George Lynch recently responded to Don Dokken’s claims about playing all the guitar parts on Dokken’s ‘Dysfunctional’ album. He addressed the issue in a statement shared on Maximum Metal Vids.
The guitarist’s response came after being asked directly about Dokken’s previous interview claims regarding the album’s guitar work.
When asked about Don Dokken’s claim that he played practically all of the guitars on Dysfunctional except for Lynch playing the solo on ‘Too High to Fly,’ Lynch offered an unexpected explanation.
“Well, I actually sing all the vocals on that record. So, we had a deal. We were going to change instruments. It’s a thing we used to do in the band when we first started when we had rehearsals, cuz we rehearsed in his basement,” Lynch said. “We get bored and we would like, you know, let’s rehearse naked or let’s rehearse, you know, let’s change instruments. So, we just like do musical chairs.”
Lynch continued with his unconventional explanation of the album’s creation process.
“So then we grew a pair and we go, ‘Okay, let’s do a whole album like that.’ So we played the whole album naked and change instruments. And that was why it was such a bad record cuz it sold the least of any of our records other than Shadow Life, whatever,” he continued. “Other piece of sh*t out of which seemed like a good idea. My advice and the lesson I learned from that is keep your pants on and stick to your instrument.”
This response adds a humorous twist to the ongoing discussion about the creative process behind one of Dokken’s albums.
Lynch’s colorful explanation comes amid a complex history surrounding the 1995 album’s creation. Wikipedia reported that the Dysfunctional album was originally intended as a Don Dokken solo project before evolving into a Dokken reunion. Lynch rejoined bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer Mick Brown amid label pressure from Columbia Records.
The album’s development reveals the band’s complicated dynamics during their mid-90s reunion. Destroyer of Harmony noted that most of the Dysfunctional album was written before George Lynch joined the project. Parts were later tailored to his distinctive guitar style from prior Dokken and Lynch Mob tracks.
The 1995 reunion represented a brief reconciliation for the notoriously feuding bandmates. Decibel Geek documented that this Columbia Records-fueled reunion lasted through their follow-up album Shadowlife in 1997. Lynch departed from the band once again after that, continuing the cycle of departures and returns that had defined Dokken’s turbulent history.
The ongoing disputes between Don Dokken and George Lynch over songwriting credits and creative contributions have been a recurring theme throughout the band’s career. This makes Lynch’s tongue-in-cheek response to Dokken’s guitar claims particularly fitting for their dysfunctional relationship.
