George Lynch may be a tool.

I just visited Metal Express Radio for the first time last week. Great site, you should visit often!

Anyhoo, there is an interview with George Lynch where in one sentence he says he is going to be in a Dokken reunion soon but then 3 minutes later goes into this long tirade completely trashing Don Dokken. I don't know Don Dokken or George Lynch or what they have gone through, but to have a successful band, you should at least get along a bit.

This guy was one of my favorite guitarists since the 80's but in this one short interview my view has changed dramatically.

If you ask me, George Lynch is a tool. Albeit, a talented tool. Don Dokken has stayed true to the original vision of Dokken as much as possible and I totally applaud him for doing so.

But you can listen to the interview here.....

http://www.metalexpressradio.com/interviews/George_Lynch_Interview2.m3u

Dokken is probably my second favorite band behind Priest and, like most here I have listened to them for nearly 25 years. I fondly remember getting Tooth and Nail on album as a child. It's just too bad that they (Don and George) couldn't have worked things out long ago. I know, as we all do, that familiarity breeds contempt; and long nights on the road with little sleep and the metal from Marshall stacks reverberating in your ears after the groupies leave the tour bus and you try to sleep doesn't help the matter very much. I remember reading something in Hit Parader magazine back in the late 80's after Dokken had broken up about Don being jealous of George's guitar playing and George angry that Don is the front man and namesake of the band. "You're no EVH; and you're no DLR" was sort of the theme of the article. IMHO, Brian, they are both individually good guys, but most certainly act like tools.

Good point. I'm sure they are both tools to an extent.

But if you listen to that interview, George won't even let it all be water under the bridge. But maybe that tension will make for a good reunion. (if it ever happens)

I wouldn't bet money on a full blown reunion. They tried that back in the 90s and George was gone after only two albums (DYSFUNCTIONAL and the widely-hated SHADOWLIFE). Once Lynch left the band the second time, he and Don went right back to the same old trashing each other in the press that they're famous for.

I could see them doing a one off reunion show at a Rocklahoma festival or something big like that (especially if the money is right) but at this stage I can't imagine those two spending much time together in a recording studio or on a tour bus before the first punch is thrown.

spectrefate wrote:

Good point. I'm sure they are both tools to an extent.

But if you listen to that interview, George won't even let it all be water under the bridge. But maybe that tension will make for a good reunion. (if it ever happens)

You are right. He doesn't seem to want to let it go and move on. Again...a shame they couldn't have gotten along for the sake of the music and the fans. If they had continued on after BftA with a new album in 1989/1990 or so instead of 1996 when the music scene had drastically changed, they might have been more successful and made more money and that, like winning championships, is the great salve. You never hear about the squabbles until the team starts to lose games or the company hemorrhages money. As for what FF said about a oneoff show at Rocklahoma, I agree wholeheartedly. They could probably never spend much time together in a forced environment and having to play nice and get along.

The new album is the closest we will ever get to a Lynch Dokken album.

Jon Levin sounds hauntingly similar on the new disc.

spectrefate wrote:

The new album is the closest we will ever get to a Lynch Dokken album.

Jon Levin sounds hauntingly similar on the new disc.

I haven't heard the new one yet but Levin sounded pretty similar to Lynch on the last one (HELL TO PAY, or as some have called it, HELL TOUPEE, haha) too. When I listen to that CD I imagine Don Dokken must've been beating Jon Levin with a stick while in the studio, going "No, NO, NO! You have to sound MORE like George Lynch damn it!"

That is exactly what I was thinking when I heard the preview tracks at Dokken central. It (the new album) sounds like it is from 1992. I am getting tired of waiting for it though. They have pushed back the release date a few times already.

I wonder what other songs Don "stole" from Exciter?

I think it's a case of both thinking the band should've been more popular then it was so they take it out on the other guy. Now it's just a grudge.

Don and George have been trashing each other for years.There are stories about Don throwing a glass at George's son and George being bent that Don didn't apologize.A story about George violently punching Don before a show at "Wembley" in a limo.I was at a show on the "Shadowcrap" tour and saw it first hand.Don and George looking at each other with sourly looks of disgust.If anyone deserved to be pissed it was the folks at the show (they came on an hour plus late) ??????
Also heard a rumor that "Wild Mick" poked Jeff Pilson's wife at the time (around the Erase The Slate years which i beleive,according to both is true) So really its the entire band.If anyone deserves to be ticked its Pilson."Dokken" are a great band,too bad they had a horrible time keeping it together.

Who DIDN'T poke Pilson's wife once or twice???

spectrefate wrote:

Who DIDN'T poke Pilson's wife once or twice???

Yep,heard all those stories.Wasn't her name Lisa or something ??

IronAge wrote:

Yep,heard all those stories.Wasn't her name Lisa or something ??

I believe so.

spectrefate wrote:

Who DIDN'T poke Pilson's wife once or twice???

