Pieces of Styx 3-18-05 Article

[SuiteMadameBlue]

One of my friends found this article today:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories ... f_Styx.sto


Pieces of Styx
Shaw, Young keep classic rock group alive for new generation

WEEKEND: CONCERT

By ANDREW S. HUGHES
Tribune Staff Writer



As far as Tommy Shaw is concerned, all is forgiven, Mr. Roboto.

A No. 3 hit for Styx in 1983, "Mr. Roboto" appeared on "Kilroy Was Here," a "problem" album, Shaw says, that became the last one recorded by the band before it broke up for six years, from 1984 to '90.

Twenty-some years after its release, Volkswagen used "Mr. Roboto" in a television commercial, and as you would guess, a whole new generation heard Styx and caught on to its classic rock sound.

"Now, I would say, teenage kids are 20, 30 or 40 percent of the people coming out to see Styx every night," Shaw says by telephone from a tour stop near Palm Beach, Fla. "I don't know what the connection is, but I like it. It freaks me out."

Freaked out or not, Shaw's enjoying Styx's resurgence in popularity among old fans and with new ones.

"Nothing else that any of us does gives us the feeling that we get from doing this," he says. "With this lineup, we like to play so much it's never a struggle to get people to commit to play. ... The self-policing is so intense, you never want to be the guy who comes up short or derails a song."

Formed in Chicago by Dennis DeYoung and Chuck and John Panozzo, Styx positioned itself early on as an American progressive rock band. Its records, however, fit more comfortably alongside countrymen Kansas than they do alongside British art rockers such as Yes, King Crimson or Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

James "JY" Young joined the band in 1972, and Styx released four albums on the Wooden Nickel label (recently rereleased as a two-disc CD) before moving to A&M.

Shaw replaced guitarist John Curulewski in 1976 and soon after moved to Niles.

Yes, Niles.

Shaw's wife at the time, Katherine, had grown up in Niles, he says, and the couple felt that they should live there so that she could be close to her family when Shaw and Styx were on tour. Although the couple divorced in 1978, Shaw remained in Niles and eventually owned a 120-acre farm on Niles-Buchanan Road. He sold it in 1989.

"I had horses there," he says. "I was a guitar player with money, and it just kept growing. I loved it. ... I called it a farm, but I didn't raise any crops."

His years in Niles, Shaw says, were filled with "fun and silly times," as well as a few star sightings for local residents, particularly during winter storms.

"I had this massive four-wheel-drive truck," he says. "One of my favorite things to do was pull people out of ditches. They'd go, 'Aren't you ... ?' 'Yeah.' "

Shaw wrote such Styx staples as "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Fooling Yourself" and "Blue Collar Man" while living in Niles.

When Shaw wasn't in Niles from 1976 to 1984, however, he was busy with Styx on the road and in the studio. During this period, the band released one hit after another, including the albums "Crystal Ball," "Cornerstone" and "Paradise Theater."



In concert
Styx performs at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Morris Performing Arts Center, 211 N. Michigan St., South Bend. Tickets are from $57.50 to $27.50. For more information, call (574) 235-9190 or (800) 537-6415 or visit the Web site www.morriscenter.org.



" 'The Grand Illusion,' to me, was this perfect moment in Styx history," he says of the albums he made with the band, although he also says he "loved" them all. "It was before we got to know each other so well that there were personality clashes. All the writers were pulling in the same direction. The 'Pieces of Eight' album was the greatest rock record for that particular group of guys."

Solo projects followed a live album in 1984, until most of the classic lineup for Styx reunited in 1990 (Shaw was in Damn Yankees at the time) for the CD "Edge of the Century." In 1995, the classic lineup reunited to rerecord "Lady" for a greatest hits album and embarked on a successful tour.

John Panozzo died in July 1996 from an alcoholism-induced illness. Styx continued its comeback, however, and released a live CD, "Return to Paradise," in 1997.

In 1999, Styx released "Brave New World" but split for good with DeYoung before the CD's tour began. DeYoung had contracted a post-viral infection that makes him sensitive to light, causing him to feel fatigue after even the briefest exposure to sunlight or intense indoor lighting. He asked his band mates to postpone the tour while he sought treatment, but they refused. DeYoung later sued Young and Shaw to prevent them from using the Styx name but lost. DeYoung has since been able to control his illness and gave a captivating and impressive performance with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra at the Morris Performing Arts Center in February 2004.

Without DeYoung, Styx continued its comeback and released the well-received CD "Cyclorama" in 2003.

A cover of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" was a recent hit on Apple's iTunes, and Styx will release a covers-only CD later this year titled "Big Bang Theory." The CD includes versions of songs by the Pretty Things, Humble Pie, the Who and other bands that, Shaw says, "made us who we are."

Chuck Panozzo, diagnosed with AIDS, no longer tours with Styx, but Shaw says he is doing well with his treatments for the disease.

"As much as we thought we'd lose him when he first got sick, if you lined us all up and said, 'Who's the one with the life-threatening disease?' he'd be one of the last ones you'd pick," Shaw says. "He comes out and joins us every now and then. It's usually when we're staying in a really nice hotel."

In addition to Shaw and Young, Styx's lineup now includes Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips.

"This band has maintained the heart and soul," he says and mentions the group's enthusiasm and intensity onstage. "We still like a big production but not quite so theatrical. We prefer to keep it more on the rock, but big and pompous? We have no problem with that. If you look at our stage, we have these massive walls of amplifiers, but we're Styx, damn it."

[styxfanNH]

Actually one of the better balanced articles I've read.

[bugsymalone]

This one was as fair and balanced as any article could be. And what a difference when Tommy is the one interviewed!

The writer had the whole story straight, in my view, giving all sides their due.

Thanks Suite. A good one.

Bugsy

[ek88]

You know, as I began reading this article, I got to thinking that I wish the new lineup would tackle Mr. Roboto live. At the shows I've been to, it's gotten a great response, either in the bridge of EOTC or during the Cyclomedley. Why not embrace the past a little bit? They could even shorten it a little bit to eliminate some of the lead vocals, in order to call less attention to the absence of DeYoung (which generally is more noticeable the more Gowan sings during a particular song). Even though it's far from my favorite Styx song, I think many younger fans would really get a kick out of it.

[styxfanNH]

I like it in the medley. After all, none of them really flip over it. But they could play more than 10 seconds of it and extend it out a bit.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Bugsy says:

Thanks Suite. A good one.

You're welcome. One of the "Styx Detectives" found this article. I'm just the messenger

I heard the medley a few times, I would rather hear the whole song instead of the little "teasers", but that's just me.

StyxfanNH - I love your new avatar!!! Maybe you can help me change mine? I'm still deciding what I want to change it too, hmmm.

[Abitaman]

One time I saw them do it in middle of Borrowed Time, the place went wild!!! About 1 minute of the song on top of that, was lot better than the normal bridge of the song!-ERIC