Zakk Wylde Muses About Songwriters
Gibson.com recently conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On songwriting:
Zakk: "I don't just write lyrics; I write about things that are real to me. Let me tell you something that was hysterical. I was working on 'Down to Earth' with Ozzy and they brought in these professional songwriters. Meanwhile, I'm writing all these songs that later went into Black Label — like 'Love Reign Down', with that power riff that Ozzy sounds great singing over it, which was about my mother passing away, and 'Bleed for Me', which is about God … But what do I know. I guess I'm not a real songwriter, because these guys, I shit you not, decided to write a love song for Ozzy and came up with: 'Girl, you are so pretty/girl, you are so fine/girl, I brought you this flower/girl, would you be mine?' And Ozz is just sitting there saying nothing, and I'm saying, 'You're joking, right? Am I getting punked?' The truth is everybody just wants to get their two cents in, if they've earned it or not. I laugh when I go into a music store and there's a title called 'How to Write Songs'. You can't teach someone how to write a song. Angus Young didn't read a couple books to learn how to write 'Hells Bells'. All the bands and musicians I grew up on and loved, like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix … it's their names that are on their songs. That's the beauty of buying a record by a real artist. Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction' was written by Guns N' Roses, not some weak-asses like those lame songwriters for Aerosmith. Aerosmith wrote great songs like 'Dream On' and 'Back in the Saddle' when they were on booze and drugs. Next thing you know, they get sober and bring songwriters in and then it's the most watered down s***. If you can't write songs you're just a puppet as phony as BRITNEY SPEARS and all those boy bands. If you can't sit behind a piano or pick up a guitar and write a song, then you don't have any business making records."
Damn that is so true. Don't sell out guys, songwriters might give you that one elusive number one hit, but your soul will be dead.
I love Aerosmith for what they did in the 70's. That I Don't Want to Miss A Thing song is made for pop culture and I physically get ill hearing it. I listen to it and remember what they once were and what they are now. I weep.
On songwriting:
Zakk: "I don't just write lyrics; I write about things that are real to me. Let me tell you something that was hysterical. I was working on 'Down to Earth' with Ozzy and they brought in these professional songwriters. Meanwhile, I'm writing all these songs that later went into Black Label — like 'Love Reign Down', with that power riff that Ozzy sounds great singing over it, which was about my mother passing away, and 'Bleed for Me', which is about God … But what do I know. I guess I'm not a real songwriter, because these guys, I shit you not, decided to write a love song for Ozzy and came up with: 'Girl, you are so pretty/girl, you are so fine/girl, I brought you this flower/girl, would you be mine?' And Ozz is just sitting there saying nothing, and I'm saying, 'You're joking, right? Am I getting punked?' The truth is everybody just wants to get their two cents in, if they've earned it or not. I laugh when I go into a music store and there's a title called 'How to Write Songs'. You can't teach someone how to write a song. Angus Young didn't read a couple books to learn how to write 'Hells Bells'. All the bands and musicians I grew up on and loved, like Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix … it's their names that are on their songs. That's the beauty of buying a record by a real artist. Guns N' Roses' 'Appetite for Destruction' was written by Guns N' Roses, not some weak-asses like those lame songwriters for Aerosmith. Aerosmith wrote great songs like 'Dream On' and 'Back in the Saddle' when they were on booze and drugs. Next thing you know, they get sober and bring songwriters in and then it's the most watered down s***. If you can't write songs you're just a puppet as phony as BRITNEY SPEARS and all those boy bands. If you can't sit behind a piano or pick up a guitar and write a song, then you don't have any business making records."
Damn that is so true. Don't sell out guys, songwriters might give you that one elusive number one hit, but your soul will be dead.
I love Aerosmith for what they did in the 70's. That I Don't Want to Miss A Thing song is made for pop culture and I physically get ill hearing it. I listen to it and remember what they once were and what they are now. I weep.
aerosmith broke up in the 70's...am I wrong?