DON DOKKEN AND HIS LITTLE RED CORVETTES

DON DOKKEN AND HIS LITTLE RED CORVETTES

Anne M. Raso

You can spot Don Dokken’s house a hundred miles away. It’s the one with no shutters and lotsa broken shingles, and in the driveway are five or six late ’60s and mid-70’s model Corvettes which the rocker regularly works on. If the walls of this Manhattan Beach abode could talk, they’d tell you of the countless ’60s surf bands and ’70s metal bands who rehearsed and partied there. The place has seen everyone from surf legend Dick Dale to Ratt’s Juan Croucier (who was in an early incarnation of Dokken) walk in its door, pop the top of a brew and strum a guitar. It’s a wonder that a “rock house” such as this one could ever become a real home—even to a rock star—but Dokken’s shaping the place rather well in his spare time. And if all else fails, he could always make money on the house by renting it out for a wine cooler commercial!

He took some time off from his renovation work, from mixing his group’s fourth LP, Back To The Attack and from his Vettes for a little chat. “People always want to know why I have grease all over me, Don smiles,” and it’s because I work on the cars everyday. ”

It’s true—Don’s day-to-day living situation has changed little since he and the band rose to fame with three hard-rockin’ LPs, the most recent being 1986’s platinum Under Lock And Key

“I don’t think my lifestyle has changed,” he tells us, “but everybody kept telling me it was going to happen. I

mean, the studio I’ve been recording at— Total Access—well, I’ve been recording there forever. The owner has known me from way back... even when I was doing demo work with Robin Trower’s rhythm section. He’s seen hundreds of bands come and go, cut records and get famous, and then put a lot of distance between themselves and anyone outside their immediate circle. He likes to laugh because I come into the studio at night with grease on my hands. But hey, I do the same things I’ve always done—I work on my cars, I work on my house, now the lawn...

I guess if you’re famous, everybody expects you to go out and hire a carpenter,” he adds. “You just pay ’em money and say, ‘Call me when you’re finished. ’

“'■r^eople always want 1-Jto know why I have JL grease all over me, and it’s because I work on the cars every day.”

That’s no fun. I like to do everything myself.” So while guys in other LA bands are busy primping in front of a mirror, getting ready for a night of partying at the Roxy or the Whisky, Dokken is busy trying to get the grease out from under his nails.

Dokken confesses that he still gags when people call him “The Godfather of the LA metal scene.” “Oh, please,” he moans. ‘I get really ticked off when people say that. I barely even pay attention to the other bands in this area unless a friend is in them. Sure, I’ve had countless offers to produce demos for many LA groups, most of them metal, but to call me the ‘godfather’ is an insult. If people perceive me to be a metal figure, they’re dead wrong. George [Lynch, guitarist] has always been the one with the metalor-die attitude, and as you know, we’ve nad our problems getting along. I’ve always been the one into more melodic songs—and I love to write ballads as well as I love to write out-and-out rockers— while George just wants to let his guitar wail. If he didn’t think I was a good songwriter and I didn’t think he was a great axeman, we’d never be in a band together. ”

So it comes as no surprise that George is now living in Phoenix (along with drummer Mick Brown) while Don is up in LA along with bassist Jeff Pilson. The band rehearses in both West Coast cities, rotating from month-to-month. Dokken’s comments on his guitarist have led various friends to tell him, “If you don’t keep your mouth shut, you may end up as this year’s Kevin DuBrow.” But then again, Dokken has the right to say what he feels—after all, he’s been on the LA music scene for over a decade, and he’s worked with a lot of successful musicians, including Bobby Blotzer, Juan Croucier, Warren DeMartini and Frankie Banali. He watched some of these people grow and develop, gaining a mature business and personal sense, while others came and went pretty damn fast.

Dokken has risen from the sludge of the LA hard rock scene—which Duran Duran’s John Taylor has called “the festering foot of the music business”—to a position of great respect by his peers. He’s garnered attention for three reasons: first of all, his ability as a composer of melodic rock tunes. If he ever failed with Dokken, he could always have a future wrting Top 40 tunes for others. Secondly, he’s a very competent, if unspectacular vocalist. Thirdly, he’s got a lot of charisma—his frankness won’t allow him to fade into the background. He’ll take a non-conformist stand on everything from religion to the music business. You could even call him an egotist, especially since the band uses his surname as their moniker, but Dokken’s really just a guy who looks at his music with a lot of pride, not ego—there is a difference.

Guitarist George Lynch recently revealed to Guitar magazine that, with Back To The Attack Dokken is at their “make or break” point. “There is increased pressure with every album. It’s just enough success to keep you going and just enough lack of success so you want to keep proving yourself,” says Lynch. “Knowing what we can do, we obviously haven’t done it yet. When we finally do it right, we will sell the record. But the end is not just to sell the records. The purpose in all of this is to try and get the music right. To get down on plastic what we’re trying to say musically. ”

What should help push the band over the top is their current world tour. Whether one is a Dokken admirer or not, you have to admit one thing: he’s got a lot of determination, and won’t stand for compromise. He’s one of the rare individuals in the music business who believes that it’s a “rip-off’ to the audience if a band changes personnel. Dokken explains that although he’s often been tempted to part company with Lynch, “we don’t want any personnel changes within the band. I hate when you go and see a band, and they’ve always got a new guitarist or drummer. ”

Dokken will only end, according to its namesake, “if it stops being fun. If that happens, I’ll quit. When it gets to the point when you do a show, then go backstage and count up all the money you’ve made and go home, then it’s time to stop.”

But you can safely assume that while Dokken’s beach house is gathering dust during the nine or so months he’s away on tour, the band’s loyal following will be growing. They’re back to the attack, and that attack is going at machine gun speed.