Jeff Pilson on Don Dokken's "MASSIVE" Drug Use, George Lynch, The End Machine, Foreigner - 2024 

Pilson is just a working man's musician. Been to the top of the mountain and toiled everywhere in between. Such a level headed professional. Respect the hell out of this man.

The best part of Dokken’s Unchained the Night video is Jeff’s banter with George while recording in the hotel room.

Jeff is the most honest man I have ever heard in the music business.

Cool he talked about the Dio tour as I saw Dokken open for Dio on Jeff's birthday (Feb 19th) in Saginaw MI on the Tooth and Nail tour. They were GREAT. From my memory, they played the entire album with the exception of Heartless Heart. and also Breaking the Chains. I used to memorize the best I could what bands played. On a side note, I saw that Dio tour twice- the first with Twisted Sister in Clarkston MI

Jeff Pilson is not only a bass guitar God. He's one of the most down to earth, nicest guys you could ever meet. Talked to him many times at the Rainbow in Hollywood and at countless NAMM shows. Always has time for others. Really great guy.

As a teen, I would sit outside Burbank Studios room Dokken would be rehearsing in. After hours of jamming, Jeff would emerge, energy level one past 10, pinned at 11, huge smile for a total stranger: "Man you wanna hear the new album!!?" We sat in my Toyota pickup listening to every track, it was awesome. He is the most humble, gracious and kind musician I've ever met.

I feel Jeff is probably the most reliable source for anything Dokken past.

Back For The Attack is a great album ... I think it is them at their peak ...would have been hard to top it musically

Met Jeff in 1998 with Dokken. Such an awesome guy that just talked with us for about an hour. Awesome guy! 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

Met this band back in 86 monsters of rock tour, my buddy was tending bar at the embassy suites hotel in troy mi called me up and said dokken was hanging out at the bar, me and another friend went up to the hotel and got hammered and hung out with these guy's for a bit, Don was stuck on himself, George was kinda laid back and didnt say much, Mick brown was yelling at them to hurry up for the band meeting, Jeff pilson hung out and bs'd with us for a good 30 mins, totally cool and down to earth, i mean we were just 19yr old punks at the time but he didnt care was very curious on how dokken was being perceived in detroit at that time and what we thought about hair metal and what not, just a really cool dude!

Back for the Attack is my absolute favorite Dokken album. For me, that is where George took the gloves off as a guitar player.

I opened for Dokken in like 97 or so? My band was popular in the Harrisburg Pa area. We would get a lot of the big openers then. Jeff, George and especially Mick were GREAT! Mick brought my drummer and myself on the tour bus. Don acted like we should be humbled by meeting him. I am singer and guitar player at that time I was playing 5 nights a week and working a day job. Don couldnt sing the songs and kept pointing to his throat like it was too high or something. I sang everything from Van Halen, Queen, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith to my own songs. 5 nights a week and he gave me a dead fish handshake and said your welcome. Mick Jeff and George, thank you for a memorable night

I remember this guy when he played in STEEL DRAGON. 🤘😜

Hey man I was at the same Dio/Dokken concert at Reunion Arena! It was my second concert, the first was Judas Priest about six months earlier. I remember all the church people were outside trying to save us from Satan and I told them I went to church every Sunday haha. Wish I could go back to '84 and stay there forever.

The first Don Dokken album after Dokken broke up was fucking great. The first 2 Lynch Mob albums were awesome. We got cheated out of some awesome Dokken music for sure.

Back for the Attack was an INCREDIBLE album! I really can't imagine it getter any better.

What stood out to me was on that monsters of Rock tour when Mick Brown went into that double bass attack on tooth and nail..........tearing it up in the daytime........burning it down at night!

I too saw the Last in Line tour with Dokken opening. I saw them in Evansville Indiana. As a guitar player it was great. Seeing George and Vivian the same night was awesome.

Jeff Pilson's 'side of the story' in this interview I think is the closest to being the 'real story' of what happened with Dokken. He seems to be a credible person.

I saw Dokken open for Twisted Sister in Feb. 1986. They were great! I was blown away when I heard them in 1984.

Dokken was one of my favorite bands growing up, I only got to see them once back in the 80s.

