ZAKK WYLDE: 'You Need To Be Passionate About What You Do'

Scott McLennan of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette News recently conducted an interview with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's songwriting process:

"We just get in the studio and work. The bass player and me just started this record by jamming. We needed riffs. I'd jam on the piano for a while. Then I'd pick up an acoustic guitar. I use all the instruments I can get my hands on. That's how you get different ideas. You're not going to write 'Iron Man' sitting behind a piano."

On his OZZY OSBOURNE audition:

"I bleed this (stuff). I learned from playing ball that you need to be passionate about what you do. Do I like my wife and kids? No, I love my wife and kids. I saw a lot of (jerks) at the audition. They were saying how they wanted the job as a stepping stone. But it's like putting on a Yankees uniform. You have to honor all the guys who ever put on that uniform. It's not just another uniform. What's expected of you is greatness. That lineage of Randy [Rhoads] and Jake [E. Lee] is not something you (mess) around with."

On BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's musical approach:

"BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was never as heavy as PANTERA or DAMAGEPLAN or MESHUGGAH, even though I like what those guys do and they are friends of mine. With us, the heaviest we get is SABBATH or ZEPPELIN. That's why I work well with Ozzy. No matter how heavy SABBATH ever got, Ozzy always sang melodies. We're not a death metal band. I love that stuff, it's just not what I do."

On Dimebag's murder:

"Twelve days before that crap went down, my kids got me a Randy Rhoads guitar for a present, and I called Dime to tell him about it, and we just talked. He had a beautiful soul and wouldn't hurt anybody. If anything the guy would buy you a drink. It's an insane world. It's like me and you going to a ROLLING STONES concert and throwing a brick at Keith Richards. Why would we do that?"