Interview w/ Zakk of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

It has been two decades since Ozzy Osbourne pulled then 19 year old Zakk Wylde away from his nine to five at a New Jersey gas station and took him on a ride through rock’s stratosphere. 

Finally after countless tours as Ozzy Ozbourne’s main axe, the two have parted company and Zakk is back on our shores to promote Gibson guitars and Black Label Society’s back catalogue.

The lift opens and a giant of a man with a purposeful gait and a cocksure grin on his lips, strides into the lobby of Sydney's Sebel Pier 1. Dressed in army pants, his head is adorned with a Black Label Society headscarf and his massive tattooed biceps ripple in the light streaming into the foyer, hair plaited and spiky chaps on his forearms. He could easily be mistaken for a rock n roll wrestler or maybe a Viking warrior-think Oblix (ie Astrix and Oblix).

Zakk: "This our eighth record (BLS) and it's a little different to the last ones. I would describe it as hangover music."

Zakk is referring to the direction of the brand new BLS album due for release next May.  

Zakk: "It's a mellow record from start to finish. Our other albums have had a mixture of heavier tunes and couple of more mellow tracks. I have just finished building my own studio and It's great to have your own studio just knowing I can go there and spend as much time as I want and it's an ass-kicking studio."

According to Wylde the split with Ozzy came as no real surprise and was far from acrimonious.

Zakk: "Well the way that went down we recorded the last album and toured it and did Oz Fest and then I had a couple of BLS shows to do and they clashed with a couple of the Ozzy shows so he got a replacement for those and then it turned into a more permanent thing. God bless him though, he'll have a blast. I'm really busy with BLS so it's not like I'm out of a job or something.."

In this country Shock has just reissued the entire back catalogue of both Black Label Society and Zakk Wylde solo project 'Pride and Glory' but Wylde rejects the notion that this is was timed to promote Black Label Society now that Zak has split with the Ozzy Osbourne band.

Zakk: "They always planned to do that but I guess now that I'm doing BLS eight days a week it's good timing. They knew that we are putting out a new album next year as well. I'm also putting a book together right now called the 'Black Label Tour Survival Guide'. That will be in the comedy section, that's for sure."

A waiter approaches our table where we are seated overlooking the harbour with an offering of coffee,"Did you put some moonshine in that?" Zakk enquires, a wistful tone in his voice, much to the amusement of all present including himself.

Zakk's drinking and the trips to rehab are well documented and the last time he was here there were reports he held several journalists 'hostage' in his room and things got a little ‘outta hand’ with a female journalist. Little wonder then perhaps, that he is determined to beat the alcohol.

Zakk: "I haven't had a drink in three months cause I have blood clots and I take a blood thinner for that and when you drink on that shit you start bleeding internally and it ain't pretty I'll tell you that. So it's just like, I'll guess I'll be passing up on the fucking alcohol!! Yeah it sucks. You know, I'd like to be chilling out right now having a couple of drinks just to relax. You know for me, I love to go to a bar and just hang out with my friends and knock back a few beers so it's more of a social thing for me. My favourite beers are German like Becks, Stella..y'know German engineering, German beers.."

"But as the doctor said to me y'know you've been drinking from 14 to 42-you've had a good run y'know..People say to me why don't you fill your time with a hobby or something like exercise or play another instrument and I'm like I already do all of that..I hardly ever sight-see. What I like to do is park my ass at the bar wherever I am and shoot the shit, meet some really cool people and solve the problems of the world y'know..I'll still go to a bar and drink that 'near beer' shit just so I can enjoy the atmosphere y'know."

Lucky I guess then, that Mr Wylde is just here promoting Epiphone's new guitars and not on a major tour. Two of the Gibson guitars are his Les Paul BFG Bullseye and Buzzsaw and one is the coffin shaped Graveyard Disciple. Zakk has been involved with the brand for a long time.  

Zakk: "Y'know a lot of parents will rush out an buy their kids an expensive guitar their first time out" - he says with a wry smile launching into sales pitch mode,  

Zakk: "Epiphone is a great lower end guitar, especially for parents buying their kids their first guitar."

Zakk: "Y'know when kids ask me for advice about the music business I always ask them what they're into, because that's what their band should sound like. I listened to Sabbath growing up because of my older brothers as well as The Grateful Dead, The Allman brothers, Bad Company,  Lynarrd Skynard..Hendrix y'know, classic rock..and I remember in my first band our manager wanted us to wear eyeliner because Bon Jovi had just become big and he was trying to say we had to be more like them if we wanted to be big and I hated them."

It's clear that Zakk has his finger in a lot of pies.

Zakk: "I also have my own record label now so that if I discover someone I can just sign em up and you know take all their publishing, steal all their ideas..take all their money." - he roars with laughter.

There is word on the street that Zakk is also engaged in writing and producing his first film called The Bezerkers about his crazy fans.

Zakk: "Yeah well it's just a matter of finding the time, but yeah that is planned. All the actors in the film will be like cameos by all my musician buddies as well as the guys in the band. The guys in the Black Label family are all like fucken cartoon characters. I couldn't have made them up y'know..I look back on pictures of me with the poofy hair and I think they're funny." 

Yes, there is certainly no evidence that things post Ozzy are slowing down for this rock n roll clown/guitar icon.