Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde recently spoke to Chaoszine for an interview and admitted writing songs in Bon Jovi‘s style for success was a mistake.
Bon Jovi is undoubtedly one of the most influential rock acts that established a bridge between heavy metal and pop music with their unique style. Throughout their music career, they achieved widespread commercial success and international recognition with their hits, especially their all-time favorite album, ‘Slippery When Wet.’
When Bon Jovi was at the height of their success with ‘Slippery When Wet,’ Zakk Wylde had just graduated from high school, and at that time, he spent most of his time playing guitar. Eventually, Wylde pursued a music career and played with local bands like Stone Henge and Zyris before working with Ozzy Osbourne.
In a recent interview with Chaoszine, Zakk Wylde revealed that he would advise those who just started to play music to follow their unique career path and play the music they like rather than playing what is popular without enjoying the outcome. Following that, he remembered the beginnings of his musical career.
According to the musician, when he was playing with Zyris, they desperately tried to get signed to a label. To do so, they were writing Bon Jovi-style pop-rock. However, Wylde felt this wasn’t right because they didn’t like Jovi’s music and composed these songs to get signed. So, he implied that what makes one successful is playing the music they love and enjoy.
During the conversation, Zakk Wylde said the following:
“When somebody says, ‘Hey Zakk, have you got any advice for my son or my daughter who’s playing music?’ I go, ‘Whatever music it is that moves you, that’s what you should be playing. And I know it’s easier said than done. But the whole thing is when you listen to all the bands that you love, they’re playing what moves them and what they naturally like.”
He then continued:
“I remember, before I started playing with Ozz, when we were in Zyris, trying to get signed to a label, and we were writing all this Bon Jovi pop-rock kind of stuff. And I go, ‘This can’t be right.’ Because there’s not one of us in this band who would own a Bon Jovi record, none of us like that kind of music. We all liked Zeppelin, Bad Company, Black Sabbath, stuff like that.
Not one of us in this band owned a Bon Jovi record; we were trying to write Bon Jovi songs because we were trying to get signed. And once again, at least the guys in Bon Jovi are playing music that naturally comes out. It doesn’t matter what genre it is. When you look at all the successful bands, they’re playing what they enjoy playing, and that’s why they were successful at it. So, even to this day with Black Label, that’s the music I love.”
You can watch the rest of the interview below.