I remember seeing Dokken during the Aerosmith tour, and it still ranks as one of my favorite shows. After the concert we got to talk to Jeff and Don out in the parking lot. It was just so cool. Very down to earth, and very appreciative to the fans. I recall seeing George running to the bus and I yelled "George!" he waved and went into the bus. Don and Jeff looked at me, and said "Oh, he's shy, he won't come over. " Just such a cool experience. Hopefully Jeff sees my comment. Another super cool interview! 🤘❤️

Met Jeff back in 2009 in Germany at a Foreigner show….. one of the coolest and nicest guys I’ve met…

I was a huge Dokken fan back in the mid to late 80's. George is probably the biggest reason I picked up a guitar. I thought Back for the attack was killer. When it came out, I was blown away. The band was just getting better and better!

Back for the attack was one of the all time best records ever. The guitar tone was just the apex of tone. Georges later stuff was great too, but that tone on BFTA was just other worldly..

I love that Jeff is so honest. By the way, I really miss Dio.

Back for the Attack is my favorite Dokken album. "Even better"? WOW

Jeff still kicks serious ass 🎉

Jeff is a great guy who I have had the pleasure of meeting and he is an extremely talented musician as well, a class act.

I've been a Dokken fan since forever and every time I hear Jeff speak, I hear the voice of reason in the band. He's one of the reasons I learned bass and how to sing backup.

First time saw Dokken was early 1984 at age 16 in Lakeland Fl. I think was triple header Twisted Sister Y&T, Dokken. Twisted was headliner. At the time Tooth and Nail had just came out and I didn’t even know who Dokken was. Really was going to see Twisted Sister they were huge at the time. I was pretty blown away by Dokken and Lynch’s guitar playing. I was right up against the stage. I ran out and got Tooth and Nail after that day and was a fan since. I saw them again at Tampa Stadium at Monsters of Rock 1988 after Back for the Attack came out. Then didn’t see them again until 1995 when they got back together for the Dysfunctional album. Very good album imo. That was at small outdoor venue Janus Landing maybe 4,000 people. I was front of stage again. Don looked wasted and was on a stool a lot. lol. Lynch was ripped and on steroids back then.

Excellent interview.. enjoyed it..☝️

Back for the Attack was a great album front to back all killer no filler!

Back for the attack was one of the best all around records of all time. The mix, the solos, the arrangements...pure magic.

Massive respect to Jeff! If you’re playing bass or just starting out, you can listen to the early Dokken stuff and that, imo is the blueprint for rock solid bass playing, intelligently done, with a great tone and his sound comes through. No easy feat to shine through when George Lynch is your guitarist! That being said, what a humble, down to earth guy. Never hear of any drama coming from him, stays busy, looks like he’s still in great shape - just a phenomenal influence for guys starting out and veterans alike. As a fan how could you not love this guy and wish him the absolute best?? Now and I think everyone has figured this out, man when you hear the others talk, it just seems more and more that Don was not an easy guy to be in a band with. Great talent but, it sounds like studio time, tour bus time…man I’m sure you needed a certain level of patience to make it work!

SHOCKED to hear that 80s metal bands used cocaine. Who knew. 🙄

One thing that seems to get left out or even altered is that it was in the press that Don was breaking up the band right before the Monsters Of Rock tour. They make it sound like it happened on the tour, but I went to one of those shows and I clearly remember reading that he was breaking up the band and thinking how crazy it was that they were about to go on a stadium tour and they were done. And just how insane it was that he couldn't wait until after the tour to announce it. It's no wonder George didn't want to be there. Not only did that kill there vibe, but going on right after Metallica when they were absolutely on fire didn't do Dokken any favors either. But yeah, I'm surprised no one ever mentions that, Don killed the band BEFORE the stadium tour!

May 1986 I was 14 years old and saw my first concert at the St.Paul Civic Center. Judas Priest/Dokken. $20 for decent seats. My mind and ears were blown when it was over. The lights came on and you could cut the reefer and marlboro smoke with a knife. So glad I grew up in the decade of metal

Great interview

I visited Jeff's studio Pilsound in Van Nuys about 33 years ago. He showed me the demos of these Craig Goldie recordings. It was amazing. Sounded better than anything out at the time.

