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F-F-F-Feudin'

OZZY OSBOURNE DEBUTS NEW GUITARIST GUS G., PUTS ZAKK WYLDE IN THE HOSPITAL

 Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 10:00am by

First, let’s just talk about how we arrived at this place we currently find ourselves:

  1. Ozzy gave an interview where he announced that Zakk Wylde was no longer his guitar player.
  2. Zakk Wylde’s response was basically “HUH?!”
  3. Ozzy dodged speaking to Zakk for weeks.
  4. Word got out that Gus G. was getting Zakk’s job and would make his debut at Blizzcon.
  5. Randall Amps confirmed that Gus G. was getting Zakk’s job and would make his debut at Blizzcon.
  6. Ozzy’s camp finally confirmed that Gus G. was getting Zakk’s job and would make his debut at Blizzcon  – but blamed Zakk’s touring schedule with BLS for the switch, despite the fact that Zakk had been giving interviews where he talked about doing the Blizzcon show.

And what makes me angry about all of this now isn’t that Zakk got screwed – it’s that the Osbournes still refuse to be honest about everything. They’re continuing to handle this situation as though the whole “Whoops, we forgot to tell Zakk he’s fired” thing never happened. Telling the fans that Zakk couldn’t do the Blizzcon gig because of his BLS tour might have sounded like a valid excuse, had we not all been aware for ages now that Zakk was being shown the door. This is one situation where a little “We fucked up”-type honesty would’ve really hit the spot, but apparently Sharon takes her cues from the Dick Cheney “Never admit defeat, continue to ignore reality” playbook.

So. Ozzy did indeed do the Blizzcon gig, and Gus G. did in fact play guitar. (Ozzy also debuted new drummer Tommy Clufetos, who used to play with ongoing bass player Blasko in Rob Zombie’s solo band, and has experience dealing with post-menopausal divas like Sharon from previous gigs with Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent.) And Gus G. is a great guitar player and he did a really good job. He had absolutely no trouble duplicating Zakk’s squeals, which is shocking.

But the performance did seem to highlight the ongoing problem that no guitar player, no matter how awesome, will be able to fix: Ozzy still sucks. He sounds like shit and makes Mick Mars look athletic. And Gus G. will, hopefully, manage to write some awesome songs for Ozzy, and they can autotune the shit out of the Prince of Being Full of Shit and give us a semi-decent Ozzy record.

But live, it’s over. Ozzy is a figurehead now, a mascot for metal (as Rob Pasbani at Metal Injection wisely observed), and nothing more.

Meanwhile, how did Zakk take the news that he was, indeed, out of the job? He went to the emergency room for blood clots.

zakk_clot

Sharon just won’t be happy until she kills someone, damn it.

Here’s more of Zakk playing with Gus G., Clufetos and Blasko – a seriously awesome band that seriously needs a new singer.


-AR

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  • Fink

    Zakk Wylde upskirt… gross.

    • Double D

      HAHAHAHAHA! I was thinking the same thing! Maybe we can sell that pic to one of those porno sites!

    • Elitist Fuck

      Rule 34 in effect.

  • Metal Fuckin’ Dave

    I’m really starting to feel bad for Zakk. And I have fucking hated that dude for awhile. And based on the clot socks he is wearing in that picture, there could be a real serious problem with his health on the horizon. Of course…all that drinking… And Ozzy is shaping up to be a real asshole. I always thought it was Sharon’s complete manipulation of everyone around her, but the fact that Ozzy is treating not only his friend but die hard supporter for YEARS like this is just uncool. I’ve even lost a smattering of respect for Gus G because he took the gig. I know…shitload of money and all but…credibility.

    • Metal Fuckin’ Dave

      That Yuto kid, however, continues to impress me. He is destined for stardom. I think I am going to buy my daughter an instrument for her 3rd birthday. Her mom will resent the shit out of me, so it could be beneficial on multiple fronts :)

      • Slaughterhouse

        1

    • mike

      Why is Gus G not supposed to accept such a huge opportunity just because someone else lost the job he’s filling?

