Bassist Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, ex-DOKKEN, DIO) spoke with Jay Nanda from Thesilvertongueonline.com recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Thesilvertongueonline.com: How do you look back on your Dokken days, and where do you stand on another reunion?

Pilson: "Well, I look very fondly on my Dokken days. We accomplished a lot. I’m very proud of it, very fond of all the people in Dokken. As far as I’m concerned, they know I couldn’t do it unless there was a break in Foreigner, which I don’t see happening anytime soon. But I’m certainly very open to one.

Thesilvertongueonline.com: I interviewed Don and George separately in the past few months, and they were recently on That Metal Show together . . .where they were saying that most of their hatred for one another was fabricated by the record company and press. Is that true?

Pilson: "Well, I mean, it was certainly aggravated. We’d read each other’s press and go, 'You said that about me?' And it escalates from there. But it was based on real conflict in the band. It was all about egos. We were young men with money and fame, and you get into problems. A lot was based on that and exaggerated. And then you become a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Thesilvertongueonline.com: Having had the good fortune to play bass for Ronnie, can you sum up what he meant to you?

Pilson: "Well, not only in a few words, but I’ll do my best. He was a tremendous spirit, that fortunately, I believe, lives on. His singing - that’s obvious. Fortunately, that’s on display for the whole world. Behind that, he was a tremendous musician, a great human being. Ronnie would literally give you the shirt off his back. He was human, he could get upset, but he wanted nothing but the best for you and his band. He wanted everyone around him to shine. He was one of my very dearest friends. It’s very hard to believe he’s gone. Not a day goes by when I don’t think about him. I’m very proud to have ever been connected with him. I was in the band ’93-’94, then I went back to Dokken, then I came back in ’97 with a tour, and we stayed close friends. In 2003, I played on the last record called Master Of The Moon, but I didn’t tour on that record. We were just getting ready to have our daughter, and I didn’t think I’d be ready to go on the road. But that’s another story."

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