The Wylde Interview
By Randall
Clark
Accompanying
this interview are a brief history
of Zakk Wylde, a review of Black
Label Society, live, at the House of Blues, and reviews
of each of the Black Label Society albums. If you're curious,
find the links and read them. And for even more information
such as tour dates, merchandise, and downloads, check out
his site at www.zakkwylde.com.
There
are some people I'd like to thank before going into the interview.
This was something pursued by myself, but made possible by
those I knew and met, and all of whom I now call friends.
In no particular order, here they are: Troy Brownfield, for
allowing this (he started this site, and if you don't know
who he is then go to the main
page, he's all over it). Kevin Kehoe, for the photography,
and for just being a damn good friend. Chet Haun, the person
who actually made this happen, and who is an all around nice
guy you can count on. Gary Macdaniel, Zakk Wylde's tour manager,
for not being the dickhead he could have been. And last,
but certainly not least, Zakk Wylde, for taking the time to
allow this, for being an extraordinary guitarist I've listened
to through the years, and who I've learned is an all around
cool guy who likes no bullshit and beer.
One last
thing, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.
AT
THE CANYON CLUB / BRONCO BOWL IN DALLAS, ZAKK'S ORIGINAL BULLSEYE
GUITAR AND A ROAD CASE CONTAING OTHER EQUIPMENT WAS STOLEN
FROM THE BACK OF THE U-HAUL TRAILOR. SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY
INFORMATION WITH REGARD TO THE ORIGINAL BULLSEYE GUITAR OR
ROAD CASE, PLEASE E-MAIL THE INFORMATION TO ZAKKMAIL@YAHOO.COM,
OR YOU CAN EMAIL HIS LABEL AT pbspitfire@aol.com.
THERE IS A $1000 REWARD AND A 3 PIECE BLS PATCH SET TO WHOMEVER
RETURNS THE ORIGINAL BULLSEYE GUITAR.
Now, on
to the show.
As we
follow Zakk Wylde's tour manager up the back stairs in the
House of Blues, I ponder history. Mastermind guitarist behind
three studio albums with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde is not
to be taken lightly. He has jammed with the likes of Steve
Vai, Guns 'N Roses, and the Allman Brothers. On his own he
has formed, or recorded, Pride & Glory, the critically
acclaimed studio album Book Of Shadows, and more recently,
Black Label Society. He is someone not to be taken lightly.
We are
led into a small, dimly lit room on the top floor of the House
of Blues, where Black Label Society will be performing later
in the night. We are asked to wait a moment while he informs
Zakk that we're here. Sitting down, I look through the open
door where the man himself stands, preparing a Corona. I
sit down into a rustic, large backed chair while Kevin Kehoe
prepares his cameras. I pull out my question list, and a
small tape recorder, placing it on the large coffee table
before me, and across from the red clothed sofa on the other
side where Zakk Wylde will sit.
 Zakk
enters the room, his corona in hand. He is tall, has Norse-like
hair, a thick beard obviously months old, and wears black
jeans, boots, T-shirt, and a leather vest adorned with a skull
and the name of his new band, Black Label Society. We shake
hands, introduce ourselves, and sit down.
Randall
Clark: How's the tour coming along, besides the loss of your
guitar?
Zakk Wylde:
Damn, my guitar's been missing and stuff, people been dropping
like flies. You know, coming and going. I've gone through
a bunch of crew guys already. Nobody's got the… fucking testicular
fortitude to fucking hang around. So you know, you weed out
the weak mother fuckers and keep the guys that want to stick
around, get some in here that want it. Besides from that
it's been pretty fucking insane. We just did Japan, we've
done the states already, we've been to Europe, and now we're
back here.
Clark:
Has any live material been recorded?
Wylde:
Yeah, we recorded some stuff over there, and we recorded some
stuff around the states, as well.
Clark:
So a live album is going to happen?
Wylde:
Oh yeah, definitely, man.
Clark:
When I first heard "Bored to Tears" (from the album
Sonic Brew) it floored me because I thought that with
the radio pushing other types of music that are the fad now
that it would be difficult to find straight-ahead, kick-ass
metal. Is the whole purpose of Black Label Society to rejuvenate
rock?
