Zakk Wylde Claims He Was Ozzy Osbourne’s Fifth Choice and “Last Option” to Play Guitar on His Final Tour
Given that Zakk Wylde is by far the best thing about Ozzy Osbourne’s currently-in-progress farewell tour, fans will likely be shocked at Wylde’s new claim that he was Ozzy’s last choice to play guitar on the trek. From a new interview with The Cleveland Scene:
“Ozzy said, ‘Gus G. is doing the Firewind thing, and Jake [E. Lee] is doing his thing. Brad Gillis is doing Night Ranger. Bernie Tormé is still doing the blues thing. You’re the last option. Do you want to do it?’
“I said, ‘Yes.’ My buddies go, ‘Doesn’t it bother you that you’re the last option?’. I said, ‘No. At least, I’m an option.’
“We did rehearsals, and Ozzy said to me like he said to me when I was 19 years old, ‘Just play with your heart and make me a ham sandwich and go light on the mustard.’ I made him a ham sandwich and went light on the mustard and here we are.”
First of all, good for Zakk for not letting this bother him. He clearly either loves Ozzy dearly and/or is too smart to let emotions get in the way of business.
Second of all, if we assume this is true… what the actual fuck? Maybe having Jake E. Lee or Gus G. play guitar on the tour would have made sense, since Gus was his most recent guitarist, and fans haven’t had a chance to see Ozzy and Jake together in decades. But are there seriously fans who’d rather see Ozzy play with Tormé or Gillis? In that case, why not just bring back Joe frickin’ Holmes? Isn’t passing on Zakk for Bernie or Brad a little like passing on Roger Moore for a new Bond movie to bring back George Lazenby or Timothy Dalton? (Randy Rhoads would obviously be Sean Connery in this scenario (and yes I know Roger Moore is dead, I’m making a point).) The fans are going NUTS for Wylde at these shows. I can’t imagine any of those other dudes, save for maybe Jake E. Lee, eliciting the same level of excitement.
And finally… Jesus Harold Christ, what is Ozzy’s problem? Remember when Zakk was fired in 2009, and Ozzy didn’t even tell him or give him a phone call after he found out? And now he TOLD Zakk that he was the last choice for the job? Even if that was a negotiating tactic, it would be pretty cold (and probably not wise — knowing he was the last choice would theoretically have given Zakk some leverage). So if we assume this is true, it sure does make Ozzy seem like a real jerk. I’ll bet he didn’t even get Zakk a card for secretary’s day or nuthin’.
[via Metal Injection]
