The Texas General Land Office and the Veterans Land Boardย on Tuesdayย announced numerous policy changes for veterans cemeteries across the state including a waiver of all fees for the burial of military spouses, extended visiting hours at the grounds and more lax rules regarding flowers left at grave sites.

“Sometimes the right thing to do is an easy choice, and this is oneย of those instances,” said Land Commissioner George P. Bush in a statement.ย “Texas is home to over 1.7 million veterans. … By waiving all spousal fees at our State Veteransย Cemeteries we’re doing right by our veterans, and taking anotherย step to ensure we continue to give our best for the men andย women who represent the best of us.”

Texans need the truth. Help us report it.

Become a member. Join today.

Choose an amount or learn more about membership.

Madlin Mekelburg was a reporting fellow for the Tribune in 2015 and 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied journalism and French. Madlin previously worked at the...

Eleanor Dearman is a former reporting fellow. She majored in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. She has also interned for the San Antonio Express-News in its Austin bureau covering Texas...