George Lynch on Dokken | PART 3 OF 4 Interview Guitar Interactive
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- Опубліковано 9 лис 2014
- George Lynch interview PART 3. bit.ly/GuitarInteractive George Lynch talks with Stuart Bull about playing with Dokken .
George Lynch featured in Guitar Interactive Magazine Issue 28.
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View more parts of this interview here:
PART 1: • George Lynch on Starti...
PART 2: • George Lynch On Inspir...
PART 3: • George Lynch on Dokken...
PART 4: • George Lynch on Lynch ...
Dokken was on the verge of headlining when they imploded, one of the better bands to come out of the 80's.
Their song titles and lyrics were extra cheesy in a time of cheese.
I met this man, and regardless of his political leaning, or religiousness, he was first and foremost a genuinely nice man. I was fortunate enough to spend time with him before during and after a clinic at a local music store, and I knew a guy that worked there. His willingness to stay until the last person that wanted to meet him was met was really a cool thing. It was just like hanging out with a friend. He signed his rider for the appearance(which I need to get out of storage) and was super generous with his time. While people can debate over the Dokken issue, or his views on the music industry as a whole, his personable demeanor was a nice thing to experience. Thanks George Lynch, you still rock!
Agreed 👍 It DOES seem with Lynch that there ARE the lovers of the man's work and then, the haters...I met him 3 times at 3 different clinics and he was ALWAYS so cool and seemingly genuine and personable with EVERYONE. 🤘 I, even "ALMOST 🤞 " got the chance to jump on the music store's drum kit and jam Mr. Scary too, with Lynch, but? I got a bit of stage fright and raised my 🤚 too late 😔. Just the fact that George was all like "Whaddya guys wanna hear?" 🤔 LOTTA people hollerin Mr. Scary ,of course (EZ PZ song for me especially too) "Oh yeah! Cool..So, do we have ANY drummers in the audience?" 🤯 Just thought it was so cool that he was so down to earth with such. And at another clinic? He had a fellow guitarist from the audience come up and free jam with him (with the store's drummer). The guy had some small issues during the jam in spots but George was just really patient with him during couple of the hiccups on timing and? Kicked azz as well! GOOD stuff man... GOOD stuff 😏🎸🥁😎🤘🔥🤘
Knew Don when he was a guitar player for a local LA band called Aireborne. Last time I talked to him he said he was heading to Europe. Next I heard of him was "Breaking The Chains" on the radio. I have been to at least a half dozen Aerosmith concerts, starting with the ROCKS tour ('76?) and DOKKEN was the only warmup band that has come close to blowing them off the stage, mainly due to George Lynch's guitar playing. Love Joe Perry's playing, but George Lynch rules!
Heard an interview with Lynch in my teens and couldn't get into Dokken after hearing how full of himself he was. It took hearing Dokken on the radio for me to get into them and now I feel my youth has been robbed. Thanks George. Dokken rules
Learning that a band member is full of himself make me more interested in a band lol
Sometimes full of himself/conceited can definitely be mistaken for EXTRA confident 😎 Whatever the case? Lynch WAS and STILL IS 1 of the infamous "Calli 3 guitarists" and obviously, last one living from the EVH, RHOADS, LYNCH trio 😎🤘🔥🤘
These are the types of stories that generations after us will never have!! Long live the 80s!!
Lynch seems to be a friendly and intelligent guy ... and the interviewer is just fine. He is genuinely into speaking with George, and because of this, it's a fun conversation. As far as folks "taking sides" between Lynch and Dokken, listen, if you weren't there, SHUT UP. Mr. Scary is one of rock guitar's greatest virtuosos.
I guess LYNCH has quite an ego but his climb to the top took a lot of courage and ambition. You gotta give him credit. LONG LIVE DOKKEN!!!!
He's turning into George Hamilton lol!
I was with them by purchasing their records.
Great love songs and hot licks on the guitar.
Being a guitarist and young, by the time Under Lock and Key came out, I was blown away at all the talent from the 76 to 86 era of bands with wicked guitarists and George was definitely in the top twenty at that time for me.
Especially, in the metal type tone players back then.
