{"id":18621,"date":"2012-02-25T05:40:08","date_gmt":"2012-02-25T10:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=18621"},"modified":"2013-02-05T17:53:21","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T22:53:21","slug":"zakk-wylde-of-black-label-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/zakk-wylde-of-black-label-society\/","title":{"rendered":"Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Cameron Edney<\/span>
\nGuest Staff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Roasted And Ready To Rock With Zakk Wylde!<\/h3>\n

Growing up a fan of Heavy Metal pioneers such as Judas Priest, Slayer and Ozzy Osbourne, it was always about the music as much as it was the controversy that surrounded these bands. When it came to Ozzy Osbourne I always loved the phenomenal musicians he surrounded himself around, especially the guitarists such as Randy Rhoads, Jake E Lee and the one and only Zakk Wylde. I will never forget the first time I seen the video clip for \u2018Miracle Man\u2019, my introduction to one of the finest guitarist of our time. <\/p>\n

You knew a star was born; Zakk\u2019s onstage stage presence and phenomenal playing alongside Ozzy earned him the cover of guitar and music magazines around the globe. As the years have passed Zakk\u2019s image may have changed from the young starry eyed teenager with blonde locks and leopard pants to a body building, black leather vest wearing rocker we see before us today but one thing that\u2019s never changed is his determination to better himself as a guitarist, vocalist and song-writer. Outside of his amazing career as Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s guitarist and song-writing partner Zakk made a name for himself with both the bluesy and acoustically driven Pride and Glory and Zakk Wylde\u2019s Black Label Society, two very different musical entity\u2019s yet both incredible and loved by rock and metal fans around the globe. <\/p>\n

In 2011 Zakk Wylde\u2019s Black Label Society released there eleventh album \u2018The Song Remains Not the Same\u2019 which featured acoustic re-workings of tracks from the bands previous album \u2018Order of the Black\u2019 as well as covers from Black Sabbath, john Rich and Simon and Garfunkel to name a few. The album was a huge success and reached #41 on the Billboard 200 charts. Since the album\u2019s release the band has enlisted Breaking Benjamin drummer Chad Szeliga following will hunt\u2019s departure. <\/p>\n

Heavy metal\u2019s beard dwelling, guitar squealing madman Zakk Wylde has returned to Australia this week playing live shows for the first time down under since 2006. Zakk Wylde\u2019s Black Label Society are here as part of the Soundwave Festival and will be sharing the stage with Over ninety artists from the rock, punk and metal genres including Hellyeah, Shadows Fall, Biohazard, Steel Panther and Lamb of God.<\/p>\n

Having been a fan of Zakk\u2019s career for so many years now, it was a true honor and pleasure to have chat with one of the most influential guitarist of our time. After so many years of conducting interviews this would have to be one off the funniest conversations I\u2019ve ever had with one of my idols and no doubt you\u2019ll agree after reading what Zakk had to say! I spoke with Zakk about returning to Australia for the Soundwave Festival, recording cover tunes, the recent rock roast and much more. Australian Chapter are you ready? Here is what Zakk had to say…<\/p>\n

