When the sound guy needs to fix your mic... (Zakk Wylde)

[Chris]

You kill some time.

[Mike]

Well, that's one way to handle it.

[Darren]

I don’t know why the sound guy didn’t take the busted mic away. Seems like Zakk was still singing into it, with the working wireless mic 8 inches away.

[Soopahmahn]

I miss when Zakk played Gibsons, instead of these jacked up Schecters he's been peddling. I swear his tone used to be better.

Then again, maybe it's the leather cabbie hat.

[RevDrucifer]

I miss when Zakk played Gibsons, instead of these jacked up Schecters he's been peddling. I swear his tone used to be better.

Then again, maybe it's the leather cabbie hat.

Agreed. I mean, I think the overwhelming majority of people agree that Zakk kind of fell off after the 2nd or 3rd BLS album when he went full on biker. That said, I saw him with Ozzy in 2018 and it was the first time a concert made me feel 15 again. I was actually at a point where I was really jaded with concerts, a big part of it was I felt like my time passed to be on those stages and it was like watching someone with your ex. That show flipped that around entirely and I’m back to loving concerts again like I was when I was a teen.

His tone was pretty great that night and he was tearing it up. As many people that have ripped off his pinch harmonics, there’s still no one that does it quite like him. Ozzy was fucking great that night too, the fact that he wasn’t pitch corrected to fuck and back was AWESOME. That dude was still giving it his all, which was really endearing.

[Soopahmahn]

^ fuckin A man. There's a lot of Zakk hate out there, I don't participate. He's definitely clowned himself out but man, he's just one of my favorite shredders and a great frontman too.

[Leon]

I think I became a fan of him again when I saw him with Generation Axe (Vai's show), and he took a 10 minute extended solo, walking through the audience, with a fucking 100' cable that took at least 8 roadies to wrangle off stage and lift over the crowd

[RevDrucifer]

^ fuckin A man. There's a lot of Zakk hate out there, I don't participate. He's definitely clowned himself out but man, he's just one of my favorite shredders and a great frontman too.

Yeah, it’s like that biker phase overshadows the goofball he is. He also did the “Kardashian diet milkshake” joke way too many times, it seemed he was making that joke in every interview for 3 years straight. But I’d love to shoot the shit with him, that dude must have so many fucking stories to tell. His playing from the late 80’s through the late 90’s was straight up rippin’ and had a huge influence on me. I was just starting to get into heavier stuff when the first BLS album came out and it was right up my alley. I don’t think I dropped off until after 1919 Eternal or whatever the title of that was.

And really, the dude is a fantastic singer, especially back in the day. I mean, gooddamn-

[Chris]

^ fuckin A man. There's a lot of Zakk hate out there, I don't participate. He's definitely clowned himself out but man, he's just one of my favorite shredders and a great frontman too.

I agree with you other than that last part. His voice sounds like Ozzy Karaoke and he looks ridiculous in his tough guy biker getup.

He's in my top 5 all time guitarists though. One of the last truly unique sounding rock/metal guitarists that you can identify immediately with just a few notes. That's really hard to do in an industry full of clones.

[RevDrucifer]

I think I became a fan of him again when I saw him with Generation Axe (Vai's show), and he took a 10 minute extended solo, walking through the audience, with a fucking 100' cable that took at least 8 roadies to wrangle off stage and lift over the crowd

He did it at the Ozzy show I was at as well. It was a festival show with two stages side by side and a large gap between the crowds separating the stages. He made it almost to FOH just wailin’ away and what surprised me the most was how into it the audience was. Definitely played a part of that particular show reinvigorating my love of live music, hearing the crowd going apeshit for him shredding. I can’t even remember the last show I was at that had a guitar solo in the set…..and whatever it was, I probably went and got a beer.

[Chris]

Then again, maybe it's the leather cabbie hat.

Seriously. Nobody pulls this look off, ever.

[Greg McCoy]

Seriously. Nobody pulls this look off, ever.

Zakk Wylde can pull off any look. Especially the Uma Thurman Kill Bill jumpsuit. Truly an underrated Zakk Wylde music video.

[zepp]

He was one of my guitar heroes growing up. Just an absolutely killer player who approached things totally differently. There’s tricks he does that I still don’t understand how to do. Stuff that sounds like he has a trem but he never used one. Just awesome.

Live at Budokan and the first BLS album lived in my CD player for a long time

[Ghost.]

Man, speaking of those crazy guitar solos. I saw him at a small club in Greensboro, N.C.

And when he did that he walked out the crazy long cable like he did at the Generation Axe show I saw as well but this was a "Zakk Sabbath" show and I had no idea people were going to come out to this. It was definitely over capacity by a long shot. Anyway, so he comes out and jumps on the bar with the guitar behind his head just wailing away for just minutes and it was nuts. That whole show was a giant solo with some singing and I loved every minute of it. It was just nuts how he made the crowd go wylde.

@Soophamahn It's not just you. I feel the same way. I keep wondering if J.C. at Gibson is going to try to swing him back in. Zakk had to sell a TON of guitars with Gibson and Epiphone. He tried to go off and do the "E.V.H." Brand thing and I'm so sure how good it's going. So many of those guitars are ugly, they play decently well. My Dad owns one of the Pehlam Blue Warhammers and it's fun to mess around with. The neck feels just like his Gibson just not as "high quality" obviously. I always wanted an Orange Buzzsaw.
But yeah, his tone is nowhere near as good and it's evident on the albums.

