George Lynch recently addressed whether Lynch Mob’s latest album “Dancing With The Devil” is truly the band’s final studio release. He clarified the situation in an interview with Total Rock.
The guitarist explained that Lynch Mob’s supposed farewell was short-lived. He revealed the humorous circumstances behind his brief retirement attempt.
“No, it’s not. I did stop [Lynch Mob] for 24 hours — until I got bored. Because in that 24 hours I was kind of on the porch and I had this rocking chair and I had one of those ear things so you can hear good,” Lynch said. “And my little dog was there, [and I was] just smoking a straw pipe, my corn cob pipe. And my wife says, ‘Honey, you want some more lemonade?’ And she goes, ‘You wanna get back on the road. You wanna be back out with your boys, right?’ I go, ‘Yeah.’ So, yeah, the next day I got back out there.”
Lynch described the reaction from his management and the industry when he initially announced his retirement plans.
“It was really interesting. My agent was, like, ‘You can’t quit. We’ve got all these gigs and everything.’ And then I go, ‘Well, I’m just getting older, man. I probably should not keep doing this,'” he continued. “‘Cause I felt I was looking silly up on stage at 71… You know, it was, like, make room for other people and go do other stuff.”
The 71-year-old guitarist noted how the announcement of the band’s end paradoxically increased their popularity and booking opportunities.
“But all of a sudden I got all these offers from my agent. And I think what happened was when people thought it was the end, all of a sudden they appreciate you. It’s like after you die and they say all this nice shit about you, but the day before, they weren’t,” Lynch explained. “And all of a sudden we’re the greatest band since sliced bread. It was, like, ‘Oh, Lynch Mob. I wish we would’ve appreciated them when they were still together.’ So we’re, like, ‘Okay, we’ll reluctantly come back and play your stupid gig.’ And then we’ve done about a hundred more since then. But our new album is gonna be called ‘The Final, Final Ride’. Not kidding.”
Lynch Mob’s decision to continue reflects the ongoing vitality of the hair metal scene that emerged in the 1980s. Many bands from that era continue to tour and record decades later.
The band’s history traces back to the late 1980s when Lynch formed the group after his departure from Dokken. Bruce Bouillet’s recent interview revealed that Lynch Mob quickly gained momentum in their early years. They opened for established acts like King Kobra and Lizzy Borden while building a dedicated following. The band’s rapid rise during the height of the hair metal movement established them as a significant force in the hard rock scene.
The revolving door of vocalists has been a constant throughout Lynch Mob’s career. Various singers have contributed to the band’s evolution over the years. Wikipedia reported that former Lynch Mob lead vocalist Robert Mason now fronts Warrant, which continues recording music and performing as of 2024. This cross-pollination of talent between hair metal bands demonstrates the interconnected nature of the scene. It shows how musicians continue to collaborate across different projects.
The band’s persistence mirrors that of their contemporaries in the genre. Music Fandom documented that bassist Robbie Crane left Ratt in March 2012 to focus on Lynch Mob. This highlighted how musicians in this scene often move between established bands to keep the music alive. This constant reshuffling of lineups has become a hallmark of the hair metal revival. It allows veteran musicians to continue performing the music that defined their careers.
Lynch Mob’s fake farewell and subsequent return exemplifies how legacy rock acts navigate the modern music landscape. Retirement announcements often generate renewed interest and booking opportunities that prove too lucrative to ignore.
