The Interview

[sadie65]

Remains basically the same.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... &cset=true

[Zan]

All I see is a sign on page.

[styxfansite]

All I see is a sign on page.

You need to login to see the article, it is free. Here is the article at the bottom, to save you some time.

Time was, Styx was one of the most legendary bands in the world, with a legendary band's foibles and appetites.

The band sold more than 17 million albums (probably much more -- the exact number is in dispute), toured the world (by plane when things were going well, by private plane when things were going really well), and performed wearing elaborate, robot-themed costumes.

The members squabbled, made up and, in some cases, didn't make up. They amassed a catalog of hits staggering in its breadth, from lite pop ("Babe") to bombastic concept rock ("Mr. Roboto"). It's tough to find a Styx fan who likes every sonic incarnation; it's even harder to find a member of Styx who does.


Guitarist-singer-songwriter James "JY" Young, 58, has taken a particular dislike to "Mr. Roboto."

"'Roboto' alienated the first generation of Styx fans but spawned the second," says Young, who points out that "Roboto," along with several of the band's famous ballads, is no longer on the set list.

"They were never my personal taste. I was the one who voted against them [originally], so for me they're not fun to do."

Styx (originally known as the Tradewinds, then TW4) formed in Chicago in 1961. The hits didn't come until the mid-'70s, by which point the band had already begun squabbling over its musical future.

Singer-keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, author and singer of many of the band's biggest hits, favored the conceptual/theatrical approach that would eventually birth the notorious concept album "Kilroy Was Here"; Young preferred an emphasis on progressive and hard rock.

"A lot of the turbulence [was] because of my differences with [DeYoung], creatively and in a lot of other aspects," Young recalls. "And Tommy Shaw when he joined became another very strong force in the band, so there was sort of this triumvirate of people each pulling in different directions, young men trying to get more of the spotlight on themselves."

DeYoung and the band parted ways in 1999 after Young and the other members decided to tour without DeYoung, who was ill. Now, ailing bassist Chuck Panozzo makes only occasional appearances (he'll turn up for the local dates), but Styx circa 2007 is "the kind of band I always dreamed about being in," Young says.

Meanwhile, Styx circa 1983 has found new life as a Gen X nostalgia object. "Renegade" is the unofficial theme song of the Pittsburgh Steelers; "Mr. Roboto" starred in a Volkswagen commercial; Adam Sandler and John C. Reilly are fans, and Tenacious D performed on Styx's last album of original material, 2003's "Cyclorama"

The members of What Not To Do To Your Roboto, the world's only Styx cover band composed of New York hipsters, figure that Styx's sprawling catalog has much to do with their cross-generational appeal.

"Styx never fit in with progressive bands like Genesis or Yes, yet they were way more ambitious than the bands they're usually compared to," like Boston and Journey, the band writes in a collective e-mail. "They did so much more than they get credit for. Who'd have ever thought that 'Come Sail Away,' 'Babe,' 'Renegade,' 'Too Much Time On My Hands' and 'Mr. Roboto' all came from one band?"

These days Styx has evolved into a more narrowly focused prog-rock outfit. The band is in the early stages of writing a new album (and had a radio hit with a recent cover of "I Am the Walrus"), but, as it is for most veteran rock bands who make money from touring and sales of older albums, "there's not nearly the incentive to sit down and make a whole record," Young says.

"Pete Townshend of The Who is complaining how hard it is for The Who to get traction, and the Stones and McCartney, who are selling out football stadiums, barely get to gold or platinum. ... It's tough out there."

[sadie65]

All I see is a sign on page.

Sorry. I forgot that you have to be a member. Thanks Styxfansite.

[styxfansite]

All I see is a sign on page.

Sorry. I forgot that you have to be a member. Thanks Styxfansite.

No Problem

[froy]

All I see is a sign on page.

"A lot of the turbulence [was] because of my differences with [DeYoung], creatively and in a lot of other aspects," Young recalls

Yep the differences were he wrote the hits and you wrote nothing.
He made the money and you made nothing.
Now you are in control of a cover band
God Bless ya JY

[Higgy]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

[Grotelul]

All I see is a sign on page.

"A lot of the turbulence [was] because of my differences with [DeYoung], creatively and in a lot of other aspects," Young recalls

Yep the differences were he wrote the hits and you wrote nothing.
He made the money and you made nothing.
Now you are in control of a cover band
God Bless ya JY[/quote

Dennis in the current band writes no hits either or makes money selling records. They make money now because they tour so much. With Dennis in the band now, Styx would rarely tour therefore, less money.

[Grotelul]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

[styxfanNH]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

Was Higgy referring to JY?

[Zan]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

You shouldn't talk about Froy like that.

[Grotelul]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

Was Higgy referring to JY?

True dat

[Jazz]

All I see is a sign on page.

You need to login to see the article, it is free. Here is the article at the bottom, to save you some time.

Thanks for posting the article!

J

[classicstyxfan]

so, not much new ground covered here, to be sure........

