BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - The Hellride Continues
BW&BK scribe Mitch Lafon has conducted a Q&A session with
ZAKK WYLDE of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. Since forming BLS in 1999, Zakk Wylde has released eight albums under the moniker including this year’s Shot To Hell. He’s also managed two DVD releases 2003’s Boozed Broozed & Broken Boned and this summer’s The European Invasion – Doom Troopin’ Live. Not bad considering, that Zakk had to fit this in while touring Ozzfest and recording with
OZZY OSBOURNE, touring seemingly non-stop with BLS and being a family man. We recently sat down with Zakk to discuss his work ethic and, of course, the music.
Mitch Lafon: It’s been a while since we last spoke. How’s it going?
Zakk Wylde: “Just chillin’ out over here at the compound. We just wrapped the tour up and then we’re going to get started on Ozzy’s record, then more promotion, rehearsals and all that happy stuff and then we head down to Australia.”
ML: Let’s talk about the recent tour – how was Ozzfest and the BLS shows?
ZW: “It was ass-kicking. People are always asking if it’s tough with the double duty and the heat. I go ‘dude look at it this way. You get two beer buzzes a day, so it’s quite beneficial.” I had a blast, Ozzy sang great and he had a great time – it was an ass-kicking time, bro.”
ML: He did second stage this year...
ZW: “Yeah, he did mostly second stage. I think we played the main stage for three of them.”
ML: Let’s talk Canada. BLS hasn’t been up here in five or six years. What’s going on?
ZW: “Yeah, it’s been quite a while, but we’re definitely coming up there. I’ve always been like ‘dude there’s more than three cities up in Canada.’ It’s like a band coming down from Canada to tour the States and all they do is Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Miami and then they go back up to Canada. It’s like ‘you gotta be kidding me?’ The thing with Canada is that everybody just does Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and goodbye we’re going home. I want to go up there and do a full tour and not just three shows. There’s way more places to play up there.”
ML: The European Invasion DVD – what can you tell me about that?
ZW: “It’s just more gay Black Label stuff. We were asked for another DVD and I said ‘yeah no problem’. It had been a little bit since we knocked out the last DVD Boozed Broozed & Broken Boned. As usual there’s the goofy crap of us throughout Europe... The tour bus – this thing didn’t classify as a tour bus, it was more like a port-a-John. This thing smelled like prison-ass, bro. It’s a miracle we survived the stench.”
ML: European tour buses are always interesting. I remember when I came to see you out in Holland a few years back...
ZW: “It was hideous. You ask any band on the planet – if you’re going to be on the road for any period of time traveling and killing yourself doing this stuff, at least have it so that the tour bus is livable. We see the pictures of this bus on the Internet and I was like ‘cool’. But when we get there – that wasn’t the bus, bro.”
ML: There’s always something that goes wrong on tour, but that’s what makes it fun, right?
ZW: “You can’t make it up. That’s why I keep laughing. That’s why the Black Label guys wanna keep writing these books ‘The Blessed Hellride Vol. I’. You get a couple of beers in ya and just start talking about all the gay corny ass shit that happens to you on the road.”
ML: You should compile a book of road stories...
ZW: “That’s what we’re doing. Everybody in the band and crew are talking. All the guys just shooting the shit talking about how fucking hideous the tour was... When you’re doing the shows, you’re always going to get up there and nail it. That’s a given, but it’s the stuff going on trying to get to the show... that’s where you’re just crying laughing. Everything is a constant Seinfeld episode... especially in Black Label. I look around and it’s just a tsunami of gayness and you can’t fight it, so all you can try to do is guide the water to where you want it.”
ML: What amazed me about Black Label – is that the band never stops working.
ZW: “My whole thing is this: if you love doing it – you love it! It’s like when Derek Sherinian called me up. I had a million and one things going on, but I knew it was going to be cool jamming with Derek because he’s got this whole fusion thing going on which is completely different to the Black Label or Ozzy stuff. It’s all music at the end of the day and it’s cool as shit.”
ML: I was going to ask you about working with Derek on his Blood Of The Snake album. You’re trading licks on there with Yngwie Malmsteen.
ZW: “It’s fun as hell and I’m friends with Yngwie, but I wasn’t there when he was doing it. I talked to him on the phone yada yada... everything is based around music for me. It’s what we do.”
