Let's Count How Many Times Tommy has quit/threatened to quit

[Boomchild]

whats the big deal with threatening to quit? in the world of sports or entertaiment, threatening to leave your "team" is a viable way of negotiating or gaining some control.

i'm sure with JY and Dennis in the same room that little ole Tommy had little chance of getting his point across by saying "hey guys, I got an idea"....type of thing.....obvioulsy, he didnt possess the communication skills or the people he was working with, namely Dennis and possibly JY were dominating things.......so what was he supposed to do?

he had written hits and was no doubt the most viable and "eye candy" appealing member of the band in their heyday......he should have had more control.....when he couldnt get it he engaged in the only option left available to him and the only one that a few times got Dennis's attention.

it's a crappy thing to do but you see it all the time.....no big deal to me. musicians being musicians..

I don't feel it's a big deal about threatening to quit. I disagree that TS had less of a vote on things then the other members. That just isn't true. Also, I am sure that TS's drug abuse affected his thinking and actions which would come into play here.
As far as TS should have had more control since he was the "eye candy" of Styx is ridiculous. Peoples looks have been more of a center point in music today and look what that has done. Produced tons of crappy forgettable music.

[SuiteMadameBlue]

From another article I dug up regarding Tommy...........



But the group was starting to break apart after 20 years of non-stop touring and performing. Tommy Shaw, for instance, had developed a recreational drug habit that eventually convinced him to leave Styx after the Kilroy tour. "I was at the height of my recreational partying years, so I was just walking resentment most of the time. I was the guy that represented that side of the band back in those days. Everybody did a little bit here and there, but by today's standards, we were total wimps. My story - when I look at what's going on right now... I was just partying and drinking and the occasional gram of cocaine here and there, that was about it. But it was enough to influence my decision-making - although I haven't done anything like that in ten years now, I couldn't imagine getting up every day and doing what I have to do and the decisions that I'm faced with and the responsibilities that I have. I see now why things were so fucked up back then."

"Tommy quit the band during the middle of the tour," said DeYoung. "Tommy was going through some admittedly chaotic times in his own personal life. That'll change your perspective on things. So he ran off to have his own solo career. And the remaining three guys _ JY, John and Chuck _ wanted me to replace Tommy at that moment and go forward. And I said I wouldn't do it, because I really believed that Styx was ingrained in peoples' minds as those guys. Styx, to me, was really those personalities, and most primarily Tommy and myself, who did 95% of the writing and the singing. And I felt that was just not the thing to do _ to replace Tommy. Since Tommy went and did a solo record, I said I'll wait, I'll go do some solo albums and see what happens. Because I just didn't want to do anything that would denigrate what I thought was importance to the Styx legend, and that was keep those guys together."

So after A&M released a live album, Caught in the Act, and a one-off single, "Music Time," Styx went on hiatus. Dennis DeYoung released some solo albums, and had a Top 40 hit with "Desert Moon." Tommy Shaw released some solo albums, appeared on American Bandstand, and scored some motion pictures, including the main theme to Remo Williams: The Aventure Begins. James Young released some solo albums, including a collaboration with John Panozzo and synthesizer wizard Jan Hammer. And Chuck Panozzo went back to school.

"I became the king of adult education classes. I did what I wanted to do, I just didn't know how to fit in - how do you fit in going from one of the biggest rock bands in the world and say, okay I'm here, do you have a job for me? John and I toyed with the idea of putting a trio together. But a lot of entertainers have problems when that rug is pulled out from underneath them, it's a very difficult transition. Because people only see you from what they think you are or what they project you to be. But by the 1980's, my drive was over. And I needed a break."

[Boomchild]

From another article I dug up regarding Tommy...........





And the remaining three guys _ JY, John and Chuck _ wanted me to replace Tommy at that moment and go forward. And I said I wouldn't do it, because I really believed that Styx was ingrained in peoples' minds as those guys. Styx, to me, was really those personalities, and most primarily Tommy and myself, who did 95% of the writing and the singing. And I felt that was just not the thing to do _ to replace Tommy. Since Tommy went and did a solo record, I said I'll wait, I'll go do some solo albums and see what happens. Because I just didn't want to do anything that would denigrate what I thought was importance to the Styx legend, and that was keep those guys together."

Hmm... JY and others in the band have said that it was all about Dennis and "it's my way or the highway". Yeah, comments right from the horses mouth surely prove those statements don't they? I think not.