I-Rock 93.5 Talks with Zakk Wylde About Opening For Zakk Wylde

Every interview is different.  You never know what you're going to get when a rockstar picks up the phone.  When the guitar legend, shredding genius Zakk Wylde, is on the other end, you should get ready for something different.

It's A Wild Ride With Zakk Wylde

When the first thing Zakk says is "we're in the land of cheese", you know it's going to be a fun chat.

Zakk has been rocking for decades now.  With Ozzy, as Black Label Society, and Zakk Sabbath, it's been non-stop for a long time for the 59-year-old.  So what keeps him going?  "I'm still paying off the bar tab from the early Black Label Bezerker years."

So if you're going to go on tour to pay off the bar tab, you might as well go all in.  On the new tour, Black Label Society's opener is Zakk Wylde with Zakk Sabbath.  "As the lead singer and guitar player of Zakk Sabbath, I wanted to get on this Black Label tour so I could sleep with Zakk Wyld's wife."

That's a lot of intense shredding every night for Zakk.  One would think his arm and hand would hurt after something like that.  So I asked, does he have a routine to make sure he's keeping physically ready to play every night.  "Yes.  I make sure I have a healthy prostate, and I take care of my prostate on a daily basis."

The Special Guitar Used In Ozzy's Song

We did talk seriously for a moment.  Black Label Society's new album, Engines of Demolition, finishes with "Ozzy's Song".

"When we were doing Ozzy's Song, Adam Fuller was like, 'Why don't you go grab the grail?  You should probably play that one for the solo.'  Cause the first song I ever wrote with Oz was Miracle Man, and it was with that guitar."

Zakk owns his own guitar company, so he has an unlimited number of guitars to choose from.  But obviously, that was a special moment to grab that guitar for that song.  I had to ask Zakk how many guitars he has in his house.  "Sitting at the house, I have to have a couple of hundred."

Will Zakk Come Back To The Quad Cities?

The new album was written while out on tour with Pantera.  We talked more about the writing process, and if he shared any with the guys from Pantera, and of course, I dropped in "hope to see you back in the Quad Cities again soon."

Will we?  Maybe.  I can tell you 100% that the offer is out there, so maybe at some point in 2026, Zakk will come to town with both bands.  After all, he's still working to pay off that bar tab.

You can check out the full interview below and get all our "I-Rock with Rock Stars" interviews here.