Don Dokken has addressed his current relationship with former bandmate George Lynch in an interview with Artists On Record with Stefan Adika.
“We’re not BFFs,” Dokken stated. “He’s been doing some shows with us. We’ve done about 10 shows, and it’s Dokken with special guest George Lynch.”
“George comes on stage and plays like the last couple songs,” he explained. “We’ll do ‘Heaven Comes Down and we’ll do ‘Tooth and Nail.’ And let him stretch his wings out a little bit.”
“We talk. He plays shows with us. But we’re not BFFs,” Dokken continued. “It took 20 years for me to even be able to have a conversation with them, to be honest. But fans don’t give a sh*t about our internal stuff or whatever happened in the past.”
The current collaboration between Dokken and Lynch marks a significant change in their complex relationship. Their partnership remains strictly professional.
Louder Sound revealed that tensions between Dokken and Lynch peaked in 1988. A physical confrontation during that time led to the band’s breakup in 1989.
The band made a reconciliation attempt in 1995. Last.fm documented this period, which produced their album ‘Dysfunctional.’
Lynch carved his own path after leaving Dokken. Wikipedia notes his formation of the hard rock band Lynch Mob. He later expanded his musical portfolio with projects like The End Machine.
The musicians now focus on performing their classic tracks together. Their current arrangement, featuring Lynch as a special guest at Dokken shows, demonstrates their ability to set aside past differences for their fans.
