Beatles fan? Styx fan? ELO fan? Must be a Glen Burtnik fan!

[styxfansite]

Not sure if this has been posted.


Glen Burtnik Interview with Bob Andelman for http://www.mrmedia.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPHBCWqeCCc

[ztyxlynne]

I know he replaced the late Kelly Grocut on bass in the Orkestra. But why is he in this group? I love ELO but they are nothing but a cover band. Why be in this group but not SStyx or with DDY. His such a awesome talant.

[Boomchild]

I know he replaced the late Kelly Grocut on bass in the Orkestra. But why is he in this group? I love ELO but they are nothing but a cover band. Why be in this group but not SStyx or with DDY. His such a awesome talant.

I think the simple answer is money. Some may not like me for saying this but sometimes I get the impression that Glen does these things simply if the money is good. I think I linked this video in another thread in this forum. There I was trying to point out that Glen seemed to be a little uncomfortable or at least trying to distance himself from being in Styx. I don't know but, somehow I think even Glen is skittish when it comes to the stigma Styx has in the rock community.

[brywool]

He may like ELO's tunes better than Styx's. That's a big deal.
He was always fairly unimpressed with the Styx stuff. In interviews, he's never been "This Styx stuff is awesome!" it's always seemed to me like he wasn't that big of a fan even when he was in the group, which is a shame because he was brilliant in that band. He's never been that complimentary of Styx, so it's pretty obvious that he kind of "settled" on working with them and was never a fan. Maybe I'm way off, but I just get that vibe from his interviews.

Jeff Lynne, on the other hand, is a FREAKING GENIUS. I love Styx as one of my all time favorites, but Jeff Lynne is pretty close to Godhood. Glen being a Beatles fan and Jeff Lynne being a SUPER Beatles fan and also being responsible for some of the greatest stuff ever recorded is obviously a much more tasty meal for Glen. You can't blame him at all for being a part of that cover band. Jeff Lynne's sound and influence on other bands is huge. You KNOW Glen's got to be a fan of ELO.

I think this is a great move for him, though it's probably not going to be an entity that is going to sell boatloads of records. It's going to be something fun for him to pay the bills. Tribute Bands are great... trust me on this (I'm in 3!)
Brad Delp was also in a Beatles tribute band and he was quite good in it. When your band is not actively touring or recording, it's good to be in bands that play out in order to keep your chops up.

Note to Glen, who I'm sure shuns the Internet and this site in particular- get Bleu McCauley involved. He did an ELO tribute album called L.E.O. with a few guys from Jellyfish and some others. WAY GOOD.

Glen's also very "it's gotta be the way I want it or I'm not interested". Hence leaving Beatlemania and probably Styx as well. It's pretty cool that he's got his toe in so many different things.

[yogi]

Biggest things I think about Glen and Glen with Styx are:

1. He has NEVER been a big fan of their music and he may even think of them along the lines of a lot of critics who think Styx's music is cheesy and without a whole lot of substance. Glen's wrong and so are those critics

2. To me this is a BIGGIE, I think Glen has very little appreciation for himself as an artist. I just get the impression he thinks he is not as good as he actually is. He's GREAT, Welcome To Hollywood was EPIC and he doesn't even realize it. I almost think he views himself as a Stone Pony bar type of musician and not a star. He's a star with major chops that doesn't even seem to appreciate his own wealth of talent.

3. He didn't like DDY, he didn't like how controlling DDY was BUT...... at some point he woke up and realized that Dennis allowed their(Styx's) comeback album to be titled by one of his songs, and he was given the first release off that album. fINALLY, he realized that Dennis did respect him as an artist. Maybe more than he respected himself.

4. He liked being in a Tommy Shaw led Styx until he realized that Tommy was just a shorter not quite as talented version of Dennis DeYoung. Then again he woke up even later to realized that Dennis actually gave him way way more respect than Tommy and the guys(JY,Todd,Lawerence,Chuck) he was working with did. I think at that point he then left Styx for good and realized that he was somewhat wrong about Dennis and his thinking toward him.

Just a few thoughts(ramblings) I could be way off, but I don't think so.

[Boomchild]

Biggest things I think about Glen and Glen with Styx are:

1. He has NEVER been a big fan of their music and he may even think of them along the lines of a lot of critics who think Styx's music is cheesy and without a whole lot of substance. Glen's wrong and so are those critics

2. To me this is a BIGGIE, I think Glen has very little appreciation for himself as an artist. I just get the impression he thinks he is not as good as he actually is. He's GREAT, Welcome To Hollywood was EPIC and he doesn't even realize it. I almost think he views himself as a Stone Pony bar type of musician and not a star. He's a star with major chops that doesn't even seem to appreciate his own wealth of talent.

3. He didn't like DDY, he didn't like how controlling DDY was BUT...... at some point he woke up and realized that Dennis allowed their(Styx's) comeback album to be titled by one of his songs, and he was given the first release off that album. fINALLY, he realized that Dennis did respect him as an artist. Maybe more than he respected himself.

4. He liked being in a Tommy Shaw led Styx until he realized that Tommy was just a shorter not quite as talented version of Dennis DeYoung. Then again he woke up even later to realized that Dennis actually gave him way way more respect than Tommy and the guys(JY,Todd,Lawerence,Chuck) he was working with did. I think at that point he then left Styx for good and realized that he was somewhat wrong about Dennis and his thinking toward him.