\"\"Hardrock Haven: Hey Zakk, it\u2019s awesome to be chatting with you and thanks so much for answering these questions for our readers, how ya doing mate?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I\u2019m doing good buddy\u2026 we\u2019re psyched to start whoopin\u2019 ass with the Australian chapter of the order of black; we\u2019re really looking forward to it!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: We can\u2019t wait either but before we get into that let\u2019s talk about the recent Zakk Wylde Rock Roast\u2026 I\u2019ve seen some online footage and it looked pretty fuckin’ funny man! From what I watched Sharon Osbourne really gave it to ya! <\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: The whole roast, everybody kicked ass on the thing, [laughs] it wasn\u2019t like it was just a roast on me, everybody got roasted, it was awesome. I hope they do them every year now!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: How did you end up getting roasted, tell us how that all came together?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I remember telling Fred from Guitar World that I was talking about doing these Black Label Roasts among other stuff. I said between all of my musician buddies, actors and athletes; everybody that I know in the entertainment business the list is just endless. Look at everybody we could roast, I\u2019d roast a friggin cartoon character, its ridiculous! Fred got back to me one day and said \u201cZakk we\u2019re gonna start doing these roasts, and we decided that you\u2019re going to be the first one\u201d [laughs] I said \u201cah great [laughs] the more brutal the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Well that it sure was mate! Now as all the Aussie fans know this tour is well overdue with your last visit in late 2006. What can we expect when Zakk Wylde\u2019s Black Label Society Hit\u2019s the stage?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Well I\u2019ve been hitting the Kim Kardashian quick trim pretty hard myself and the rest of the guys in the band are using this new product we have\u2026 black label thigh thinning cream, I\u2019ve been using that religiously and I feel that we\u2019re going to be hitting the stage with reckless sexual abandon [laughs].<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] something for us all to look forward too I see [laughs]. You\u2019ve been here a few times now on promotional tours as well as with Ozzy Osbourne, what fond memories do you have from your previous Australian visits?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Well, obviously not to ask for Fosters [laughs] and make sure you ask for VB [laughs], that\u2019s what I remember from last time. The craziest thing is that in America Fosters is considered the Budweiser of Australia, then you speak to someone from Australia and they\u2019re like \u201cwe ain\u2019t drinking that rat piss!\u201d Everyone in America thinks that\u2019s the beer man!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: It\u2019s really sad to see that after all these years Fosters is still the only Aussie beer that they are trying to sell to the world [laughs]. <\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Oh without a doubt, that\u2019s the marketing campaign. Everyone would say to me, Zakk VB is the beer down here, if you\u2019re drinking beer it\u2019s VB! I had a blast last time I was down there man, we did a lot of bar hoping after the gigs!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: You\u2019re back in Australia for the Soundwave Festival and this year\u2019s line-up is unreal with many of your friends also taking part this year! Will you be putting much time aside to watch the other bands, who are you most looking forward to seeing?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Half the time when you\u2019re at the festivals you\u2019re usually always working, there\u2019s always something going on but obviously you go and check out as many bands as you possibly can. A lot of the guys you actually know, you can always hook up with everybody and see how they\u2019re doing. Usually everybody\u2019s always touring or making records so it\u2019s always cool catching up with everybody.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: The BLS fans are great man, very dedicated, some fanatical\u2026 you have the best seat in the house to witness the mayhem that takes place in the crowds\u2026 what comes to mind as some of the craziest things you seen happening whilst playing?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: That depends, sometimes some of the smaller places are even more insane, just put it this way, as long as nobody\u2019s getting hurt that\u2019s all that really matters at the end of the day! I\u2019ve seen some pretty ridiculous stuff but then again [laughs] it depends on how many cocktails are flowing.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: How about when it comes to dealing with other members on the road\u2026 as we know at times it can become quite frustrating sharing a bus\/hotel room for weeks, sometimes months at a time. How have you found is the best way to deal with each other on the road especially when it comes to those harder \/ not so pleasant times?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I write all the checks so the bottom line is\u2026<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I say, \u201cStay away from me, and don\u2019t look at me cause I\u2019m the artists\u201d [laughs] and you know what they seem to enjoy it, and they all like me!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