I get tired of trying to watch interviews with Zakk because he can never be serious but I love that guy. I would love to hang out with him. I met him one time and he was as nice as he could be. He was doing a private photo shoot and I knew the people who owned the property. I'll see if I can find the photo.

[Soopahmahn]

I agree with you other than that last part. His voice sounds like Ozzy Karaoke and he looks ridiculous in his tough guy biker getup.

He's in my top 5 all time guitarists though. One of the last truly unique sounding rock/metal guitarists that you can identify immediately with just a few notes. That's really hard to do in an industry full of clones.

See, I know he sounds like a strangled cat in heat when he sings, but I give him credit as a frontman. His presence and band leadership is undeniable. He hooks the crowd and keeps their attention despite playing 95% pentatonic-only shred for 90 minutes at a crack. No small feat! And as for his stage getup, well, look at his audience.

Doubly agreed on his uniqueness. If you strip back some of the clown show, the guy is really an artist and a super passionate guitar player. I would wager tens of thousands of amateur guitarists got started in earnest after they watched Live at Budokan or Pentatonic Hardcore, me included.

[Greg McCoy]

he can never be serious

Clearly you have never seen the "In this River" music video. The most insanely over the top serious music video ever created.

I love Zakk, and I also love Cowboys era Dime. The song is a great tribute, but that over the top serious video..... holy fuck. The annotated plot summary.

1) Zakk Wylde hires two children and makes the Dimebag child wear the world shittiest Billy Ray Cyrus halloween wig. Which uh......OK, grief does weird shit to people. This video is already way too over the top with the weird sepia toned plot of child Dime and child Zakk having adventures.



2) Zakk Wylde looks towards Dimebag in heaven to say "THIS ONES FOR YOU BROTHER".



3) The music video abruptly turns into the worlds shittiest David Lynch short film. Featuring a child with leprosy shackled to a brief case beating the brief case against a log. This is commentary on......... something. I'm sure of it.



4) DEREK ZOOLANDER: CHILD LEPER



5) In case it wasn't already clear, this song is for Dimebag, who is heaven, who Zakk Wylde is once again singing directly to. This time with a "THIS ONES FOR YOU BROTHER" finger point.



6) Child Zakk and Child Dime confront the EVIL WIZARD OF DEATH and HIS GOAT



7) Zakk Wylde attempts to prevent Death from claiming Dimebag's soul with squealing pinch harmonics



8) FUCK YO PIANO



9) FUCK YO PIANO PART II



10) In case you forgot, this song is for Dimebag, who is, as Zakk Wylde's pointing would seem to imply, in heaven



11) In spite of the fact that up to this point the video was obviously taking place in the deep Voodoo south, child Dimebag gets a funerary viking pyre made out of bamboo. Which is pushed into the water by Jawas on meth.



12) FUCK YO BAMBOO



13) IT'S LIKE BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA WITH MORE PINCH HARMONICS. Child dimebag drowns in titular river.



14) Child Zakk, who did not die in the river, emerges fully grown in a magnificent slow motion shot featuring a crawl stroke with PERFECT FORM wearing a leather vest and archery bracers from a costume store. This combination isn't traditionally considered Olympic level swimming apparel, but works here.

[RevDrucifer]

He was one of my guitar heroes growing up. Just an absolutely killer player who approached things totally differently. There’s tricks he does that I still don’t understand how to do. Stuff that sounds like he has a trem but he never used one. Just awesome.

Live at Budokan and the first BLS album lived in my CD player for a long time

I love that shit. For a lot of it he’s bending a string lower on the neck, tapping a higher note and then dropping the bend while holding the tapped note, or he’ll bend the string behind the nut. But the speed and fluidity of it is the part that’s a bitch to pull off.

I’d love to play one of his guitars to see what the string tension is like. I can only get vibrato like that if I’ve got some slack on the strings and I still have to manhandle the shit out of them.

[Soopahmahn]

Hey, I like "fuck yo piano pt II"

[zepp]

I love that shit. For a lot of it he’s bending a string lower on the neck, tapping a higher note and then dropping the bend while holding the tapped note, or he’ll bend the string behind the nut. But the speed and fluidity of it is the part that’s a bitch to pull off.

I’d love to play one of his guitars to see what the string tension is like. I can only get vibrato like that if I’ve got some slack on the strings and I still have to manhandle the shit out of them.

Oh so that’s what he’s doing? I couldn’t tell from the Budokan vid and it has been driving me crazy for the past two days.

I wonder if he’s old school and uses 9s

[RevDrucifer]

Oh so that’s what he’s doing? I couldn’t tell from the Budokan vid and it has been driving me crazy for the past two days.

I wonder if he’s old school and uses 9s

He’s had a few sig sets of strings in different gauges from when he started tuning down to B and shit in BLS. It’s been so long since I’ve looked into his gear that I can’t remember what they were anymore.

If I have the energy tonight I’ll make a video demonstrating the tapping thing. I got it down pretty well when I first got a hard tail guitar but being a lazy fucker, I just use my JEM for all my lead stuff.

[zepp]

He’s had a few sig sets of strings in different gauges from when he started tuning down to B and shit in BLS. It’s been so long since I’ve looked into his gear that I can’t remember what they were anymore.

If I have the energy tonight I’ll make a video demonstrating the tapping thing. I got it down pretty well when I first got a hard tail guitar but being a lazy fucker, I just use my JEM for all my lead stuff.

I’d never actually use it, but it’s one of those things you just have to try.

[RevDrucifer]

I’d never actually use it, but it’s one of those things you just have to try.

I slip one in occasionally, but since I never practice it, I always fuck it up and usually trainwreck.