DDY - Article (Omaha) Um, very interesting!

[SuiteMadameBlue]

[quote="Monker"]Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.[quote]

I'm pretty sure I have 2 articles on this in print. I'll have to find them.

Heres just part of Andrew's interview with Dennis. I don't know if this has to do with anything in this thread or not. I'll try to find the others in my free time - LOL

They are loyal to Styx but everything to do with Styx. If you branch off they follow you as well I've found.
Yeah it's a very dedicated following. It has been a very difficult 2 years for me considering what's happened with the band. I don't know if you know the story or not.

Well not really only from what I've read from Tommy Shaw's side of things on various articles that's why I thought you could have your say.
Ok here's what happened. I can give you several publications and my story stays the same. From the moment I've told it in the press and of course between Tommy Shaw and James Young - their story keeps changing every six months. Here's what happened Andrew.

In 1996 Styx did a comeback tour and in '97 we weren't supposed to tour. I had written this musical and this was the year I was supposed to take time to do 2 things. The first was start writing and doing some demos for a new Styx album and I was supposed to have the opportunity to work on the Hunchback.
I had put the Hunchback on hold for a year and a half when the Styx thing came up in '96. I had producers in fact who were like what about us. The manager of the band came to me and said that one of the band members a tour would be beneficial financially to him. I said all right I'd try and do both.
What I did is I produced that live Styx album and came up with the idea for the show. I then did a workshop in Tennessee in January and did the whole Styx tour and then 2 days after I was off the road with Styx I was in Nashville for 2 months for the first production. All the time we were on the road I was going back between New York and Nashville trying to get this whole Hunchback thing settled. So I worked myself to death. To death.

It sounds like it.
I hadn't planned on doing it but I did it in the spirit of helping people. When I finally got off the road in October from the musical my father passed away which was a shock and it was very difficult. Then my best friend had terminal cancer and my wife's sister died all within about 6 weeks. So the mental and emotional strain was enormous.
When we came back from the funeral in California both my wife and I got a terrible flu. Well Andrew, there was nothing left of me. The flu just devastated me. The upshot of that was I just couldn't get better.
What I got was this post viral symptom, which I didn't know for 8 or 9 months what was causing it. My face always felt like I had a fever, it was hot.
I couldn't figure out what it was and I went from doctor to doctor and they didn't know what it was. Eventually I actually figured it out that I was sensitive to light. I didn't know why. It was only precipitated by any strong or fluorescent lights. When I finally recovered enough to keep working on the new Styx album we got together and started working on it.
I was recording in my house because that's where I had a studio. So we were making the record and things were going swimmingly and there were no problems as far as I knew.

In Feb 1999 the manager came in and said here is the tour that we want to do and they wanted a commitment from me for a full tour. I was barely able to record and still felt like crap. I asked them to give me another 4 or 5 months to recover from this thing. I said let's finish the album, give me a little time to recover and then we can plan something but I can't commit at this moment.
So a couple of weeks later Tommy called me up from Los Angeles and said that it was not in his best interest to finish up an album if there wasn't going to be a tour.
I said what are you talking about - we had to finish this album. Then the day later James Young called me and said they wanted me to commit to this tour but if I was not going to commit to the tour then they were going to go ahead and tour without me.
I begged them not to and I tried to convince them a thousand different ways that it was a mistake and asked them just to give me some time and so forth. That was it. So what happened was they had planned on stopping the album and just going on tour. So a couple of weeks later I called the head of the record company Tom Lipske at CMC I said if you hear this album was stopped because I got sick that's baloney. I told him I wanted to finish the record and he said what do you mean the record was stopped?
He didn't know about it. So he stepped in and got his attorney's going and he said he didn't care if there was a tour or not he wanted his album. So he forced the issue and the album was completed and unfortunately JY and Tommy finished their nine songs in California without my input. I finished mine in Chicago. That's why the album is what it is.

It sounds like two different bands.
That's why the album is what it is. Andrew did you listen to the live album?

Yeah, I've got it right in front of me.
All right so there are 3 new tracks on that live album. They are Dear John, Paradise and On My Way. Now those three songs sound like they are from the same album don't they?
That's because, do you wanna know the difference Andrew? It's because I produced them.
I have produced every album since Equinox, even though it said Styx. I was the producer.
I was the guy that brought all those 3 styles together and made those records sound like it was the same band doing them. On this album though you will notice it's the first album that hasn't been produced by me.
I'm telling you since Equinox.