      • Double D

        I agree. It ain’t his fault that Ozzy is dicking around. I would take a job in which the vacancy existed as a result of someone getting screwed over. You gotta pay the bills…

    • raymond s

      u got 2 take the gig.he’s now a house hold name.even tho ozzys half retarded he’s still ozzy.

  • canea

    maybe it’s just time to replace ozzy?

    • Slaughterhouse

      lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-He/749730660 Richard He

    Excellent article – you guys said it perfectly.

    Crazy Train with Gus G duelling the 7-year-old kid could not be more fucking surreal. Kid’s amazing, yeah – it’d almost be cool how Ozzy lifts him like he did Randy on the album cover of Tribute – except it’s a liiiiitle too close to a crotch grab. Hmm.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Trip-Cahouet/706361037 Trip Cahouet

      Ozzy=Metal MJ?

  • Rolling Thunder

    I literally drank an entire bottle of scotch yesterday. I left my house this morning without my wallet and house keys, I however did have my cell phone..either way I was late to work..and i’m still very much not sober. When I did arrive to work I was hit in the face with a large reality check and am still trying to balance my comicly over-sized, bright green “the game of life” checkbook.

    I guess my point is, this is not appropriate monday morning cannon fodder. It doesn’t help that this article was expertly written, just makes the whole pill of information that much harder to shove up my ass! Can you please post something about horses or a readers poll of their favorite Death album? I would much rather prefer to weigh in on that topic.

    • Hammer_Smashed_Hurtt

      Epic win on your behalf Sir, go home and finish another bottle

      Fuck reality.

    • jackattack

      Wonderful. Well done, sir.

  • JRTME

    I don’t feel bad for Zakk he had a long run as Ozzy’s guitar player. (Pretty much longer then all the others combined).

    Ozzy should have changed a long time ago.

    • stu1

      I don’t think people feel bad he lost it, in general. But rather the way he found out.

      • raymond s

        zakk has enuf money not 2 worry about anything.he’s a big boy and i’m sure he doen’t give a fuck what any of u assholes r saying about him.as a matter of fact its prob the best thing that ever happend 2 him.now he can tighten his shit up and just kill it with black label.think about it.a black label show or an ozzy show?thats real simple 2 answer.the last good show i saw with ozzy was in 81 with randy.who the fuck is paying 2 c this guy any way.

  • DecrystallizingReason

    Somebody needs to tell Ozzy when to quit, he’s obviously to far gone to realize what an ass he’s making of himself. Sad, really.

    • cougar party

      He’s been putting on shows like this for years. It’s amazing that anyone still pays to see Ozzy. Very sad.

      • Deaner

        no shit… It’s not entertaining as music, and it’s definitely not entertaining as a failure… kinda feel bad for the old koot

        • Deaner

          actually not at all, he’s rich as fuck

  • http://www.blacklodges.com steven

    god that sucked.

  • http://metallic-rain.blogspot.com Gah

    If I were Zakk, I wouldn’t give a shit ’bout Ozzy firing me. Maybe Zakk’s even better off now – he needs to move on, find a new ‘wife’.

    Well, anyhow, I leave you with this, since everyone’s expressing their extreme hate toward Ozzy, the druggie.
    http://i27.tinypic.com/2en7nlt.jpg

    • groverXIII

      The only issue I have with the pic you posted is the assumption that John 5 is a shitty guitarist… people really need to check out his solo stuff and disregard his work with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.

      That is all.

      • http://metallic-rain.blogspot.com Gah

        Well, I didn’t write what’s in that comment but, in general, I don’t think a lot of metalheads listen to John 5. Many judge right away according to their own personal good-metal-bad-metal-bands list. I hate his solos.

      • groverXIII

        Maybe if more people listened to his solo stuff, we wouldn’t have shitty bands like Marilyn Manson around.

        Then again, I suppose it’s his own fault for slumming in these bands, so I guess it’s not surprising that he gets pigeonholed. As long as he keeps shredding on his solo albums, so much the better.

  • SP420

    Why is it SHOCKING that he can duplicate a fucking pinch harmonic? Zakk doesn’t have a fucking trademark on the move. Jesus christ, get off his fucking dick.

