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Styx Sense
Guitarist Tommy Shaw comments on the ghost of Dennis DeYoung.
By Don Zulaica
Add Styx to the list of legendary ’70s rock bands that have worked out their differences with past lead singers and are now moving forward (see also: Journey, The Doobie Brothers, Pink Floyd). The infamous rift between the band and Dennis DeYoung – vocalist on such Styx hits as “Too Much Time On My Hands,” “Come Sail Away” and, of course, “Mr. Roboto” – was settled out of court in 2001, presumably for a large cash sum.
Armed with a new sound, the band – guitarists Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young, bassist Ricky Phillips, drummer Todd Sucherman and new vocalist Lawrence Gowan – has finally put out a new album, Big Bang Theory. We caught up with the group prior to their August appearance at Saratoga’s Mountain Winery, and put the screws to Tommy Shaw about their departed frontman.
The Wave: Dennis DeYoung was such a signature voice, and now you’ve got Lawrence Gowan at the helm.
Tommy Shaw: Lawrence is a guy who is highly overqualified for the gig. I think that’s the thing – Styx has always chosen good people. I’d like to think of myself as among them, because I’m a new guy, too. [Laughs] For the longest time I was the new guy, and also the youngest. Those days are over now.
TW: Where did you find him?
TS: Lawrence had a very successful solo career in Canada, and still would if we weren’t keeping him busy. His most memorable song is called “A Criminal Mind,” which is the song that I think attracted us all to him at first. He opened for us in Montreal – all by himself on piano – [and] he brought the house down. We weren’t used to that going on before us. We thought that was reserved for us. [Laughs] He was literally getting the same kind of encores that we hoped to get. There are certain people who are born to perform and he’s definitely that.
TW: You’re probably not going to be able to say much about the split with Dennis DeYoung.
TS: The one thing that I would never do is talk down about anybody I’ve worked with, because what was wrong with me for working with somebody that I didn’t have respect for? I have a great amount of respect for Dennis. Those records will always stand on their own, and we had some great years together. There comes times in people’s lives where it’s best to move on. Those songs are great, we do those songs amazing justice. One thing Styx has always done is carry on – I mean, it’s in the song. That’s really what we’ve always done, from the time I joined the band until [now]. Todd took [original drummer] Johnny [Panozzo’s] place when he passed away. The band has always maintained a high level of musicality, and we’re carrying on that proud tradition.
TW: Like Foreigner, Toto and local favorites Journey, you’ve gotten something of a knock for being called “corporate rock.”
TS: I think if you try to label us “corporate,” you’d find everybody is corporate now. You’ve got to survive in order to play your music at the end of the day. Otherwise you’re the tree that fell in the forest and nobody heard you. To this day, we’re still waiting for a corporate sponsor to step up. We’ve always funded ourselves, so we always thought it was ironic that we got labeled [as “corporate rock”]. At the end of the day, the truck’s got to have fuel, the hotel room’s got to get paid for and everybody is on salary. Like it or not, it’s a business.
TW: You guys have just run the ship pretty tightly.
TS: The nice thing about this band is that everybody’s in agreement to make this a full-time enterprise. We can make plans for the future without it being too much trouble. By the time we’re in the middle of something like this [tour], we start planning the next thing. Really, in order to do things right, you need months of preparation time. You can look at Pollstar and see how many tours don’t do well. And you’d think they would, but there are so many little elements that add up at the end of the day that make the difference between a tour being able to sustain itself or just collapsing under its own weight. So we’ve had some great experiences, and we just keep working on it, and we’ve built this crew that is just as bad-ass as the band. Any artist will tell you, you’re only as good as your crew.
UNBELIEVABLE!!
