Don Dokken Regrets He Couldn’t Save ‘80s Dokken From Drugs

Don Dokken says he regrets not being able to keep the original lineup of Dokken from splitting.

He revealed he’d been interviewed for an upcoming movie and documentary production, although he didn’t know if his thoughts on the group’s dark side would be included.

“[P]robably the main reason Dokken broke up [was] you’ve got three guys doing massive coke,” the band leader told White Line Fever in a recent interview. “I don’t do coke, so I was kind of the odd man out.” He added that there had been “a lot of drinking, a lot of partying” and the situation left him feeling “down.”

READ MORE: Don Dokken Thinks Dokken Would’ve Found Fame Sooner If They Had a Different Guitarist

He continued: “We were getting so close to, like, being at the top, being a headliner band, and then I just couldn’t save the band. I couldn’t save it. It was depressing. You start a band, you work your ass off your whole life playing bars and backyards, and then you’re trying to keep yourself going.”

Referencing Metallica’s Some Kind of Monster documentary, Dokken said: “Look, they almost didn’t make it. They had a therapist… in the studio every day. … And they actually showed a therapist talking to them and they’re arguing, and then Jason Newsted left the band, and they laid it all out there.”

Could Dokken Win New Fans From Upcoming Movie?

Dokken emphasized that he didn’t have any details of either the film or documentary about his band. “It happens in 1989,” he said of the feature movie. “It takes place [with] four guys that are fans… and they’re following us around and trying to meet us. I think that’s the premise. So we all had to pick an actor. They sent me, like, six people – ‘Who looks like you?’ I go, ‘None of ‘em!’”

Asked about the possibility that the productions could lead to renewed interest in the band, Dokken replied: “Yeah, maybe [there will be] new fans. It depends if the movie’s good.”