    • http://www.metalsucks.net Axl Rosenberg

      It’s called “sarcasm,” nit wit.

  • Joss

    omg, he really sucks vocally now, I laughed loud at one of hi’s “come on!” sounded like an old drunken sailor to me.

  • Cullen

    The material is good, but Ozzy just doesn’t have it in him anymore at 60. Dio is still doing well at 67 and Bruce Dickinson is still ripping it up 51, all the years of abuse Ozzy put himself through have killed his career far too early.

    • Trux

      Dio is 67 ??

      • Gah

        he was born in 1942.

  • Name Not Applicable

    If Ozzy picked me up on stage I would kick him in the face.

  • goolash

    haha like watchin a soap opera. fuckin retarded. Zakk just got publicly fucked over hard!!!!

  • Phantasm

    Ozzy seems a little off, especially in I don’t want to change the world. Gus G is awesome, I kinda expected more. I hope Zakk starts talking shit about Ozzy, this is just cruel.

  • josecarnage

    i wish he died i hate zakk wylde just as much as i hate pantera

  • charlieb

    I can’t understand a word Ozzy is singing. The guy needs to retire since he has been doing the same dumb shit for years.

  • groverXIII

    Wow… That was awful on Ozzy’s part. I saw him as part of Sabbath on Ozzfest however many years back, and he sounded a lot better than this, but this was horrible.

    And it sounds like Gus G. just duplicated Zakk’s guitar parts rather than putting his own spin on them. I guess that’s not a huge surprise, but it does mean that we’re subjected to a boatload of pinch harmonics.

    • groverXIII

      And does Ozzy seriously have his hair braided? What the fuck?

  • mikec909

    Wasnt’ that kid in Goonies or the second Indiana Jones movie?

    • groverXIII

      I’m going with Goonies… he looks more like Data to me.

      “Booty traps!”

  • Shpadoinkle

    Great article. I love how the scathing sarcasm turns into unabashed hate towards the end.

  • Sammy

    Yo, yo, yo Dawg, check it out. Yo, you’re pitchy, dawg.

  • dlux

    gotta love ozzy’s voice cracking. dudes sucks all kinds of balls. and gus g’s tone sounds like one of the no talent ass clowns “shredding” it up at your local guitar center. good move sharon!!!!

    • plumber

      When I clicked to watch the first and Ozzy’s voice cracked for the first time I had to kill it. It’s just sad to watch.

  • dlux

    why does ozzy insist on singing or talking through 99% of the songs. the way he was saying “come on, let’s go crazy!!!” during the solo for “bark at the moon” was plain retarded. not to mention the fact that his vocals were mixed about twice as loud as the guitars. let’s face it, NOBODY listens to ozzy CDs for his vocals. NOBODY

  • Jack Meoff

    funny how Ozzy won’t let Gus play his ultra GAY shaped signature model he has with ESP

  • http://www.myspace.com/smitetherighteous kilgore

    zakk in stockings?

  • Tommy Lindbergsen

    Why is Ozzy dressed up like one of those queers in Korn?
    What the fuck is this shit?
    RETIRE!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Devon-Czekaj/550092101 Devon Czekaj

    You could play a drinking game with the amount of times Ozzy tells the audience to “go fucking crazy”.

    • dlux

      hahaha. my buddies play one for everytime zakk does a pitch squeal and everytime rob zombie says “yeah”. needless to say, it’s a short game everytime. haha

  • bearwizard

    ozzy is an honest to god windowlicker

  • http://www.solidsterecords.com NoCowNoFood

    BIG DEAL BOTH ARE FUCKIN RICH WHAT ELSE? WE HAVE AN ELECTRICITY FAILURE HERE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WHERE OUR GOVERMENT STEALS THE BUCKS WE PUT ON TAXES, NO TAX REFUND. CRIMINALITY/ DRUG DEALING/ AND IM STILL A METALHEAD.. SO U SUCK IT UP AND GOD BLESS U

    • Tommy Lindbergsen

      I guess computers in the Dominican Republic don’t come with a caps lock option.

