Don Dokken Blames Himself for ‘Disaster’ Dokken Reunion

It’s been nearly a decade since the classic Dokken lineup last reunited, and frontman Don Dokken doesn’t look back on the experience fondly.

The group’s classic lineup featured Don alongside guitarist George Lynch, drummer Mick Brown and bassist Jeff Pilson. In 2016, the quartet reunited for the first time since 1997, embarking on a brief run of performances in Japan.

In a recent interview with the SDR Show, Dokken recalled how the reunion came together.

“We did an experiment, and we said, ‘We’ll write one song together,’” he explained. With the classic lineup working together again, the conversation naturally turned to touring.

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“I said, ‘I’m not doing America. We’ll go to Japan, and we’ll see if we don’t kill each other,’” the frontman remembered. “We did the Japanese tour. It was a disaster, mostly because of me. I just wasn’t on my game.”

“We just came back and I said, ‘I don’t think this is gonna work,’” Dokken continued. “So that was the end of that.”

Could Dokken Release New Material With George Lynch?

One of the integral parts of Dokken’s classic lineup was the chemistry between the frontman and Lynch. While the two rockers enjoyed a prolific partnership, they also had an infamous history of infighting. In the SDR Show interview, Dokken noted that he and Lynch have finally been able to put their tumultuous history behind them, with the guitarist even making guest appearances at recent Dokken shows.

“We’re old — we’re too old to bicker and fight, even though a couple years ago he went at it again with the lawsuits,” the singer noted. “But that’s in the past. So, we’re both gray haired now.”

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Dokken further revealed he and Lynch have discussed the possibility of working together on new Dokken material, but added there was one important caveat.

“I talked to George when we played, and I said, ‘I might be up for an EP only.’ But I said flat out, ‘It has to sound like Dokken,’” the singer declared. “‘I’m not trying to insult you, George, but I’ve listened to all your records. It has to be Dokken.’ That’s what the fans want. They don’t want to hear tripped out stuff… George puts out what he puts out, but it has nothing to do with the way I write.”