\"\"Zakk Wylde: Seriously, I\u2019ve never been in a band situation since I was fourteen years old where we didn\u2019t get a long, everybody usually hangs out and has a good time, otherwise why would you be in a band? I don\u2019t get it, the whole time I played with Ozzy all we did was laugh our balls off, so that\u2019s all that ever was about; we were doing what we love.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I\u2019ve heard many stories about you over the years, how you\u2019re a funny guy and love practical jokes. What\u2019s the best joke you\u2019ve pulled on the road?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I\u2019m trying to think… the guys have gotten me too so [laughs] put it this way, you don\u2019t want to piss anyone off to the point that they\u2019re going to beat your ass [laughs]. All of us have to go to sleep sooner or later [laughs] so you have to be careful on how far you pull the practical joke; it\u2019s always a good time though man!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Aussie fans will be introduced to the newest member to the BLS family and incredible drummer Chad Szeliga this week, what\u2019s it like working with Chad?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Oh man, with Chad in the band right now\u2026 Chad\u2019s awesome man! All he does is jam all day, we go down to the venue, he gets his practice kit set up and you know where you can find him. Chad\u2019s a super cool dude, it\u2019s always been a prerequisite for the guys who have been in [Zakk Wylde\u2019s] Black Label Society that you can\u2019t be a douche bag, and you have to be able to play your instrument. All the douche bageries… leave that to me [laughs], I write the checks, I am the douche bag [laughs].<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] Zakk I want to talk to you about life in the studio\u2026 you\u2019re not only a great singer and guitarist, you\u2019re an amazing writer, when you look back on your back catalog what are most proud of, is there one song or album that stands out above the rest?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Well like JD always says… I\u2019m shocked that anyone does listen to this garbage<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: [Laughs] JD always tells me the thing that you should be most proud of is that you managed to pull this off [laughs]<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] That\u2019s a fantastic way to keep you grounded isn\u2019t it!<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: [Laughs] I lit him on fire after he told me that!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] Last year you released \u2018The Song Remains Not The Same\u2019 which featured some great covers and the re-working of tracks from \u2018Order of the Black\u2019\u2026 looking back over the recording process now is there anything you would have changed? <\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: No, obviously when you\u2019re making the records you\u2019re always doing the best job you can at that time. I guess you can always listen back on it and say that could\u2019ve been better or whatever but as far as the \u201cOrder\u201d record and \u2018The Song Remains Not The Same\u2019 I think the production on those albums came out stellar.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Dude I love how you changed up your songs, as much as I\u2019m a fan of the heavier work you\u2019ve done I think you acoustic work is among some of the best I\u2019ve heard from any musician! When you take an album like \u2018Order of the Black\u2019 and then re-do some of the tracks I can\u2019t help but wonder how many of those songs originally may have started out acoustically?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Usually it\u2019s the instrument that will dictate what I\u2019m going to be doing. If I\u2019m sitting there behind a piano it will be more reflective Neil Young, Elton John, The Eagles type of stuff but obviously when you\u2019re playing through a wall of Marshall’s you\u2019re going to start writing more Sabbath, Zeppelin type of riffs. As far as \u2018The Song Remains Not The Same\u2019 stuff I was just sitting around jamming. After we get done doing all the heavy stuff at the end of the night I\u2019m just noodling around on the piano. I\u2019d be using lyrics that I\u2019ve already written just as something to mumble over while I\u2019m singing a melody; that\u2019s how \u2018Parade of the Dead\u2019 came about and some of the other heavy songs we took and made into a mellow tune.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: When you look back over the great material that you\u2019ve been created, what have you found has been the hardest, most challenging album to make?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I don\u2019t know, you\u2019re writing music you enjoy playing. It\u2019s not like we\u2019re making fusion albums. I usually make it a challenge to see how simple you can write something whether it\u2019s a song like Led Zeppelin\u2019s Whole Lotta Love or just one riff throughout the whole song; that\u2019s a challenge in itself to make the song as simple as possible. In the solos you can always do whatever you want to do, but as far as it being challenging even with all of the Ozzy records, I\u2019ve never made an album where I was like oh man it\u2019s so hard.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Are you currently working on any new material?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: No obviously we\u2019re talking about doing this Unblackened<\/em> thing, so we\u2019re figuring out the set. There are strings and it\u2019s still going to have electric guitars and drums. We\u2019re figuring out when we\u2019re going to be able to do rehearsals, fitting it into our schedules, we\u2019ve already got stuff booked up til 2014 and then doing the Unblackened<\/em> set.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: As I mentioned with the last album there were some great cover songs, and over the years you\u2019ve covered many fantastic tracks, for me the standout is your version of Led Zeppelins \u2018Going To California\u2019. Is there a song that you\u2019ve always wanted to cover but for some reason it just hasn\u2019t happened?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: No not yet, I enjoy doing covers cause it\u2019s some of your favorite bands, I\u2019m sure eventually when we do the next album we will knock out some more covers. They always work as b-sides and I would say that\u2019s a great excuse to end up doing covers.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Zakk you\u2019re certainly an incredible guitarist and to many you\u2019re classed as a legend, an icon, your certainly one of the most influential players of our time, when you hear yourself classed as an icon a word that is used for the likes of Hendrix, Page and Beck, what runs through your mind\u2026 <\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: When the wife\u2019s yelling at me I just throw that in her face and that makes her even madder.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: [Laughs] it\u2019s either that or she just laughs me out of the room [laughs].<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: It\u2019s really fantastic to see that all these people around you keep you grounded by just giving you shit!<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: [Laughs] completely, at all times [laughs] instead of having that roast they should have just been at my house the whole time, or on the road with the guys, it\u2019s the same shit all the time.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] Who have you been surprised to learn is a fan of your work?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I\u2019m trying to think cause I know nobody in my family likes it [laughs]. Maybe the dogs [laughs] they haven\u2019t bitten me yet. But then again I\u2019m the one that always feeds them so I don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to bite me [laughs].<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] Zakk on a serious note, the longer you\u2019re in the industry the more you learn, whether on tour, in the studio or the all important business side of things. What do you feel has been the most important lesson you\u2019ve learned to date?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: I guess your perception of everything from when you first start and as you get older and you see how things go. It\u2019s so funny your perception of things then to see how it really goes down! That\u2019s why you\u2019ve gotta love the music and love it for that reason alone you\u2019re always going to have ups and downs that\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Zakk unfortunately we\u2019re out of time and it\u2019s certainly been a blast chatting with you, do you have any last words for our readers?<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde: Tell the Australian chapter to stay strong and keep bleeding black man!<\/p>\n

Zakk Wylde\u2019s Black Label Society Kick off their Australian tour today at the Brisbane Soundwave Festival Make sure you see this kick ass band live.<\/p>\n

Images by Cameron Edney courtesy of Wicked Pix<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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