So you produced your own tracks on Brave New World?
I produced my tracks.

I was fairly critical of the album, I'll be honest with you.
You can be as critical as you like about the album. I'm critical of the album

I gave it just an ok review because there are some really wonderful tracks on there. 'While There's Still Time' is a wonderful track but there are some others that I just didn't think gelled. From start to finish it does sound like a couple of different bands in there.
Well the problem is it really was just an album of missed opportunities. The material when it was presented, I was really excited with it.
But really in making a record it is in fact about someone making sure that the performances are good enough. Styx was a combination and always was of 3 personalities and what they did together musically. It wasn't me by myself. What I brought to it was I'm the biggest Styx fan in the world and I knew what Styx was as a band. I used my personality and I used my skills as a producer to make sure those albums always sounded like Styx records.
If you listen to 'Edge Of The Century' it still sounds like a Styx record. We had Burtnik in there but it still sounds like a Styx record.
This one doesn't because Tommy and JY went out and worked with, actually I have no idea. When I got the record and they sent me their nine tracks and I heard them I actually sat in my room and cried when I listened to them. I knew a terrible mistake had been made.
So when we got together 3 weeks before the album was due to come out for the first time, because we had all committed to a TV program, I talked to Tommy Shaw for over an hour and begged him to stop the release of this record - to allow us the chance to go back in and fix it.
They were quite happy with what they had done. Andrew, my role as producer all those years was to make sure any song that wasn't good enough didn't actually get on the album.

Tough job.
Yeah. And sometimes an unpopular one. You know what? It works.
If you look at those Styx albums they all have 8 or 9 songs on them. There are not 14 songs.

OK.
Well you get the very best songs. It isn't about the quantity it's about quality.
So anyway that's what happened. They decided to take the thing on the road and my only recourse was to sue them to stop them. I felt in my heart I couldn't do it and hoping and praying they would show some sense and stop the nonsense. They went touring July '99 and by August '99 I was well enough to say 'hey if you're going to do a full leg….'
They'd been asking me and I called them through attorney's and said I'm willing to sit down and talk and since that time they have absolutely refused to have any communication with me.

That's sad.
Very sad.

What forced the issue? Obviously you are all strong personalities, which have fired the band to be as great as you are.
Well look at The Who or The Rolling Stones that's what fires every great band. Appealing personalities. Yeah.

What happened when Tommy left and you reformed to do 'Edge of the Century'?
In 1983 Tommy decided that he didn't like, well he didn't like a lot of things, but number 1 thing he didn't like was he was convinced he could be a solo artist on his own.
Someone was whispering in his ear. He quit the band in the middle of the '83 tour. We knew he was going to quit. When the whole thing was over at the end of '83 and the beginning of '84 Tommy had quit and James Young, John and Chuck were still in the band they wanted me to replace Tommy Shaw and to go forward immediately. I said I wouldn't do it. I said this band is these guys.
So what I did is I became a reluctant solo artist because I was not going to go back and put a new Styx together with somebody else.
My contract read that I had the ability to make a solo record for A&M so I decided I'd make a solo album and wait for Tommy to come to his senses. So I made Desert Moon.
So Tommy made his solo album and I made mine. When Tommy's record deals had run out he called up in about 1988 and wanted to talk about getting the band back together.
I thought it was a good idea but I had just signed another deal with MCA to make another solo album, my 3rd. I told him let me just record this album and get this together and we'll talk about getting this band back together. As I'm going through that process he called me up one day and said I'm antsy. Remember Tommy is the guy that wrote the song 'Too Much Time On My Hands'. Catch my drift?

Yes.
Ok. He called me and said when are we going to do this Styx thing? I said I've gotta finish this project and he said I've got this offer to from my manager to go get with Jack Blades and Ted Nugent and do some demos. I said go and do it. I'm not going to stop you from doing it. So he went and they got a record deal and off he went.

Sure.
So what happened was after it was clear to me he was now in Damn Yankees the band came back to me again, JY called and said when are we going to do this. I realized at that moment that with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees that maybe if we were ever going to do it we should do it. So we forged ahead and put the thing together with Glenn Burtnik.
In that same year or the year later Tommy actually sold back his right to the name Styx legally.

Oh really?
Why? You tell me why somebody would do that?