      • dlux

        the gov’t stole that too

  • jackattack

    What I don’t understand is why people continue to suggest that Ozzy was EVER a good vocalist. Sure, his voice went along well with the music in his Sabbath/solo golden years (if you can even call it that), but his lyrics have always sucked ass for the most part and his voice sounds like an uncharged dental drill with rust in the sprocket.

  • Teo

    As others pointed out earlier, this is sad, and kind of pathetic. Ozzy is so finished, I mean listen to him … Ok, he was an impotant figure in the early rock/metal scene, but come on, make room for others. We don’t need this. And should he teach that wife of his some manners; if they wanted Zakk out, why the hell all the lame excuses. If Ozzy was a man, he would stand up and tell the guy “ok, I need some changes, so lets go separate ways and still be friends” ,,, but no …
    My biggest fear is that the Osbournes will eventually find an excuse to sue Zakk Wylde for something. These people should stop, or be stopped; by force if necessary. This ain’t some mtv freak show, this is real life. And in the real life doing things like these will blow away any trace of respect from the real people.
    Gus seems like a nice guy, but I suspect that he wasn’t allowed to play at his full potential.

    Get better Zakk, and keep on rocking, SDMF.

    • Anonymous

      To all bashing Gus G. here, As someone who considers themselves a friend and fan of his, I would like to defend him and let people know what kind of a person they are tearing apart.

      I, for one do not think Gus took the gig for money, I firmly believe it was to give Firewind some exposure and to make some decent money to keep FW going, as anyone who knows Gus can tell you, Firewind is his baby….and he is not leaving Firewind, for all who’d llike to know.

      Can you blame him really that Zakk Wylde had to lose a job for it? In my opinion, Zakk Wylde’s playing has been very stale for many many years anyhow, so it’s not like the fans have lost much there. If anything, they’ve gained.

      Music has been my friend’s passion since he was young and he has given all his love, sweat, blood, tears, and almost everything else for it.

      Say what you will about his playing (we are all entitled to our opinions), but please know that he is most likely not doing this for the money.

      A huge thank you to those giving him a chance and Gus, I’m so happy for you right now!!! I can’t wait to see you when you come back with Firewind!

  • Teo

    “Here’s more of Zakk playing with Gus G., Clufetos and Blasko – a seriously awesome band that seriously needs a new singe ..”
    You have a typo, I guess you meant ozzy …

    • Hendecahedron!!

      exactly, I wondered how Zakk could be in both the hospital and playing guitar with the old guy who kicked him out and his replacement.

  • Frampler

    Ozzy hasn’t done anything good since Sabotage in 1975. The songs on Blizzard of Ozz are weak – only the guitar parts impress me.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Hakli/885670392 Richard Hakli

    Massive lol at Ozzy scuttling around onstage yelling “go crazy” and not finishing any of the choruses of “Crazy Train” (except for the one at 6:25 where even he knows he’s lost it). Poor old guy.

  • http://reaper-x.deviantart.com/ Reaper-X

    Ozzy is a fading face in the metal world. We can only hope that more innovators will come to take his place, as the only part of Ozzy that really remains respectable is the memory of what Ozzy once was.

    The sight of a 7 year old kid on stage hammering it out with adults is pretty badass though. That brought a smile to my face.

  • http://dgmetal.org The Daily Grind

    Gus G was fucking sick, definitely a fresher take on old tunes, but Ozzy is annoying as fuck.

  • Dan

    Ozzy will forever be one the godfathers with metal, but he really should have thrown in the towel a while ago and faded into the woodwork. I feel sorry for Zakk, the loyal service he’s given Ozzy through the years is undeniable. Zakk had Ozzy’s back at every turn and to publicly be fucked over like this is inexcusable on the Osbournes’ half. I hope Zakk recovers quickly from whatever medical issues he may be having at the moment, and puts all his frustrations and anger over this situation into one hell of a Black Label Society album.

  • Cody

    Does anyone else hate that fucking keyboard?

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Sanders/1220174165 Mike Sanders

      YES

    • chinggis

      i bet i hate it more than you do!

