In the spring of 1985, Dokken appeared poised to become the next major band to emerge from the Los Angeles metal scene. Tooth and Nail was gaining momentum, bands connected to Don Dokken were securing record deals, and everyone from Quiet Riot and Ratt to Mötley Crüe seemed to be exploding around them.

In this video, we revisit a revealing 1985 interview with Don Dokken and explore the remarkable story behind the band’s rise. We look at Don’s early work helping Great White and Black ’N Blue, George Lynch’s brush with Ozzy Osbourne, Dokken’s surprising parallels with Mötley Crüe, and the producers and record executives connecting their careers behind the scenes.

Don insisted that Dokken’s songs—not outrageous clothing or manufactured controversy—would carry the band to the top. But as image became increasingly important during the hair-metal era, Mötley Crüe proved exceptionally skilled at reinventing itself with every album. Did Dokken have the stronger music while Mötley Crüe better understood the complete presentation required to become superstars?

00:00 Dokken’s place in the emerging L.A. metal scene
02:56 Don Dokken predicts Tooth and Nail will break the band
03:14 How Don helped Great White secure a record deal
04:21 Don’s role in the discovery of Black ’N Blue
05:03 Why Don was already looking beyond performing
05:57 Why Dokken believed they were next
06:19 Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe and Ratt explode
07:51 George Lynch’s opportunity with Ozzy Osbourne
08:45 Don rejects the standard metal image
10:46 Why Dokken wanted the music to come first
12:33 The difficult release of Breaking the Chains
13:30 The surprising Dokken–Mötley Crüe parallels
14:30 Tom Werman, Michael Wagener and Roy Thomas Baker
16:00 Don Dokken on songwriting and musical diversity
17:14 How Mötley Crüe mastered reinvention
19:33 Audiomover Rock Trivia Challenge answers
21:22 Join Audiomover in Thailand and Cambodia