It Leads me to this question though.....in 2008, is Styx relevant ? same question for all classic rock groups. Back in the day, even as recently as 10 years ago there were some mega album/cd releases accompanied by tours that were "must see"......

These days, the hottest ticket in town is to something called "Hannah Montana" which as near as I can figure has parents of young girls desparately trying to buy their daughters love/approval by scoring absurdely expensive tickets driven up by unscrupulous scaplers...
BTW, can anyone answer what talent is on display at one of these shows that makes them worth an amount equal to a months mortgage ???

But I digress.........Is rock dead, or at least on life support ?

[sadie65]

so, not much new ground covered here, to be sure........

It Leads me to this question though.....in 2008, is Styx relevant ? same question for all classic rock groups. Back in the day, even as recently as 10 years ago there were some mega album/cd releases accompanied by tours that were "must see"......

These days, the hottest ticket in town is to something called "Hannah Montana" which as near as I can figure has parents of young girls desparately trying to buy their daughters love/approval by scoring absurdely expensive tickets driven up by unscrupulous scaplers...
BTW, can anyone answer what talent is on display at one of these shows that makes them worth an amount equal to a months mortgage ???

But I digress.........Is rock dead, or at least on life support ?

I suspect that it isn't dead...merely evolving. What was viewed as rock and roll in the 50's wasn't the same as the 60's, 70's, 80's,or 90's. Now, as to personal preferences...whole other matter. While I don't attend many, if any, concerts anymore (and I seldom did), I think as we get older, our willingness to spend money on acts we aren't all that familiar with decreases. Heck, acts that we are familiar with we pass up.

To the majority of the public "classic rock" acts are no longer relevant. But I suppose with age comes a grudging respect for those who continue to plod along plying their trade.

[bugsymalone]

I still see excitement generated by performers whose tours are connected to their latest releases. Re: Timberlake, Kanye, and many of the big country acts.

Just different strokes for different folks.

I do think relevant is very subjective, unless you are talking about whom the media deems relevant and I guess a lot of times it seems to be Britney Spears.

I also feel that concerts that parents feel safe taking their kids to are always pretty popular and a few, like Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus, become "must-sees" for the tweeners, who will move onto something else next week.

I very much agree with JY on this one, though:

"Pete Townshend of The Who is complaining how hard it is for The Who to get traction, and the Stones and McCartney, who are selling out football stadiums, barely get to gold or platinum. ... It's tough out there."


Their new music may not be "relevant" but people still surely do want to see them perform.


Bugsy

[styxfanNH]

Styx will never be the draw of The Who, Stones or McCartney, but that in part has as much to do with the way they tour. When it gets down to it the public in general doesn;t support the new music of the elder statesmen in Rock. Even Billy Joel, who hasn't recorded a new rock/pop song in years recently wrote a song and had someone else sing it, saying that his time has passed and it was time to give others a chance.

That said, great songs always find a way to get to their audience and while groups of the 70;s and 80's may have difficulty in getting to their audiences, if they wrote great stuff it would find a way.

[LordofDaRing]

As a parent to two young children, I appreciate the fact that Miley Cyrus maintains a positive image. She also actually sings (unlike Ms. Speers) and has a good voice. Do I listen to her music, nah, a bit bubblegum. But we do have tickets to her show, which we actually got at face value. Of course, mom is taking her to that (whew). That all being said, I am anxiously waiting on some good classic rock to hit the gulf coast in 2008.

[Blue Falcon]

Guitarist-singer-songwriter James "JY" Young, 58, has taken a particular dislike to "Mr. Roboto."

"'Roboto' alienated the first generation of Styx fans but spawned the second," says Young, who points out that "Roboto," along with several of the band's famous ballads, is no longer on the set list.
"They were never my personal taste. I was the one who voted against them [originally], so for me they're not fun to do."

Ah, but that didn't prevent you from playing on those ballads, performing them live, or cashing in the resulting royalty checks from those ballads did it, JY?

"A lot of the turbulence [was] because of my differences with [DeYoung], creatively and in a lot of other aspects," Young recalls. "And Tommy Shaw when he joined became another very strong force in the band, so there was sort of this triumvirate of people each pulling in different directions, young men trying to get more of the spotlight on themselves."

If you wanted more of the spotlight on yourself JY then you should have contributed something more than Miss America and Snowblind.

DeYoung and the band parted ways in 1999 after Young and the other members decided to tour without DeYoung, who was ill. Now, ailing bassist Chuck Panozzo makes only occasional appearances (he'll turn up for the local dates), but Styx circa 2007 is "the kind of band I always dreamed about being in," Young says.

How idiotic it is it for a 58-year old man to say something like this? If Styx wasn't the band he always dreamed of being in, he should have said NO to the ballads and left Styx to form The James Young Experience. Oh wait, he tried that already...

These days Styx has evolved into a more narrowly focused prog-rock outfit. The band is in the early stages of writing a new album (and had a radio hit with a recent cover of "I Am the Walrus"), but, as it is for most veteran rock bands who make money from touring and sales of older albums, "there's not nearly the incentive to sit down and make a whole record," Young says.

