My Astro-Twin Through My Lens: Zakk Wylde at Jones Beach

Those who can, do. Those who cannot, photograph those who can.

There are artists you enjoy listening to, and then there are those whose music stays with you long after the first time you hear it.

For me, Zakk Wylde has always been one of those artists.

But when I recently stopped to ask myself exactly what it is about Zakk that I admire most, the answer wasn’t necessarily the legendary guitarist he would become or the larger-than-life figure so many fans know today.

For me, it goes back to Pride & Glory.

When that album first came out, it meant a lot to me. Before putting this feature together, I went back and listened to it again—and I was immediately reminded why.

The ballads. The piano. The guitar. And DAMN, that voice.

Songs like Sweet Jesus, Found a Friend, Fadin’ Away and Cry Me a River still invoke so many emotions. And, of course, there was Losin’ My Mind, the single that started it all for me.

Listening to the album again all these years later, I also realized just how much Zakk brought to it. Beyond lead vocals and his unmistakable guitar work, he also played piano, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. Pride & Glory moved effortlessly between hard-hitting rock and heavy metal, Southern rock and touches of country.

And then there was that guitar.

Zakk could make six strings sound like just about anything. At times, his playing almost took on the character of a lap steel, adding another dimension to music that already refused to fit neatly into one genre.

That was the Zakk Wylde I first became a fan of—not simply the guitar hero, but the musician.

So when Bezurkus Fest came to Jones Beach with both Black Label Society and Zakk Sabbath on the bill, this was going to be more than another photography assignment for me.

This technically wasn’t even the first time I had seen Zakk perform.

A few years ago, I caught him at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury during the Generation Axe tour. At the time, however, I had only my little point-and-shoot camera. I managed to take some photographs, but let’s just say they aren’t exactly the images I would be showcasing today!

This time was different.

After years of photographing concerts, developing my craft, upgrading my equipment and earning opportunities to photograph artists who have helped shape my own musical journey, I finally had the chance to photograph Zakk Wylde professionally.

There is something surreal about putting one of your musical heroes in front of your lens.

For years, I had followed Zakk’s journey from Pride & Glory through Black Label Society and beyond. But on this day, I wasn’t standing in the audience hoping my little camera would capture something usable.

I was standing in front of the stage.

Camera in hand.

Ready to photograph one of my guitar heroes.

And for those few moments, the years between that old point-and-shoot camera at Generation Axe and my position at Jones Beach seemed to come full circle.

There is one more connection that makes this experience even more personal.

Zakk Wylde and I were both born on January 14, 1967.

That technically makes him my astro-twin.

Of course, somewhere along the way, our lives took very different directions.

Zakk found his instrument in six strings and became one of the most celebrated guitarists of his generation.

I found mine behind a lens.

So perhaps I had the joke backward all along.