I knew that a lot went into the recording and equipment used, because Under Lock and Key just sounded incredible compared to their older albums and other bands at that time.
It was like when Ozzy hired Zakk and that first album came out and just sounded huge.
So, I started paying closer attention to studios, equipment and who mixed or produced albums.
Decades later, I get wind that George and his current touring members were going to be at a local music club or bar, etc.
So, I'm totally hyped to go see him and I go early figuring that there wasn't going to being much parking, etc.
I was wrong and as I walked up the street I seen this small white rental rv bus with California plates on it right outside the front door of the club. This club was known for terrible acoustics and crappy service, as I had been there before, but I went and got a ticket because it was George Lynch, WOW! Unfortunately, it turned out to be a drag for the patrons there, but was kinda cool for George personally, because he got to jam with Johnny Bolin on drums and Johnny is Tommy's brother. Tommy Bolin, RIP.
Johnny is very cool, warm an friendly and always fills in for bands that come to that town and need a drummer and so did George, because for hours we waited with no compensation for the gig to get started and it wasn't, because the drummer was apparently still on a plane to Omaha, then needed to be driven or flown up to Iowa for the gig. Well, Johnny shows up and we all know him and figure he's going to sit in and those Lynch Mob songs are not familiar to Johnny, I knew in advance, but some Dokken, definitely.
Then, I look to my left and this little dark fella comes walking in to the stage area, walks right next to me and it's George heading for Johnny who's seated at the drums and George is very cordial, thanking Johnny for coming down and George, later on stage goes on to talk about how much he liked Tommy Bolin and his band Zephyr, etc.
Then George notices a poster of "Tommy" on the wall at the very same moment he was talking about him and points it out, so you could see it was a special moment for George, which was cool. Unfortunately, the jam was pretty much a disaster and people left, except for some groupie chicks and myself upfront checking out his old Hiwatt cab and Marshall head. Idk if it was the same 1968 plexi he got from Aspen Pittman or not?
The bassist was good.
There was a young kid, probably in late teens that was playing a black Gibson LP Custom on the floor next to George's equipment, surrounded by plexi glass that would play along like he was learning the song's.
Idk if he was related to George or an apprentice or what?
Then, the drummer shows up and takes over.
They do a few songs and then check out. I don't remember the drummers name, but he was young and very good at singing too. I've seen him with other people or bands on video.
Overall, I was elated to see George play, but the gig was big let down, as a fan of the music. So, I took the good out of it and left the rest.
If the club manager would have out done freebies while we were waiting so long, then it wouldn't have been so bad, but they just kept charging top dollar for food and drink for hours.
I haven't been back there.
A couple of new clubs opened up, so it's much better for options now.
Maybe it's because I was so blown away by GL when I was a kid, that I didn't notice, but I saw Dokken at MoR & I thought George sounded incredible.
Dokken sounded pretty tight to me at MoR
Don was the one with the deal dokken was broke up when he went to Germany, George and mick were driving beer delivery trucks.
Still like hearing George talk the old daze NM WHAT/HOW Don has retold "HIS side" of everything....ROCK TF ON🤘🔥🤘
I'm friends with an Australian guy from Sydney, he's a great dude. He said he's met Don and George quite a number of times. He was George's road manager at one point. He said they were both cool guys, he did say that George can get quite moody at times haha. That was about it, he didn't really say anything negative about them. But anyway, Don's solo album 'Up From The Ashes' kicks ass! I love it. Whoever thinks that John Norum is a clone of George Lynch.. must be high on something. He doesn't sound anything like George. John's playing style is actually closer to Gary Moore, compared to George. You can hear it in his guitar solos, the palm muted shredding and the 2 string alternate picking technique, that sounds crazy! Check out John's solo album 'Face The Truth' 1992. John has even mentioned this in a few interviews that Gary Moore is basically his favourite player, and said that he's the best. I do also love the first 2 Lynch Mob albums, they're great albums.
Totally agree with your assessment of "Up From The Ashes."
I dislike Up UFTA immensely. It was too overproduced; too many ballads and wimpy songs; dual vocal harmonies for the sake of dual harmonies. Too many love is blind cliches. Just awful. A shame because he had an excellent band!
