Black Label Society guitar-slinger Zakk Wylde tackles our quick-fire interrogation and fills us in on killer riffs, anchovies and Jason Momoa…
As well as dropping a load of gnarly new Black Label Society jams recently, Zakk Wylde is back in the UK this week, riffing it up with his Sabbath cover band Zakk Sabbath. To celebrate, we pinned down the hairy guitar lord while he was in London to demand answers to 20 of the most important questions he'll ever be asked…
1. What's the best thing you know how to cook?
“Steak and eggs. It's simple: little bit of salt, a little bit of butter, you're good to go.”
2. What's the best movie ever?
“Well, it's a tie between The Exorcist and Animal House. When you’re ready to laugh, go with Animal House. If you're ready to be terrified, go with The Exorcist.”
3. Who’s your non-musical hero?
“You’ve got to go with Ultimate Warrior. Why? Because he's awesome. He’s the ultimate!”
4. What’s your biggest fear?
“My wife! That's the reason why I became Catholic, because I'm beyond terrified of her. She just looked at me when I said that…”
5. Dog or cat?
“I'm a dog guy, although I love all animals. We’ve always had dogs ever since we were able to have a house, and there’s always dogs around us all the time, like [Sharon Osbourne] has. I just love their energy, man.”
6. What were you like at school?
“I got average grades. I’d do whatever work that I had to do to get by. Classes that I was really into, I did okay in, but I'd rather play guitar. I used to bring my guitar magazines and stick them in my books while we were in class.”
7. What's your favourite city?
“I love New York, but I also love London and Paris. I’ll probably go New York – I think that’s my wife’s favourite.”
8. Fly or drive?
“If we could drive, I'd rather drive rather than having to go to the airport and do the whole thing. I like driving myself as well, but if we're in the sub, you know, the tour bus, I'm totally happy."
9. What was your first job?
“Mowing lawns, everything like that, shovelling snow as a kid. The first real job was working at [old supermarket chain] Fine Fare. I worked in the produce department, and then pumping gas. It was okay. It didn't bother me what I was asked to do there, I was just saving up money for guitars, so it was all good.”
10. Are you a sports guy?
“Oh yeah, totally. And again, at school I was more into that than classes: baseball, football, everything like that, right up until high school, when I found guitar, and then it was just all guitar.”
11. What's the best riff ever written?
“You'd have to go Smoke On The Water [by Deep Purple]. That one, Iron Man by Black Sabbath, and Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin. Those are the most iconic, playable riffs – anyone can do them.”
12. Beach holiday or city break?
“City break.”
13. What’s your least favourite food?
“I'm pretty easy, but maybe anchovies. I don't like anchovies on pizza or anything like that. It's too fishy. I like fish, but not anchovies.”
14. Who’d play you in a movie of your life?
“Jason Momoa, my wife says. She’d just want to watch him, even though he doesn't even look anything like me!”
15. If you owned a pub, what would you call it?
“We'd have to call it The Black Label. There you go. Tons of Black Label and beer. Perfect. We’d have a downstairs called The Berserker Bar as well, where all the maniacs hang out. You have to know the bartender to go in there.”
16. What's your favourite guitar?
“Any Wylde Audio guitar, there you go.”
17. What’s your favourite TV show?
“Probably Seinfeld. The beginning ones are pretty rough, until they found the niche with the characters. It’s actually pretty cool seeing the early ones, just because the characters aren't developed yet. But it’s all great. And then you have Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is just the Rated-R version.”
18. What's the worst fashion decision you've ever made?
“I still make them every day. Look at me. Every day I look in the mirror and it's another fashion disaster.”
19. What’s the stupidest injury you’ve ever sustained?
“I broke my hand when we were doing the Pantera celebration, doing the roulette wheel for the meet and greets. I spin the wheel, and if they win… well, everyone’s a winner all the time. Anyway, the ball bounced out, I went to go grab it, and I smashed my hand on the table and broke it. I played with three fingers for the rest of the tour – a month and a half! I think that was Dime [legendary late guitarist Dimebag Darrell] having fun at my expense. It's already hard enough to play his stuff, and he must have been like, ‘I'll just add this to the mix for the comedy…’”
20. What's the one thing you wish you could do?
“Make my wife’s chicken parmesan, because we have to wait once a year for it at Christmas. She always says she doesn't know how to cook, but she makes the most amazing shells and amazing chicken parmesan. If I knew how to make that, I could make it for us all the time.”
Zakk Sabbath are on tour in the UK right now.
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