JY is smart enough to realize it's a waste of time to make an album that fewer than 3,000 people will ever buy.

"Pete Townshend of The Who is complaining how hard it is for The Who to get traction, and the Stones and McCartney, who are selling out football stadiums, barely get to gold or platinum. ... It's tough out there."[/color]

Ah, but at least the Stones and McCartney still sell out stadiums, and The Who hasn't been reduced to a 35-minute slot opening for Def Leppard. Maybe it's because they haven't taken a symbolic bowel movement on their own past like JY has done.

[styxfanNH]

Styx never played a 35 minute set. It is a piece of fiction that comes from your mind. Just like the rest of your dribble.

[chowhall]

"Pete Townshend of The Who is complaining how hard it is for The Who to get traction, and the Stones and McCartney, who are selling out football stadiums, barely get to gold or platinum. ... It's tough out there."[/color]

Ah, but at least the Stones and McCartney still sell out stadiums, and The Who hasn't been reduced to a 35-minute slot opening for Def Leppard. Maybe it's because they haven't taken a symbolic bowel movement on their own past like JY has done.

Who in their right mind is comparing Styx to the Stones, The Who, or Paul McCartney? But since you did, is it really The Who when 1/2 of their band is dead. Are The Stones still relevant? How many blood transfusions or knocks on the head can Keith take? As far as Sir Paul goes, He'll always get a pass on whatever he decides to do with the rest of his life. Using your logic on Styx, because one main member of the band is gone, they should pack it in because they can't fill Texas stadium anymore to see Roboto.

[stabbim]

Who in their right mind is comparing Styx to the Stones, The Who, or Paul McCartney?

Well, that kinda was JY's implicit point: the idea that even big names like those are having trouble getting the public/industry to accept new music from them, so what chance does a lower-tier act like Styx have?

[Higgy]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

Since you respond to just about EVERYTHING I post - I'm guessing that you must think of ME when you wake! What a love triangle me, you, and JY have!

[Higgy]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

Was Higgy referring to JY?

[Grotelul]

Same old shit from the same old irrelevant asshole.

It's obvious JY is not irrelevant to you. You always have thoughts on that so called irrelevant a-hole. You must think of JY when you wake and when you sleep. Ahhh..isn't that sweet.

Since you respond to just about EVERYTHING I post - I'm guessing that you must think of ME when you wake! What a love triangle me, you, and JY have!

Or maybe I am JY.

[chowhall]

Who in their right mind is comparing Styx to the Stones, The Who, or Paul McCartney?

Well, that kinda was JY's implicit point: the idea that even big names like those are having trouble getting the public/industry to accept new music from them, so what chance does a lower-tier act like Styx have?

Yea, I get that JY was saying exactly what you wrote. It was the next step about filling stadiums that Blue Falcon(whoever he is) is making that I was having trouble with. Ironically, it was Roboto that Dennis thought would propel Styx into their (Beatles, Stones, The Who) stratosphere.

[StyxCollector]

Ironically, it was Roboto that Dennis thought would propel Styx into their (Beatles, Stones, The Who) stratosphere.

Quite wrong. In my interview with DDY as well as in others Roboto was never intended for a single, but it tested well. So please get your facts straight before making statements as truth.

[chowhall]

Ironically, it was Roboto that Dennis thought would propel Styx into their (Beatles, Stones, The Who) stratosphere.

Quite wrong. In my interview with DDY as well as in others Roboto was never intended for a single, but it tested well. So please get your facts straight before making statements as truth.

I was referring to Roboto in a general sense, not as a single. I don't think the single killed Styx, it was the concept album gone awry that did the job. And Dennis did think that the Roboto themed concept concert and album would propel Styx into an elite status on a par with The Beatles, Stones, and The Who. When it didn't, he was roundly ridiculed.

[Blue Falcon]

Styx never played a 35 minute set. It is a piece of fiction that comes from your mind. Just like the rest of your dribble.

Just so you know, it's always an indication that you have no logic to back up your argument when you attack the person instead of their argument. Just how long do you think Styx was allowed to play when opening for Def Leppard and Foreigner on their recent tour? 35 minutes is correct, I'm sorry to say.

[Higgy]

Ironically, it was Roboto that Dennis thought would propel Styx into their (Beatles, Stones, The Who) stratosphere.

Quite wrong. In my interview with DDY as well as in others Roboto was never intended for a single, but it tested well. So please get your facts straight before making statements as truth.

I was referring to Roboto in a general sense, not as a single. I don't think the single killed Styx, it was the concept album gone awry that did the job. And Dennis did think that the Roboto themed concept concert and album would propel Styx into an elite status on a par with The Beatles, Stones, and The Who. When it didn't, he was roundly ridiculed.

Yes, platinum concept albums with 2 top 10 hits tend to kill bands. Oh wait, maybe it was the three egos and not the concept album that JY has made so fashionable to hate.