Interview by Graham Finney

Planet-Loud.com recently conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde ( OZZY OSBOURNE , BLACK LABEL SOCIETY). Transcriptions from the chat follow:

Legendary - that is the only word that can describe the riff-monster that is Zakk Wylde. Well, ahead of the release of the new Zakk Wylde album, reviewed elsewhere on Planet Loud, we had a chat to the man himself.

Planet Loud - "Hey Zakk, how's it going? "
Zakk Wylde - "It goin' good man, I'm talking to you, you muthafucker."

Planet Loud - "You must have better things to do with your time.. "
Zakk Wylde - "Exactly.. ha ha! "

Planet Loud - "So, where are you at the moment? "
Zakk Wylde - "I'm in California at the moment, we just got off tour and I'm working on the Ozzy record. "

Planet Loud - "You're keeping busy then. Now you've got the new Black Label record coming out in a few weeks, you must be looking forward to it coming out~ "
Zakk Wylde - "For sure, you heard it yet?"

Planet Loud - "Yeah, it's awesome.."
Zakk Wylde - "Appreciate it bro."

Planet Loud - "You've got the new record coming out soon here in the UK, what's after that?"
Zakk Wylde - :"Global domination. It's out on the 12th and after that, global domination."

Planet Loud - "How was Ozzfest?"
Zakk Wylde - "It was a fuckin' blast. You run into friends that you haven't seen for twelve months. You know, the crews will go and work with like Christina Aguilera or whoever but then the guys all end up hookin' up again for Ozzfest. It's one gigantic family. Ozzfest is the best."

Planet Loud - "You've done it a few times with Ozzy and Black Label, is it not losing it's appeal?"
Zakk Wylde - "It's always ass-kicking. It's like me and you not seeing each other for a year then we hook up at Ozzfest. It's amazing. You know what I'm saying? Everybody is super fuckin' cool."

Planet Loud - "Ozzfest is about the new bands as well as the old bands. Did you see any this time that kicked your ass?"
Zakk Wylde - "Dragonforce is awesome bro. Lamb Of God - great musicians. Strapping Young Lad. These are all great musicians who are doing it for the right reasons. The bottom line is that any great musician is doing it because they love music. You don't sit around playing ten hours a day to get laid. People like Eddie Van Halen didn't practise all fuckin' day just to get fuckin' laid. You don't play Spanish Fly or Eruption just to get a fuckin' peice of ass. If you're doing it for that you may as well just get a Les Paul, turn it sideways and cram it up some fuckin' chicks ass. Am I right or wrong? Gimme a fuckin' break."

Planet Loud - "You mentioned that you're working with Ozzy on his new record. How is that going?"
Zakk Wylde - "All good. It sounds like a fuckin' Ozzy record. It ain't gonna sound like a fuckin' Green Day record. It sounds like Ozzy. When me and Ozzy get together it just rips. We've got the mellow shit for sure like No More Tears but, like Zep, you got the heavy shit then the mellow shit. Ozzy is doing good. The bottom line is that I'm not over there hanging with you guys because I'm here with Ozzy working on his record."

Planet Loud - "Do you still learn from Ozzy?"
Zakk Wylde - "I worship the ground he walks on. He's such a beautiful, beautiful soul. Ever since I was nineteen he has always told me that he doesn't care what they did to him but they don't want him to do it to me. He's the greatest. He kicks so much fuckin' ass. I got my Dad and I got Oz. I don't need anything else."

Planet Loud - "You're going out to Australia and New Zealand with the band soon.."
Zakk Wylde - "Yeah, we're going to see the Oz and New Zealand chapters and I can't fuckin' wait. I've been down there with Ozzy and it was a fuckin' ass-kickin' time. You wanna talk about getting fucked up? It was incredible. We have such a great time, we can't wait to get down there. It's just drinkin', 24-7. They're great people, beautiful souls."

Planet Loud - "Going on to the new record then, what did you want to achieve with it?"
Zakk Wylde - "Just global domination, a beer endorsement and then a hair-care product endorsement. We're not asking for much. Just global domination, beer and a hair endorsement so we can look sexy all the time. Seriously, we care about the important things bro."

