Don Dokken Gets Honest

The original Dokken lineup reunited for a special run of shows last year. It was in Asia the money was too much to pass up apparently. Don Dokken has been really clear that he has no desire to reunite with the original lineup ever again... now he's getting honest about his current signing ability. Apparently he realizes that he's been sounding rough lately. Now he knows he must sleep and "be professional" in order to sound good. The band isn't 18 anymore! Progress.

DON DOKKEN On Last Year's DOKKEN Reunion: 'The Only Downside Was I Didn't Think I Was That Good, Singing-Wise' https://t.co/Q2jqwveT5l pic.twitter.com/ar5js9tCMf

— BLABBERMOUTH.NET (@BLABBERMOUTHNET) May 15, 2017

Comments

[Darktown]

He just figured this out now? Saw him like 6 years ago and I could of told him this..........

[Owner]

I believe he has to sleep and "be professional" to sound passable. To his credit, those classic Dokken years have Don singing in some very high registers.

[Gary]

Confuscious say cutting back on the smokes and whiskey intake would probably help a shit ton also....

[Him]

I didn't know self-awareness was like a Sirius/XM signal, subject to fading in and out depending on where you are located.

I say that as a fanboy. I actually still like the "slow and low" BBQ . . . I mean, sound of Dokken . . . if that is all I can get. And, as an untrained ignoramus, it sounds like he can still hold a note, or is it that he still has some semblance of what the professionals call tone. Just not "those" notes, nor that "tone," that we all want him to hold.

Dokken has bagged on his singing in the past. He has also made some excuse and offered some plausible explanations. But the peanut gallery is right: if you smoke and drink don't expect to sound great or even good. Thing is, fans who still go to the shows shouldn't expect that either. A Pilson or (for a time) Boals can only do so much to carry you. And the fans can only be expected to "sing for you" . . . well, they seem not to mind most of the time. Live? He is no Winger. Nor is he Slaughter or Neil. I leave it to you to parse out who is who on the "range of pain" vocal spectrum.

And the full interview paints a fuller picture of the thing that haunts him and also draws some of us to him, even now: he has LSD. It is terminal. It is that vexing paradox of being so self-aware and also blind at the same time. You couple that with a guy who has LGD and you should never expect another reunion save for another truck-load of cash (which Mssr. Dokken does not, ahem, need) and the promise of his band mates not to harsh his groove.