Signing off on it really.
I guess so isn't it? So when Damn Yankees ran its course again well we got back together again.

[rajah2165]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

And that's the biggest load of crap I've heard all week...When have you not said DDY is the devil?

The market on BS is exclusively yours.

[Zan]

The market on BS is exclusively yours.

That's funny coming from a guy who brags about having 47 different screen names and access to fifty computers.

[shaka]

Or maybe it has something to do with JY needing to tour to sustain a living with STYX and he believes that Dennis was stopping him from doing so.

Hey Sterling, you're writing the book. Has JY taken care of his money or is he in the poorhouse? Personally I have a hard time believing that he needs to tour to sustain himself, his wife, or his lifestyle.

Eric

Since most of you know me, here's my take. I guess this is all just my opinion, so don't jump too hard on me

With all or most musicians they are not offered health insurance like the "average" person that has a full-time job. Yes, they are offered health insurance through the record company, some music association they pay into and I think something else, can't remember. They do pay through the roof on medical expenses.

Anyway, when I had my kids, most of my hospital bills and care was paid almost 100%, except for the co-pays.

Now let's say if a musician's wife has a lot of medical problems through the years that she can't help, not cosmetic, but serious health problems, that comes out of the musicians pockets to pay. You all know how medical bills can add up.

Okay, now the music label drops the band, that's less insurance.

That's ONE reason that a certain member of the current band Styx still needs to tour. With knowing what I "heard" my heart does go out to some of these people, the ones that didn't spend their money foolishly.

When one of the kids of certain member was born, he was in the hospital longer than expected due to health problems. That was a costly bill too, I would "think".

Look at Lou Gramm for example. He's been through years of health issues, he's still touring, I don't think totally by choice, but he does have a lot of medical bills.

There's a huge article on another musician, I have to find it, but it really explains a lot. You can have all the money, but when you don't have health insurance and something happens to you or a member of your family, well then you pay through the roof.

Medical procedures are expensive enough with insurance let alone without.

You were vague about which member of Styx son spent time in the hospital. However, deductive reasoning leads me to conclude that, a. Tommy has a daughter not a son. b. JY, Chuck, and John (might be wrong about John) are childless, that the kid in question is Matthew DeYoung.

It still doesn't answer my question as to whether JY needs the dough.

Eric

[Jodes]

John had a daughter, I believe she was on stage with him when he got married in 1991.

Two years later John was divorced, not touring/employed and from what I understood he hit the bottle hard. We all know the rest.

Sigh

[Jodes]

John had a daughter, I believe she was on stage with him when he got married in 1991.

Two years later John was divorced, not touring/employed and from what I understood he hit the bottle hard. We all know the rest.

Sigh

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Medical procedures are expensive enough with insurance let alone without.

You were vague about which member of Styx son spent time in the hospital. However, deductive reasoning leads me to conclude that, a. Tommy has a daughter not a son. b. JY, Chuck, and John (might be wrong about John) are childless, that the kid in question is Matthew DeYoung.

It still doesn't answer my question as to whether JY needs the dough.

Eric

Tommy has a daughter Hannah
John P. had a daughter Emily (I think that's her name)
John C. had a son Jaime
Dennis has CarrieAnn & Matthew
Gowan has 2 kids

Yes, Matthew was in the hospital for a while when he was born. When I interviewed Suzanne she talked about it and it might be in print. Those hospital bills added up.

Yes over the years from what I "heard", JY did/does need the money for medical expenses that were/are pretty high.

From what I understand too, is that JY's living is pretty much "down to earth".

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Oh and then what Dennis had to go through with the numerous doctor's to find out what he had back then and to get treated, THOSE bills I do know were very high. YIKES

Even Tommy going through his little problem back then, hospital visits and from what I "heard" the help that he went through. More added expenses.

These are without the insurance that some of us are lucky to have.

Yikes and then when you add kids into the equation and their care. The local Children's Hospital know my kids very, very good.

Most fans look at these groups/musicians and think they have EVERYTHING. There are so many expenses that they have that we take granted for.

When I interview my next bands these are questions I'm going to ask, it's very interesting to learn about this, well it's interesting for me.

[styxfanNH]

In a recent interview, JY said that his wife has an incurable disease. He didn't go into it more than that. So I am guessing that the everyday medical expenses are fairly high.