 Wylde:
Well, I'm just being fucking true to myself. I mean, just
because there are other musical movements going at the time,
I mean, I have nothing but respect for the guys in Korn because
they were doing that when the fucking grunge movement was
going on, you know what I'm saying? You're never going to
get fucking anywhere doing that fucking kind of music, and
then when Marilyn Manson came out, and all that goth stuff,
Nine Inch Nails, they were still doing their thing, you know,
and eventually it hits. It's just like… if you love doing
what you're doing you got to keep fucking doing it. You know,
people, people are fucking stupid, man. They can tell you
when you're full of shit when it's a bunch of crap anyway.
I mean, if the fucking Korn guys start doing fucking rapping
and stuff, get rid of their clothes, or start wearing spikes,
and doing a metal thing, it'd be like, that ain't them. You
know what I mean? And there's nothing wrong with being Korn
anyway. They got their own niche, do your thing, you know?
But it's like, with me, just because rap is in that means
I'm going to start learning to rap and I'm going to fucking
start listening to fucking DMX records and then, so you know,
I can start stealing shit from his albums? I don't like fucking
rap, so what the fuck am I going to put it on my records,
you know what I mean? Oh, because it's in right now. When
you go about it that way, you're always a day late and a dollar
short anyway, you know what I mean? It's like back in the
day when punk rock was in, what was Led Zeppelin supposed
to be making punk rock records then? You're Led Zeppelin,
make fucking Led Zeppelin records.
Clark:
How do you see yourself then, with the whole alternative movement
going on?
Wylde:
Black Label Society is just a no bullshit, straight up, flat
out fucking Metal Band. I mean, you can call it what you
want. Blues… it's blues based, but I mean, I don't have any
fucking drum samples, there's no loops, there's no synthesizers,
none of that fucking shit. So, you know, I can't say I'm
fitting in with today's genre of stuff that's going on.
Clark:
There are some dates coming up with Ozzfest. Is there any
chance of an impromptu jam between you two?
Wylde:
I don't know, I mean, he's going to be there… he goes on at
what… 9:00, or 10:00, and we go on at 1:30 in the afternoon.
Standing that if Oz says it, "Come up and jam with us."
I mean I'd be hanging around that place all goddamn day, you
know. Otherwise we'll just roll and get to the next town.
Clark:
Ozzy has always had the ear for the talented guitarist. Obviously
there's you, Randy [Rhoads], and Jake [E. Lee]. What do you
think of Joe Holmes (the newest guitarist to join the ranks
of Ozzy.)? Have you heard him play?
Wylde:
Never fucking heard him. But, you know, if he's playing with
Ozzy I'm sure he's got to know what he's doing.
Clark:
Your version of "No More Tears" is much more grittier
and in-your-face than the version you did with Ozzy. It gives
a whole new feel to the song.. Have you talked to Ozzy about
it? Has he heard it?
Wylde:
I don't even know if he's heard it, man. Not that he gives
a fucking rat's ass, anyway, you know? Who fucking cares.
Clark:
Have you thought of redoing any other songs from your days
with Ozzy?
Wylde:
Well, no. I mean, Mike Inez [a former bass player for Ozzy,
and cowriter of "No More Tears"] was in town at
the time and we were doing that live, so, you know, I figured,
fuck, I'll just get Mike in, and if he wants to play bass
on it, we'll fucking do it.
Clark:
You recently starred in a Warner Bothers movie tentatively
titled "Metal God."
Wylde:
Yeah, with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston.
Clark:
In your video for "Counterfeit God" Wahlberg pops
up a few times.
Wylde:
Oh, yeah, playing bass and shit. Pretty damn funny, man.
Clark:
What do you think of him, and how did his part in your video
come about?
Wylde:
Mark's a good guy, man. I figured it's the least I could
do. He's letting me be in the fucking movie, you know… have
him hang in the Society for a day. So, yeah, Mark's a good
guy.
Clark:
How involved were you with the movie as far as the soundtrack
goes?
