Zakk Wylde Believes Bon Jovi Pushed Rock To Mainstream

Metal legends Gary Holt, Scott Ian, and Zakk Wylde recently sat down with Guitar World for an in-depth interview and shared their thoughts on the different topics of the rock and metal world. In the middle of the conversation, Ozzy Osbourne’s guitarist Wylde underlined a fact about the far-reaching impact of Bon Jovi’s music.

In the wake of heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne’s announcement to retire from live performances, fans have found solace in the continued musical pursuits of Zakk Wylde. We should be happy about that because Zakk is probably the only way to get something from Ozzy’s ‘diary.’ Yet now, let’s continue to dive into the Bon Jovi thing.

Bon Jovi’s arrival on the rock scene was indeed a bombshell in the middle of the ’80s, which was the most dominant period for metal bands. At that time, Zakk Wylde was unaware that he was beginning a new journey with Ozzy to record a new album.

In his recent chat, Zakk remembered that time by putting Bon Jovi on the table, as he mentioned how literally big Bon Jovi was from the perspective of record companies and how the band shaped the industry. In Zakk’s opinion, Bon Jovi’s success was the forcing power behind the idea that classic rock could be ‘mainstream’ all over the world again.

Zakk Wylde said the following:

“I remember before I started with Ozz, I was trying to get a record deal, and everyone was playing Bon Jovi kinda stuff to get our big break. And then a lot of us realized that we didn’t like this music or even own any of these records. Why aren’t we playing music that we actually enjoy and love?! It’s right there in front of you, but you can’t see it.

With Bon Jovi, they’re [the guys in the metal scene] playing exactly what they want to play, and that’s the reason it became successful. Why pretend to be something that you’re not? Whatever it is that comes naturally is what you should be doing. That’s the only way you’re going to excel at anything.”

So, I think if we look at the end of the ’80s, we can probably agree on Zakk Wylde’s opinion, considering the powerful entry of bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Nirvana to the music scene. Classic rock became mainstream worldwide, and Bon Jovi was there to start its march.