I also don't think the business "Styx" has as much of a "profit" to it as everyone thinks. I remember reading several years ago that there is a lot of overhead to them in that many of the crew are employed by them year round and in many ways they still operate on the business side like they did in the hey day.

I'm not saying they are poor. I am just saying that all of them are really working their tales off for what they got. I would also say that once you move into a certain lifestyle, it is difficult to move down.

Maybe Sterling or Allan have insight into this that we don't.

[Zan]

In a recent interview, JY said that his wife has an incurable disease. He didn't go into it more than that. So I am guessing that the everyday medical expenses are fairly high.

I don't know about anything beyond that she was sick once upon a time. But if I ever get very ill, I hope I look that good.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

If I'm not mistaken and please correct me I'm wrong, but the current line-up of Styx when playing at an "up-front payment" venue or fair receives $75,000 per show. I'll have to find that information to post too to back me up.

They have to split that among the members of the band, pay the road crew, motels, gas for the buses and trucks, food on the road, etc.

Sorry, but that's really not that much they're receiving for 5 guys in one band, IMO.

There's reasons why some of these types of bands have to tour and tour day after day, night after night.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

In a recent interview, JY said that his wife has an incurable disease. He didn't go into it more than that. So I am guessing that the everyday medical expenses are fairly high.

I don't know about anything beyond that she was sick once upon a time. But if I ever get very ill, I hope I look that good.

I didn't want to post the information without something to back me up that was in print, but yes and if I'm not mistaken, those expenses are still running very high.

She does look very good.

[styxfanNH]

In a recent interview, JY said that his wife has an incurable disease. He didn't go into it more than that. So I am guessing that the everyday medical expenses are fairly high.

I don't know about anything beyond that she was sick once upon a time. But if I ever get very ill, I hope I look that good.

I didn't want to post the information without something to back me up that was in print, but yes and if I'm not mistaken, those expenses are still running very high.

She does look very good.

It was in a radio interview

[Rockwriter]

In a recent interview, JY said that his wife has an incurable disease. He didn't go into it more than that. So I am guessing that the everyday medical expenses are fairly high.

I don't know about anything beyond that she was sick once upon a time. But if I ever get very ill, I hope I look that good.

Starting in the mid-Seventies, JY's wife had a very rare blood disorder that very nearly ended her life. She was terribly sick for years, and a friend of JY's moved into his house to help care for her while JY was out on the road. (Incidentally, Styx formed a corporation early on and I think insurance was provided through the corporate structure for everyone. ) She was so sick at one point that JY got a call backstage at a show that he had better get home, she would not live to the following day. She had been mis-diagnosed and was not receiving the care that she needed. JY, being the extremely smart guy that he is, did a bunch of his own research and ultimately suggested to her doctors what the problem might be, which turned out to be correct, and she began receiving the correct treatment. He has even been invited to lecture on Capitol Hill on this subject. She has been on an even keel for a long while now, but I believe she still has the disease and must continue to struggle with it. JY also has a sister who is unable to walk and I believe he provides for all of her bills and care as well.

Again, I think the corporate structure of Styx provides insurance. And they all have big pensions that have been growing since the Seventies, that continue to grow, so their retirement should be well set.

I would guess that Dennis and JY are the best off, as they are the best at managing numbers and money, and in Dennis' case he earned a lot more and continues to earn a lot more in radio airplay and licensing money. Tommy has never been great at managing money, or anything to do with business, and I would imagine he is not as well off in terms of liquid assets as we might assume, though he certainly has physical property and such. He's had two divorces, the first reasonably inexpensive, the second quite expensive, with a child involved and all that goes along with that. Chuck seems to be doing okay. He's always been modest in his living and of course he's had no divorces, lol. John always spent beyond his means, even when they were huge, and in the years off he almost went broke. At the end of his life he had cashed in his pension and was living on what was left of that, is my impression.

The other guys are paid employees and earn straight salaries, which means that JY and Tommy split up whatever profit there is at the end of each tour. By my math, looking at their numbers, I can't see any reason at all why those guys aren't earning seven figures each per year from touring alone, let alone catalog sales and other income streams. Let's not throw a telethon for any of them any time soon, lol.

I hope all is well.



Sterling

[Rockwriter]

My post seems to have posted several times . . .

