Ex-Dokken’s George Lynch on Randy Rhoads Being Influenced by Eddie Van Halen: “He couldn’t help it” – 2022 – INTERVIEW – The Boyz – Gene Simmons

This is a full in bloom interview with guitarist George Lynch (Dokken, Lynch Mob).

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW VIA THE EMBEDDED YOUTUBE CLIP BELOW. You can access the video directly on YouTube.

DESCRIPTION:

George talks about his early band The Boyz, Gene Simmons, Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, Randy Rhoads, Ozzy, and Quiet Riot.”

INTERVIEW EXCERPT:

full in bloom: Eddie Van Halen was an influence on you, correct?

George Lynch:

Absolutely.

full in bloom: Was Randy Rhoads an influence?

No, not really. Eddie was an influence on Randy as well.

full in bloom: You think Randy was definitely influenced by Eddie?

Oh, yeah. He couldn’t help it. I think everyone here local went through their Eddie phase. It was such a major impact, and he made such a giant impression on everybody and on specific guitar players specifically. It was like, game over. It was like when Pete Townsend and Jimmy Page and all of them went down to watch Hendrix. “This guy from America is playing this club. Do you want to go see him?” And they had their faces melted. It was that kind of thing. So, yeah, he changed everything. There was a paradigm shift in the whole way we understood ourselves and our relation to the guitar and the hierarchy and all that. Eddie was setting the bar, for sure.

full in bloom: With Quiet Riot, you weren’t a fan?

Not really because I thought Randy was just channeling Mick Ronson, which I love Mick Ronson. He was a genius. I mean, we all have our influences, but he very heavily image mirrored Mick Ronson. Then, he was a very deep guitar player, but I didn’t think he translated, at least early on with Quiet Riot, that didn’t translate as well with the rock music. But if you were to sit down with Randy with a nylon string guitar, he was a very deep player and had just a deep reservoir of knowledge. He just played beautifully, very accomplished, impressive.

In the later years, it did kind of gel, when he did the records with Ozzy, of course, it’s undeniably unique and wonderful. But back when we were in the clubs, he hadn’t quite got there yet and neither had I (laughs). We were all just kind of learning and trying to evolve to where we didn’t know where we would end up but destined to be.

To listen to the entire segment, play the clip below.