Jeff Pilson, long-time bass player for Dokken, former member of Lynch/Pilson, current member of T&N...and Foreigner...and producer of Adler's debut album, now adds TRASH TALKER to his list of accomplishments, as he took a few minutes to check in with Glitter2Gutter! (Actually, he was pretty nice and didn't have a lot of trash to talk...but he has some interesting things to say, so READ ON!!!)
G2G: Jeff, first I want to thank you for
taking the time to talk with us. I hope you had a good Christmas and New Years…
Jeff: Yes, I spent the time with my family...awesome!
G2G: Slave To The Empire is your new
album which has been released under the name T&N, and features the reunion of ¾ of the
original Dokken. What was it like having George and Mick
working with you on the same project
again?
Jeff: Very second nature. We really do
have great chemistry and if anything it’s only gotten stronger over
time.
G2G: Did you ever catch yourself looking
around the room and saying, “You know…someone’s missing”?
Jeff: Well, we did call Don, but, understandably,
he didn’t think it was right to do it. The minute he’s there it
becomes Dokken and that’s a whole other kettle of fish. But, we
often back in the day did rehearsals or
pre-production with just the
3 of us, so it basically felt like that.
G2G: I’m not going to turn this into a
Dokken vs. T&N interview, but I do want to ask, would you ever see a scenario in which you and Don
could work together again? I’ve heard that George has shut that door completely, but I know Mick still works with him, so would you ever open that door again?
Jeff: I’ll never say never, and I don’t
think I’d ever shut any door completely. I mean, here we are 30
years later still talking about it, so never’s a bit extreme. But
it doesn’t seem like this is the time to do a reunion. It would
require too much time and I think all of us have too much going at
this point to commit to that. But I still can see it happening in
some way at some point.
G2G: Let's get back to the new record. What was the process involved in
picking which classic Dokken tunes to include on the T&N record? Was there a vote made, did you
each get to pick a couple of favorites…?
Jeff: We recorded 12 tracks with Wild Mick
and basically it was down to the singers, their choices and how we
worked it out that made the final determination of what would make it
on this record. The rest will likely be on the record we do next
year.
G2G: Do those songs just jump out of your
bass when you go to play them again, meaning are they so familiar you could almost play them in
your sleep?
Jeff: Some of them yes!!!!
G2G: I like the new arrangements that
were made on a couple of the classic tunes. Can you tell me how that came about? Did it have a lot
to do with who was going to be singing the song? I ask because Ripper’s take on “Kiss Of
Death” really pushes the track into a more metal direction than the original, while Sebastian
Bach’s work on “Alone Again” is pretty similar in style and delivery.
Jeff: The musical arrangements were made
before they sang, so it was the combination of the singers’
interpretation and the musical input that created the final versions.
G2G: You are a great singer in your own
right; why didn’t you just handle all of the remakes, like you did on “Into The Fire” and the new
material?
Jeff: For one I don’t think I’d be the
best singer for all the songs. Plus in a situation like this why not
make it as interesting as possible? I love these guys’ voices and
it was so nice being able to record with them. I also thought it was
a way to diffuse some of the “us vs Don” mentality that I knew
would come out of this. This isn’t meant as a competition, it’s a
creative outlet meant to tie in with our past- and I knew it would be
hard enough to get that point across, especially if it looked like I
was trying to “replace” Don- which I’d never want to appear to
do.
G2G: Now, I hope you don’t take this
personally, because it is not intended to be an attack of any sort, but I would have rather just heard new
material rather than a mix. I say this because I already know who you are, and I already know
what you have done, so why go back and re-do it? Does that make sense?
Jeff: No attack taken. But the truth is we
felt it was important to tie our legacy in with the new material.
When we do finally play live we’ll be playing a lot of Dokken
material, so why not embrace it and bring our friends along to give
it a kick in the ass!!! I also think it’s fair to say we wouldn’t
have gotten near the attention we’ve gotten as a result of the
rerecords, so it appears to have been an effective strategy!
G2G: I can see where a new fan just
coming to the band might be interested in your past. Was there ever any consideration of a full album
of remakes and then a full album of new material, rather than the mix?
Jeff: We originally wanted to do a double
album, one new, one old. But the record labels preferred it be spread
out over two records.
Jeff: They originally were intended for a
Lynch Mob album George had asked me to write with him. Then when Oni (Logan...vocalist for Lynch Mob)
didn’t feel right about it being for Lynch Mob, Brian (Tichy...
drummer on all the new songs) suggested we get Mick and do the
re-records. It looked like a no-brainer to us! That’s when I went
off and started writing lyrics and melodies then came and finished
them up with George (and Brian on one song).
G2G: Do you have a favorite of the new
songs? If so, what about that song really jumps out at you?
Jeff: Probably “When Eagles Die”
because it has all the elements I really like about when George and I
collaborate. Plus, his solo is genius!
G2G: You have said that there are more
new songs, as well as more re-recordings, that will be released on another T&N album. Any
time frame for that?
Jeff: Hopefully next year some time.
G2G: I’m assuming there will be some
guest vocalists again, correct?
Jeff: Yes, that’s the plan.
G2G: Tell me about plans to tour for
this record. Will both drummers, Mick Brown and Brian Tichy, both play out, or will it just be one
or the other?
Jeff: Likely it would be one or the
other...depending on who’s doing what at the time.
 | |
| Jeff and George |
Jeff: Thank you, but T&N probably is
as close as we’d get. But having said that, you never know…
G2G: Are you still involved in
Foreigner?
Jeff: Oh yes- that’s why touring for
T&N is so tricky. Foreigner tours all the time!
G2G: Were you surprised with how well
Can’t Slow Down (Foreigner's last record) did, both in charting a couple of songs on the Adult Contemporary charts, and in
cracking the Top 30 on the Billboard Top 200?
G2G: Before I let you go, I wanted to
talk a bit about your involvement with Adler. I think that Back From The Dead is an amazing record, it was our number 2
album of the year, and you not only produced it, you actually played all the bass on it,
correct?
Jeff: Yes. What a great experience that
was. An amazing band with an amazing singer, amazing musicians and
writers and Steven playing better than he has in an awful long time.
What magic those sessions were.
G2G: Were you friends with Steven Adler,
or how did your involvement come about?
Jeff: Yes we hung out several years ago
and have stayed friends, but this experience definitely brought us
closer. He’s one of my dearest friends now. But I was originally
asked to play bass, then one thing led to another and next thing you
know I was producing. It was all very organic.
G2: Was there ever any thought of
joining the band on a permanent basis?
 |
| Jeff with the guys in Adler |
G2G: How involved in social media are
you, Jeff? Is there a way for fans to keep up to date with everything you have going on?
Jeff: Very involved. I tweet and have a
Facebook fan page... all great ways to keep in the loop. Plus, T&N
has a Facebook page.
G2G: Jeff, I want to thank you again for taking the time to
talk with us and I hope things work out well for everything you have going on in 2013. Best of luck
and God bless…
Jeff: Thanks for all the support and let’s
talk again soon...
Short, sweet, and to the point...sometimes the best way to Talk some Trash! Actually, Jeff was pretty gracious and didn't bash anyone, but that seems to be the consensus about the kind of guy he is, which is cool. Could we see another Dokken album with the originals???? Hmmmm.....guess we'll have to see what shakes out, but obviously, Jeff isn't one to close doors...
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