thanks for the update Starsko!

Poison are pretty big...they tour the states every year and even have an album or 2 out this decade...plus they put on a helluva show...i saw them in 2002 and it was friggin' great

but did anyone really think baz was touring with GnR this year? i mean in all honesty

Congrats!

yay babies here babies there babies babies everywhere...

i forgot how much the first 3 month sucked but now my littlest one is so friggin cute! take it easy and hopefully the complications are over for you

ZAKK WYLDE: Return To Oz
Posted on Wednesday, March 05 @ 11:00:00 EST by Simon 

Words by Simon Milburn

At 19 years of age, who really knows where they will be in a few years time, five years time, ten or even twenty years time. When unknown shredder Zakk Wylde was chosen to replace Jake E. Lee in Ozzy Osbourne's band in 1987, this beer drinkin', hell raisin', fret blazin' teenager had no idea of where his new job would take him. His first outing alongside the Prince Of Darkness would be 1988's No Rest For The Wicked, and soon enough as Osbourne churned out 1991's No More Tears and 1995's Ozzmosis, Wylde's presence and stature grew accordingly. Zakk Wylde branched with Pride & Glory, a solo record (1996's Book Of Shadows) and eventually his own Black Label Society, and all along the way, his commitment as Osbourne's right hand man never faltered.

After six years, Ozzy fans were rewarded were 2007's Black Rain and although Osbourne (who will be 60 this year) is looking to slow some aspects of his career down, the group (which alongside Osbourne and Wylde, consists of bassist Rob '˜Blasko' Nicholson (formerly of Rob Zombie's band) and ex-Faith No More drummer Mike '˜Puffy' Bordin) are finally returning to destroy Australian audiences with their evil, aural assault. Enjoying some time at home in California (U.S.A.), guitarist Zakk Wylde is 'just chillin', liftin' weights, practicing; life as usual' as he so succinctly puts it. I caught up with Wylde to talk about Ozzy's return to Australia, the writing process for an Ozzy album, Wylde's goals as a songwriter and guitarist, and just how unreal it is to think that the once unknown 19 year old has shared the stage with one of metal's all time legends for over twenty years.

'It's nuts man! We were just laughin' the other day, I was 19, I'm 41 now. It might not be (unreal) at 41, but it is in dog years. So that makes me about 523 years old right now,' jokes the guitarist.

As daunting as a new job could ever be to someone so young, Wylde took it all in his stride with a strong focus, particularly when it came to expectations he had of his new job.

'I'm gonna get good and fuckin' smashed drunk. That was about it. No, y'know, just try and do the best job I could and try and hang with Randy (Castillo, former Ozzy Osbourne drummer who died in 2002), and the guys, y'know? That was about it. Just do the best job I could, because they were some pretty big shoes man. That was about it. Just work my ass off, just try kick some friggin' ass and that's about it man. Just drink some beers and be cool, man.'

There's no doubt that the vacant position of Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist was going to be a huge gig for whoever was chosen to fill it. They would not only be taking the place of Jake E. Lee, but they were also stepping into the position held by the legendary Randy Rhoads.

'With Randy and Jake, coming after Tony (Iommi, Black Sabbath guitarist), you can't fill somebody's shoes. You just gotta come down and kick the door down with your own shoes. So I just took the lead after that, y'know what I mean? You just give it your best shot and that's about it, man.'

Over the course of the next two decades, Wylde's profile as a guitarist would sky rocket from the humble beginnings of an unknown 19 year old to today which sees him feature regularly in just about every guitar magazine that budding guitarists read. But it's a position that Wylde never gave much thought to.

'Um, no. I don't think you ever think about that. You just play for the pure love of playing, and you can always get better. I don't care what you do, you can always get better. I doesn't matter whether it's technique or song writing or whatever, I mean look at The Beatles! They could have stopped after '˜She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah,' (referencing The Beatles single She Loves You from 1963)' sings the frontman of Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society. 'I mean that was massive! There was a whole bunch of stuff going on. Then they started moving along, and then they hit Sgt. Pepper's (Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967), and it was like '˜Oh my God! What the hell is this?' You look back to the first couple of early Beatles records - Help and stuff like that, if they would have ended then, they still would have been a legendary band. Then all of a sudden, they released Sgt. Pepper's and that topped everything, then Let It Be, and that was an amazing record too.'

Whilst Wylde has defined his own unique style over time, at the end of it all regardless of how fast or smooth or whatever his playing might be, for Wylde the end goal for writing songs is just that - the songs.

'To me, it's all about the songs. You can always put ripping guitar solos on it or fast things, or whatever the hell you want to do. But the whole thing is with the tunes - it always comes down to the songs. Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page can do ripping solos and stuff like that. But when you think of Zep, it's not just the guitar playing. It's the whole package - the songs, the production, the performances of all the guys - it's the whole thing.'

