Mr. Roboto - Bobby Kilroy
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 9:37 pmSadie found this article. Bobby - LOL
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timeslea ... ertainment
Posted on Wed, Oct. 18, 2006
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Every song has a story ...
“Mr. Roboto” Styx
By Jeff Walker Special to The Weekender
“Mr. Roboto” was one of Styx’s biggest hits, even though most people had no idea what it was about. It was written by the band’s keyboardist, Dennis DeYoung, as part of a rock opera called “Kilroy Was Here.” And as DeYoung explains, it’s basically a science fiction story put to music.
“It’s based on a rock opera. It takes place in the future, where rock and roll has been banned by a man called Dr. Everett Righteous, who is able to correlate the bad times that America is going through to get rock and roll music banned. The night they are going to enact this legislation, Kilroy - his name is Bobby Kilroy - he plays in a band called Kilroy, and they are going to challenge the law. There is a riot, a kid is killed, and rock stars are then put in prison if they play the music. He goes into this prison, this Kilroy character, and the prison is guarded by Japanese robots called Robotos. In an attempt to escape, he overcomes one of the Robotos and gets into the robot outfit with the helmet and goes out into the world to bring back rock and roll. Mr. Roboto is that song. That’s why he says at the end, ‘I’m Kilroy, I’m Kilroy’ … Nobody much knows that, and that hasn’t stopped people from not liking the song.” (laughs)
Oddly, the song was never meant to be a hit single. DeYoung said it was only written to provide a smooth segue into the storyline at their live shows at the time. But “Mr. Roboto” marched to #3 in the country in February of 1982.
Source: Jeff Walker interview, 10/4/06
98.5 KRZ Jumpin’ Jeff Walker, shown with producer Shila, is the drive-time DJ on 98.5 KRZ-FM from 3-7 p.m. He also researchs and collects the orgins and inspirations for well-known pop songs.
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timeslea ... ertainment
Posted on Wed, Oct. 18, 2006
email this
print this
Every song has a story ...
“Mr. Roboto” Styx
By Jeff Walker Special to The Weekender
“Mr. Roboto” was one of Styx’s biggest hits, even though most people had no idea what it was about. It was written by the band’s keyboardist, Dennis DeYoung, as part of a rock opera called “Kilroy Was Here.” And as DeYoung explains, it’s basically a science fiction story put to music.
“It’s based on a rock opera. It takes place in the future, where rock and roll has been banned by a man called Dr. Everett Righteous, who is able to correlate the bad times that America is going through to get rock and roll music banned. The night they are going to enact this legislation, Kilroy - his name is Bobby Kilroy - he plays in a band called Kilroy, and they are going to challenge the law. There is a riot, a kid is killed, and rock stars are then put in prison if they play the music. He goes into this prison, this Kilroy character, and the prison is guarded by Japanese robots called Robotos. In an attempt to escape, he overcomes one of the Robotos and gets into the robot outfit with the helmet and goes out into the world to bring back rock and roll. Mr. Roboto is that song. That’s why he says at the end, ‘I’m Kilroy, I’m Kilroy’ … Nobody much knows that, and that hasn’t stopped people from not liking the song.” (laughs)
Oddly, the song was never meant to be a hit single. DeYoung said it was only written to provide a smooth segue into the storyline at their live shows at the time. But “Mr. Roboto” marched to #3 in the country in February of 1982.
Source: Jeff Walker interview, 10/4/06
98.5 KRZ Jumpin’ Jeff Walker, shown with producer Shila, is the drive-time DJ on 98.5 KRZ-FM from 3-7 p.m. He also researchs and collects the orgins and inspirations for well-known pop songs.