Wylde:
We did the soundtrack, and you know, there was pre-existing
material that was there before I got involved. And I wrote
a song for the movie. It's in the, …it's like a bar scene,
and it's in there. We did that, and recorded the whole soundtrack
so it's me playing guitar all over the fucking thing.
Clark:
Is it pretty heavy?
Wylde:
Oh, yeah, definitely. It's fucking metal. It ain't none
of this cheese-dick Bon Jovi shit, you know what I mean?
But it takes place in… it's like 1982. Screaming for Vengeance,
Judas Priest, Ero-type stuff, you know.
Clark:
I heard it was based on Rip Owens (a one-time singer in a
Judas Priest tribute band who took over vocal duties in Judas
Priest after Rob Halford left).
Wylde:
Well, it's not really based on Rip Owens. I mean, it could
be any singer. It could have been my story, how I ended up
with Ozzy. You know, I'm this fucking Sabbath freak, I love
Ozzy's solo stuff, and I end up being the guitar player in
the band. You know what I mean? I'm in a tribute band to
Ozzy, I play Randy's stuff, and Jake's stuff, and then bam!
I'm with Oz. You know what I mean? But it's about all the
bullshit that happens with Jennifer and Mark on their way
out to L.A., yadda, yadda, yadda.
Clark:
On your site you have a bunch of photos of the WWF. Are you
a big fan?
Wylde:
Oh, you know, we're friends with those guys. So, you know,
we're definitely big supporters of the WWF, man.
Clark:
Have you ever thought about doing any music for them?
 Wylde:
Oh, yeah. I've been talking to Stone Cold right now, so I
might be doing some music for him, and Undertaker, as well.
Clark:
When you first became known you said that "Miracle Man"
(from the Ozzy Osbourne album No Rest for the Wicked)
was your favorite solo. How has that changed through the
years, especially now that you're out on your own?
Wylde:
I've done some different things for different reasons. The
solo in "Counterfeit God" is slamming. There's
a lot of cool different things I've done in there. But it's
just like anything, man. When I'm lifting I listen to Sugar,
or something like that, and when I'm hanging at the end of
the night, and I want to kick back, I listen to a fucking
Neil Young record. It depends on what mood you're in, you
know.
Clark:
Are there any chances of you writing with Oz again?
Wylde:
I mean, I'm so busy fucking bleeding, eating, shitting Black
Label, so, you know, it's hard. Trying to cram… there's only
enough hours in a day, you know? I'm married and I have two
kids, and I have fucking six dogs, and shit. So when I'm
home, I mean, it's like, life's fucking hard, dude.
Clark:
There are a few ballads you've done with BLS. Has the crowd
been as receptive to them as when you were doing Book of
Shadows (Wylde's second album after Ozzy, and a definite
recommendation)?
Wylde:
Oh, well, we haven't even gotten in to them. I mean, we've
fucking been so… it's just pedal-to-the-metal shit when you're
doing Black Label shows.
Clark:
Just high energy stuff?
Wylde:
Yeah.
Clark:
Of all your stuff, do you have any favorite that you like
to listen to, or play?
Wylde:
Oh, yeah, man. Like at the end of the night I'll listen to
"Just Killing Time," or "Rust," or some
shit like that, or "Spoke in the Wheel." But I
mean, you know, if I'm just hanging out and want fucking to
listen to some heavy shit I'll put on "13 Years of Grief,"
or "Phoney Smiles," or something like that.
Clark:
I'd like to thank you for taking time to do this.
Wylde:
Cool, man. No problem.
Before
leaving he signs a CD cover for me. We stumble downstairs,
almost losing our way, where I head straight for the bar and
order a double shot of Jack Daniels. I realize I've just had
the pleasure of meeting an idol, something not taken lightly. Life
is good.
Just
after midnight on the first full moon of every month, Randy
Clark sneaks into the night and prays to dog faced gods for
the destruction of all 5 member boy bands. The process involves
weird, hip, and wacky dance moves while pissing on fire hydrants.
Contact him at killriff@hotmail.com.
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