Regardless of whether Wylde is writing for Ozzy or his own projects, the ideal remains solely around the songs themselves.

'Yep, it's the same thing. It's just gotta be cool tunes, man. Simon, I know you're capable of shreddin' on the guitar. I know you can play Dave Gilmor (Pink Floyd) solos, you can play Yngwie (Malmsteen) solos. You can do both. You can do the slower stuff and you can do the fast stuff. But when you got a song like Comfortably Numb (by Pink Floyd, from the 1979 album, The Wall) that you could put the slow solo on, y'know what I mean? And when you got a fast song that requires you playing a fast solo, you can do that as well. Even if it's gotta be a heavy song, it's gotta be a good heavy song.'

That in mind, the writing process with Ozzy has remained a constant for some time now.

'Usually, the way it's always been, I'll just write the riffs and everything like that and when there's a riff that Ozzy likes, he'll go '˜Zakk, I really dig that one. I really dig that one and that one. That one's crap, but I really dig that one. That one's really good. That one? I don't like that one. That one's really cool.' That's the way it usually works. Then Oz will just start singing something over it and maybe him or Kevin will start working on lyrics. Then the next thing you know, bam! Badda boom, badda bing - we got a song.'

Whilst other artists who have their creative hands in multiple cookie jars might save a riff or a song for a particular act instead of one of their others, Wylde is definitely not of that school of thought.

'Whatever comes out comes out man. Y'know, I might die in a bizarre gardening accident tomorrow, y'know what I mean? No, just put out all the best shit you got man. Don't hold back. Just because you wrote a great song today, I mean, if you wrote Yesterday (referencing The Beatles 1965 song Yesterday from their Help! album), and you go '˜No, I'm gonna hold on to that one for (Zakk Wylde's) Black Label (Society). The next day, you write a song called '˜Hey Jude' (referencing The Beatles 1968 single Hey Jude),' sings the guitarist in his best Paul McCartney inspired voice. 'It's just like, well that's a great one too, or Let It Be (referencing The Beatles 1970 single Let It Be) or whatever. There's another great one. You just keep writing them. You just keep going. It doesn't matter whether Oz is singing on it, or you're singing on it in (Zakk Wylde's) Black Label (Society). Who cares? A good song is a good song.'

Ozzy and Zakk had a good six years to come up with the material on Osbourne's latest effort, 2007's Black Rain. With Ozzy doing the Black Sabbath reunion thing and The Osbournes TV show and Zakk Wylde busy with his Black Label Society, even Wylde admits that there was a time that there might not have been another Ozzy album. That all changed when he got '˜the call'.

'Oh yeah. Oz was jammin' with the Sabbath guys again, and I was off doing the (Zakk Wylde's) Black Label (Society) stuff, and he knows what he wants. He goes '˜Just call Zakk up and he'll come down and come jam on it. Don't worry about it.' He was like, '˜I wrote a whole bunch of songs. I want you to just put your touch on it. Just do what you gotta do and we'll finish the album,' because Oz will just go '˜Zakk, I'm just tired of the whole writing process. I've been writing with all these other people.' Usually, we write all of the songs together. He'll go, '˜Zakk, just come on down and play your ass off on these things and we'll call it a day, alright?' I'll say, '˜Alright boss, whatever you want. We'll knock it out.' It's that easy, man. We never get into arguments or anything stupid like that.'

Six years between albums is nothing when you consider that it's been just over a decade since the Prince Of Darkness played to Australian audiences on his inaugural down under tour in 1998.

'We were down there with Mike Inez and Randy Castillo. It seems weird, y'know? Now, we're coming down there with Mike (Bordin, drummer, ex-Faith No More) and Blasko (Rob '˜Blasko' Nicholson, ex-Rob Zombie band). They are a bunch of sweet guys, super talented guys, and there's Adam Wakeman playing the keyboards.'

Wylde's memories of that tour are true to form.

'There was definitely a lot of drinking going on. I can tell you that much. We had a blast when we were down there, man. I do the same stuff wherever I'm touring. I lift weights, jam, we'll do the shows, and then we'll go out and go to a bar and get something to drink. It's the way it always goes. Then you start all over the next day when you get up. You do what you gotta do whether there's press or this and that, then practice and next thing you know, we're on stage again whoopin' ass. That's the way it goes.'

With Ozzy's long awaited return to play to his faithful fans down under, Wylde's anticipation of the shows is short and sweet.

'Ah, same thing,' laughs Wylde heartily. 'Same thing, man. The beer tastes great down there so everything's good, man.'

Ozzy Osbourne's latest album, Black Rain, is out now on Epic Records through Sony/B.M.G. Music Australia in a limited edition tour edition. Ozzy Osbourne plays the following dates in Australia: March 15 Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne; March 18 Acer Arena, Sydney and March 20, Entertainment Centre, Brisbane. For more information on Ozzy Osbourne, check out www.ozzy.com.