Here's a recent article where Dennis discusses the movie (a big
thanks to a great article finder). He also mentions the songs Babe, Lady, The Best of Times & Mr. Roboto. There
may be other songs added throughout the movie. It depends on what they edit.
http://www.illinoisentertainer.com/modu ... le&sid=954
He’s most frequently referred to as the founding singer/keyboard player of the illustrious Chicago rock band Styx, but there’s much more to Dennis DeYoung than the band he formerly fronted. As we were trying to track down the theatrical vocalist for this 30th anniversary installment, he frequently mentioned a trip to Canada that he mysteriously hinted had nothing to do with concert touring. "Believe it or not I just got back from a cameo in the Universal picture The Perfect Man, which stars Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, and Mike O’Malley," he exclaimed on a phone call immediately following his return. "Without giving too much of it away, the premise deals with a guy stuck in the ’80s that also happens to be a rabid Styx fan. One night Heather Locklear takes him to this wild club and they wind up seeing a Styx tribute band. Any guess who that is?" The singer is none other than Dennis himself, who dons his old school long locks and since-retired ’70s duds to plow through robust renditions of "Babe," "Lady," "The Best Of Times," and of course, "Mr. Roboto." Along with members of DeYoung’s live backing band and his son Matthew on drums, the versatile vocalist describes it as "an absolute hoot."
Acting in one form or another is nothing new to DeYoung’s repertoire, as an Illinois Entertainer cover flashback from November 1984 indicates. The Styx star had just come off the rock opera styled Kilroy Was Here tour, which the magazine then described as "a bold undertaking unparalleled in the history of stadium rock." Though it was unique to set the script in a futuristic city where music was forbidden, critics hammered the sometimes-deemed pretentious production at large. It was also the straw that broke the camel’s back for guitarist Tommy Shaw to check out and hit the solo highway. "I didn’t bill it as a Styx breakup back then because I wanted to protect people," DeYoung explains. "The truth of the matter was that Tommy officially quit, but I was kind of waiting for him to run his course with the solo project and come back to the band." So partially out of necessity, along with prodding from record label A&M, DeYoung also embarked on a solo career with that year’s Desert Moon. The album went gold in Canada and the title track became a hit in heavy rotation on MTV, sparking a string of other solo albums until a partial Styx nucleus returned in 1990 for Edge Of The Century. Despite Shaw’s residence in supergroup Damn Yankees at the time, originals James "JY" Young (guitar) along with brothers Chuck and the late John Panozzo (who played bass and drums respectively) were on board. Shaw did return briefly in 1997 for the Return To Paradise live CD and DVD, followed by the 1999 studio album Brave New World, though tension was still present.
This time, however, it was everyone but DeYoung that continued on the road in support of the album, as the singer bouted briefly with a viral ailment that sensitized his eyes to light. Various versions of the group’s demise would be revealed shortly thereafter on VH1’s "Behind The Music," during which some of his former bandmates painted DeYoung’s decision not to immediately tour in a derogatory light. "It certainly is gratifying to have your colleagues pay respect to you after so many years together," he says sarcastically. "But you know what, throughout that whole show and to this day I have never had a bad word to say about anybody. Sure it’s hurtful, but I’ve just stood by the simple fact that a lot of really terrific music was created by Styx."
While the current branding of "Styx" is trudging on the nostalgia circuit with the withered likes of R.E.O. Speedwagon and Loverboy, DeYoung is looking forward. And more than just regurgitating oldies like a live jukebox, he has recently taken a rock-meets-classical approach on Dennis DeYoung: The Music Of Styx Live With Symphony Orchestra. The double-disc recording was first released independently, though DeYoung promises distribution through Universal before year’s end.
A similar presentation was also the kickoff concert last year when PBS re-launched the "Soundstage" concert series, which DeYoung has since supported with pledge drive appearances. That like-minded set list is available on an exclusive DVD in the "Soundstage" series (which also features titles by Tom Petty, Peter Cetera, and Michael McDonald). "Both projects have really opened up my music to a wide array of new faces," DeYoung says. "It’s made my concerts be filled with everyone from kids of fans that grew up with me to gray haired television viewers that liked what they saw on the specials. It’s all really exciting, and more so than the projects, is the fact that a guy my age is still working!"
Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:44 am
Not everything we know do we learn from a group. Sometimes we have knowledge before it shows up and we just choose to not say anything.
Who me???? Never!!!! Insert batting eyelashes here.