[styxfanNH]

Suite,

I know there is also a length of show that goes into their fee. They sell a 90 minute and 120+ minute show as the feature act and I am going to guess they have a shorter length show for fair type shows at a length of 70 minutes or so.

Perhaps there is a flat fee to get them there, then a fee for the length of show they are playing.

But I had heard somewhere it was around the $75,000 figure you said.

And you are right, after expenses, its not much.

[Rockwriter]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

Absolutely true. All of them are guilty of a certain amount of revisionism. It's really just human nature, after all, to want to make yourself look as good as possible, and to rememeber the past in such a way as to reflect your own contribution to it in its most positive light.

Look, I'm not going to argue that Dennis is not difficult, or that there are not valid reasons why the other guys feel the way they do. That's a stupid, pointless, losing argument, quite frankly. What his detractors have to say about him - that he is difficult, demanding, arrogant, controlling - these things are almost universal and go all the way back to the Wooden Nickel era, though it seemed to get worse later.

That said, he made a huge contribution to the band, and if he did NOT posess the wilfullness and ego that he does, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because there would never have been a band called Styx that made it to the national level. His ego and forcefulness are sometimes his undoing, but they are also a great asset in the right setting, when used in the right way. That's reality. I'm not saying you have to like him as a person. I've never even met him (or JY, for that matter). I have nothing for or against either one of them as people. Everyone here has their strengths and weaknesses. The way things went has been dictated by the way their strengths and weaknesses overlap and interact. The drama is not that different from any of us and our jobs or familes, except that it becomes of public interest because they're famous.

There is credit enough, and blame enough, to go around. The reason I am so disappinted in JY's current stance is because I think he's better and smarter than this, that's all. This is unbecoming of someone as smart as he is and I don't think the people around him are willing to tell him that.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

[Rockwriter]

Look at it this way: if you were 17 in 1975 when "Lady" hit, you might have had it as your first prom theme, or as your special song with your first love. So maybe in 1979 you got married to "Babe", and maybe in 1981 you had your first kid to the strains of "Best of Times". In 1991 you're older and wiser and sitting helplessly as war unfolds on your TV, wondering what the hell kind of world you're bringing up your children in, and "Show Me The Way" is there to comfort you.

Fast forward to 2004; your kid is grown now, it's just the two of you again, your 25th anniversary is coming up. Styx is coming to town, and you want to re-capture that romance, that magic, those special moments. You get your tickets. Then on the day of the show, you read an interview with JY in the morning paper . . . turns out Dennis is gone, they won't be playing any of those songs, and on top of that JY proclaims those songs, which you have held so dear for so long, "cringe-inducing". He is finding fault not only with the songs and the history that got him where he is, but by extension, with your own listening tastes and past purchasing decisions - purchasing decisions which have paid his way in life. Not a great feeling, is it?

I have said before and say it here again, JY's position on this, from a PR standpoint, is a losing position. If he wants to be bitter, fine, what do we care? But have the grace and common sense to shut up about it in public.


Sterling

Holy shit dude. You're like my new fuckin' hero man! (sorry for the profanity)... but those two paragraphs encapture everything I've been trying to say for the last 7 years. Thats amazing. Wow.... I'm in stone face awe. That was great!


You live in Nashville don't you? I live there too. I want to buy you a drink.

LOL, calm down!

Yes, I live in Nashvegas. I do some demo singing here. Do you ever make it to the Bluebird or anywhere like that?

Were you at the Ryman show last March?

PM me if you want to chat about Nashville. Thanks, I hope all is well.


Sterling

[Ash]

There is credit enough, and blame enough, to go around. The reason I am so disappinted in JY's current stance is because I think he's better and smarter than this, that's all. This is unbecoming of someone as smart as he is and I don't think the people around him are willing to tell him that.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

People like JY are usually unreceptive to critisism and surround themselves with people who will echo what they say. This includes attorneys, family and people like Zan. People who find no fault in what they have done - or are willing to forgive the faults in some that they won't forgive in others.

It is that kind of mindless intellectual dishonesty which contributes more to the dysfunction of the situation that it does to it's resolution.

Truthfully - if I worked for JY (thank god I don't), I'd absolutely be a yes-man for him - especially if my livelyhood depended on it. I guess that it's good I don't because I wouldn't be able to do that.

[Monker]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

BINGO! And, MY point is that DeYoung AND Tommy told basicaly the SAME story. Now Sterling come about and says something completely different, it seems. So, IMO, he needs to explain that contradiction, or he really seems to be slanting things the way he wants it to be, instead of telling things with a non-biased attitude.

