Ozzy Osbourne once hosed down fans during a concert - before realising they weren't moving to the music because they were deaf.

The Black Sabbath rocker revealed the awkward moment as he reflected on 40 years of touring, and admitted that it was an educational moment for him as he was told how music can be enjoyed without being able to hear it.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, he admitted: "There was one night when I saw that a bunch of people were not moving to the rock & roll ­- and if someone's not moving in the audience and not doing anything, I'll do the show just for that person and I'll start throwing buckets of water at these people.

"Then someone told me the reason they're not moving or getting into the concert is because they're all deaf. And I felt like quite an idiot at the time, lashing them with buckets of water and hosing them down [laughs].

"They were just standing there. Why does a deaf person want to go to a rock concert? I couldn't understand that. But I was told they feel the rhythm. It was quite interesting."

When he was pressed for a crazier story from life on the road, Ozzy - who is calling time on his life as a touring musician after four decades with a two-year run - admitted there have been problems with the law in the past.

He said: "At every concert, someone gets arrested, I suppose. But I just get up there to give them the best night out I possibly can if I can do it."