What a hack job

[bugsymalone]

The original intent of the VH1 Styx BTM was to create a tension somewhere and they chose to create a "villain" for this piece. It, of course, was Dennis, done with some editing, fudging of facts and not allowing any positive input for him other than his wife and what he had to say (heavily edited).

The problem was, in a lot of ways, Dennis came off as sympathetic and put-upon in the original episode. Not the complete villain they wanted to present. And Tommy and JY came off as sort of whiners. Certainly making those two quite unhappy.

This re-working is, as Sterling points out about the further changes and edits, done to rectify some of that and make sure Dennis is given as little positive slant as possible. And Tommy, JY and Chuck become the heroes of the story. Mission accomplished.

So we get the silly notion that Styx is as big, or bigger, than ever, with a happy band of "brothers" continuing on to even greater fame and fortune. They may be happier, but that's about it.

The Super Bowl thing was just a little of the silliness that pervaded the update. The lack of mentioning that most of their success in touring is linked to other, more popular, bands. And, of course, leaving out altogether the coffee and jewelry thing....ok, I kid there.

Now. I will say that since this was about the band, once they clunked through the Dennis part of it, it did not surprise me they did not mention any of his successes. It would not fit the narrative, and, this was about the band, so-to-speak.

This has become the BTM Tommy and JY wanted all along and I am sure they are quite pleased with the "re-mastering."

The first one was, to me, a joke and this one even moreso.

Bugsy

[Ash]

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

And this is why I think, and I hope Styx never makes it into the Hall of Fame. Why should the HOF recognize their achievements when the current band refuses to.

Styx, as they are, are not an HOF band. They do not have the history.

[Rockwriter]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

Why would they contact him. The show is about Styx. His part in the band was already included in the show. The past has not changed. The new parts of the show are about the band from where the show left off last time. DDY is not part of that.

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

I guess my opinion is a little different because I have a friend who was a roadie for Styx in the 70's. After hearing his account of DDY and how he treated people and his demands I tend to believe Tommy, Chuck, JY, and Gary. But that's just me. I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

I'm not even saying that I disagree entirely with what are represented as his faults. Most people openly acknowledge that's a part of his personality. I didn't say otherwise in my book. In Dennis' own words in an interview, I think it was the Chicago Tribune, "I can be selfish, terribly egocentric."

The question is, does that mean he's not due the credit he earned through his 35 years with the band and his being the engine for so much of its success? That doesn't mean you have to like him. As much animosity as there is in Yes, they don't try to disrespect Jon in the same way. Even Journey recognizes that without Perry they would not have done what they did. Styx seems to be all by itself in saying, "Not only is he gone, he was never any good, and by the way, we're not going to play our biggest hits anymore because he wrote and sang them." Then turn around and actually find fault with the FANS - THE CUSTOMERS! - when they don't like that. That's just utterly bizarre.

By the way, I was having a conversation very recently with a friend of mine who is an ex-Styx employee, and he observed, "Yeah, Dennis is arrogant . . . but so is Tommy, and so is JY." LOL. They're musicians. They're not going to be humble. If they were, they'd be shitty musicians and even worse performers.


Sterling

[Monker]

What was everyone expecting? A ball licking of Dennis this time out? Spare me. People who don't like Styx LOVED that BTM, so why would they change that basic story up?

Remember, at the end of the day, VH-1 is telling a story. Whatever side you believe (or not) in the Styx/DDY thing, or even you're in the middle, VH-1 is creating 44 minutes+ of entertainment.

I thought you were a so called journalist Alan? Clearly not since you can't even tell the difference between journalistic integrity and a puff piece. How a mention of 100 years? Dalmatians? Orchestra? Hunchback theater awards etc. How about even a mention off DDY today at all?

None of that has ANYTHING to do with Styx...and is at least part of the reason why he is no longer in the band - the rest of the band DO NOT WANT Hunchback, and Dalmations, etc. in the band as Dennis did. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Styx. They obviously cut some time to update what has gone on with *STYX* since the last BTM. They are not going to add promotion for a bunch of Dennis solo crap...that is just pure idiot...but we shouldn't expect more coming from a moron troll like you.

Instead it becomes a Tommy Shaw wankfest which I'm sure Monker played with himself

Sorry, but I don't even get VH!Classic and I haven't seen the update. But, you obviously have blue balls cuz of Dennis not getting enough air time. Get over it.

[Toph]

What was everyone expecting? A ball licking of Dennis this time out? Spare me. People who don't like Styx LOVED that BTM, so why would they change that basic story up?