[Monker]

It would have been nice if you had quoted just the bit related to what I was talking about, instead of prefacing it with all the unrelated stuff from 1996 on.

But, thanks for looking it up...

I deleted the unrelated stuff int he quote below.

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

I'm pretty sure I have 2 articles on this in print. I'll have to find them.

Heres just part of Andrew's interview with Dennis. I don't know if this has to do with anything in this thread or not. I'll try to find the others in my free time - LOL

What happened when Tommy left and you reformed to do 'Edge of the Century'?
In 1983 Tommy decided that he didn't like, well he didn't like a lot of things, but number 1 thing he didn't like was he was convinced he could be a solo artist on his own.
Someone was whispering in his ear. He quit the band in the middle of the '83 tour. We knew he was going to quit. When the whole thing was over at the end of '83 and the beginning of '84 Tommy had quit and James Young, John and Chuck were still in the band they wanted me to replace Tommy Shaw and to go forward immediately. I said I wouldn't do it. I said this band is these guys.
So what I did is I became a reluctant solo artist because I was not going to go back and put a new Styx together with somebody else.
My contract read that I had the ability to make a solo record for A&M so I decided I'd make a solo album and wait for Tommy to come to his senses. So I made Desert Moon.
So Tommy made his solo album and I made mine. When Tommy's record deals had run out he called up in about 1988 and wanted to talk about getting the band back together.
I thought it was a good idea but I had just signed another deal with MCA to make another solo album, my 3rd. I told him let me just record this album and get this together and we'll talk about getting this band back together. As I'm going through that process he called me up one day and said I'm antsy. Remember Tommy is the guy that wrote the song 'Too Much Time On My Hands'. Catch my drift?

Yes.
Ok. He called me and said when are we going to do this Styx thing? I said I've gotta finish this project and he said I've got this offer to from my manager to go get with Jack Blades and Ted Nugent and do some demos. I said go and do it. I'm not going to stop you from doing it. So he went and they got a record deal and off he went.

Sure.
So what happened was after it was clear to me he was now in Damn Yankees the band came back to me again, JY called and said when are we going to do this. I realized at that moment that with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees that maybe if we were ever going to do it we should do it. So we forged ahead and put the thing together with Glenn Burtnik.
In that same year or the year later Tommy actually sold back his right to the name Styx legally.

Oh really?
Why? You tell me why somebody would do that?

Signing off on it really.
I guess so isn't it? So when Damn Yankees ran its course again well we got back together again.

[Monker]

It still doesn't answer my question as to whether JY needs the dough.

Eric

There was an article posted on this very forum where JY said he has invested very conservatively and has plenty of money stashed away in bonds. He doesn't believe in high risk investments...

So, my GUESS is that he has plenty tucked away in investments.

[Monker]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

Absolutely true. All of them are guilty of a certain amount of revisionism. It's really just human nature, after all, to want to make yourself look as good as possible, and to rememeber the past in such a way as to reflect your own contribution to it in its most positive light.

Look, I'm not going to argue that Dennis is not difficult, or that there are not valid reasons why the other guys feel the way they do. That's a stupid, pointless, losing argument, quite frankly. What his detractors have to say about him - that he is difficult, demanding, arrogant, controlling - these things are almost universal and go all the way back to the Wooden Nickel era, though it seemed to get worse later.

That said, he made a huge contribution to the band, and if he did NOT posess the wilfullness and ego that he does, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because there would never have been a band called Styx that made it to the national level. His ego and forcefulness are sometimes his undoing, but they are also a great asset in the right setting, when used in the right way. That's reality. I'm not saying you have to like him as a person. I've never even met him (or JY, for that matter). I have nothing for or against either one of them as people. Everyone here has their strengths and weaknesses. The way things went has been dictated by the way their strengths and weaknesses overlap and interact. The drama is not that different from any of us and our jobs or familes, except that it becomes of public interest because they're famous.

There is credit enough, and blame enough, to go around. The reason I am so disappinted in JY's current stance is because I think he's better and smarter than this, that's all. This is unbecoming of someone as smart as he is and I don't think the people around him are willing to tell him that.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

You didn't answer my question.

Reconcile what you said with what BOTH Tommy and Dennis said in public interviews, including on this very site.