Planet Loud - "You worked with the same guys on this record.."
Zakk Wylde - "Hell yeah, the beautiful thing about Black Label is that the whole thing just rolls together. It's like you working with the guys on your website, you know who the guys you can trust are. It's the same with the band. That's the reason I'm with Ozzy - he knows I won't hurt him but so many people want to hurt him and take his money. Fuck that. We just work with people who are going to whoop ass."

Planet Loud - "You must have a lot of fun working with those guys?"
Zakk Wylde - "Hell yeah. We could be miserable as fuck. Fuck that shit. The Black Label way is fuck it. We have a good fuckin' time bro. We piss where we want to piss and we have a good fuckin' time doin' it. Sure, we have to deal with bullshit but, fuck it, we may as well have a good time while we're doing it. They could treat us like a peice of shit but we're gonna fuckin' have a good time while we're doing it."

Planet Loud - "Everything about this record - from the song titles to the artwork - seems to have been inspired by religion?"
Zakk Wylde - "The bottom line is that, you can have all the money in the world but, if you haven't got anyone to share it with then what's the fucking point? What's the point if you haven't got God or family, what's the point in being a fucking billionaire and being lonely? Like I'll be on the road and I'll just go to church on my own and, fuck it."

Planet Loud - "You're a big family man, are you scared about what the future holds for your kids?"
Zakk Wylde - "Look at it this way, imagine what your Dad thought about you? My Dad is a WW2 veteran. He lived through all that shit and thought it couldn't get any worse after Hitler and all that. Then you've got Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and now all this terrorism. My dad lived through fuckin' Hitler and he must be lookin' at this shit thinking 'you gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me, when is this shit going to end..?'"

Planet Loud - "Is it hard being away from your family for so long?"
Zakk Wylde - "Nah, you can always bring your kids out on the road, make 'em work and shit like that. You gotta keep a lid on everything. You make it work. If you're out on the road with Black Label then that's what you do. You know the fuckin' score."

Planet Loud - "You sound like you have a solid relationship with your wife?"
Zakk Wylde - "Fuck yeah, we've been together since sixth grade!"

Planet Loud - "What's your secret?"
Zakk Wylde - "It's like you with your partner, she'll make sure you do all the shit you've gotta do to get what you love. You know what I mean? Fuck it, if you're Ozzy or Jimmy Page or whatever, she'll be lookin' at you and supporting you in what you love."

Planet Loud - "Did your parents support your musical career?"
Zakk Wylde - "The bottom line is that you support your kids in whatever they do but you can't fuckin' force them to do anything. You're a writer but you can't force your kids to do that so you've gotta support them in what they choose. Put it this way, even if you're George Best and your kid doesn't want to play soccer, what the fuck can you do if your kid wants to be a painter instead of a soccer player? Fuck it, let him do that, that's what he loves."

Planet Loud - "As well as your wife, you're obviously close to your father?"
Zakk Wylde - "He's a sweetheart bro, he's the best. When he walks on the bus it's just amazing and he just hangs with us. That's the Black Label way. Everyone who rolls with Black Label is just awesome."

Planet Loud - "What did you learn from him? "
Zakk Wylde - "A work ethic. It'd be like four thirty in the morning and I'd hear him getting up for work and his change rattling around in his pants as he was going out. He'd come home at about six or seven but he made sure he showed up for the important things in my life. You always knew there was going to be food on the table and a roof over your head. He always made sure you knew that you had to earn your way. I'd have to pay my way and if I wanted a guitar, they'd chip in but I'd have to earn the majority of it. That's how I got my first Les Paul and that is something I'm going to pass on to my kids. Whatever their dreams are, there is nothing better than watching them as those dreams come true. That's what it's all about bro."

Planet Loud - "What advice would you give any budding Zakk Wyldes?"
Zakk Wylde - "Play music for the right reasons. Don't do it for money or fuckin' that bullshit. Do it because you want to be the fuckin' best. Find what you love and do it to fuckin' death."

Planet Loud - "Okay Zakk, it's been a pleasure talking to you, have you got anything else to say?"
Zakk Wylde - "Man, like I said, global fuckin' domination. After that we're gonna open up Black Label pubs all over the galaxy - Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, fuck it, it sounds ridiculous but fuck it, that's what we're gonna do. Take care bro and we'll see you for a pint when we hit London."

Read the entire interview at www.planet-loud.com.