Remember, at the end of the day, VH-1 is telling a story. Whatever side you believe (or not) in the Styx/DDY thing, or even you're in the middle, VH-1 is creating 44 minutes+ of entertainment.

I thought you were a so called journalist Alan? Clearly not since you can't even tell the difference between journalistic integrity and a puff piece. How a mention of 100 years? Dalmatians? Orchestra? Hunchback theater awards etc. How about even a mention off DDY today at all?

None of that has ANYTHING to do with Styx...and is at least part of the reason why he is no longer in the band - the rest of the band DO NOT WANT Hunchback, and Dalmations, etc. in the band as Dennis did. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Styx. They obviously cut some time to update what has gone on with *STYX* since the last BTM. They are not going to add promotion for a bunch of Dennis solo crap...that is just pure idiot...but we shouldn't expect more coming from a moron troll like you.

Instead it becomes a Tommy Shaw wankfest which I'm sure Monker played with himself

Sorry, but I don't even get VH!Classic and I haven't seen the update. But, you obviously have blue balls cuz of Dennis not getting enough air time. Get over it.

Yet earlier you were posting as if you had seen the whole thing. You are so full of shit Monker. No wonder you like Tommy Shaw so much. Liars enjoy each others company.

[pinkfloyd1973]

What was everyone expecting? A ball licking of Dennis this time out? Spare me. People who don't like Styx LOVED that BTM, so why would they change that basic story up?

Remember, at the end of the day, VH-1 is telling a story. Whatever side you believe (or not) in the Styx/DDY thing, or even you're in the middle, VH-1 is creating 44 minutes+ of entertainment.

I thought you were a so called journalist Alan? Clearly not since you can't even tell the difference between journalistic integrity and a puff piece. How a mention of 100 years? Dalmatians? Orchestra? Hunchback theater awards etc. How about even a mention off DDY today at all?

None of that has ANYTHING to do with Styx...and is at least part of the reason why he is no longer in the band - the rest of the band DO NOT WANT Hunchback, and Dalmations, etc. in the band as Dennis did. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Styx. They obviously cut some time to update what has gone on with *STYX* since the last BTM. They are not going to add promotion for a bunch of Dennis solo crap...that is just pure idiot...but we shouldn't expect more coming from a moron troll like you.

Instead it becomes a Tommy Shaw wankfest which I'm sure Monker played with himself

Sorry, but I don't even get VH!Classic and I haven't seen the update. But, you obviously have blue balls cuz of Dennis not getting enough air time. Get over it.

Dennis is still part of the band, even if it is just their legacy. I agree that this was nothing but a one-sided puff piece on a band who has stooped to the Ice Capades. You make fun and begrudge Dennis for his theatre work, but that's not the only thing he has done since being kicked out of Styx. Like the current line-up, he's had an album out, done orchestra shows (before Styx "got the idea") and acoustic shows (which were outstanding btw), and I almost forgot to mention his "Lost Treasure's" shows which features songs even the current line up won't perform

[Boomchild]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

I've got some calls and emails in to various potential sources as we speak. If I can get the participation I need to pull it off, I'll write an article this week.


Sterling

Thanks for letting us know Sterling. Would be interesting to know what the DDY camp would have to say.

[Boomchild]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

Why would they contact him. The show is about Styx. His part in the band was already included in the show. The past has not changed. The new parts of the show are about the band from where the show left off last time. DDY is not part of that.

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

Just curious, when Dennis gave you that response did you ask him to clarify exactly what he meant by that and if so, what did he say?

[Boomchild]

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

And this is why I think, and I hope Styx never makes it into the Hall of Fame. Why should the HOF recognize their achievements when the current band refuses to.

Styx, as they are, are not an HOF band. They do not have the history.

Does anyone really give a rat's ass about the RNR HOF anyway???

[Boomchild]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

Why would they contact him. The show is about Styx. His part in the band was already included in the show. The past has not changed. The new parts of the show are about the band from where the show left off last time. DDY is not part of that.

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

I guess my opinion is a little different because I have a friend who was a roadie for Styx in the 70's. After hearing his account of DDY and how he treated people and his demands I tend to believe Tommy, Chuck, JY, and Gary. But that's just me. I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

I'm not even saying that I disagree entirely with what are represented as his faults. Most people openly acknowledge that's a part of his personality. I didn't say otherwise in my book. In Dennis' own words in an interview, I think it was the Chicago Tribune, "I can be selfish, terribly egocentric."