Parkwaypro What about Crash N Burn, Down In Flames, The Hunger and Give It Up.. those songs are pretty f*cking heavy. Did you listen to the whole album? The only ballads on that album are When Love Finds A Fool, and Stay. 1000 Miles Away starts off very slow but then gets heavy
It's not Norum playing most of the leads on the album, it's the other guy from watchtower
@@thewaragainstcars I kinda get what you're saying but I find myself enjoying the album somewhat, not as good as classic Dokken though.
George must like this guy...because he graciously puts up with his constant annoying interrupting..
Just happened to come across this piece. Man that was a while back, but I remember you guys heading over to Germany. It was then an inspiration, and some of us were seeking the same. Appreciate all the music George...you paid your dues. Good input for others who may encounter "the politics" of "the bizz"...😎
Why does the interviewer keep trying to finish Lynch's sentences-it's really annoying.
Exactly!! Thank you.
And getting it wrong.
George: It backfired on all of us
Interviewer: because you were all tight as a group!
George: No, it financially backfired on us
George seems like pretty good dude. He probably was just young and got caught up in the rock -star , ego -driven competition with Don.. Neither seem to be bad dudes. I can see where it's tough trying to lead a band when the drugs were so rampant. Would easily create tension and division..Check out "It's not Love ," from Philly in 87. Awesome.
Wish there were more pro shots of classic Dokken. They weren't in best form during that Philly show
@@lrn_news9171 STILL..? Gotta be better from any of the Monsters tour 😬... There's a couple I seen where Lynch just sits on the guitar monitor and "does HIS job".... Pretty fouled UP WHAT Don DID do right before they went out on that tour, signed the contracts etc. 😔
@@jamescon55 Yeah they were in better form than the Monster tour but Don's voice was in better form during the monsters tour, and his voice was in top form during the 86 tour.
Guitar God
1987 in Philly they were at there best. They put played aero smith!!
Class!
theyre talking about when they recorded the breaking the chains album. '83
It's weird but this story is not quite true. Don Dokken had recorded this record prior to George being in the band. Don even split the money 4 ways evenly despite doing all the work. I like many always blamed Don for the break up but George was the one who couldn't get past it. Such a shame. With Don Dokken's arranging and dokken sound with Lynch's unique guitar style and pilson's input on the guitar riffs they were so melodic and awesome.
This is true, it was recorded prior. However even the 1981 version with the different mix has George Lynch playing on it.
Yeah, so for what it's worth, WHERE IS THIS original "DON" DOKKEN BREAKING THE CHAINS (NO Lynch) original LP , "available?"...🤔 I've obviously heard about it...NEVER seen it, yet I NEVER went outta my way to find it per say but... Yeah...Is it like something that might be available on eBay or something (as it WAS a limited numbered run of LPs) before Lynch "came back"? THIS has ALWAYS made me wonder 🤔... Needless to say, pre Lynch nor EVEN ta say there WERE them "early original raw mixes of the album" etc? I wouldn't worry about having to have it. Breaking the Chains CD IS the one DOKKEN CD I have that NEVER gets played Lol. Throughout ALL the past 40 years/4 decades...It was right after Back for the Attack hit and I HAD to re listen to my sister's copy of Tooth n Nail. I was FLOORED. Then got Under Lock and Key, it WAS 🤔 ...okay. But yeah, ALWAYS loved Breaking the Chains song and PARIS IS BURNING! Bought the 1st one LAST and... WAS a total letdown compared to the others. Still love BFTA AND TnN, and the live CD 😎🤘🔥🤘
Don Dokken is Barry Manillow with Hard Rock Musicans
They got a raw deal at MOR. George's guitar was turned way down in the mix at The Tampa FL show.
I love the fact he doesn't even mention Don by name ...lol ...the singer
mike edwards lol.
when did he turn into Vince McMahon?!!?
Correction George - Don had the record deal, not the band.
People tend to forget the beginning.
Bashing among Dokken members.
was GL talking about the Breaking the Chains album? or Tooth and Nail?