Would love to hear the Pilson/Goldy songs

It's awesome seeing rockers meditating!!!🙏❤

Dokken was a big part of my youth and for some reason “Under Lock And Key” always reminded me of winter time! Great time in my life thank you Jeff!

Jeff is the coolest guy! He is always so nice.

Nice shout out to "Wild" Mick Brown!

Jeff and George are great guys.

I was in a band long ago, did a gig at Niles Station. The other band on the bill was a Hendrix impersonator named Randy Hansen, and Jeff was the bassist. After the show , Jeff and I were having a beer and talking, and I said he needed a stand up real singer, and needed to do original songs. He shushed me! Didn't want Randy to hear that. But that's exactly what he did.

I thought Don was the Sober one Lol

Tooth and Nail - Under lock and key - THAT is the Dokken we fell in love with at that time. And MTV was the other part to their success, a lot of bands success of that time. It was visual, they could put out a video that painted the right vibe, right theme - so many vid were dumb as fuck and got weirder as the music video/artistic expression crossed over. Imagine a world back then with the internet? All we had were press statements, magazine interviews, radio DJ's and of course, with MTV, we got news/rumors? shit about bands - But no matter how bad it was for some people, a lot of it was "What has Ozzy done now?" that took the spotlight, or Motley Crue busting up hotels, drunk, OD, Razzle (rest in peace dear Rocker) ~ but even with that, Don Dokken was heavily rumored, Heavily, to being a real dickhead sob. That was kind of the message I recall was out there, or someone wanted out there. And of course, the split with he and George got real public for the time. Fans didn't give a fuck about that, we wanted more Dokken but it got pissed away, gone forever. But hey man, the radio only plays a few songs in total, there's no bad shit on their records man, not those 2 albums anyway. But that's how it was then. People came and went like a fucking mini mall. Jeff for example, how many fkn bands are in his credits? I mean, he was everywhere. Like whenever someone needed a bass player, a better bass player it's like someone would say "Hey, What's Pilson doing right now?" ... HAHA! But like Jeff said - Don on Val's and booze? Jeff and everyone else on the planet in the 80's were lining it up day and night man - they can both point at each other and claim "You're a buzz kill dude" and they're both right - Should've got Don on the train man, might have been different. But to be real? Lynch Mob release? Fucking badass! and overnight, there's George on MTV slashing it! Hey, same guitar, you know you're listening to Dokken's guitarist. Guitar players all had their own accent and voice through strings - like a fingerprint for a true fan Like yeah man, wish you had worked it out but oh well, we'll take what we can! Rock on! Drawing on memory? Don blamed it all on George wanting the musical direction to go his way, shine on his guitar - Don wanted to elevate to some cerebral awakening stage of enlightenment - fuck if I know, but it didn't fly, Don was the dick in the peanut butter is what we all walked away with, least in our bubble. But like I said, no internet, no real way of knowing, that's what we were fed. Wasn't there also an age gap with Don? He was kind of long in the tooth I seem to recall - without looking it up, that's what I'm vibing on memory recall - one thing for sure, we're all old as fuck today looking back to those glorious times.

Never heard of The End Machine but I'm going to check them out right now

The end machine is what dokken could have been and I absolutely love dokken

Has Jeff ever written a book,I'd love to read it.

I saw a video were Don said he didn’t do drugs. Then I see an interview of George Lynch talking about them all doing lines off of Freddy’s blades on his glove during the filming of the Dream Warriors music video. What is there to be ashamed about it was the 80’s everyone was doing coke

Back for the attack was a phenomenal album

_Back for the Attack_ is their best record. Great riffs, and Lynch's solos are phenomenal. He was at his peak at the time, and deservedly recognised as one of the best in the business. World class phrasing, a unique sound, great tone, and that vibrato.

Man great interview

It’s strange how Don is the only one who thought George was difficult to deal with. Meanwhile, everyone else said he was a wonderful guy.

Jeff, you're the dream band member every musician should have, SIr! \m/\m/ Thanks for the great legacy of tunes you've made for us 80's rockers to fall back on in this age of lame mass produced music.