  • Chris

    Does this mean we’re gonna get a re-recorded No More Tears?

  • ThrashandDestroy

    Ozzy just please PLEASE retire.
    I don’t want to see another shitty album or you humiliating yourself.
    Unless he is trying to sound bad o_0

  • derek

    its amazes me that so many people are there and still into ozzy. its like how bad does he have to get before he loses the respect from every one of his fans?

  • NuMallCore Pwns Yo Mama

    Maybe we can get Ozzy’s band to put out a band without Ozzy. He’s obviously the weakest link here.

  • EthR

    Wow. Ozzy its time to retire. No really give it up.

  • http://www.welovemetal.com We Love Metal

    Ozzy is dead to me. Dead. Jesus I”m in mourning.

  • yanky

    im gonna go with ozzy is dead
    its just easier to deal with that way

    at least i got to see ozzy with zakk

  • joethecabdriver

    He didn’t sound half bad on the Sabbath song, which is in a lower register. I think he has a problem that a lot of aging singers have when it comes to hitting the high notes. He just can’t sing that high anymore. Rob Halford he is not. He should rejoin Black Sabbath.

  • DStreete

    It too bad Ozzy couldn’t man up. Hell Zakk has left before on friendly terms. Hell he made Oz the godfather to his children for crying out loud. No matter what you think of Zakk, you can’t give this one to Ozzy, it sucked.

    And remember, zakk had little or no input on the last couple of albums, so Ozzy’s “excuse” is bullshit too.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Sanders/1220174165 Mike Sanders

    @joethecabdriver Okay seriously now.. Ozzy is STILL an AMAZING singer.. Gus plays in drop fucking C.. His guitar is far more bassy and there is a lot more synth keyboard in these songs than there is guitar. That’s what you get for playing on Solid State Randalls there GUS.. I guarantee if we could bring back Randy or even if Zakk played with him again we would see the old Ozzy again.. It’s not that he can’t sing high.. He can’t sing in that low of an octave.. He needs the guitar to be played a half step to full step higher..

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Kelly/1564946695 Ryan Kelly

      Mike sanders????? Drop C??? Which song were you listening to?

  • SEBASTIAN

    OMG THIS CONCERT IS HORRIBLE!!!!! The Sound total shit! OMG it’s a TOTAL HOT MESS! Let’s see…… Zakk must be rolling in the aisles laughing (or hospital gown) while Randy Rhoads is doing cartwheels in his grave. Any REAL Ozzy has got to know this total shit……. total…. Having the little kid up there?? WHAT IS OZZY NOW A DOG & PONY SHOW??? It’s comical…. what was this a comedy show? Ozzy’s singing is beyond bad and people on here are still saying it’s great?!?!? HUH??? Man pass that cool aid around PLEASE!!!!!! Ozzy JUST FLAT OUT STOP…… PLEASE STOP…. STEP AWAY…….. PUT DOWN THE MIKE…….. STOP!!!!!!!!!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jose-Luis-Pomales/100000321386863 Jose Luis Pomales

    Gus G or may be Gus shit, he play guitar like novice, terrible sound, bad riff. There are better guitarists in YouTube. With that stupid change The Prince of Darkness will be change in the Prince of Madness, Please, that is a stupid change.Sharon Osbourne is like a Yoko Ono, she broke the Beatle, Sharon will do the same with Ozzy.

  • http://www.hammeroffate.com Daemon Black

    This sucks. Looks like Zakk got his harmonic pinched. What now? BLS?

  • Mike Hunt

    wow Ozzy’s voice sounded like shit !

  • TODD

    There is no suprise that Ozzy is tired ! he has been through it all- iam sure and iam gonna have to see what comes outta his new album ! -Zakk is awesome- and started out just like Gus G / hired on by Ozzy young and fresh just the way ozzy likes em ,anyway Zakk has been doing his own shit for a while now and pulls it off well, iam sure he not hurtin ! Ozzy is Ozzy and he does’nt give a shit what people think! He is up there to do his thing and if he can make people happy still- so be it ! He is losin it- but who cares let it rip! / Peace!