Breaking the Chains
Tooth and nail was mixed and then someone was brought in to make sure the vocals weren't too loud by Lynch's request. Apparently Lynch was extremely difficult to work with during these sessions, he was temperamental, presumably due to drug use.
The producer said Don was great, was friendly and easy to work with. George however was a different story. Apparently there were a lot of drugs going around.
Rory Gallagher and lynch in the building? Wow
Lynch seems like he gets better with age.
Imo he didn't. His peak was somewhere between 1986-1993
But he's still phenomenal
What record is he talking about at 3:40? Anyone?
AJ Reynolds it might be breaking the chains i think.
i think he is talking about the back in the streets album.
*****
is Don record but the musician are lynch,brown and pilson,Don lie to them,all of them were in germany but when they finish recording the album Don sent everybody home and he took credit for the album.
C,R. Productions wow man did not know this. Thanks for the info.
Michel JAY thanks man.
He could make the new Santa clause 4
They really need to remix Breaking the chains. The music is so low in the mix.
Dear Mr Interviewer,
The basic principal of an interview is to ask the person a question and let him/her answer it, while you are basically silent. In this respect it's quite different from a normal conversation. Besides, no one is interested in you knowing this, you having heard that, and that this and that club is/was really important to play and these managment guys are said to be fantastic. Who gives a fuck? Let the guest do the talking - it's called an interview.
This could have been superb, unfortunately it sucks big time.
Better learn how to handle a situation like that next time.
George tries to take the highroad here, but his ego was just as big as Don's, if not bigger back in those days. Don was responsible for the bands success. He was the founder, and without him, Lynch would never be known as wide as he is today. And yet, George never misses an opportunity to make Don seem like the bad guy. Don played guitar and shared some leads with George in the early days, but George basically forbid him to play guitar once Dokken went big?! And that final tour was actually not that bad. Don gave himself 100p, just as Jeff Pilson.... but George stood in the corner like a butthurt teenage girl and never engaged with the audience one bit :/
Yeah there's a couple MoR videos on here and they sounded tight to me. Sound quality is bad but still you can tell they weren't sounding bad.
And how would you want George to engage with the crowd? He didn't have a mic.
In the one I've seen he was running all across the stage, at moments standing right beside Don. Perhaps it depended on the show
They didn’t need Don. George was way to good one guitar was good enough
George Lynch was technically the most proficient guitarist besides Eddie Van Halen, if it wasn’t Dokken it would of been another band.
I actually feel sorry for Don. George seems a very ungrateful. He wouldn't have had a career in music if it weren't for Don Dokken. He would have ended up having a regular job like the rest of us mere mortals and talent would have been undiscovered. George Lynch basically had nowhere to go after being rejected by Ozzy after Randy Rhodes died during the auditions for replacement guitarist, but Don Dokken gave him a job, and the rest is history. The guy basically is living the dream, getting paid to pursue his passion, how many people in this world are THAT lucky, and the person that help him get there was Don Dokken, the very person George Lynch has constantly trashed in nearly every interview for decades.
mitch mclean can't forget Jeff hated Don just as much
Don sounded like a greedy jerk, serves him right. Imo Dokken should have found a new singer.
George was/is an amazing talent and he was just as responsible for Dokken's success as Don was. He had every right to be pissed off when Don wanted to keep all the money and treat everyone else like salaried employees. Don Dokken destroyed that band with his greed and like Lynch said, it's a shame because they were ready to step up another level.
George was good enough and known enough around LA to get a shot with other bands if Dokken didn't work out.
Agreed. Dokken is Don's band with awesome musicians. Everyone should know their place in a band and do their job with no complaints. Simple as that.
Is that Han Solo
i have listen that band since fist moment i very love all their music but i never feel that was a great communion between them .
Wonder what Don Dokken has to say about all this.
Not much. Don went to negotiate a record deal without George Lynch in the band and found out the hard way that without George, there was no deal. George made 2 successful Lynch Mob records, while Don sat on his hands. Dokken never made another record until George came back in '95 to do Dysfunctional, One Night Live & Shadowlife, got paid a fortune then left to do his own thing.
