Zakk Wylde was among the guitarists GUNS N’ ROSES contemplated recruiting in the mid-1990s. Although he didn’t ultimately join the band, he recently discussed the reasons for this decision in a new interview with Mark Strigl on the SiriusXM channel Ozzy’s Boneyard.
Following the departure of original guitarist Izzy Stradlin in 1991, Gilby Clarke filled the role of rhythm guitarist until 1994. Subsequently, several other guitarists were considered to succeed him, among them Wylde, who had been performing with Ozzy Osbourne since 1987.
During his conversation with host Strigl, Wylde remembered that while he was involved in the production of Osbourne‘s 1995 studio album Ozzmosis, he received a phone call from Axl Rose. Rose inquired if he was interested in getting together and jamming. Subsequently, Wylde contacted Slash, who confirmed that his name had indeed been brought up during the band’s discussions about potential collaborators.
Zakk said: “I was like, ‘Yeah of course,’ because obviously they’re great guys and an amazing band,” adding that they ended up playing together for a while in a rehearsal space that GUNS N’ ROSES had.
“Nothing was kinda happening,” he continued. “And that’s when Joe Holmes came in the band, Oz was like, ‘Zakk, are you gonna jam with the guys or not?’ And I was like, ‘Oz, let me try and get an answer from the fellas.’ Like, are we gonna do this, or what are we doing?”
Wylde mentioned that he had collaborated on numerous riffs and ideas with the GUNS N’ ROSES members. However, despite his contributions, he remained uncertain about his status within the band. Consequently, Osbourne informed him that he couldn’t delay any further and proceeded with Holmes as his guitarist.
“The GUNS thing was just laying dormant, nothing was happening,” he said. “And I was like, ‘I need to raise some pizza money and soda pop money for my girlfriend, Barbaranne. So that’s when BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was born.”