  • cory

    All these comments make this site seem like a joke to me, Of course it sounds shit, most youtube sound is shit, You people wouldn’t know a good song or singer for that matter if it bit you in the arse. Ozzy has a full catalogue of great songs so don’t make yourselves sound stupid by some of those dumb comments posted.
    Of course he doesn’t sound like he did 20 years ago who does?

  • http://www.myspace.com/hammeroffate Daemon Blak

    I sound better than I did 20 years ago. Feel better too. It’s a bum deal but I’m sure Zakk will bounce back. Didn’t he sign a new record deal with someone?

  • wdora@dcna.net

    This kid GUS G is ok….

    BUT ZAKK had the right timing and the right VOLUME and TONE to help OZZIES

    Weakening Voice.

    You gotta have the CHOPS and Musical EAR. I didnt care for Zakk until I listened to him live.

    He sounds BETTER than the late Randy R I am sorry to say. RIP:

    GIve Gus a year on the road and a good soundman and he may improve.

    honestly I could play better….

    Good luck to the greek boy anyway.

  • chaos

    Realy? Gus G is the best guitars Ozzy has had since Randy R, Zakk needs to give up as well as Ozzy. All Zakk can do is squeel every other note he plays. Anyone can play like Zakk as long as you can squeel. I dont like firewind bc vocals suck but you can’t deny Gus G’s playing!

  • chinggis

    I havent heard much of gus g and im sorry for saying this so openly but he has zero charisma…if thats the correct term to use here. Randy, Jake, Zakk and even Joe Holmes are very recognizable and most of all very original especially in their appearance- plays a big role when doing live gigs with all the lights etc. ozzy is also quite an appearance- ugly sure but round glasses, long grease and fucked up voice is the one and only. Gus to me looks like half of my high school bands back in the times… he may be a great player as i said i havent heard much but randy, jake and zakk are the ones who forged ozzy’s music, gus is kind of like Enrique Iglesias compared to Julio Iglesias -Why the fuck did i mention these two? but u get the point…enough of my negative egoistic shit :D
    I guess ozzy does the gigs even though the quality went down is to keep himself alive. once you retire life can become slightly lifeless hence he plays the old songs over and over but he still does something. its sad to die in boredom.

  • Tra

    Dave you’re a fuckin idiot! and
    I guess that kinda make you one to chinggis

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Charles-Siuda/1298402368 Charles Siuda

    Ozzy sounded awful. A new guitarist will not fix what is wrong. Zakk has been w/ Ozzy since he was 21 yrs old. 22 yrs of service and this is how he is payed back. F**ked up!!!!.

  • TommyIommi

    Have you all heard the new Ozzy album? It fucking rips. All you MF’ers talking shit about Gus G. when I’ll gaurantee you none of you can play two FN notes off the new album. I remember all the hoopla when Zakk was catching all the flack when he was the new guitarist…and it went on for a long time. Is he able to fill the shoes of Randy & Iommi…. Well I grabbed the No Rest 4 The Wicked album and instantly knew Zakk was the man and all would be good.
    Gus G is a major upgrade to the last couple forgettable Ozzy albums with Zakk. Hell I didn’t even go buy any of those FN wimpy albums…bunch of commercial ass kissing bullshit. Makes $$$ I understand that, and I hate it too. Who the hell is Gus G? I don’t fuckin know, but I went out and bought the album to find out and I was completely floored. Gus G is THE MAN, the album has excellent tones, textures, reminds me of some of the Ozzy stuff on Blizzard, and earlier Sabbath albums…I’m referencing the softer melower tones often found on the B sides, blended with a bunch of whoop ass.
    This is classic Ozzy shit (good shit) with a shot of adrenalin that it’s been needing for a while. Back in 1988 I was the biggest Zakk fan there was.
    Today I’m a huge fan of the Scream album…and a Gus G fan too.

    BEST ALBUM (…ahem…CD…) OZZY’s PUT OUT IN 28 YEARS PERIOD. I’m learning every guitar lick off that album right now….only had it 2 days and the songs feel like they have always been there….haven’t don that since the Wicked album. Give Gus G a break…he’s earned it.