By the way, I was having a conversation very recently with a friend of mine who is an ex-Styx employee, and he observed, "Yeah, Dennis is arrogant . . . but so is Tommy, and so is JY." LOL. They're musicians. They're not going to be humble. If they were, they'd be shitty musicians and even worse performers.


Sterling

This is a point that I think a lot of people miss in the whole picture of Styx.

[Monker]

What was everyone expecting? A ball licking of Dennis this time out? Spare me. People who don't like Styx LOVED that BTM, so why would they change that basic story up?

Remember, at the end of the day, VH-1 is telling a story. Whatever side you believe (or not) in the Styx/DDY thing, or even you're in the middle, VH-1 is creating 44 minutes+ of entertainment.

I thought you were a so called journalist Alan? Clearly not since you can't even tell the difference between journalistic integrity and a puff piece. How a mention of 100 years? Dalmatians? Orchestra? Hunchback theater awards etc. How about even a mention off DDY today at all?

None of that has ANYTHING to do with Styx...and is at least part of the reason why he is no longer in the band - the rest of the band DO NOT WANT Hunchback, and Dalmations, etc. in the band as Dennis did. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Styx. They obviously cut some time to update what has gone on with *STYX* since the last BTM. They are not going to add promotion for a bunch of Dennis solo crap...that is just pure idiot...but we shouldn't expect more coming from a moron troll like you.

Instead it becomes a Tommy Shaw wankfest which I'm sure Monker played with himself

Sorry, but I don't even get VH!Classic and I haven't seen the update. But, you obviously have blue balls cuz of Dennis not getting enough air time. Get over it.

Yet earlier you were posting as if you had seen the whole thing. You are so full of shit Monker. No wonder you like Tommy Shaw so much. Liars enjoy each others company.

LOL...that must be why very few people here enjoy your company.

Quote any comment I have made from any forum anywhere that has me making a direct comment on the "remastered" BTM as if I have seen it. If you can't, I guess that makes YOU a fucking liar.

[Monker]

Dennis is still part of the band, even if it is just their legacy. I agree that this was nothing but a one-sided puff piece on a band who has stooped to the Ice Capades. You make fun and begrudge Dennis for his theatre work, but that's not the only thing he has done since being kicked out of Styx. Like the current line-up, he's had an album out, done orchestra shows (before Styx "got the idea") and acoustic shows (which were outstanding btw), and I almost forgot to mention his "Lost Treasure's" shows which features songs even the current line up won't perform

And, where there is a BTM on Dennis DeYoung's solo career, I'm sure he'll include all of that stuff.

[pinkfloyd1973]

Dennis is still part of the band, even if it is just their legacy. I agree that this was nothing but a one-sided puff piece on a band who has stooped to the Ice Capades. You make fun and begrudge Dennis for his theatre work, but that's not the only thing he has done since being kicked out of Styx. Like the current line-up, he's had an album out, done orchestra shows (before Styx "got the idea") and acoustic shows (which were outstanding btw), and I almost forgot to mention his "Lost Treasure's" shows which features songs even the current line up won't perform

And, where there is a BTM on Dennis DeYoung's solo career, I'm sure he'll include all of that stuff.

Re-read what I typed, he's part of the legacy of the band. It's not my problem you have a reading comprehension disability

[mrbluesman]

OK, count me as one of those people on the Tommy/JY side in the whole fight. I found this Remastered version to be horrendous. Dennis drops out of the story completely about 3/4 of the way through. No mention of where he has been or what he has been doing for the last decade. To watch the Remastered version, you would think Styx is selling out 25,000 seat arenas, every night. The original BTM was, at least, structured in such a way (as someone upthread noted) to show tension between DDY and the band (essentially making DDY the villain). Still, it told a compelling story.

In the "new version," the glory years are, essentially, glossed over. Was "Pieces of 8" even mentioned? I saw the cover of the album, but, I don't think there was even a brief discussion of that album. Same for "Crystal Ball." I mean, why leave in the stuff about the "revival" and the whole quote from the "Freeks and Geeks" guy, etc., but just gloss over the band's glory years. I think PT got about a minute of discussion. Some cuts, like Jeanne being left out, were good things. On the other hand, you got a USA Today version of the mid 70s to 81 (as well as the "Edge of the Century" reunion and the real reunion later in the 90s). The whole story about Payola and how "Come Sail Away" had stalled was hilarious and, yet, it was gone from this version. Sorry, for all you fans that love this current lineup but I think they could have spent the last 3 minutes to tell us what's been going on since 2000.

The original BTM, whether some of it was bs, was imminently interesting and watchable. This thing was a joke.

