TOMMY SHAW BREAKS THE SILENCE
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2007 3:06 amThe following excerpt from the feature March article in Modern Mime Magazine(MMM) was posted yesterday. I thought there were some real interesting points made by Tommy and the author. I will try to link it for you if the link www.martinsmodernmimemagtommyshawmarch07feature.com doesnt work you can read the excerpt here.
Tommy Shaw Breaks The Silence
By: Martin Yap
The rock band Styx has been around since the early 70's. Their entire career they have faught legitamacy issues with the critics of rock and roll. Even with millions of records sold( 32 million worldwide-soundscan 2004) and legions of diehard fans Styx has faught a reputation much like ours. When post Styx Tommy Shaw penned and sung 'The Silence Is Broken' ( Damn Yankees- Dont Tread) I read between the lines and hooked up with him. The insight I gained from this superstar was overwhelming. Finally, when Tommy personally asked me for permission to mime their hit song Blue Collar Man I knew he was about to come to the forefront of mimes worldwide.
Tommy Shaw has green lighted me the OK to use his earlier interview plus my most recent chat with him.
Martin: How did you become so interested in mimes?
Tommy: I'm a history buff. I remember reading how so many mimes faught for the north during the Civil War. As I remember from my 11th grade US history class, it was that war that changed everything. Mimes should be proud of the outcome of that war.
Martin: Interesting Tommy. What else do you know about us?
Tommy: I know quite a bit about yall'. Early in our countries development,after the slaves were freed and before the mexicans, it was mimes who picked and harvested the cotton as well as many other crops. Later on, it was mimes working for Louisville Slugger who planted and chopped down the trees that made the bats that The Babe swung. Shit, I remeber reading a book by Trey (something) who had a big time affair with J.Edgar Hoover. Hell, Hoover had him working in the CIA for years. To this day I believe he is the highest ranking mime government official ever. The government just wont hire mimes. It's a damn shame mimes arent recognized more. Hillary Clinton went to her senior prom with a hooded mime. It was a mime that invented The Fischer Price Roller Skates. A group of mimes came up with the additives for ethonol. I could go on and on.
Martin: How did you guys come up with the mimed version of such a great inspiring song( Blue Collar Man )?
Tommy: I shouldnt say it, and JY will kill me, but it pretty much was Dennis's ( Dennis Deyoung former Styx member) idea. Not for this song so to speak but for others.
Martin: What do you mean?
Tommy: Back in 1979 we had a huge hit with a ballad called Babe(#1 USA). JY, Myself, and the other members of the band were against this song. As a matter of fact we got rid of Dennis because of it and another song that appeared on the Cornerstone album(A&M records). When Dennis came back we stipulated that the only way this song would be done live was if it were mimed. It is a long story, but it was Dennis that came up with this idea. Little did we know he had screwed us with the contractual wording of this, and his lawyer hammered ours in court. We mimed it ( Babe) three times back in 1979 then the courts took over and we once again had to play it. But we would hammer him later.
Martin: What again do you mean?
Tommy: No offense, but for a while Dennis became obsessed with mimes. I was interested, but he was obsessed. He obsesses about many things. Anyway, two albums later we do a concept album called Kilroy Was Here(A&M records). In a movie scene Dennis's character escapes from a prison that is guarded by robots. Dennis tries and tries to escape as a mime. Finally, our director tells him that there is just no way to get a mime in the story line. He eventually gives in and escapes as a robot. Still Dennis did slip his mime obsession in the story line. Did you know that the MMM is in our story line. You should receive some royalties?
Martin: I still dont understand how you hammered him later
Tommy: We pretty much stole his band. We got better representation that he had and we won in court. Now let me tell you his mime obsession passed. I became facinated with mimes for other reasons. That mostly being that I respect yall' so damn much. To this day I dont know Dennis's reason. Anyway, when it was time to get rid of Dennis we replaced him with an artist named Lawerence Gowan. Lawerence opened for us a few times in Canada. One night Lawerences voice wasnt quite up to snuff, so he mimed his final four songs that evening. Dennis respected the hell out of that. He had us do it for Babe, but he had never seen another artist do it. He loved some of Gowan's mime moves. When we replaced Dennis with Gowan all those mime memories had to haunt him.
