10 Things You Didn’t Know about Zakk Wylde
Zakk Wylde is a guitarist as well as a singer-songwriter. Generally speaking, he is known for a couple of things. One, Wylde has been the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne on and off. Two, Wylde is both the lead singer and the lead guitarist of Black Label Society.
1. Born in Bayonne, NJ
Wylde was born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt in Bayonne, NJ. Said city is considered to be a part of the Gateway Region, which is the main urban area of the northeastern part of the state. Since it is anchored by Newark, it is sometimes called the Newark metropolitan area instead. Regardless, Bayonne is home to a part of the Port of New York and New Jersey, so it should come as no surprise to learn that both distribution and maritime activities remain important sectors of its economy.
2. Grew Up in Jackson, NJ
Having said that, Wylde grew up in Jackson, NJ, which is a township that can be found in the state’s Ocean County. It is interesting to note that part of the township is situated in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the largest of the pieces that remain of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens that once stretched from North Carolina in the United States to Nova Scotia in Canada. There is nothing mysterious about what happened to it. After all, that part of the continent is densely-populated, meaning that it suffered a fate that interested individuals should have no problems guessing. Still, the pieces that remain tend to be well-protected, which is an excellent example of how the local perspective on such things have changed over time.
3. Started Studying Guitar at the Age of Eight
Wylde started taking guitar lessons at the age of eight. However, he didn’t take it particularly seriously, with the result that he soon stopped before proceeding to play on his own. It wasn’t until Wylde’s mid-teens that he started taking guitar lessons once again. This time around, he took it much more seriously, so much so that he would often play the guitar non-stop from returning home to leaving home. Something that would leave him exhausted while he was at school.
4. Spent Some Time Playing in the Local Region
Eventually, Wylde formed his first band, which was called Stone Henge. Afterwards, he spent some time playing with other bands in the region as well. However, it wasn’t too long before Wylde sent Ozzy Osbourne a demo tape, which was followed by him being hired after a single audition. He is a true rock star.
5. Influenced By Randy Rhoads
Apparently, Wylde’s foremost guitarist influence is Randy Rhoads. For context, said individual was once the guitarist for Quiet Riot as well as Ozzy Osbourne. Rhoads had been educated in classical guitar, which when combined with metal influences, made him one of the pioneers for neoclassical metal. Unfortunately, he passed away at an early age because of a plane crash, which happened because the pilot botched a third attempt at buzzing the bus that the rest of the band was traveling in. The whole thing is particularly tragic because Rhoads was afraid of flying but got into the airplane anyways because he wanted to take some aerial photos of the countryside for his mother.
6. Lost and Recovered a Special Guitar
Wylde once lost a 1981 Gibson Les Paul Custom that had been bullseye-painted. This happened because the guitar was stored in the back of a truck transporting equipment, with the result that it fell out while Wylde was traveling between gigs in the state of Texas. Fortunately, he managed to get it back after three years because a fan bought the guitar from a Dallas pawn shop after spotting the initials “Z.W.” In gratitude, Wylde exchanged a signature model for it.
7. Is Roman Catholic
It is interesting to note that Wylde seems to be pretty religious. In fact, he has called himself a “soldier of Christ,” by which he apparently meant that the latter was always with him. Regardless, those who are curious should know that Wylde is Roman Catholic, which is the single biggest Christian church as well as the single biggest religious denomination out there.
8. Stopped Drinking After Being Hospitalized
Wylde stopped drinking after he was hospitalized in August of 2009. In short, what happened was that he developed blood clots. Generally speaking, blood clotting is part of a healthy process. After all, it prevents people from bleeding out, which is rather important to say the least. However, blood clots can be quite problematic when they obstruct the flow of blood in healthy blood vessels. Something that can do very unpleasant things to the tissues that are reliant upon it. On top of that, there is the potential for the blood clots to break free before traveling through the body, which can cause blockages elsewhere.
9. Has Promoted Products
On the whole, Wylde’s image is strong enough for him to have promoted products. One example would be his promotion of “Berserker” hot sauce for Blair’s Sauces and Snacks, which puts out products that are famous for their extreme spiciness. Another example would be Wylde’s team-up with Death Wish Coffee, a coffee company that boasts about producing the strongest coffee that can be found in the entire world.
10. Not Disappointed about Not Being on Ozzy Osbourne’s Latest Album
Very recently, Wylde has stated that he isn’t disappointed about not being on Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album. As far as he is concerned, while he remains close to both Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, he doesn’t need to be involved in everything that Ozzy does. Something that is particularly true because he has his own band to head up. Besides this, Wylde does seem to expect that he will be heading out on tour with Ozzy come 2022.