[ChicagoSTYX]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

Why would they contact him. The show is about Styx. His part in the band was already included in the show. The past has not changed. The new parts of the show are about the band from where the show left off last time. DDY is not part of that.

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

I guess my opinion is a little different because I have a friend who was a roadie for Styx in the 70's. After hearing his account of DDY and how he treated people and his demands I tend to believe Tommy, Chuck, JY, and Gary. But that's just me. I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

I'm not even saying that I disagree entirely with what are represented as his faults. Most people openly acknowledge that's a part of his personality. I didn't say otherwise in my book. In Dennis' own words in an interview, I think it was the Chicago Tribune, "I can be selfish, terribly egocentric."

The question is, does that mean he's not due the credit he earned through his 35 years with the band and his being the engine for so much of its success? That doesn't mean you have to like him. As much animosity as there is in Yes, they don't try to disrespect Jon in the same way. Even Journey recognizes that without Perry they would not have done what they did. Styx seems to be all by itself in saying, "Not only is he gone, he was never any good, and by the way, we're not going to play our biggest hits anymore because he wrote and sang them." Then turn around and actually find fault with the FANS - THE CUSTOMERS! - when they don't like that. That's just utterly bizarre.

By the way, I was having a conversation very recently with a friend of mine who is an ex-Styx employee, and he observed, "Yeah, Dennis is arrogant . . . but so is Tommy, and so is JY." LOL. They're musicians. They're not going to be humble. If they were, they'd be shitty musicians and even worse performers.


Sterling

I have to agree with you in that you can't deny what he brought to the band and the success they had with him. I think it was fine until cornerstone. That's when I was wondering what happened. Not just with the Dennis songs but Tommy too. And I didn't like the sax coming into the music either.

[ChicagoSTYX]

Looks like DDY did not want to involved in the new parts of the show. No mention of him or what he's doing now. They did talk about Tommy's blue grass cd and the styx GI/POE show.

DDY and VH-1 have had on OK relationship, so I'm sure they reached out to him. I could be wrong. But you can look at interviews from after the original BTM and his reaction to it. So what incentive would he have to participate this time around?

I would ask someone like Sterling to check with DDY's camp but, from the source I have DDY was not even contacted about contributing to this updated version.

Why would they contact him. The show is about Styx. His part in the band was already included in the show. The past has not changed. The new parts of the show are about the band from where the show left off last time. DDY is not part of that.

Actually, the past HAS changed, at least in regard to some of the edits made to the episode. Some of what got cut to make way for the new material was little bits and pieces of some of the only positive Dennis stuff that was in there to begin with. And it's not because they didn't have more to work with . . . for the original show they had a long series of interviews with Dennis' manager they didn't use, and several other pro-DDY sources they chose not to use at all. They also went back to Tommy after speaking to Dennis, but only allowed Dennis one shot.

This new edit takes out some of what little there was to make way for pure, unadulterated promotion of the current band with no balance or relative criticism of any kind. The net effect is that it creates a storyboard of, "Dennis held the band back for 20 years and now that he's gone, we are the champions," LOL. I'm sorry, that's an awful lot of revisionist history with very little meaningful attempt at balance.


Sterling

Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

Just curious, when Dennis gave you that response did you ask him to clarify exactly what he meant by that and if so, what did he say?

I guess I should include what I asked him to begin with. I asked Dennis if there was going to be a new Styx album anytime soon. After that we started talking about the White Sox. I will say he was very nice to me and we talked for several minutes.

[brywool]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

[Boomchild]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

Well it seems that JY focuses on a lot of other things that according to you were not the issue.

[brywool]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

Well it seems that JY focuses on a lot of other things that according to you were not the issue.

Jy obviously has some feelings on the matter. Who wouldn't? Dennis I'm sure does too, but he's classy enough not to air it out in public. Peope will spin it any way they so that Dennis doesn't get any of the blame. They ALL are to blame for what happened, but when one guy doesn't wanna work, what are you supposed to do??? Tell me. ALL of them had a hand in it. Stop making Dennis out to be the Saint. None of them are (obviously). It sucks that Dennis isn't with them. If you don't like it, then start an I Love Dennis Board.