George Jetson where do you get your information yes don did a record after dokken broke up and before he got back with lynch in 95... dysfunctional was don's solo record until the record company yes wanted lynch but of coarse the same shit came up again that's why the broke up..... and don came out with broken bones in 2012... use google and find out don has done alot of the years just as lynch did...lynch is just pissed off that don had to buy back his name don owns 100% of dokken so lynch wants another reuion but wants half of it i think not not after buying back his own fucking name yeah ok.....
don really doesn't give a fuck what anyone says or thinks about him
all I meant was George has his point of view of what happened when he was in Dokken and Don has his point of view Would just like to hear what Don would think of this stuff.
angiedawson1969 Dokken made Back For The Attack in '87, the next record he made was Dysfunctional in '95. Don could not get a record deal until George came back. Look at Dokken's discography, it's blank from '87-'95, DON COULD NOT GET A DEAL, HE FUCKED HIMSELF OVER. The next deal Don got was when he was able to get Reb Beach for Erase The Slate. The record companies wanted a known guitar player in Dokken. After that, Don was playing clubs with his Lawyer on guitar.
Lynch has made many more records than Don, 3 this this past year alone, all with label support, both here, Europe & Asia.
I saw that Aerosmith show '88 (Long Beach Arena in particular) Dokken was okay but George was constantly pissed and would stop playing for whatever reason you could tell the band was disintegrating
You sure it was 1988? They opened for Aerosmith in 1987. That tour concluded in 1988?
@@lrn_news9171 maybe '87 it was certainly Dokken opening Permanent Vacation tour. George had a wall of fake Marshall Jubilee stacks behind him and his real rig kept cutting out Edit: No it was definitely 1988 February 2nd Long Beach Show sponsored by KNAC
@@BillDerBerg Cool I didn't know that tour ended in 1988. Dokken then toured in Japan AND monsters of rock in 1988. These guys were certainly working hard.
@@BillDerBerg KNAC was the best radio station I've ever heard
So I saw them open for Areosmith......and for anyone that wants the truth....Don was a horrible ass on stage.....there was a solo George played that had everyone on there feet.....just a wonderful magical moment....you could feel it across the whole audience....not just shredding but funk jazz.....prog....wonderful solo.....and Don interrupts.....says no no not like that....like how you used to solo.....and it was like someone pricked a hole in the ballon.....the audience just sighed...oh no......Don Dokken killed the moment....and it went back to 80s generic though proficient rock.....so sad. And Aerosmith came out and killed...cause they were clean and had worked so hard coming back....and the songs were better....just fun and funky and the Perry Whitford thing was brillliant...and synchopation was good. And I can't speak for all history with Dokken but Don was a huge posing butthead of a downer and George was in his moment transendant....I have seen Via and SRV and tons if great shows and I am not about which is better cause the good musicians always have something special....but Don Dokken that night was just such a drag and I'll never forget Lynch.
They always banged heads idk why? They both says and talk stories but someone is lying or
Both.
Love George Lynch but man I think he's doing the story to make him look good
Man... George is starting to look like Harrison ford
+Austen Hofmann More like George Hamilton. Geez Lynch, stay out of the sun.
Austen Hofmann minus the pilot's license
Wow I didn't know that about Don Dokken.... Why would you want to take care of your family??? That's fucked up!!
Dokken was big but not Huge Huge Huge.
Let George speak! (Stop with the “ right “ “ right” interjections every sentence he Speaks!..
Don makes out like George Lynch is an absolute asshole but I've seen quite a bit of interviews and UA-cam stuff with George over the past few days and he's honestly one of the coolest ones in the biz that I've ever heard in terms of how unarrogant he really is. I sure wish Eddie van Halen and would be like that (more humble)
Eddie Van Halen was pretty awesome in interviews, really funny guy.
It says little about someone though. It's like when you meet a girl who's a total bitch, she appears nice at first. Of course he'll act nice in interviews. lol
wait...they gave Aerosmith the run for their money lol? Seriously?
Hell yea they did
george, you are what? romanian? that's fine with me. i don't give a care.
