ZAKK WYLDE IS A MENSCH
Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 3:30pm by Axl Rosenberg
So unless you spent your summer someplace where there’s no internet or any way to get metal news, you should be aware that Zakk Wylde a) has been replaced by Firewind’s Gus G. as Ozzy’s new guitarist and b) got the news when Ozzy did an interview announcing he was parting ways from his longtime axe-slinger, because apparently Ozzy and Sharon are too chickenshit to actually pick up the phone and make a difficult call. And so it would be completely within reason for Zakk to have nothing but terrible things to say about all parties involved – in fact, I kinda expected him to do just that. This is the man, after all, who threatened to kill Dave Grohl just for writing some riffs for Ozzy, and who basically attacked a journalist who repeated a rumor that Wylde’s pal Mike “Metal Mets” Piazza might be a homosexual.
But Wylde is actually taking the news really well, or, at least, he’s putting on a good face. From a recent interview with MusicRadar.com (via Blabbermouth):
“It’s always been this way: ‘We’re going out on the road.’ It’s like, ‘When?’ ‘Tomorrow.’ ‘What?!’
“I’m the last person to find out anything, you know? ‘Wait a minute…I have three kids?’ [laughs] ‘Yeah, they’re 17, 16 and 7, man, so we need some college money now.’
“But I’ve been with Oz since I was 19; I’m fucking 42 years old. It’s just like…like with my dad passing away, same with my mom…I don’t go, ‘Oh, this sucks.’ I never ask; I always thank.
“At least I got to spend 23 years with the boss. And he knows I’ll always be there with him. Gus, who’s playing with him, he’s fucking awesome. So I hope he has a millisecond of the good time I had – that’s a fucking lifetime. Gus will have a fucking blast, you know what I mean?”
Even if Zakk is just trying to save face here, I think he’s handling it the right way – bitching in public probably wouldn’t do anything but alienate the Osbournes, which, let’s be real, is not in Zakk’s best interest, regardless of what we as a community think about Ozzy and Sharon. And there’s really no reason to rag on Gus G. – he had nothing to do with the shitty manner in which the acquittal was handled.
Weigh in below and let us now if you think Zakk is being a classy dude, or should tell his former employers to blow it out their collective ass.
-AR
What is a mensch?
Stay classy, Zakk!
A person having admirable characteristics :)
yiddish, dude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish_language
sure..but you secretly want to see Zakk rip Ozzy’s head off…
like a bat? lol
Jesus Christ, what a bitch. You like Ozzy, fine, but it’s a fucking dick move not to even call the guy you’re firing and let him know what’s going on, regardless of what your “prior relationship” was, and trying to play it off as no big deal = lack of balls.
so what do you think zakk should do first? tear up ozzy’s front yard with his motorcycle or egg his house?
No, simply admit that what Ozzy and the succubus did was absolute shite and a bitch move, instead of trying to make everything look pretty and happy. If they couldn’t be bothered to tell him he was shitcanned, I doubt staying on their good size is going to make any difference whatsoever. He doesn’t need to throw an adolescent bitch-fest about it, but he shouldn’t be taking it like a cheap whore on X, either.
sure, he can bitch about it, but what’s the point? it’s not like he can really change things from here on out. all he can do is accept it and move on. sometimes you get fucked. shit happens. even zakk is pissed about it, i would rather he take it up with ozzy privately than waving it around in our faces. i can’t stand it any time a celebrity uses the media to further their personal squabbles. that to me, would be an even bigger bitch move.
Well I could be wrong, but I believe Mensch is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil war area.
I’m pretty sure it’s a whales penis. Definatly a whales penis.
American schools FTW. :|
Mensch is a Jewish word, basically meaning “honorable”. A whale dick is a dork, hence the term used in a pejorative manner against nerds and geeks. Only thing I can think even remotely close to a ship is a man’o'war, which wasn’t used during the Civil War.
you said the j word
Actually, Mensch is german for human being.
mentsh on the other hand….
was an old wooden ship used during the civil war era.. :o
I’m impressed that he took the high road here when it would have been much easier to unload on the Oz and his succubus wife. Ultimately, I just don’t see what he would stand to gain by dumping on the Osbournes. Well played Zakk…we can read between the lines.
yup, the man knows how not to burn bridges.
he likes money.
being freed up from the corporate whore that is the Ozzy and $haron camp is the best thing that could have happened to Zakk. Ozzy is washed up. In fact, he was washed up over a decade ago. He’s a fucking joke. I remember seeing Ozzy a few years back on the last ozzfest he did and ozzy couldn’t remember the lyrics to his own songs. to classics! Zakk was singing the lyrics into Ozzy’s ear so he could remember them. what a fucking disgrace it has become. It is truly sad. It’s all about the money.