It wasn't JUST this one thing with Dennis. It was a lot of things with Dennis according to the band. Read the interviews- Christ, they fired him after Cornerstone so there was obviously some issues there. In between the lines of all the respinning BS from Styx and the "what, Who Me?" BS from Dennis, there is the fact that the band was a democracy. Dennis was voted out. Dennis didn't want to work in the manner that the rest of the guys did- or that's the story. What were they supposed to do, sit on their asses and just wait for him while opportunities went by? A career in music is usually a pretty short thing. They were all getting older and they didn't want it go away. Hell, it's a cash cow for them. Now without Dennis, they have to work twice as hard probably to make the same dough. You know what? That's their cross to bare and that's what they get for moving on. By the same token, they seem to be a much happier band. Dennis on the other hand, got to follow his passions and is now out there working more than he has in years and doing what he wants. Jy and Dennis obviously have some differences. That's what happens with breakups be it a relationship or a business. Dennis got sick. That happens. But at the time, it seems like it was "just one more thing" and the band had had enough. Not sure what you expected them to do. Wasn't there also the renegotiating of the royalties that turned a pretty equitable band situation into a situation that benefited mostly Dennis? They had one agreement for years, then Dennis changed it- that is how I remember it from Sterling's book, I may have that wrong. If that's the way it went down, then yeah, the rest of the band's gonna be pissed.

Suppose they'd waited for Dennis? Then at the end of that Dennis says "Hey, I don't want to go on the road, I want to work on my musicals". The ending would've been the same. Now, everybody is happy. Let it be.

[StyxCollector]

I thought you were a so called journalist Alan? Clearly not since you can't even tell the difference between journalistic integrity and a puff piece. How a mention of 100 years? Dalmatians? Orchestra? Hunchback theater awards etc. How about even a mention off DDY today at all? Instead it becomes a Tommy Shaw wankfest which I'm sure Monker played with himself along with but was pretty far stretch from the truth in many instances. The super bowl line. Give me a break. But it clears up for me to know that you aren't the journalist you puport yourself to be otherwise you'd see it as a hack job.

First of all, I'm not sure why you're calling me a journalist. I run a website and did some articles a long tmie ago. I don't write this stuff for a living.

I do agree with the Super Bowl thing - I laughed out loud. They didn't play the halftime show like Prince, Tom Petty, Aerosmith, Springsteen, et al. The way they prtrayed it, you'd think they did.

The fact is Styx (current version) while dialing down the anti-DDY talk (thankfully) over the past few years, has to a degree elevated TS' status. He's the recognizable "star". So why would the remaster reflect anything different? I mean, JY is the one at the time (Cyclorama-ish) who basically said that solo projects were bad. But it was also almost comical that Charlie basically said, "Hey, we need to let Tommy be Tommy and do all this stuff or we know he may walk." If TS was not in Styx, JY would be in big trouble. So of course you saw stuff about "The Great Divide" etc.

I think that despite the lack of mention o DDY, quite frankly, he's gone from a handful of symphonic shows every now and then to a band he's touring and by all accounts, doing well. Who cares what did or didn't get said in the remastered BTM?

[mrbluesman]

Also had to laugh at the whole "Gowan climbs on the keyboard and jumps at the end of 'Come Sail Away'" thing. That's quite a contribution to the history of that song. I mean, I got the point, Gowan adds a little spice, etc., to the live show, as opposed to DDY and his awful jokes. I also thought it interesting to see how much Todd changed from the original to the updated interview. Looked like he was straight out of high school in the original interviews.

Who cares what did or didn't get said in the remastered BTM?

Well, I do, for one. Not because I think any side in the ongoing bitchfest deserves it, but, because, at least the producers of BTM could try to tell the complete story. I realize there is a lot of history to cover in 45 minutes, but, to simply leave Dennis at the point where the band parts from him doesn't tell the complete story.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's sad to see what happens to bands that were once on top of the world. All these squabbles all seem fairly petty. Yet, at least the Remastered BTM could have ended with something like "Tommy, JY and the band are doing what they want to do and DDY is doing what he wants. All of them are happy, just not part of the same band." It was either in the original or in Sterling's book where the old manager says something like that. I watched the episode again just to make sure my first reaction was right and it was. I thought the Remastered version was just awful.

[yogi]

I watched it with my kids and for them it was very entertaining. They truly didnt think anyone really got slammed in it. I too felt that it was an enjoyable watch with not near the controversity as the orginal. They kind of glossed over the controversial parts which led to it being somewhat inaccurate.

I thought the way they skipped around from album to album and the album time tables were inaccurate. I thought JY was good when he explained that the band now tries to focus on the Equinox thru Pieces Of Eight era in concert. Their orchastra concert inclusion was good as was talking about Ricky & Todd. Gowan sounded GREAT on Criminal Mind!! I had no clue that at one time he opened for Styx completely solo. I am in the minority but I like the shi t out of him, as a keyboard player & VOCALIST. I agree with my kids it was a very enjoyable- non controversial show.