Proof that Dokken would have been better off without Lynch, Lych basicly writes all of shadowlife and 90% was garbage and Lynch Mob wasn't very unique... Don writes Rise from the Ashes without any Lynch in sight and it was just as good as anything Dokken had done before.
I wouldn't say as good as classic Dokken but it's certainly closer to it than Lynch Mob.
I think George was incredibly important to the Dokken sound and wrote a lot of classic Dokken tunes. For instance, Dream Warriors was written by George and Jeff, not Don. It became one of their highest charting hits.
Also, you could look at this from a different angle. Don Dokken wanted to maintain that classic Dokken sound in his solo effort because it sold well perhaps, that's what fans were expecting.
@@lrn_news9171 Don also wrote Alone Again, the bandmates all contributed to the changing sound but Don had the roots of Dokken's songwriting structure long before any of them joined, I would argue it's better than a lot of classic Dokken. Better production, same musical proficiency, Don's voice sounds better, there's better production and mixing, and the songwriting style is relatively the same. I believe the Dokken sound simply became what Don writes, he may not have entirely created it but I do think it very much grew to become his personal sound.
@@spartansquid5931 I agree but all the members were extremely important and created that classic sound following breaking the chains. Lynch's guitar tone and style was a big part of it.
As well as the vocal harmonies and arrangements. Jeff wrote a lot of stuff too.
@@spartansquid5931 Since I'm a big fan of the 80s sound and production I would say Don's vocal peak in terms of ability, range and power was Back for the attack. His voice sounded his best on that album imo
He started losing range in the early 90s and by the early 2000s he had lost a lot of it.
"We were demoralized on Monsters of Rock".
Don't say "we", George.
_You_ were the one playing with your back to the audience like a prima donna. Even Yngwie Malmsteen's ego has never been quite _that_ bad. Everyone else gave their all on that tour. Don's voice sounded great, Jeff and Mick's energy was high. You were sulking like a jilted preteen because your name wasn't on the marquee, above Don's.
...and, folks, if Lynch "was" DOKKEN? Then why was Don's solo album from 1990, Up From The Ashes, so good? Don wrote - or co-wrote - every track on it, George Lynch is nowhere to be found... and yet it sounds like Dokken. A lot more like Dokken than Lynch Mob does, certainly.
***** Every guitar player in the 80s had enormous ego`s maybe now at their older age they are humble but back then? Fuck no. But the back against the crowd more than being a "Prima Donna" move was a lame attempt to safeguard his technique from gawking guitar players, Van Halen did the same thing when they first came out.
***** Don Dokken bwahaah a Musical joke.
+Jc333 I don't know about that. I've seen plenty of videos from George in those days and he never turned his back before.
Trulysarcastic44 You`ve seen plenty of videos not every single one of his live performances. There isnt even Van Halen videos doing that either but we all know he did it.
Videos became a much more widespread use because technology got better. Very few people had video cameras in VH's early days. I think you'll agree that you've probably never heard George doing that other then during the Monsters of rock tour. I take his side for the most part with his feud with Don, but all he did was shit on his fans by doing that.
This is interesting. I knew about the turmoil in the band but wasn't aware of tge factors causing it. Of course there are.two sides to every story and the truth lie somewhere in between but Don Dokken must've been diabolicaly selfish. God Rest His Wretched Soul
This bald guy, pretending to be an interviewer is pretty bad. Basically ruins the interview
I wish that bald boomer would let George talk.
Up From the Ashes is better than the first four Dokken albums and no George in sight.
Sean Beach hardly. Tooth and nail, lock and key, and back for the attack were real good albums
Thats BS. Tooth and Nail, Under lock and key, and Back for the attack are all superior.
Not.
Back for the attack is way better than ashes but ashes is a good album
Corporate rock, mix in a little hair metal lore and image. = DOKKEN LOL 😂🤣😅🤪
What a ignorant comment, damn.
Dokken was an 80s heavy metal band with a unique sound and wrote a bunch of classics, no other band sounds like Dokken.
Interviewer...stop interrupting!! Every half sentence or so, the interviewer has to say "right right," or something else! I want to hear George talk, not you. Ask your question, then shut up!