[StyxCollector]

You didn't answer my question.

Reconcile what you said with what BOTH Tommy and Dennis said in public interviews, including on this very site.

This band is a walking contradiction. If you haven't figured that out by now ....

The guys have different attitudes at different times. When I interviewed TS in 1993, he was very at peace (seemingly) with his Styx legacy and his past. Fast forward to the 1999 era and up. Styx is now his legacy again, so the line goes with that.

Of the guys, for the most part, DDY I've seen both in my interviews as well as stuff I've read elsewhere, has been the most consistent in terms of what he's said. He may have emphasized different points at different times, but rarely does he contradict himself.

Then you have JY who said barely a peep until a few years ago and now is the focal point for the band in media.

[Monker]

You didn't answer my question.

Reconcile what you said with what BOTH Tommy and Dennis said in public interviews, including on this very site.

This band is a walking contradiction. If you haven't figured that out by now ....

The guys have different attitudes at different times. When I interviewed TS in 1993, he was very at peace (seemingly) with his Styx legacy and his past. Fast forward to the 1999 era and up. Styx is now his legacy again, so the line goes with that.

Of the guys, for the most part, DDY I've seen both in my interviews as well as stuff I've read elsewhere, has been the most consistent in terms of what he's said. He may have emphasized different points at different times, but rarely does he contradict himself.

Then you have JY who said barely a peep until a few years ago and now is the focal point for the band in media.

Quit dodging the question....that has NOTHING to do with what I asked.

Dennnis and Tommy AGREED on what Suite posted. It's not this back and forth bullshit that you are saying...STERLING is posting something different. It's not in a public interview with Shaw or DDY. If what Sterling said IS in some interview, then post it.

[Zan]

People like JY are usually unreceptive to critisism and surround themselves with people who will echo what they say. This includes attorneys, family and people like Zan. People who find no fault in what they have done - or are willing to forgive the faults in some that they won't forgive in others.

WTF. Because I don't co-sign YOUR bullsh*t, I'm echoing everything JY says? I find no fault in JY or anyone else who dislikes Dennis or some of the things he's done because I don't believe every line of crap my "friends" in the DeYoung camp feed me? Or is it because I don't display constant and continuous hostility towards him day in, day out like you do?

Oh that's right. You're not hostile. I keep forgetting.

[shaka]

There is credit enough, and blame enough, to go around. The reason I am so disappinted in JY's current stance is because I think he's better and smarter than this, that's all. This is unbecoming of someone as smart as he is and I don't think the people around him are willing to tell him that.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

People like JY are usually unreceptive to critisism and surround themselves with people who will echo what they say. This includes attorneys, family and people like Zan. People who find no fault in what they have done - or are willing to forgive the faults in some that they won't forgive in others.

It is that kind of mindless intellectual dishonesty which contributes more to the dysfunction of the situation that it does to it's resolution.

Truthfully - if I worked for JY (thank god I don't), I'd absolutely be a yes-man for him - especially if my livelyhood depended on it. I guess that it's good I don't because I wouldn't be able to do that.

Actually, Zan has been critical of JY and his current outspoken ways over on the Styxnet site. Your singling her out and lay the mindless intellectual dishhonesty thing on her is pretty lame. She has a different, yet just as valid, opinion than you do.

Eric

[shaka]

It still doesn't answer my question as to whether JY needs the dough.

Eric

There was an article posted on this very forum where JY said he has invested very conservatively and has plenty of money stashed away in bonds. He doesn't believe in high risk investments...

So, my GUESS is that he has plenty tucked away in investments.

I read the same article which is why I think JY isn't hurting for money. I'd wager Tommy isn't hurting either. You do not get to have a home in the Hollywood hills if you're just getting by.

[shaka]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

Absolutely true. All of them are guilty of a certain amount of revisionism. It's really just human nature, after all, to want to make yourself look as good as possible, and to rememeber the past in such a way as to reflect your own contribution to it in its most positive light.

Look, I'm not going to argue that Dennis is not difficult, or that there are not valid reasons why the other guys feel the way they do. That's a stupid, pointless, losing argument, quite frankly. What his detractors have to say about him - that he is difficult, demanding, arrogant, controlling - these things are almost universal and go all the way back to the Wooden Nickel era, though it seemed to get worse later.