Now Zakk can be freed up to do as he pleases. Which is good for his fans. We’ll be getting new BLS next year and I can definitely foresee him getting old with some old fashioned Pride and Glory style bluesy rock.
He couldn’t use the teleprompters?
No, he uses 11′ X 17″ cheat-sheets in 72-point type, taped to the stage floor. Follow the bouncing ball, Ozzy.
I’m being serious. It’s well known that he used teleprompters and has back-up singers off stage who “cover” for him when he forgets words or shits out.
I saw the same ozzfest tour. Ozzy was fucking terrible. Singing off-key, forgetting words, looking old and tired. That was the first and last time I’ll ever pay to see that train wreck of a show ever again. It’s been said a million times, but Ozzy is just a pathetic shadow of his former self and talent. Oh yeah, and if I hear that geriatric retard refer to himself as the “Prince of Darkness” one more time; I am going to fucking lose it. Yeah, your real tough these days Ozzy.
He handled it well. plus, I think in a way he should be happy he’s no longer with Oz. this way he can actually be idolized (i kinda use this term loosely) as “what Ozzy used to be”. Not such a bad thing to separate himself from the man. Better to leave under the memories of when Ozzy actually meant something.
truth.
Great point.
He was in the hospital for a while so he wouldn’t come out being all pissed.
I think Zakk is just being a class act. Good for him.
I honestly think he’s being himself, which is a cool guy that backs up his family and friends and he considers ozzy his family. That’s pretty much the whole philosophy behind BLS which he founded so it makes sense.
I kept waiting for the Zakk Wylde shit-storm to hit the fan once his being replaced was confirmed, but he’s handled this whole thing extremely well right from the start. I’ve really had a problem with Zakk Wylde. His handling of this whole situation has made my impression more positive.
My impression is that the biker, tough-guy act has always just been a front for a guy who is probably actually a decent, down to earth guy. From what I’ve read and heard about him, he is just a dude who plays guitar for a famous dude. Been married to the same woman forever, does dad things with his kids, lives in a modest (for a rock star) home, doesn’t “posse up”, invites fans onto his bus to play his guitars and share his beer, and makes a ton of music. Yeah, he has a quality control issue when it comes to making albums, and yeah he fucks up his ballads with shredding solos, but I’ll give him a pass.
Apparently he’s been sober since his hospital stay, so maybe that’’s helped him drop the fratboy/biker/tough guy/drunk douchebag act he’s been pulling for way too long.
Absolutely agreed, RobotScythe. I was wondering the same thing myself.
Whatever the reason, it’s good to see that Zakk seems to be a little more stable these days. When all the is he/isn’t he in Ozzy shit was going on, I’d have taken Zakk in a death pool in a heartbeat. Thankfully it seems that he’s coming around, and we can look forward to some more music from him. Another record from Pride & Glory would be the dog’s balls, man.
Classy. Sounds like Zakk is enjoying sobriety. Good to see him back.
ZAKK IS SOBER?!?!?!?!?!?!?
goddamn im losing my faith in humanity
na fuck that ill always respect him
is he outta of the hospital?
i wanna hear new BLS material
i know he will not sit on his ass 4ever
It’s possible Zakk didn’t totally unexpect this?
Like maybe there where ‘you need to do this or this will happen’ type of things where said in the past couple of years. Maybe Zakk was drinking too much?
I think Zakk is handling this correctly because Ozzy is family, and everyone knows that no one will do you wrong like your own family. It’s to be expected.
Let the dysfunction continue.
Zakk’s blood clots…still funny.
Zakk Wylde is a good person he doesnt take everything in a bad way like some people do.
Mensch is the german word of human. In this case it should mean huge character.