I do wish they would have talked about Dennis and his new band, One Hundred Years From Now and the possibility of a reunion. They sure could of pointed out the DDY's voice is still absolutely incredible and how he is still touring and entertaining fans. But they chose not to. I also bet Suzzanne was not to happy about her inclusion at a time she was racing past Dennis to the feed trough.

All in all it was good. As for The Texas Jam 100% NOT true!!!

[kansas666]

Does anyone really give a shite about VH1 anymore anyway? Seriously. Who watches it?

Evidently all the twelve year olds on this forum.

[Boomchild]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

Well it seems that JY focuses on a lot of other things that according to you were not the issue.

Jy obviously has some feelings on the matter. Who wouldn't? Dennis I'm sure does too, but he's classy enough not to air it out in public. Peope will spin it any way they so that Dennis doesn't get any of the blame. They ALL are to blame for what happened, but when one guy doesn't wanna work, what are you supposed to do??? Tell me. ALL of them had a hand in it. Stop making Dennis out to be the Saint. None of them are (obviously). It sucks that Dennis isn't with them. If you don't like it, then start an I Love Dennis Board.

It wasn't JUST this one thing with Dennis. It was a lot of things with Dennis according to the band. Read the interviews- Christ, they fired him after Cornerstone so there was obviously some issues there. In between the lines of all the respinning BS from Styx and the "what, Who Me?" BS from Dennis, there is the fact that the band was a democracy. Dennis was voted out. Dennis didn't want to work in the manner that the rest of the guys did- or that's the story. What were they supposed to do, sit on their asses and just wait for him while opportunities went by? A career in music is usually a pretty short thing. They were all getting older and they didn't want it go away. Hell, it's a cash cow for them. Now without Dennis, they have to work twice as hard probably to make the same dough. You know what? That's their cross to bare and that's what they get for moving on. By the same token, they seem to be a much happier band. Dennis on the other hand, got to follow his passions and is now out there working more than he has in years and doing what he wants. Jy and Dennis obviously have some differences. That's what happens with breakups be it a relationship or a business. Dennis got sick. That happens. But at the time, it seems like it was "just one more thing" and the band had had enough. Not sure what you expected them to do. Wasn't there also the renegotiating of the royalties that turned a pretty equitable band situation into a situation that benefited mostly Dennis? They had one agreement for years, then Dennis changed it- that is how I remember it from Sterling's book, I may have that wrong. If that's the way it went down, then yeah, the rest of the band's gonna be pissed.

Suppose they'd waited for Dennis? Then at the end of that Dennis says "Hey, I don't want to go on the road, I want to work on my musicals". The ending would've been the same. Now, everybody is happy. Let it be.

Where did I say or infer that Dennis is a saint? I didn't. He has his faults just like the rest of us. I am sure that some of those faults led to some of the issues in Styx. I have never posted a topic or reply that I believe Dennis is a saint. My issue really has not been that they kicked him out but rather the way, when and what they did after that.

[gr8dane]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

Well it seems that JY focuses on a lot of other things that according to you were not the issue.

Jy obviously has some feelings on the matter. Who wouldn't? Dennis I'm sure does too, but he's classy enough not to air it out in public. Peope will spin it any way they so that Dennis doesn't get any of the blame. They ALL are to blame for what happened, but when one guy doesn't wanna work, what are you supposed to do??? Tell me. ALL of them had a hand in it. Stop making Dennis out to be the Saint. None of them are (obviously). It sucks that Dennis isn't with them. If you don't like it, then start an I Love Dennis Board.

It wasn't JUST this one thing with Dennis. It was a lot of things with Dennis according to the band. Read the interviews- Christ, they fired him after Cornerstone so there was obviously some issues there. In between the lines of all the respinning BS from Styx and the "what, Who Me?" BS from Dennis, there is the fact that the band was a democracy. Dennis was voted out. Dennis didn't want to work in the manner that the rest of the guys did- or that's the story. What were they supposed to do, sit on their asses and just wait for him while opportunities went by? A career in music is usually a pretty short thing. They were all getting older and they didn't want it go away. Hell, it's a cash cow for them. Now without Dennis, they have to work twice as hard probably to make the same dough. You know what? That's their cross to bare and that's what they get for moving on. By the same token, they seem to be a much happier band. Dennis on the other hand, got to follow his passions and is now out there working more than he has in years and doing what he wants. Jy and Dennis obviously have some differences. That's what happens with breakups be it a relationship or a business. Dennis got sick. That happens. But at the time, it seems like it was "just one more thing" and the band had had enough. Not sure what you expected them to do. Wasn't there also the renegotiating of the royalties that turned a pretty equitable band situation into a situation that benefited mostly Dennis? They had one agreement for years, then Dennis changed it- that is how I remember it from Sterling's book, I may have that wrong. If that's the way it went down, then yeah, the rest of the band's gonna be pissed.