ML: When was the last time BLS had a break?
ZW: “Since this thing started, I’ve had nothing... It’s either as soon as we get back – we’re back in the studio, then we’re making a DVD, then we’re back on the road and then it’s the Ozzfest again.”
ML: Shot To Hell comes out Sept 12th, but I’m sure you’ve already got thirty songs written for the next CD.
ZW: “Without a doubt. I’ll get in the studio and have no tunes, like when we did the new album, then eight days later I had 23 songs. Obviously, the album has to have continuity so if we’re writing something more ‘country-esque’. It might be a cool song, but we have a couple other ballads that fit the record more. Barb was on the phone laughing with the record company the other day she’s like ‘Trust me - Tupac and Hendrix... should Zakk croak out in some bizarre gardening accident. We’ve got enough material for me to be pumping out these records for a while.’ I’m like ‘Holy Christ – thanks!’ What’s the insurance money up to now?”
ML: You’re going to have to have someone start tasting your food first.
ZW: “It’s coming up to that brother. I can hear my wife in the background screaming at my mother-in-law and you think I’m home for a break? What I hear in there is louder than the Walls Of Doom of the Marshalls.”
ML: The hard work ethic – is that something your parents instilled in you or are you worried that if you don’t keep a high profile people may forget about BLS?
ZW: “Even if an album sells fifteen million records, I’d still be excited about us going in and making the next record. I mean with the Axl (Rose) thing – I don’t know how he’s done it. It’s like ‘dude, you must be so frigging bored with the songs you wrote thirteen years ago.’ You know what I mean? He’s been gone longer than Led Zeppelin was even around for...”
ML: And the Beatles..
ZW: “And (Black) Sabbath. I guarantee you that Jimmy Page after they did Stairway To Heaven was like ‘ah, I’m bored with it. We’ve got this new song called All My Love and one called In The Evening’ because they’re excited about the brand new songs. Anybody that writes tunes is always so excited about the new stuff.”
ML: It’s got to be weird tweaking the same songs for over ten years.
ZW: “How do you know what’s good or bad with it anymore? I mean dude – c’mon just throw the thing out there and get on with it.”
ML: I’m told he erases the tapes and starts new... you don’t even have a reference point anymore. Now, you on the other hand pump’em out every six months or so. Have you ever thought ‘let’s give this one two years. Let’s sit with it for two years and twist the knobs, fly stuff in, pro tools this...’
ZW: “Nah, never because then it’s not fresh anymore. If it sounds good already... after 15 or 16 days I go ‘Good – record’s done!’ Let’s get the fuck out on the road with it.’ The only way I would take two years off (between records) – though I wouldn’t do that anyway – were to be if we actually toured for a year and a half. Then in the last six months we go back into the studio and knock another record out.’
ML: So, you never look back at your records and go ‘we should have layered guitars on this or added a drum beat here...’
ZW: “If you ask anybody – they will always say ‘it could have been better’, but I’m psyched with all of them. They’re like time capsules and at that point in time that’s the best job you could do. You want all the records to sound great. If you and me were on a road trip, we’d have the Zeppelin catalogue and the Sabbath catalogue...you’d ‘go Zakk instead of Zep IV put in Presence. I haven’t heard that in a while.’ People always ask me what’s my favorite Zeppelin or Sabbath record and I’m like ‘me? I like’em all.’ It just depends on the mood I’m in.”
ML: Now, your new album Shot To Hell is still full throttle Black Label, but there’s more melody. Were you trying to be more melodic with this one?
ZW: “I think it’s just gotten more and more melodic since the beginning. You listen to Zep or Sabbath and no matter how heavy it got, Robert (Plant) and Ozzy are still singing. They’re not screaming.”
ML: How do you rate your voice now? In the past, you used to tell me – I can’t sing I just scream it out, but it’s matured quite a bit from the Book Of Shadow days.
ZW: “Without a doubt, but if you listen to all the records everything should always get better anyways. That’s the game plan and if you can make it happen – great! You know what I’m saying?”
ML: Can you make a BLS album in the same way you made the Pride And Glory CD. Can you do a Skynard rock thing and call it BLS? Or is BLS really just an in your face band?
ZW: “Pride and Glory would have to be the whole three piece thing again and that whole Cream... When we did those records there was a lot of jamming going on like the Allman Brothers or The Experience (Jimi Hendrix). But Black Label is more-- the guitar solo I have in the song is the one I’m going to be playing.”
