Bassist Jeff Pilson rose to fame as an integral member of Dokken in the heady days of '80s. Threee platinum albums and 10 million record sales in five years put the group at the top of the scene, but the tumultuous balance in the group meant it wasn't to last. Pilson spoke with Vintage Rock Pod about his time in Dokken, how he felt when they broke up and more. He also talks of his admiration for Ronnie James Dio, with whom he played, recorded and toured with for years, and of joining Foreigner in 2014. 

On how he felt when Dokken broke up in 1988

Pilson: "I felt it was the wrong thing to do, and I voiced my opinion at the time. It was Don leaving is what happened, and I had a problem with that. I didn't think it was the right thing to do. I understood why, I got his frustrations. I also think there was ambition in there on his part that I thought was not going to serve him well, but I was a bit distraught. I was also partly relieved though, I gotta say, because the tension was heavy. That was five intense years of... kind of a dark feeling. More days than not, you'd walk onto the bus and there was that 'eurgh' feeling between everybody and that ages you quick. I was relieved to be away from that. But overall, I felt it was a mistake and you know, certainly financially it was a mistake. Career-wise it was a mistake. I think maybe had we not done that, maybe we would have burned out in a different way that would not have given us life later on down the line. So that could be one positive of us breaking up, then. And it certainly gave me an opportunity where I had to deal with my personal demons and addictions. So that was good about breaking up, but overall I was not happy about it."

On the possibility of a Dokken reunion

Pilson: Not yet. Not at this point. I don't know if there will be or not. We all get along now, well enough to talk, and we actually have some business to deal with concerning our legacy. So, it wouldn't be because we don't get along that we wouldn't tour. It would be because of scheduling and just everything else. We all feel like we have one big record left in us so maybe, we'll see. We'll just have to see, no concrete plans."

On new music from Black Swan

Pilson: "That's what I'm working on right now. Reb (Beach / Winger, Whitesnake) just left and he finished all his tracks. He's all done. We wrote 11 tunes. He did all his parts. It came out amazing. And, Robin's (McAuley / MSG, Survivor) finished five vocals so far, so, six more to go, and then we have an acoustic bonus track that we're going to work on. Progress on Black Swan is coming along brilliantly and I am so excited about the music. It's really going to be a strong record. I mean, a real strong record."

Check out the interview here.

Black Swan, featuring vocalist Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group), guitarist Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake), bassist Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, The End Machine, ex-Dokken), and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big) released their debut album, Shake The World, via Frontiers Music Srl in early 2020. 

Order Shake The World here, and watch a video for the song "Make It There" below.

"Make It There" video:

"Big Disaster" video:

"Shake The World" video:

Black Swan lineup:

Robin McAuley - Lead Vocals and Background Vocals
Reb Beach - Guitars and Background Vocals
Jeff Pilson - Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Keys and Background Vocals
Matt Starr - Drums and Percussion