When you've known someone like Ozzy Osbourne for over 30 years, it's safe to say you've probably got a few stories to tell. Longtime Ozz solo guitarist and metal icon in his own right Zakk Wylde certainly had a thing or two to say when asked by Metal Hammer readers what his favourite wholesome moment with The Prince Of Darkness was for this month's People Vs feature in the new issue of Metal Hammer.
“I remember we played the Budokan [Arena] in Tokyo. I’d always have a bag of beer with me, just in case anywhere we were going didn’t have beer," Zakk recalls. "So, Oz comes in the room after the gig. He goes ‘Zakky, Zakky… you got any beers?’ I go, ‘Yeah, but I’m not giving you one here. You’re going to get us fired! Mom’s [Sharon Osbourne] right across the hall – she’s going to come and see the two of us drinking, is that going to be good?’"
"He goes, ‘Alright, tell you what, I’ll meet you in the bathroom.’ So I go in the bathroom, I’m waiting. All of a sudden, I hear the door open. He comes in the stall right next to me, and I push a Kirin or Asahi under there. I hear the ‘psssst’ of the can, then ‘glug, glug, glug!’ He downs it in one, puts the can down, pushes it back under and goes, ‘Thanks, Zakk. I’ll see you at dinner.’”
Granted, we're not sure that sneaking beers on tour counts as wholesome, but it certainly shows the tight-knit camaraderie Ozzy and Zakk have had over the years. When that's pointed out to him, Zakk laughs.
“We were like a couple of naughty schoolkids! It was hilarious!"
Later this summer, Zakk will join Ozzy - and a huge guestlist of stars and bands including Metallica, Slayer, Alice In Chains, Jason Momoa and more - to participate in a massive farewell gig for Ozzy and Black Sabbath at the band's hometown in Aston, Birmingham.
Read the full interview in the new issue of Metal Hammer, on-sale now. Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door!
