Guitar legend Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne) is featured in a career-spanning interview with Metal Hammer. An excerpt from the chat is available below.
Q: You were born in New Jersey and raised by Catholic parents – so how does a good Catholic boy end up playing the Devil’s music?
Zakk: “Well, when I was 11 I discovered Black Sabbath. Before that I was a huge Elton John fan – still am – but when I was 11 years old I was in art class and my buddy Tommy was doing this sculpture of a jawless skull. It had a lightning bolt going through it and he’d written ‘Black Sabbath 666’ and I’m just like… ‘What’s that?!’ He’s like, ‘It’s a band my older brother listens to’, and I knew I needed to hear it. I got my mother to buy the record and I was terrified when I first listened to it!”
Q: So which Sabbath record was it?
Zakk: “It was (1975 compilation album) We Sold Our Soul For Rock’N’Roll, so not even a real Black Sabbath record! I was beyond terrified; I’d been raised Catholic and by halfway through that record I’d turned full Satanist. By the end I’d gone back to Catholicism just so’s I could thank God for creating Black Sabbath, ha ha ha!”
Q: Did your parents object to you bringing those kinds of records home?
Zakk: “Naw, they always supported me in everything I did. There were sports, then when I got into music they supported that too. They were awesome; whatever I had passion for they’d support me and that’s something I do for my kids too.”
Check out the complete interview here.
Continuing his long association with Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde features on the singer's forthcoming album, alongside three legends in Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tony Iommi.
Asked if he was blown away when he found out he would be co-starring alongside Clapton, Beck and Iommi, Zakk tells Guitar World: "Yeah! I was shocked when I heard it was happening and even more when I heard what they played. They’d already recorded their parts so I ended up re-recording rhythm tracks underneath what they’d done at my home studio. It came out awesome.
“With Eric, he went from John Mayall and Cream to his solo stuff, and it was always tasteful. The same goes for Jeff Beck. The whammy bar is a big part of his sound – he treats it almost like its own instrument which is amazing. Both of them are incredible songwriters. That’s the reason why we listen to them. It’s all about the musicality with those guys.”
Read more of Zakk's interview with Guitar World here.
