George Lynch recently opened up about his complicated relationship with former Dokken bandmate Don Dokken. He shared candid thoughts about their dynamic in an interview on The SDR Show.
The guitarist discussed the conflicted feelings he has toward his former bandmate. He acknowledged both the benefits and moral challenges of their working relationship.
“It’s a classic dynamic of just human nature that everybody runs into in every relationship, or lots of relationships throughout the spectrum — politically, at work, neighbors, friends, family, everything,” Lynch said. “And it really comes down to our character and what it is that’s important.”
Lynch elaborated on the internal conflict he experiences when reflecting on their partnership.
“I grew up a certain way. I believe a certain thing. He has a different belief system and a different way of conducting himself,” he continued. “The way he conducts himself has benefited me, my family, and has given me a career, but it’s also something I abhor. So I’m conflicted.”
The guitarist was particularly direct about the ethical boundaries he felt were crossed during their time together.
“I will give him the credit for the benefits that we’ve received from it, but at the same time I could not behave in that way,” Lynch explained. “I could not steal and cheat and lie. I mean, I have, but I try not to, and I’m not proud of it. So it’s a weird thing. It’s a weird push-pull dynamic.”
Lynch’s candid remarks shed light on one of rock music’s most complicated partnerships. Despite its internal tensions, the partnership produced some of the most successful hard rock albums of the 1980s.
George Lynch’s official biography revealed that with Dokken, Lynch recorded five albums from 1983 to 1988. All of these albums went gold or platinum and succeeded worldwide in the US, Europe, and Asia. The band’s commercial success during this period established Lynch as one of the premier guitarists of the hair metal era. Personal conflicts simmered beneath the surface even as success mounted.
The tensions between Lynch and Don Dokken weren’t a recent development but dated back to the band’s earliest days. Louder Sound reported that Dokken was initially reluctant to include Lynch in the band despite drummer Mick Brown’s insistence on bringing the guitarist aboard. This early resistance would prove to be a harbinger of the interpersonal challenges that would plague the group throughout their most successful years.
The conflicts ultimately reached a breaking point in 1988, when Lynch departed the band amid these ongoing tensions. Shredaholic noted that after leaving Dokken, Lynch formed Lynch Mob in 1989. The new band echoed Dokken’s style but never matched its commercial success. This career trajectory underscores Lynch’s earlier comments about how Don Dokken’s approach, while personally objectionable to him, had indeed been crucial to his professional achievements.
The guitarist’s recent reflections highlight the complex reality many musicians face when artistic success comes at the cost of personal values. This creates a lasting internal struggle between gratitude and moral conflict.
