Was the wrong brand of guitar
Published 05.16
NORWAY. 13-year-old Leonard was refused to have his guitar signed by Zakk Wylde at Sweden Rock.
According to the star’s team, it was the wrong brand of guitar.
– I wanted to start crying, I was really sad, says Leonard.
Black Label Society is one of the bigger bands playing at Sweden Rock this year. The frontman Zak Wylde played for many years with the legend Ozzy Osbourne and is a big star in the rock world.
Therefore, there was a long queue for the signing that the band had after their performance at the festival on Wednesday.
One of everyone who wanted an autograph was Leonard13, from Gotland. After standing in line for two hours in the drizzle, he finally arrived. He picked up the guitar he wanted signed, but immediately a person from the band’s team came forward and slammed the case shut, something that BLT was the first to report on.
– The second I was about to push it towards Zakk so he could start signing it, some manager or something came and took it away from me and said “we can’t do this guitar”, says Leonard.
Instead, Leonard received a note with Zakk Wylde’s and the other band members’ autographs on it before he and his father Johnnywho were also present at the incident, were kicked out of the queue.
– Zakk didn’t even have time to say anything. He seemed a little surprised and I was a mixture of starstruck and a little taken aback so I didn’t say anything to him either. So I just stood quietly and he signed my note that I got instead, says Leonard.
“I didn’t get an explanation”
Afterwards, he and dad Johnny stood and just looked at each other in amazement.
– I wanted to start crying, I was really sad. But I was also annoyed because I didn’t get a proper explanation. No one said anything. They just said “it’s not a Gibson or Epiphone”, but the person before me got their guitar signed and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a Gibson or Epiphone so I didn’t understand.
During the entire time he was standing in line with his guitar case, no one had informed him that Zakk would only sign guitars of a specific brand. Dad Johnny says there was no information about it before the signing either.
– I have never heard of this, that someone is denied in this way. I think it’s very strange and it makes me damned annoyed, actually, he says.
In retrospect, they have understood that it may be that Zakk Wylde has an agreement with Gibson and is therefore not allowed to touch other guitars.
– But you might think it would be okay to sign a young guy’s guitar. Zakk shouldn’t be playing on it himself.
Ain’t mad at Zakk Wylde
Both Leonard and Johnny are careful to point out that they are not mad at Zakk Wylde. It is the team around the band that they think has acted wrongly.
– You don’t do that to a young person who has stood in line for so long, says Johnny.
Aftonbladet has sought Sweden Rock and Black label society via their press contacts.
