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ZAKK WYLDE
AND HIS BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
by Jonathan Williams
Photos by Evil Jim
From the July 2005 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 Black Label Society. |
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Zakk Wylde first became known when he ably filled the shoes of the late Randy Rhoads as Ozzy Osbourne's axman on albums such as No Rest for the Wicked and No More Tears. He's still Ozzy's guitar player today, but he has gone on to make a name for himself with his own band, Black Label Society.
With a persona that is part Viking, part badass biker and part devoted family man who cherishes his friends and family more than anything else, Wylde's Black Label following has become more than just a metal band with hardcore fans. The Black Label Society is more like a biker gang with chapters across the country wearing the black and white logo on leather jackets, T-shirts and bandanas. The chapter members are so devoted, they show up to Black Label shows hours in advance wearing their colors and waiting for autographs from the band.
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"It's a lifestyle," Wylde says of the Black Label Society. "It's not a motorcycle club, it's a drinking club is what it is. You know, SDMF – Strength. Determination. Merciless. Forever. That's what it stands for. The bottom line is without God and family, you've got nothing. You can have all the money and the fame, but they really don't mean nothing if you've got no one to share it with."
With the dedication that Wylde receives from his fans and the respect he gives back to them, it seems kind of fitting that Black Label's latest release, Mafia, references another extended family of sorts. But Mafia isn't so much about organized crime, but more about the Black Label values to which Wylde always stays true. And the crushing guitar riffs and virtuoso-filled solos are still there as well.
Anyone who's ever seen the beer-swilling berserker Wylde becomes onstage (sort of a heavy metal version of wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose ring entrance music was done by Wylde), it should come as no surprise that songs like "Suicide Messiah," "Death March" and "Too Tough to Die" are about death, destruction and coming out on top. And at least one song ("In This River") is clearly about the loss of Wylde's friend, drinking buddy and huge musical influence, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.
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What may come as a surprise is that Zakk Wylde himself has no tattoos. Even though he keeps company like Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie – and Black Label members and fans proudly display their Zakk Wylde and Black Label tattoos on the band's Web site – Wylde says he "was never a tat guy."
"Actually my wife's got tattoos," he says. "Me? I'm a pussy [and] I like eating it."
But Wylde does admit that he is thinking about getting a tattoo.
"I remember all my buddies when G n' R came out, everybody had to have more tats than Axl and wear a headband," he recalls. "And you know how it goes, once you get one tat you don't stop.
"Dime was a tat guy," he continues. "I'm going to get just 'Darrell' going all the way down my arm. As soon as I can get it done the right way. A buddy of mine is a tattoo artist, too. RA [Rob Arvizu], who does a lot of the artwork for Black Label. RA does all the skulls and everything like that."
Aside from being inspired by folks like Dimebag, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Wylde is a fan of a few other musicians who might not be so obvious.
"I love Elton," he says. "He never stops, man. Elton's the man. He's the shit. That's the reason I wanted to start playing music is because of him. When I was a kid I listened to Elton John records.
"Then there were my Donny & Marie records," he continues with sarcasm. "Since then I've been on a steady diet of Streisand and Celine Dion. That's why my music's always so pissed off is because I listen to that shit all the time."
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And perhaps it was getting in touch with his not-so-apparent feminine side while listening to these records that helped Wylde put together that black and white color scheme that has come to represent him and the Black Label Society.
"Once you put it on, you're ass even gets sexier," he jokes. "The asses of Black Label. That's why the ladies love us. And it's like, 'Hey, Zakk. Do you understand there's no chicks in the audience?' No, the ladies love us."
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Black Label Society will be on the Ozzfest Main Stage all summer.
For more information, go to www.zakkwylde.com, www.blacklabelsociety.net, www.sdmfworldwide.com, or www.artemisrecords.com
For more Evil Jim photography visit www.eviljimsrecords.com
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