He mainly plays a 4-string electric bass, but has played a 12-string bass before, on King's X's earlier tours. He provides the lead vocals for the band, but the other members chime in with him at times.
He also has solo projects, e.g. Poundhound, which has released two albums. Doug dropped the Poundhound moniker for his latest album, Emotional Animal, instead crediting himself as dUg Pinnick which he also uses on other solo albums and collaborations.
Pinnick was also a member of the short-lived band Supershine, along with long-time Trouble guitarist Bruce Franklin and Trouble drummer Jeff Oly Olson. Supershine released only one self-titled album in 2000.
Other vocal appearances by Doug Pinnick include Dream Theater's "Lines In the Sand" (guest vocals in the choruses) from the Falling into Infinity album, "Welcome to the Machine" from the An All Star Lineup Performing the Songs of Pink Floyd album, "Parasite" on an all-star tribute to Kiss entitled Spin The Bottle, as well as "Taxman" on a Beatles tribute album entitled Butchering the Beatles.
Pinnick appears on the 2008 holiday album We Wish You A Metal XMas..., a compilation album featuring many hard rock musicians collaborating on popular Christmas songs. Pinnick appears on the track "Little Drummer Boy". He performed guest vocals on the Black Sugar Transmission track "Runnin' Like a Dog", which was released on the band's e.p. USE IT in 2009. He also performs with King's X partner Ty Tabor, along with former Galactic Cowboys members Wally Farkas and Alan Doss, as a group called The Jibbs. They have a song, "Burns In The Rain", available via download to help relief efforts following Hurricane Ike.
Dug sang all lead vocals on Razr 13's (Austin, Texas) debut record "Reflections" released in 2009. Professional wrestler, Vinnie Vineyard (Funkmaster V) uses a remixed version of Pinnick's "Coming Over" as his entrance music. Hal Sparks used several tracks off of Pinnick's Strum Sum Up CD as his musical accompaniment during his magic show performances on VH1's Celebracadabra that aired in 2008
Pinnick's side project, Tres Mts., with Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam and Richard Stuverud of the Fastbacks, released their album, Three Mountains, through Monkeywrench Records on March 8, 2011. He also sang backup on Pearl Jam's song "W.M.A." during Pearl Jam's April 3, 1994 concert, which King's X opened for.
On February 12, 2013, Magna Carta released the Mike Varney-produced Pinnick Gales Pridgen, featuring Eric Gales on guitar and vocals, Pinnick on bass and vocals, and Thomas Pridgen (formerly of The Mars Volta) on drums. The 13-track album features one cover song, "Sunshine of Your Love", originally by Cream, one short instrumental based on Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise", and the remaining songs written by some combination of Pinnick, Gales, Pridgen and Varney. The follow-up, titled PGP 2, was released on July 8, 2014.
In 2013, Pinnick collaborated with friend Robbi Robb of Tribe After Tribe to form the Mojave, CA based jam band 3rd Ear Experience. They released two albums, Peacock Black and Boi, the later issued through Megaforce Records, within only months of each other.
On March 11, 2014, Pinnick's all-star side project KXM, featuring former Dokken guitarist George Lynch and Korn drummer Ray Luzier, released their eponymous debut album through Rat Pak Records. In May 2014, Pinnick's side project Grinder Blues with the Emmy Award-winning Bihlman Brothers signed a deal with Megaforce Records and announced an August 19, 2014 release for their debut record.
Solo albums
Emotional Animal (2005)
Songs from the Closet (Molken Music, 2006) A collection of King's X demos with two previously unreleased songs
Strum Sum Up (2007)
Naked (2013)
Tribute to Jimi (Often Imitated but Never Duplicated) (RatPak Records, 2018) [21]
Joy Bomb (2021)
The Unforgiven
Doug Pinnick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pain disgrace
The young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
That never from this day
His will they'll take away
What i' ve felt
What i' ve known
Never shined trough in what i' ve shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What i' ve felt
What i' ve known
Never shined through in what i' ve shown
Never free
Never me
So i dub thee unforgiven
They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me
The lyrics of Doug Pinnick's song The Unforgiven depict a story of a young boy who is born into a world where he is quickly subdued and oppressed by the rules of those in authority over him. The constant pain and disgrace he experiences shapes his character and he becomes a "whipping boy," deprived of his own thoughts and forced to conform to the rules imposed upon him. As he grows older, he makes a vow to himself to never let anyone take away his will from him, and he struggles to maintain his identity in the face of the constant pressure to fit in and conform.
The chorus of the song laments the fact that the true feelings and thoughts of the singer, represented by the lines "What I've felt, what I've known, never shined through in what I've shown," have been suppressed and never allowed to fully express themselves. The repeated phrase "never be, never see" suggests a sense of regret and the feeling that the singer's true potential has been stifled. The final verse reveals that the singer has now grown old and tired, and is preparing for the end of his life with regret for the opportunities he missed and the identity that he lost along the way.
Overall, The Unforgiven is a powerful and poignant exploration of the struggle to maintain one's identity in the face of external pressure and oppression. It raises important questions about the nature of power, conformity, and the meaning of true freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
New blood joins this earth
A new person is brought into the world
And quickly he's subdued
They are immediately controlled and forced into submission
Through constant pain disgrace
They are made to feel constant physical and emotional pain and shame
The young boy learns their rules
The young person is taught to follow the rules set by those in power
With time the child draws in
The person becomes introverted and internalizes their struggles
This whipping boy done wrong
The person is punished for things they did not do
Deprived of all his thoughts
They are not allowed to think for themselves
The young man struggles on and on he's known
The person fights to maintain their individuality despite the pressure to conform
A vow unto his own
They make a promise to themselves
That never from this day
They will never allow themselves to be controlled
His will they'll take away
Their will shall not be broken
What i' ve felt
Their true emotions
What i' ve known
Their own personal experiences
Never shined trough in what i' ve shown
Their true feelings were never revealed in their behavior
Never be
Things they will never experience
Never see
Things they will never witness
Won't see what might have been
They will never know what opportunities they missed out on
What i' ve felt
Their true emotions
What i' ve known
Their own personal experiences
Never shined through in what i' ve shown
Their true feelings were never revealed in their behavior
Never free
They will never be truly liberated
Never me
They will never be their true selves
So i dub thee unforgiven
The person is forever branded as unforgivable for their refusal to be controlled
They dedicate their lives
Those in power devote themselves to keeping the individual under control
To running all of his
Their goal is to control every aspect of the person's life
He tries to please them all
The person attempts to meet the expectations of those in power
This bitter man he is
The person becomes bitter due to the constant oppression they face
Throughout his life the same
The person's struggle continues throughout their lifetime
He's battled constantly
They fight tirelessly against conformity
This fight he cannot win
They realize that the struggle for individuality is one that cannot be won
A tired man they see no longer cares
The person becomes exhausted and apathetic
The old man then prepares
They come to terms with their mortality and begin to prepare for death
To die regretfully
The person realizes that their life has been one of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential
That old man here is me
The artist reveals that they are the person who has struggled throughout their life against conformity and oppression
Contributed by Nolan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.