Love the interview as always. Good job. Wish Jeff and the guys will release those old days live videos he said he was watchin', whatever the quality 😜 It's a sin we just have Philly and little bit more.

Dokken may have been lumped in with other hair/glam metal bands of the time, but their music was always more complex and heavier than say bands like Poison, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, and Ratt etc, even on Under Lock and Key, with it's commercial appeal, and slick production aimed at radio play, they we're still able to pull off the difficult balancing of growing their fanbase and maintaining their integrity.

I saw both of those tours back in the day...Damn...What a great time in music we were lucky enough to witness and be a part of. It really was a way of life...Still is. Cheers, J

Mr. Scary is my favorite song from Dokken. I liked the Freddy Krueger movies and the Dream Warriors theme also.

One of my all-time fav bands, with that 80s lineup

Saw Dokken with Judas Priest at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Under Lock and Key tour I believe. Priest was on the Turbo tour. Great concert.

My first concert at age 13 at the Cow Palace. I was blow away by Jake. Then I saw them on ultimate sin and came home to find all my guitars and equipment stolen while at that show. I love jakes playing. One of the greatest!

“We did a lot of cocaine”, I would never expect to hear that from any 80’s rock band. I wonder if there was a constant supply of young women too…..nah.

Part of playing bass in a band is the ZEN zone of being the low-key glue.

As an 80's rocker, who got only to play clubs for 12 years, I play better than I ever did, but do not have the luxury to keep going at my passion. 62, and never get to do it. Must be nice. I still have my mane, no dye, cool clothes, just no guys. Shame. I got it going on. Still.

Great Dude!

Excellent interview!!

I saw Dio & Dokken in Dallas in 1984 too. The old Reunion Arena. What a great show that was!!

true story George's guitar techs would turn the volume up hella loud during concerts so you can barely hear Don's vocals because he sings kind of soft.... That was their main strife 😂

Jeff is so smart and so diplomatic. I wouldn't hold my tongue if somebody asked me about the old days.

Jeff’s the man

Back for the Attack had more bang for the buck than many of their peers albums released around the same time. Nothing sucked like buying a metal album based on a hit video only to find only 2 or 3 songs actually good and the rest filler. In the age of the cassette that meant time spent rewinding of fast forwarding which was inconvenient while riding on my skateboard. BFTA could be listened all the way through, both A and B sides.

What? Back for the Attack could have been better? I always thought that was a masterpiece! That's a true rocking album with every song smoking hot. There's no ballads or slow songs on that one and George's lead playing is phenomenal!

I met Don Dokken in the mid 90s, he was a total dick back then. Hopefully he’s grown up and become a more humble man than he was back in the day.

Dude your interviewing technique and skill and questions are fucking awesome! Very well done man

I just finished my blog on 'Shadowlife.' I am 45, so Dokken for me were just about to break up by the time i really discovered them and fell in love with the band. For years, I only had what was written in magizines and older people who had more inside knowledge on what happened. When the band got back together i was in High School and listened to a lot of Pantera, Sepultura, Type O Negative, Rollins Band, Stabbing Westward, White Zombie, Fear Factory, you get the point but I still came back to Dokken. I always attibuted the issues to George and Don as egos that couldn't communicate to a level where they could hash out their greievences towards one another. I feel like this is still present in 2024. Jeff has always been the senseable one. Mick always seemed like he was just glad to be there and then you have Don and George. As Jeff said, when the band was focused on 'making kickass music and the live performance to go with it," the band was at its best. I would love to sit down with Jeff and talk about some of those records, specifically the heavier direction the band was going with their music from 'Back for the Attack' through 'Dysfunctional' and than, we get to 'Shadowlife.' Then "Erase the Slate.' Even George was getting heavier as a gututarist. It was there, they could have done some real wild stuff. Going through old video peformances the live shows to me seemed much heavier than the recorded albums did and I always wished the Dokken would have pushed the heavier more metal sound than the arena, popular rock that was being pushed out at the time. How many bands from that era that had the arena sound could transition into actual heavier metal? A few but not all and certainly not many. I'd put Dokken in there that if they wanted to be heavier/darker band, sonically, they could have pulled it off. Instead, Elektra tries to sell them as a glam band. I know it is retrospectively but I always felt this. Give me a time machine, the raw recordings. pro-tools, and a pitchshifter and I will give you a Dokken sound that sounds live but in the studio. That is how I always was hoping the sound would evolve and the best we got was a handful of shows over the course of 15 years that showcase these things from the band.