You can read the entire Tommy Shaw feature article in the March issue of Modern Mime Magazine.
Tommy Shaw Breaks The Silence
By: Martin Yap
The rock band Styx has been around since the early 70's. Their entire career they have faught legitamacy issues with the critics of rock and roll. Even with millions of records sold( 32 million worldwide-soundscan 2004) and legions of diehard fans Styx has faught a reputation much like ours. When post Styx Tommy Shaw penned and sung 'The Silence Is Broken' ( Damn Yankees- Dont Tread) I read between the lines and hooked up with him. The insight I gained from this superstar was overwhelming. Finally, when Tommy personally asked me for permission to mime their hit song Blue Collar Man I knew he was about to come to the forefront of mimes worldwide.
Tommy Shaw has green lighted me the OK to use his earlier interview plus my most recent chat with him.
Martin: How did you become so interested in mimes?
Tommy: I'm a history buff. I remember reading how so many mimes faught for the north during the Civil War. As I remember from my 11th grade US history class, it was that war that changed everything. Mimes should be proud of the outcome of that war.
Martin: Interesting Tommy. What else do you know about us?
Tommy: I know quite a bit about yall'. Early in our countries development,after the slaves were freed and before the mexicans, it was mimes who picked and harvested the cotton as well as many other crops. Later on, it was mimes working for Louisville Slugger who planted and chopped down the trees that made the bats that The Babe swung. Shit, I remeber reading a book by Trey (something) who had a big time affair with J.Edgar Hoover. Hell, Hoover had him working in the CIA for years. To this day I believe he is the highest ranking mime government official ever. The government just wont hire mimes. It's a damn shame mimes arent recognized more. Hillary Clinton went to her senior prom with a hooded mime. It was a mime that invented The Fischer Price Roller Skates. A group of mimes came up with the additives for ethonol. I could go on and on.
Martin: How did you guys come up with the mimed version of such a great inspiring song( Blue Collar Man )?
Tommy: I shouldnt say it, and JY will kill me, but it pretty much was Dennis's ( Dennis Deyoung former Styx member) idea. Not for this song so to speak but for others.
Martin: What do you mean?
Tommy: Back in 1979 we had a huge hit with a ballad called Babe(#1 USA). JY, Myself, and the other members of the band were against this song. As a matter of fact we got rid of Dennis because of it and another song that appeared on the Cornerstone album(A&M records). When Dennis came back we stipulated that the only way this song would be done live was if it were mimed. It is a long story, but it was Dennis that came up with this idea. Little did we know he had screwed us with the contractual wording of this, and his lawyer hammered ours in court. We mimed it ( Babe) three times back in 1979 then the courts took over and we once again had to play it. But we would hammer him later.
Martin: What again do you mean?
Tommy: No offense, but for a while Dennis became obsessed with mimes. I was interested, but he was obsessed. He obsesses about many things. Anyway, two albums later we do a concept album called Kilroy Was Here(A&M records). In a movie scene Dennis's character escapes from a prison that is guarded by robots. Dennis tries and tries to escape as a mime. Finally, our director tells him that there is just no way to get a mime in the story line. He eventually gives in and escapes as a robot. Still Dennis did slip his mime obsession in the story line. Did you know that the MMM is in our story line. You should receive some royalties?
Martin: I still dont understand how you hammered him later
Tommy: We pretty much stole his band. We got better representation that he had and we won in court. Now let me tell you his mime obsession passed. I became facinated with mimes for other reasons. That mostly being that I respect yall' so damn much. To this day I dont know Dennis's reason. Anyway, when it was time to get rid of Dennis we replaced him with an artist named Lawerence Gowan. Lawerence opened for us a few times in Canada. One night Lawerences voice wasnt quite up to snuff, so he mimed his final four songs that evening. Dennis respected the hell out of that. He had us do it for Babe, but he had never seen another artist do it. He loved some of Gowan's mime moves. When we replaced Dennis with Gowan all those mime memories had to haunt him.
You can read the entire Tommy Shaw feature article in the March issue of Modern Mime Magazine.
-ERIC