Ozzy, Pantera, Black Label Society, Writing the Riffs That Defined an Era -- and a Life Lived Completely on His Own Terms
Zakk Wylde is one of the most iconic guitarists in the history of heavy metal. He became Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist at 19 years old -- one of the most coveted positions in rock -- and held it for decades, playing on some of Ozzy's most celebrated records and becoming one of the defining sonic voices of the Ozzy era. He founded Black Label Society, built one of metal's most fiercely loyal fanbases, and created a body of work that spans No Rest for the Wicked, No More Tears, and a Black Label Society catalogue that stands on its own as one of metal's essential collections.
In this conversation with Elmo, Zakk opens up about all of it -- how he got the Ozzy gig as a teenager, what those years were like, his deep friendship with Dimebag Darrell and what Pantera and that era meant to him, his philosophy of the guitar, and what it means to have built a career of this size and this authenticity entirely on his own terms. This is one of the most entertaining and candid conversations in Go With Elmo's history.
"Ozzy didn't just give me a gig. He gave me a life. I owe that man everything."
His account of how he became Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist at 19 years old -- the audition, what Ozzy was like in that room, and what it felt like to land the job that changed his life. The specific story of one of rock history's most consequential guitarist-artist pairings, told by the person who lived it.
What it was actually like to be Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist -- the recordings, the tours, the creative process behind No Rest for the Wicked and No More Tears, and what Ozzy is like as a bandleader and as a person. His account of decades in one of rock's most storied partnerships and what it has meant to him personally and artistically.
His account of his friendship with Dimebag Darrell -- what Dime was like, what Pantera meant to the metal world in the 1990s, and what losing Dime did to everyone who knew him. One of the most personal and moving parts of this conversation, from someone who was genuinely close to one of metal's greatest guitarists.
How he built Black Label Society from the ground up -- the vision behind it, what he wanted it to be that Ozzy's band couldn't be, and how he has maintained one of metal's most loyal fanbases for over two decades. His account of what it means to build something entirely your own after spending years building something for someone else.
His fully developed and deeply personal philosophy of what the guitar is and what it requires -- the practice, the tone, the specific things he listens for, and what he believes separates the players who last from the ones who don't. The product of decades of work at the highest level, explained with the directness and specificity that only someone who has actually done it can bring.
His account of what it has meant to build a career that looks nothing like the industry template -- the refusals, the compromises he wouldn't make, and the specific decisions that have kept Black Label Society independent and authentic in a business that constantly pressures artists to become something else. His direct answer about what it costs to do it his way and why he wouldn't have it any other way.
The audition story: Zakk's specific and detailed account of the day he auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne -- what he played, what Ozzy said, and the specific moment when he knew he had the job. One of rock history's great origin stories, told in full by the person who lived it, and funnier and stranger than most people imagine.
On Dimebag: his most personal account of what Dimebag Darrell meant to him -- not the public tribute version but the private one, with the specific memories, the specific things Dime said and did that revealed who he was, and what it was like to lose him. One of the most moving moments in Go With Elmo's history.
His practice philosophy: the specific, technical account of how Zakk Wylde approaches the guitar -- what he still practices, how he structures his time, and the specific things he is listening for in his own playing after decades at the instrument. The most practically useful part of this conversation for anyone who plays.
On loyalty: his account of what loyalty means in the music business -- to Ozzy, to Dime's memory, to the Black Label Society fanbase -- and why he has consistently chosen it over the easier path. His direct answer about what he owes to the people who gave him his career and to the people who have stayed with him across it.