That said, he made a huge contribution to the band, and if he did NOT posess the wilfullness and ego that he does, we wouldn't be having this conversation, because there would never have been a band called Styx that made it to the national level. His ego and forcefulness are sometimes his undoing, but they are also a great asset in the right setting, when used in the right way. That's reality. I'm not saying you have to like him as a person. I've never even met him (or JY, for that matter). I have nothing for or against either one of them as people. Everyone here has their strengths and weaknesses. The way things went has been dictated by the way their strengths and weaknesses overlap and interact. The drama is not that different from any of us and our jobs or familes, except that it becomes of public interest because they're famous.

There is credit enough, and blame enough, to go around. The reason I am so disappinted in JY's current stance is because I think he's better and smarter than this, that's all. This is unbecoming of someone as smart as he is and I don't think the people around him are willing to tell him that.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

Thanks dude, all this clarification is a good thing.

[Rockwriter]

Explain how the few interviews by both Tommy and Dennis where it is explained that Tommy called Dennis SEVERAL times asking about getting Styx back together, but Dennis couldn't because of Boomchild? I believe in the Dennis interview ON THIS SITE, *HE* says he told Tommy to join DY because he couldn't start the reunion, and Tommy insisted he needed the work.

And then he said (paraphrasing here, because I'm not Vicki), "It was at that point, with Tommy happily in Damn Yankees, if we were going to regroup, we should do it now."

I'm not sayin' he's the devil. I'm just sayin' the market on changing stories isn't exlcusively JY's.

BINGO! And, MY point is that DeYoung AND Tommy told basicaly the SAME story. Now Sterling come about and says something completely different, it seems. So, IMO, he needs to explain that contradiction, or he really seems to be slanting things the way he wants it to be, instead of telling things with a non-biased attitude.

I'm not really sure what part is a contradiction. . .? Just an expansion. I think we're talking about a different timeline here. The events I was referring to occured in 1988, the events Dennis is referring to occured in 1989, I believe. The 1988 talks were the ones that Dennis bowed out of due to Boomchild. That's when the others continued to talk, and then that's whn Tommy's manager advised him not to re-join at that point because he felt that it was a twisted situation in which Tommy did not get treated with respect. That's when he called John Kalodner, who was also talking with Ted Nugent's manager, which got the ball rolling on DY.

There was also a longer lapse than we tend to realize with DY getting together. There was a whole demo/couple of live dry runs at the China Club before Jack was ever in, and it didn't quite fly. They made a demo and everyone passed. Then they called Kalodner back to say something is still missing, and Jack had broken up Night Ranger, and Kalodner suggested him, and they repeated the whole thing. The result? Everyone passed AGAIN, lol. It was Jack himself who made the deal with Warner Brothers after a deal with Chrysalis fell through. So months and months went by.

Meantime Dennis had finished Boomchild, which failed upon its release, and had been released from MCA. He was now available and he, JY and the Panozzos had talked and come to a tentative agreement. Dennis called Tommy at that point to let him know that things were ready to move forward, and Tommy told him that he had committed to DY. The call came on the first day of Tommy recording the first DY album. That's the way both of those guys told the story at the time, in separate Rockline interviews. Which led to Glen being in Styx.

As far as Dennis saying, "Go and do it,", I kinda think that's a bit of a figure of speech. Tommy wasn't going to ask Dennis' permission. If you look at some of DDY's interviews, you'll notice a tendency on his part to represent things in a way that subtly places himself at the center of events, even if they are events he was not in the center of. For instance in the EOTC Rockline interview, he said something about how the band got the name Styx, and he said, "The name Styx was suggested, either by myself or someone else . . ." LOL, Dennis knows he didn't suggest the name initially, but he had to get that in there. That's kinda his nature. As Derek Sutton said of him, "The problem with Dennis was that he could never understand that it was teamwork that made the band so successful. For reasons of his own sanity, it all had to be him. Either he did it, he thought of it and got someone else to do it, or it didn't happen. It's a great shame." So I think that's part of that quote, perhaps, who knows? I've never seen him say that anywhere else. I've always seen him say that Tommy was unavailable when Styx was ready.

The info re:JY and his correspondence comes from an interview that I did with Tommy myself, and from my interview with Bud Prager. It is that same interview in which Tommy said, "I never really got back to those guys [Styx] about the reunion. JY was very, very angry about that . . ." and so on.


Sterling