ML: So, in six months when we’re unwrapping the new – new Black Label Society - it’s not going to sound like Pride & Glory. BLS is its own thing and you won’t start mixing up the styles.
ZW: “Right now, I’m sticking with this.”
ML: Tell me a bit about working with Derek Sherinian. You did a vocal and slammed it out with Yngwie.
ZW: “With Derek, I went over to his house and did all my tracks in his studio. Then Derek flew down to Yngwie’s studio and recorded all his stuff down there. But I love jammin’ with Derek it’s my fusion home away from home.”
ML: Do you think you’ll ever pop up at one of his shows and play with him?
ZW: “Yeah, if I’m in Lithuania or somewhere or they got me doing something with Greenpeace saving seals or something.”
ML: Speaking of Greenpeace – I’m told you have a theory about Global Warming...
ZW: “We were doing an Ozzfest show with Ozzy at Randall’s Island (NY) and Bon Jovi had sold out three nights at Giants Stadium and our record label was out there because Nickleback was opening the show.”
ML: Your dream bill, right?
ZW: “You’re terrible (laughs). So listen - I said to the guys, ‘Oh, my God Bon Jovi –three nights at Giants Stadium. Forget the Garden (Madison Square) – it isn’t even big enough for them.’ Dude, Bon Jovi is an unstoppable rebel force between his hair and the teeth and the whole nine yards. So I said ‘dudes, you know he’s responsible for Global Warming as well as the war in Iraq... all Bon Jovi.’ Everything that’s ever happened – the Tsunami... Bon Jovi. The Kennedy Assassination... Bon Jovi. When Lincoln got shot... Bon Jovi. He’s responsible for all this stuff and he can’t die. Christ’s crucifixion... Mel Gibson thought he was telling you the true story, but I’m making a movie and it was all, Bon Jovi.”
ML: Three nights at Giants Stadium – like it or not that’s pretty impressive.
ZW: “Without a doubt. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page can’t do Giants Stadium. They’d do the Garden.”
ML: You mentioned working with Ozzy on his new album...
ZW: “We’re trying to get it done so it’ll be out by February (2007).”
ML: What can you tell me about it? Is this a true Ozzy record or are we bringing in the Foo Fighters to write songs?
ZW: “Nah, those days are over. It’s me & Oz and Mike Bordin. It’s like making a Black Label album – we just pump out riffs. It’s all riff orientated.”
ML: Are you writing on it at all? I mean lyrics – not just music.
ZW: “If Oz asks me if I can throw a melody on this thing, I’d go ‘yeah’... But just like when we did No More Tears I’m just the music department.”
ML: That’ll be cool.
ZW: “Without a doubt. I’m happy with the way the thing is coming out right now.”
ML: It’s hard and heavy?
ZW: “Totally, but in the same Ozzy fashion – it’s melodic. You’ll have your ‘Desire’ or ‘Miracle Man’ then ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’ or ‘Crazy Train’”
ML: As long as he doesn’t write with the Foo Fighter guys...
ZW: “That was the Offspring guys and that wasn’t good. Not a good choice, but that was the record company though.”
ML: When that comes out in February will you tour with Ozzy and Black Label?
ZW: “So, I think the game plan is Black Label and Ozzy then throw another band on the bill.”
ML: I guess you’ll be in the third band too (laughs). It’ll be Pride & Glory, Black Label and Ozzy.
ZW: “and Book Of Shadows (laughs).”
ML: Any last words about the new Shot To Hell album?
ZW: “It definitely out sucks and out pathetics all the other previous releases (laughs).”
ML: Any last words about The European Invasion – Doom Troopin’ Live DVD?
ZW: “Once again, it’s just a free-for-all on stage and we got all the gay stuff from us getting from gig to gig. It’s all on there – all the gayness. It’s all the gayness and all pathetic-ness you’ve come to expect from Black Label (laughs).”
ML: Which is plenty... I’m just kidding (laughs)
ZW: “A plethora. It’s a festival of gaiety (laughs).”
ML: Hopefully, we’ll see you in Canada soon.
ZW: “Without a doubt brother. Stay safe and we’ll see you soon.”
For more visit:
www.zakkwylde.com 
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