DON DOKKEN: 'I Am Not In Competition With My Peers; I Am In Competition With Myself'

Michael S. Robinson of Collider recently conducted an interview with DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

Collider: Your new CD, "Lightning Strikes Again", has been out for a little while now overseas and is set to be released here in the U.S. this week. Reviews have been quite favorable how was the decision made to return to your most famous, melodic hard rock sound?

Don Dokken: Actually, Jon pushed me into writing in the style I did in the 80's.

Collider: It's hard not to notice that Jon Levin, who is brilliant throughout, emulates George Lynch on the majority of the record. The songwriting, playing, and even Jon's sound is so close to that of your former guitarist, what can you tell me about the songwriting and recording process for the new CD, and how deliberate it was, or wasn't, to try and capture some of Lynch's previous contributions to the band, channeling through Levin?

Don Dokken: We did not try to emulate George. Jon grew up listening to Lynch, so he is influenced by him. George was his favorite guitarist in high school. All players are influenced by someone. For Jon, it just happened to be George.

Collider: From both a fan and journalistic point of you, "Lightning Strikes Again" is a triumphant return to that classic sound that made the band famous. How do you feel about the record, personally, and what does it mean to you knowing that fans and critics alike are so enthusiastically embracing this return to the classic DOKKEN sound?

Don Dokken: I am very happy about the response "Lightning Strikes Again" is receiving. This will probably be our last studio record, so I'm happy to leave the fans with this musical offering.

Collider: Would you have made this 'return' to the classic sound earlier on, had you known it would be so well received, or was the timing/band lineup prohibitive for that to have happened on previous records? You seemed to be flirting with that direction on "Erase the Slate" (one of my favorite DOKKEN albums),but subsequent efforts went off that track.

Don Dokken: We could not have made this CD with John Norum - his style is very different from the DOKKEN sound. Jon Levin fits the band perfectly. I would say it was timing mostly, I guess. I wanted to put an exclamation point on our music catalogue.

Collider: Many of your '80s melodic metal counterparts continue to record and tour. Do you keep up with other bands' recent recordings to hear what they're releasing today? The new WHITESNAKE album is particularly strong, and bands like DEF LEPPARD, EXTREME and MTLEY CRE all have new CDs coming out this year. Do you still try and keep up with the "competition?"

Don Dokken: Honestly, I do not keep an eye on what is coming out. I am not in competition with my peers; I am in competition with myself.

Collider: Thinking back to the '80s, were there any specific bands, singers, guitarists, drummers, etc. that you found to be particularly impressive? Your classic lineup with Lynch and Pilson could clearly hold their own against anyone; however, did you ever find yourself saying, "Wow, that guy is really amazing!" about anyone back then, or perhaps looking back now?

Don Dokken: Peter Baltes was the best bassist I ever played with. Billy White was also amazing. I would love to work with Billy again. He was a genius as well Mikkey Dee is a blast to play with.

Read the entire interview at www.collider.com.

(Thanks: Fullshred)