Ok here's the scoop: he was doing an autograph signing at our Long & McQuade music store a day before the Ozzy concert in town here. I went after work at 5:00. He was supposed to only be there from 4:00 till 6:00 so I knew I'd get caught in a line, but the line was HUGE. People had apparently been lining up since 1:00 pm. I waited three and a half hours in a line that stretched outside and around the building. It wasn't until about 8:30 or so until I got to the doors with only a handful of people behind me. Shortly after, the store manager closed and locked the doors behind the last of us in line.At this time I noticed that there was still about eighty people in front of me (they had simply been cramming into the building instead of forming an orderly line).

About 20 minutes after they locked the doors, the manager came out with a megaphone and said "I'm sorry, but Zakk has another engagement he has to get to. Only the people who have wristbands will be given autographs. Again, I'm sorry." The wristbands were only supposed to be given to the first 150 people, so I don't know why there were like six people left there who had them, they should have been long gone, but whatever.

I was like "**** let's get out of here" but my girlfriend said "What the hell kind of engagement would he have to go to in THIS city at THIS time of day? Nothing is open. They're just trying to get us to leave on our own. We WILL stay until they kick us out." She had a point, and I wanted to at least get a glimpse of the guy I had waited three hours or so to see before I would leave (I felt that was necessary for my sanity and my anger issues) haha. Anyway, lots of people were quick to leave, even some people who had been there since 4:00 pm. I even heard comments by some people that they would be burning their Ozzy tickets because of this outrage.

Anyway it became apparent that if you stayed you would get a signing and that the managers just wanted to clear out the less dedicated of us. So as our turns came close I agreed to give my girlfriend my BLS best of cd to get signed as we were told that we could each only bring one thing I had brought my only picture of him that I owned, my Guitar World poster of him with the white Rhoads Jackson V. My girlfriend said she'd go first and then take a picture of me getting the poster signed when my turn came. She went up and he said hey babay (ya he said that to all the chicks), and she and got a hug and kiss on the cheek from him.

For the last hour, I had been trying to get up the balls to do this whole handshake thing and not look like a complete idiot. I watched a bunch of people and tried NOT to do what they were doing. This one guy went to shake Zakk's hand, but his sleeve was too long and it completely covered his hand even when he stuck his arm out, and Zakk gave a bit of a weird look and shook the floppy sleeved hand. As the guy walked away he just shook his head and swore at himself. So, I was trying really hard to remember not to screw up the handshake.

When my turn came, I was ridiculously nervous, and as I was about to walk out, the bouncer guy said "Whoa what is THAT?" and pointed to my poster. It looked like I'd brought a Jimi Hendrix poster because he was on the back of the Zakk Wylde poster. I showed him the Zakk side and he let me through. FINALLY I walked over fairly quickly and did a good, "confident" handshake-shoulder-to-shoulder thing (you know what I mean, right? the "hey, man" kinda greeting?). He said "hows it goin" and I mumbled (without thinking) "not bad". He signed my poster, and then he actually applauded. I... don't know why. It was like a praise-applause clap. I think it might've been something about the picture, but other people had brought it and he didn't applaud for them, so... maybe he just knows I'm awesome? hehehe Anyway, I have EVIDENCE he clapped for me (I swear I'm not chubby, it's just the way I moved when the picture was taken). Click on the picture to see a bigger version.



I was told later that I looked very confident. I think my girlfriend is lying. Whatever. At least Zakk Wylde didn't shake my sleeve.

EDIT: I was really impressed with Zakk. He stuck around until everyone was finished, even though it was like 3 or 4 hours longer than he was supposed to stay. Everyone was told no pictures but he took them anyway, happily. He talked a bit with everyone, hugged and signed people's babies... All in all, a really cool guy. If anyone brought a guitar in, he played it a bit for the person. Wow, this post got long...