GUS G. Meets ZAKK WYLDE For First Time

June 21, 2011

Current OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) met the man he replaced, Zakk Wylde, for the first time on June 13 when Wylde's BLACK LABEL SOCIETY supported Ozzy in Oberhausen, Germany. Gus wrote in an online posting, "I finally got to meet Mr. Zakk Wylde!! [It was] awesome hanging [with] Zakk and the [rest of the] BLACK LABEL SOCIETY family!!"

A photo of Gus and Zakk from the Oberhausen concert can be seen below.

When asked in a 2010 interview with MetalInsider.net if he has had any contact with Wylde since joining Ozzy's band, Gus said, "No. I haven't met Zakk, I didn't contact him. I've read all the stuff that he has said about me in the press, and that was very nice of him and that really means a lot to me because if one of my all-time favorite guitar heroes is giving me the thumbs up only gives me more confidence. It's a big help for me and definitely makes me feel good because I have a great respect for guys like Zakk Wylde. I'm glad he has an open mind about this." He added, "I wouldn't be surprised if Ozzy one day feels like playing with Zakk again. For me, when I was growing up Zakk was there. The first time I ever saw on TV, Zakk Wylde was on guitar. From my generation, Zakk Wylde was the man. As a fan above all, I know these guys, they're like family more than just a team. So I definitely wouldn't be surprised if one day he would jam again with Ozzy. I know these guys love each other."

Speaking to Guitar International in May 2011, Zakk was asked how well he thought Gus had filled his shoes in Ozzy Osbourne's band. "Gus is doing awesome, man," Zakk replied. "Anyone that goes to their show is just like, 'Gus is amazing, man.' He is. And he's super-cool. Gus is in FIREWIND, which is ridiculously slammin', too. I think Gus is doin' awesome. And everybody in the BLACK LABEL family is behind Gus, anyway. We're all rooting for him."

Ozzy told Classic Rock magazine in a June 2009 interview that he was on the lookout for a new guitar player to replace Zakk Wylde.

As for why he wanted to break away from Wylde, who had played with Ozzy on and off since 1988, Ozzy said, "I haven't fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like (Wylde's band) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I just felt like I wanted a change, y'know?"

In an interview with a Eugene, Oregon radio station on July 29, 2009, Zakk slammed Ozzy over his Classic Rock comments, saying in part, "I've gotta be honest with you. The boss hasn't even given me a phone call, so I mean... I'm just like... I don't know what's going on over there. Are we doing this thing or are we not doing it? . . . I mean, it's like, dude, you don't wanna play with me anymore? Fine. Play with whoever the hell you wanna play with. I couldn't give a rat's ass. Like I'm gonna get all jealous or whatever. But you know what?! Man up and give me a phone call and tell me what the hell's going on."

Wylde's answer after that abruptly turned into an obscenity-filled rant directed at Ozzy that had to be heavily bleeped by the station.

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).