Suppose they'd waited for Dennis? Then at the end of that Dennis says "Hey, I don't want to go on the road, I want to work on my musicals". The ending would've been the same. Now, everybody is happy. Let it be.

Where did I say or infer that Dennis is a saint? I didn't. He has his faults just like the rest of us. I am sure that some of those faults led to some of the issues in Styx. I have never posted a topic or reply that I believe Dennis is a saint. My issue really has not been that they kicked him out but rather the way, when and what they did after that.

I would love to hear what faults ,you think,Dennis have or is it has.We never hear about those from you.

Ohh,and I would also like to hear,how and when and the way they should have let dennis go,under the circumstances we already know.Please.

[brywool]

Where did I say or infer that Dennis is a saint? I didn't. He has his faults just like the rest of us. I am sure that some of those faults led to some of the issues in Styx. I have never posted a topic or reply that I believe Dennis is a saint. My issue really has not been that they kicked him out but rather the way, when and what they did after that.

"The way they kicked him out". How were they supposed to do that? There's no great way to end a relationship, it wasn't going to be a happy ending for any of them.

[pinkfloyd1973]

Where did I say or infer that Dennis is a saint? I didn't. He has his faults just like the rest of us. I am sure that some of those faults led to some of the issues in Styx. I have never posted a topic or reply that I believe Dennis is a saint. My issue really has not been that they kicked him out but rather the way, when and what they did after that.

"The way they kicked him out". How were they supposed to do that? There's no great way to end a relationship, it wasn't going to be a happy ending for any of them.

I think it was the "kick him while he's down" approach

[blt man]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

I am not sure I see this the same way in terms of Dennis not working. There are really two routes for classic rock bands to go. They can continue to tour on the nostalgic circuit drawing a couple of thousand people on their own, a few thousand to a state fair or with other nostalgic acts at larger venues. Or, they can go away and reunite every few years for mega reunion tours (sometimes with a new album but often without) where they make big $$$ every few years but do nothing in between. I am a bigger fan of the latter but not all bands are popular enough to pull it off. Styx clearly chose the former while Dennis would have probably preferred the latter.

[mrbluesman]

Christ, they fired him after Cornerstone so there was obviously some issues there

True, then, they let him back in (according to BTM because they "couldn't find a suitable replacement"). Then, he led them on to PT. Somehow, JY and TS were able to put up with all of his issues. I'm sure the fact that they had the #1 album in the country and were raking in massive money on a sold out arena tour had something to do with that. Again, while DDY truly grates on me, while I always liked Tommy's stuff better, the simple fact of the matter is that Tommy and JY were able to put all the issues aside for another few years (through "Kilroy" which completely alienated people like me, but, still resulted in great record sales). I just laugh at the hostility that JY obviously has for Dennis cuz Dennis made him a lot of money.

And, on the next debacle, Edge, JY had no problems being hostile towards TS. I will always insist that the true anger stems from money. Sterling's book makes pretty clear that Dennis demanded a restructuring of the publishing split that the band had enjoyed in order for Dennis to resume with Edge. I guess my point is that JY and TS were complicit in letting DDY take control of the band. They allowed it to happen and benefited from it (and do to this day). What I will never understand is how DDY seemed to completely lose his "rock compass" as the years progressed. How did the guy who came up with "Suite Madame Blue", "The Grand Illusion" end up writing and releasing "Music Time"? I get that DDY always moved towards a softer side, but, really, "Music Time"? Dennis acts bewildered that the band moved on without him. Again, how can he be. You're right, it wasn't just the softening of the music, it was also his lack of interest, lack of desire to tour. Did he really think everyone would sit around and wait for him? Maybe, I mean, they brought him back after he was fired and let him take control of the band.

They are all at fault for what happened to this band. Sad, too, because once upon a time, they ruled the rock airwaves.

[Boomchild]

...I do know that Dennis did not want to do Styx full time anymore. He told me that himself at Tommy"s Chicago Boarder"s show. His comment to me and I quote was "there has been enough Styx for a while"

RIGHT THERE in a nutshell is the issue. The ONLY issue that matters. Take out the arrogance. Take out the wives. Take out the ballads VS. rockers argument.