Me for one, but if there's free pokes being offered around then point me in that direction.

Jaysus there's nothing like a free poke, ahh me mouth is starting to water at the thoughts of one

Locky wrote:

Me for one, but if there's free pokes being offered around then point me in that direction.

Jaysus there's nothing like a free poke, ahh me mouth is starting to water at the thoughts of one

They don't have free pokes over there in Scotland?

spectrefate wrote:

Locky wrote:

Me for one, but if there's free pokes being offered around then point me in that direction.

Jaysus there's nothing like a free poke, ahh me mouth is starting to water at the thoughts of one

They don't have free pokes over there in Scotland?

No but I have a free Poker (a utensil for a fire place, not the card game) that'll shove right up your hole if you don't stop saying Scotland.

ps-Still better than England (thanks, )

Oh yeah, it's Ireland. Sorry, chum, or bloke, or whatever your people say.

spectrefate wrote:

Who DIDN'T poke Pilson's wife once or twice???

Pilson, thats the problem!

spectrefate wrote:

Oh yeah, it's Ireland. Sorry, chum, or bloke, or whatever your people say.

That's quite alright dear friend, forgiveness is sought for anger shown in previous replies.

This morning I listened to the whole interview before heading to the
gym. And I just now replayed some snippets from said piece and I
realised that, taken with what emptytomb said, they are (both George and Don) probably peeved they weren't more popular. Evidence of this can be found where Lynch starts taking potshots at Gene Simmons, Motley Crue and BonJovi- 3 contemporaries that had far more success than Dokken, or anyone in that band. In 2006, JBJ made 77 million dollars, Gene and the Kiss army still make shatloads of money, and Crue, although nowhere near as popular as they once were, still probably outsold Dokken as far as total album, t shirt, concert sales, etc. So, there is probably alot of jealousy there and the fact that Don always held the fact that HE got them the record contract, and HE started the band and that's why it's named after him, over everyone else's head.

the sentinel wrote:

This morning I listened to the whole interview before heading to the
gym. And I just now replayed some snippets from said piece and I
realised that, taken with what emptytomb said, they are (both George and Don) probably peeved they weren't more popular. Evidence of this can be found where Lynch starts taking potshots at Gene Simmons, Motley Crue and BonJovi- 3 contemporaries that had far more success than Dokken, or anyone in that band. In 2006, JBJ made 77 million dollars, Gene and the Kiss army still make shatloads of money, and Crue, although nowhere near as popular as they once were, still probably outsold Dokken as far as total album, t shirt, concert sales, etc. So, there is probably alot of jealousy there and the fact that Don always held the fact that HE got them the record contract, and HE started the band and that's why it's named after him, over everyone else's head.

KISS, The Crue and Bon Jovi may have been more popular than Dokken, yes, and they probably sold many more albums than Dokken. Even so, I can't believe George Lynch even cared about bands like that having popularity with the average fan who didn't know diddly squat about music. Lynch comparing himself to the likes of Ace Frehley or Ritchie Sambora when he was so much better than them was just ridiculous. I doubt that Satriani, Yngwie, or Michael Schenker ever worried about CeCe Deville and Poison having a larger fan base than they have, because they knew that the masses could only relate to stuff like Poison. They knew, I would imagine, that their music appeals to musicians, and those who can appreciate real music, and that these fans are the cream of the listening crop. Why George Lynch did not know this, and actually gave a rat's a#$ about guitarists not even in his league, is just sad!!

I am sure that Dokken will reunite some time next year, only because the time is right. Their is a resurgence of interest in all genres of heavy metal, if Dokken are going to reunite the time to do it is now.

After the first reunion fell apart after 2 albums in the 90's, John Kaldoner stated in an interview that this band is their own worst enemy. The album " Dysfunctional" did very well considering the musicial climate at that time, but were dropped by Columbia anyway.

Back to the reunion, I do think they both reunite the band, it seems George Lynch has been openly talking about his desire to reunite the band and Don Dokken seems open to the idea. Of course with their history I am sure something petty may prevent this moving forward.

For you George Lynch fans and cool upcoming tour according to our friends at Blabbermouth:
George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB), Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) and Paul Gilbert (MR. BIG, RACER X) are tentatively scheduled to join forces for a tour dubbed "Guitar Generation". The two-month trek is expected to launch around February 25 in Los Angeles. No further details are currently available.

LYNCH MOB is currently working on a new album, tentatively entitled "Smoke And Mirrors", for an early summer release.

Kotzen will release his first-ever live DVD, "Bootlegged In Brazil", in Europe on December 5 via Frontiers Records. A perfect complement to the recent CD-only release "Live In Sao Paulo", "Bootlegged In Brazil" is the first official live performance to be made available by the acclaimed guitarist/vocalist.

Gilbert recently released a new studio album in collaboration with Freddie Nelson. The CD, entitled "United States", contains ten tracks of high-energy hard rock, described as a cross between QUEEN and MR. BIG.