Saw DIO in mid 90’s with Jeff on bass. Dude is solid.

As far as guitar goes, I don’t know if BFTA could be better. It is a relentless, punishing and coke-fueled masterpiece for George.

I believe I have all these dates correct.... In Nov 1987, I went to see Aerosmith at the Capital Center near DC. My whole reason for going was Dokken. They hit the stage and were tearing it up. Suddenly, around the second or third song, there was no guitar. I didn't see what happened. They finished the song, and then one of them said something like, "George is on his back. He's had the flu. He's very sick and can't continue." I was so pissed. Then, in June 1988, I saw the Monsters of Rock tour at RFK Stadium in DC. Dokken was there and kicked ass!!! Great show. All the bands were great. But the highlight is, in Aug 2001, my band got to open for Lynch Mob at Jaxx in Springfield, VA. What a great night. George and the guys were very cool. After the show, we grabbed some food, chatted a little, and took some photos. I feel very honored to have been able to have experiences like that.

Well that kinda explains the disconnect- if the 3 of them were doing cocaine and Don was doing valium... you're never going to be able to hang together. I was the drinker among a group of cocaine users growing up- they saw me as a drag and I saw them as a movie playing at 4x- there was no middle ground to communicate

Literally every interview the story becomes more complex. Don says it happened one way then George says it happened another then Jeff Pilson says what seems like the reality.

full in bloom… Thanks brother for keeping my Bands that I love alive with great interviews

Strong interview, well done. Interesting professional discussion, good audio quality, and nice & compact. Kudos.

Jeff is always a great listen he is not about the bullshit and says it like it is. All that and he is an incredible artist!

Funny, Don Dokken never mentions he had a drug problem in interviews. Always kind of pointed the finger at other bands in the 80s

Jeff Pilson sounds like a cool dude. It's great to see and hear his long success in music. Dokken was awesome... and his musicianship in Foreigner is elite. Definitely going to check out The End Machine. Great interview.

Used to see Dokken at the Troub. Those were the days.

That was good stuff. I always felt that Jeff, was one of the hardest working musicians out there. As for George too. But Jeff just seems to be everywhere. 😎👍✌️

If Dokken had stayed together and cut back a bit on the nose candy, they’d be huge today

Best rock content out there More of an in depth conversation than by the numbers interview Fantastic

I was at the Dio/Dokken show here in Dallas.

back in the 80's dokken was the thin line between heavy metal and LA hair metal. They were right there on the border so you could still like them if you liked metallica or slayer but you couldn't like anyone further toward the hair metal end of the spectrum.

Interesting to hear projects Jeff Pilson is involved with. I gotta have a look at those.

And yet, according to "Tha DON", "Yeah! It WAS ALWAYS them OTHER guys... With the MASSIVE amount of blow and HOW he (Don) "didn't like blow at ALL and or DRUGS, in general." As HE "would be the one just sipping his wine 🍷 in the studio actually WORKING ON EVERYTHING and WANTING to actually work on the music ".... Yeah, right 👍 😒 .... Let's NOT talk about tha DON ever using drugs etc. as he WAS the little choir boy.... Anyways, thanks again for the interview with Pilson 😎 🤘🔥🤘

I like what he was saying at the very end about how Back For The Attack could have been stronger had they been more focussed. It’s a longer album so we got more Dokken on that album. But the songs aren’t as strong as a whole. The album the ruined and did in the 90s was terrible which Don himself had talked extensively about as well. Jeff Pilson isn’t one of those rockers that has an ego issue. E doesn’t strike me as someone who ever really has a bad day to the point that he upsets or offends others. He doesn’t s em to have resentment, hatred, or anger in his makeup. He truly is a professional in his trade.

Don said in a recent video that he was the one guy in the band who was clean and the others were the druggies lol

Another great interview, love Jeff