Jeff Pilson | Dokken | Foreigner | War & Peace | January 2001 |
This months interview is no stranger to the rock n roll world..
He does it all.. sings, plays bass.. writes..acts and a great live performer..
A lot is going on in the Jeff Pilson world.. so here it is.. straight from him......
J-First off lets go back in time..
How did you hook up with the Dokken guys?
Jeff-I met them through Mike Varney [Shrapnel Records]. I
had just moved to LA and Don called Mike asking if he
knew any singing bass players. It worked out quite
well.
J-How important was the look back in the "hair days"?
Jeff-At first, it was more about attitude in the look. The
glammy hair thing came in the mid-80's after Motley
did Theatre of Pain.
J-Do you ever look at the pics and think "what was I thinking"?
Jeff-How could I not?
J-What's the biggest crowd you have played for?
and where?
Jeff-93,000, LA Coliseum, Monsters of Rock, summer 88.
J-What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done to meet you?
Jeff-When you tour Japan, you travel between cities by
bullet train. I'm always amazed when touring there,
that there are many fans that will buy tickets for the
whole trip, and it's incredibly expensive. About $700
for the trip. That's pretty crazy!
J-What was your favorite tour so far.. (any good road stories?)
Jeff-Probably Aerosmith 87-88, or Dio 84-85. The camaraderie between bands and crews was awesome. Plus we were in good spirits for both those tours, and that tended to be a rare thing.
J-What was your favorite Dokken recording so far...?
Jeff-Tooth and Nail was probably the most fun and exciting. We were so hungry and worked very hard, and we still listened. Plus I loved the experience with Geoff Workman. He was the engineer/producer on so many of my favorite records, we'd hang out and he'd tell me how he did those records. What an education!
J-Least favorite?
Jeff-Shadowlife was a miserable experience for me. My
marriage was falling apart right in front of me and I
had to spend endless time away from home recording.
Plus band tension had gotten to the extreme- no fun.
J-The band has been pretty open about its ups and
downs..and member changes..so we will move onto some of
your side projects..
Tell us about War and Peace... How did that come
about?
Jeff-Well at first it was my band when Dokken broke up the
first time. The recent project came about cuz I had
written so much material for a Japanese solo record in
the Dokken vain, that I simply wanted to release it. I
also knew it would be a while before a Dokken album,
so it was for the fans, to sustain them. I think W&P
has become my outlet for Dokken-type melodic rock,
especially now that I'm apparrently not with the band.
J-Who wrote the songs?
Jeff-Time Capsule was Tommy Henriksen and myself, also with
Russ Parrish. Flesh and Blood Sessions was with
Michael Diamond, and the new one I wrote myself.
J-Any recordings?
Jeff-The Time Capsule CD from 93, Flesh and Blood Sessions,
recorded in 89 but released in 99, and Light at the
End of the Tunnel, released in 2001.
J-Have you always wanted to be a singer?
Jeff-Pretty much
J-Now you even sing some lead in Dokken..how does Don
feel about this?
Jeff-He went back and forth. He didn't like me singing on
the Shadowlife record, or live at the bigger shows.
But he was cool about it in clubs, at least some of
the time.
J-I even saw you when you toured with Dio years ago...
how did that come about..?
Jeff-Ronnie and Vinny have remained friends since the Dio
tour of 84-85. Vinny was even in my original War and
Peace in 89. They just came over to my house one day
asking if I knew of any bass players, and I wasn't
doing Dokken at the time, so I suggested me!
J-And what other side projects or recordings have you done lately?
Jeff-I've got Underground Moon coming out in Japan tomorrow! It then comes out in Europe in Feb. That's
my very heavy, more contemporary band. We just got done putting together a live band for it, and it's
gonna rock! Then I'll be doing a record with George Lynch that should come out spring 2002.
J-This last year you got a part in the RockStar movie.. how did you score that?
Jeff-I was originally brought in to play bass on the
soundtrack as they were gonna get an actor to play the
bass player. The director watched us rehearse, liked
what he saw, and offered me the part. Pretty cool.
J-What was the filming like?
Jeff-A lot of fun, a lot of laughs, and great catering!
J-Are you on the soundtrack?
Jeff-Yes, I am. I play on all the Steel Dragon tracks.
J-Planning on any other movie projects...?
Jeff-I'd love to, just don't know what the demand will be
like.
J-Now onto the big news.......
Your going to do a project with George Lynch...HowF'n Cool!
How did that come about?
Jeff-His manager called out of the blue to ask if I'd be
interested in doing a recording. I said yes and hours
later George, who happened to be in LA, was over at
the house and we were laughing and talking. It was
great! We heard what each other was doing and
discussed the game plan. It was that simple.
J-What type of sound will it be?
Jeff-A bit like vintage Lynch Mob, maybe even more melodic.
With a touch of Rage Against the Machine.
J-Who's writing?
Jeff-He and I.
J-Do you have a name for the project yet?
Jeff-No, not yet.
J-Will you tour with this?
Jeff-I hope so. I'm sure it'll depend on how the record
does, but it's quite likely.
J-How well is this going over with the rest of the
Dokken guys..?
Jeff-Haven't spoken to them, so I don't know.
J-and how is the future of Dokken standing now?
Jeff-I'm sure the band will survive. It's a long running institution, and it's all about the songs and the
legacy. As long as the band is good, and with the current line-up I'm sure it will be, then hearing Don
sing the classics will please a lot of people. And if the market were to change and become friendlier, maybe
Dokken could have a shot at some radio airplay. But it's so hard to predict those things. The most
important thing is to make good music from the heart. Don is probably going to be happier in the current
situation, at least I would think he would be, so maybe his heart will be more into it.
J-Well thats about it... thanks Jeff for doing this..
Is there anywhere fans can find out what your up to?
Jeff-Yes, www.jeffpilson.com, or www.undergroundmoon.com.
The people who do the websites do an awesome job.
J-Is there anything you would like to say to your fans
reading this?
Jeff-Just thanx for everything- hope they dig all the new
music.
J-That's it.. hope it wasn't too painful..
and good luck with all you do!
Jeff-Thanx, and take care.
Jeff
