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“Oz said, ‘Let’s just do Free Bird twice. That should take up an hour!’” Zakk Wylde on Tony Iommi’s genius, Black Sabbath’s immeasurable influence – and Ozzy’s unlikely Back to the Beginning demands
Ozzy Osbourne’s longest serving six-string lieutenant on what it means to be one of the family, and what to expect at Black Sabbath's emotional homecoming and farewell concert
Since joining Ozzy’s band in 1987, save for a few pitstops along the way, Zakk Wylde has been the Prince of Darkness’s main guitar man. In fact, save for Tony Iommi, with whom Ozzy launched Black Sabbath (and heavy metal), and Randy Rhoads, who helped Ozzy resurrect his career in the early ’80s, no guitarist is more associated with Ozzy than Wylde.
With an array of bullseye-adorned and EMG-equipped Les Pauls slung low from his burly shoulders, a kilt hanging off his waist and a caveman beard that hangs even lower, Wylde has been a rock for Ozzy – and he’s also a friend, if not family.
“Ozzy is the godfather of my oldest son,” Wylde says. “My wife Barbara and I – our relationship with Ozzy and Sharon [Osbourne] is more of a family thing. I’m truly blessed to have him in my life.
“Musically, If I would have never played with Ozzy, he’d still be such a huge part of my life. Just getting to know him, and then being in a band with him – forget about it!”
Ozzy Osbourne - Over The Mountain (Live) - YouTube
You’ve been playing with Ozzy since the ’80s. Did the final show announcement come as a surprise?
“I was talking about this the other day, thinking, ‘What do I think should happen?’ When we did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [induction ceremony, October 19, 2024], we were doing a run-through, so the camera guys knew what to expect, and Oz was up there on the throne, and we started doing Mama, I’m Coming Home, and Ozzy just started singing!
“His mic was live, and he was just sitting down on the throne and started singing Mama, I’m Coming Home because Jelly Roll [who sang the song during the actual performance] wasn’t there. Oz was like, ‘Screw it – I’ll sing it, man,’ so he just started singing and it sounded great. I was like, ‘Alright! Hopefully there will be more of that.’”
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Ozzy – and Sabbath – have been unkillable. Do you think this is really it?
“We did rehearsals, and he sang a bunch of songs and sang a bunch with Sabbath, and it went over great, and he had a great time. It’s like, ‘I guess we’re gonna do another tour…’ Hopefully, I mean… maybe this thing will be, I don’t know, won’t be the ‘beginning,’ but it’ll be the whole new beginning of another tour.
“If Oz is happy and he has a great time and sings great, God bless him. Whatever Oz wants to do; if he needs me to go out and get milk and eggs for him and bring them over to the house, I’ll do it. But overall, all these other bands are gonna be there, so it’s going to be a great day.”
“They’re like how Henry Ford is the creator of the car. They’re everything. All the bands that have come after are basically, like with the car; it doesn’t matter if it’s NASCAR, a Formula One race car, a dragster or however advanced it gets, it’s all based on the original Ford Model T. It’s based on that basic design.
Sabbath are the architects of the whole thing. They’re the massive oak tree, and we’re all just branches off of that tree
“It’s a testament to what was created. Sabbath are the architects of the whole thing. They’re the massive oak tree, and we’re all just branches off of that tree. I think everybody there loves them, and we wouldn’t all be doing it if it wasn’t for them.”
How has Iommi shaped you as a guitarist?
“He’s basically the Bach, Mozart and Beethoven of metal guitar. He’s all three of them in one. And he’s the Lennon and McCartney of riff writing. He truly is. It’s pretty mind-blowing. His genius is just immense. I love every aspect of his playing. And outside of songwriting, I love his solos; I love all of it. It’s not just the riffs; Tony Iommi has amazing technique and can play fast… he’s just the complete package.”
The July 5 show is a celebration of the original lineup. Is that your favorite era of Sabbath?
“I think that when Ronnie James Dio joined the band, they should have just started calling it Heaven & Hell right from the beginning. To me, let’s say if Ozzy retained the rights and owned the rights to Black Sabbath, and he started calling what he was doing with Randy [Rhoads], Bob [Daisley] and Lee [Kerslake] Black Sabbath, it would’ve been the same thing.
“When I heard Heaven & Hell, it sounded like a whole new band. I’ve always felt like it would have been interesting to hear Ozzy’s approach to singing those songs. It was a whole new thing, but all the records are classics.
“It was just them breaking up at that point, taking a break from each other and starting those things. It was almost like you hit the reset button. The creative juices were fresh, brand new and truly mind-blowing. But for me, it’s the Ozzy era.”
What have the conversations been like about preparing for the show?
Maybe it’ll finally come down to ‘Let’s just do Free Bird for two hours’
“Oz said, ‘Let’s just do Free Bird twice. That should take up an hour!’ [Laughs] I said, ‘Is that what you really want to do?’ He said, ‘Yeah, let’s do that.’ I said, ‘Okay. You want fries on the side of that Coke?’ So, it’s Free Bird, which will take up an hour, or maybe two, depending on how long the jam is!
“But we haven’t even talked about… you know, it’s like when we did the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thing, we knew – we had it all planned. Wolfie [Van Halen] did Crazy Train, then we did Mama, I’m Coming Home, then a little of No More Tears. So I’m sure we’ll figure out what songs we’re gonna do – and then maybe it’ll finally come down to ‘Let’s just do Free Bird for two hours.’”
This must be bittersweet for you.
“If I was a soccer player, and I got to play for Manchester United, and they were my favorite team growing up, getting to play with them would be like a dream. So this is like a dream come true. Being such a huge Sabbath fan, and then when Oz started with Randy and Jake, and then me being in the band, it’s pretty mind-blowing. I’m truly blessed.”
Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Bass Player, Guitar Player, Guitarist, and MusicRadar. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Morello, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.
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