When you have one guy in a band (or Business) that doesn't want to work and the rest do, you will have a difference of opinion and eventually a split. It's obvious from Dennis' actions, and the other projects where his heart was, that he wanted to do other things besides Styx. That was apparent to everyone with a brain. You cannot serve two masters. The rest of the guys had come back together to focus ON Styx. Now here's Dennis going off and doing other things. What were they supposed to do? If the name of the band was "Dennis DeYoung and Styx", then it'd be a different matter. But it was STYX which was a BAND. Not one guy and his 4 backup players.

Dennis' solo work became more important to him. It's as simple as that. The band got tired of waiting. Then he got sick from running himself down and the band was like "Screw that, we've waited long enough".

I do not see how any SANE person can blame them for moving on. It's a BUSINESS, that's what you do.
Dennis now has complete freedom to do what he wants. So does Styx. If that means Jewelry and ice skates for Styx, so be it. In the meantime, I don't see Dennis doing anything but touring and not very much touring. He would HATE the pace that Styx works at. Everybody's happy now. That's no slam on Dennis, by the way. He wanted to do what he wanted to do. It's a free country. But I don't see how anyone can blame the other guys. I just don't.

Great!

Well it seems that JY focuses on a lot of other things that according to you were not the issue.

Jy obviously has some feelings on the matter. Who wouldn't? Dennis I'm sure does too, but he's classy enough not to air it out in public. Peope will spin it any way they so that Dennis doesn't get any of the blame. They ALL are to blame for what happened, but when one guy doesn't wanna work, what are you supposed to do??? Tell me. ALL of them had a hand in it. Stop making Dennis out to be the Saint. None of them are (obviously). It sucks that Dennis isn't with them. If you don't like it, then start an I Love Dennis Board.

It wasn't JUST this one thing with Dennis. It was a lot of things with Dennis according to the band. Read the interviews- Christ, they fired him after Cornerstone so there was obviously some issues there. In between the lines of all the respinning BS from Styx and the "what, Who Me?" BS from Dennis, there is the fact that the band was a democracy. Dennis was voted out. Dennis didn't want to work in the manner that the rest of the guys did- or that's the story. What were they supposed to do, sit on their asses and just wait for him while opportunities went by? A career in music is usually a pretty short thing. They were all getting older and they didn't want it go away. Hell, it's a cash cow for them. Now without Dennis, they have to work twice as hard probably to make the same dough. You know what? That's their cross to bare and that's what they get for moving on. By the same token, they seem to be a much happier band. Dennis on the other hand, got to follow his passions and is now out there working more than he has in years and doing what he wants. Jy and Dennis obviously have some differences. That's what happens with breakups be it a relationship or a business. Dennis got sick. That happens. But at the time, it seems like it was "just one more thing" and the band had had enough. Not sure what you expected them to do. Wasn't there also the renegotiating of the royalties that turned a pretty equitable band situation into a situation that benefited mostly Dennis? They had one agreement for years, then Dennis changed it- that is how I remember it from Sterling's book, I may have that wrong. If that's the way it went down, then yeah, the rest of the band's gonna be pissed.

Suppose they'd waited for Dennis? Then at the end of that Dennis says "Hey, I don't want to go on the road, I want to work on my musicals". The ending would've been the same. Now, everybody is happy. Let it be.

Where did I say or infer that Dennis is a saint? I didn't. He has his faults just like the rest of us. I am sure that some of those faults led to some of the issues in Styx. I have never posted a topic or reply that I believe Dennis is a saint. My issue really has not been that they kicked him out but rather the way, when and what they did after that.

I would love to hear what faults ,you think,Dennis have or is it has.We never hear about those from you.

Ohh,and I would also like to hear,how and when and the way they should have let dennis go,under the circumstances we already know.Please.

Dennis seems to be a type A personality. I'm sure he has a big ego. I am sure he can be demanding, difficult to compromise with and very assertive. Such is the same with Tommy and JY in similar ways. Which is where the problem lies. You have three people with the similar or same personality traits and egos wanting what they want. It's a recipe for trouble. BTW, I have mentioned these things in past posts when the subject has come up.

As far as letting Dennis go, people are so fond of pointing out how Styx is a "business" and they should have handled the situation that way. They should have called a meeting and sat down an talked about the situation. That way when they could not come to arrangement to stay together they could work out the details of dissolving the partnership\contract that was in place and handle the legal stuff as fairly as possible. Instead they just turned their back, broke the terms of the contract that was in place, refused Dennis' requests for a meeting to discuss the matter and basically attempted to walk away with everything. In my opinion it was a shitty, underhanded back stabbing way to handle the situation no matter how they try to spin it.