Just a few thoughts(ramblings) I could be way off, but I don't think so.

Very interesting thoughts.

[masque]

it makes sense to me why he would do this......i don't think people realize how important beatles music is to millions of people around the world.

as much as we like styx and many other bands, the beatles are the epicenter of popular music history and the primary reason guys like ddy, glenn and jeff lynne even play music.

[masque]

i also think glenn is pretty easy to figure out.

1) he's a beatles nut.....worships their music, as do i.

2) elo was a lot closer to sounding like the beatles than anything styx ever did, especially with mr. blue sky.

3) glenn has admitted and does so in the posted interview that he wasn't a styx fan and that the job was a "practical decision", "that made sense".

4) he flat out states that he prefers elo over styx.

5) if you read between the lines i think glenn regrets a little bit of choosing to be on the road with styx.......because he says once he got off the road he was no longer connected to the songwriting community like he was 10 years before that and that the industry wants weren't in line with his style. so i think he looks at that and thinks to himself, "wow, i spent 10 years in a band that i didn't really dig and lost my ability to write for current artists because I'm out of the loop now....thanks a lot styx!!!"

6) i think he also realizes he had HUGE missed opportunities such as being asked to join bon jovi before they made it and things like that.

7) i think glenn may be a bit bitter because at one point he probably felt like he was super talented, good performer and great song writer, but yet he couldn't gain enough popularity to sustain his own solo career......and that has to be a thorn in his side when he thinks about it......and other than when he had some success as a writer for established artists he has mostly been in bands filling in for other people singing songs that someone else wrote.......while having to wonder to himself why a song he just helped write went to #1 for don henley but wouldn't have likely even been a hit if glen had kept it for himself and released it.......it leaves you with a lot of self doubt.

overall, i have liked glenn and his music from the second i head love is the ritual.......i always supported his role in styx even when he was tommy's replacement. his negative attitude towards styx in recent years i think has been a bummer for me.......he appears at times rather ungrateful for the opportunity that allowed him a lot of "self ego gratification of playing in front of large audiences" etc.... and being "well compensated".

even though i respect glenn and have been a fan there is something about him that is missing......i can recognize he's a great writer, a good singer, a good performer....i can see all of that but there is something lacking in the charisma department that makes him capable of being a "star" or leading his own band to great success. he just doesn't appear to have enough "it" and that's likely why it never happened for him on his own the way he felt it should have of as many of you think it should have happened.

i think glenn missed the boat on not being a part of something like bon jovi......i think he could have written some killer tunes with jon and been a huge part of something like that......glenn is someone you want on your team and you couldn't have reached the success you did without him. that's the role i think that would have better suited him......whether it would have been with bon jovi or any other act.....he would have been better as being one of the key members in a band with equally talented guys......just like styx......but being a part of something like that from the ground up,not as a replacement.

but since he didn't he sort of has to look back at his career with a lot of "what if's and "what could have beens"....he's the little engine that could have but for the most part didn't.

[Boomchild]

overall, i have liked glenn and his music from the second i head love is the ritual.......i always supported his role in styx even when he was tommy's replacement. his negative attitude towards styx in recent years i think has been a bummer for me.......he appears at times rather ungrateful for the opportunity that allowed him a lot of "self ego gratification of playing in front of large audiences" etc.... and being "well compensated".

If this is how he feels then he shouldn't be blaming anyone but himself. He didn't have to accept the offer Styx gave him. I think that being in Styx gave him the a lot of exposure he never got solo. If your thoughts are accurate, it seems to me he is looking to blame someone or something else for his own short comings. On the subject of joining Bon Jovi, it seems to me it would be similar to joining Styx. Not really his kind of music and dealing with a person that is very controlling. I think that I need to stop reading this thread because the more I do the less I like him.

[Toph]

I'd add to the list that I think he was seriously bummed that LITR didn't perform better - here was his first shot at getting widespread exposure on a song he had written and sung and the first single release by Styx in 7+ years - and it went absolutely nowhere. That was crushing for him.

[yogi]

Please understand this is 100% speculation on my part on how I think Glen feels on different aspects of his career. I think I might be correct but in reality I may be further from the truth than my current age is to childhood. I'm just guessing plain and simple.

Also, although Love Is The Ritual didn't chart in the top 40 I know it was a top 5 Billboard Rock Track. I also know it got a ton of airplay on FM Rock Radio in the Houston & Beaumont areas.

A&M COMPLETELY dropped the ball on The Edge album. Side 1 was brilliant. EVERYONE of those songs should have charted. Poor Poor management. It was a GREAT album.

[Hollywood]

Glen didn’t leave Styx because he was unhappy. He left in an attempt to salvage his marriage which unfortunately did not work and he ended up divorced. He enjoyed his time in Styx and was making the best money of his career. However, he felt that being on the road that much was causing his marital issues.

After his divorce Ricky Phillips wasn’t going anywhere so Glen had to explore other opportunities. The Orchestra does not pay as much or tour as much, especially in the US, but it does provide some income. Whether he liked Styx’s music prior to joining is irrelevant because he performed that material so well. If you were to ask Glen he’ll tell you he doesn’t even like his own records.

[yogi]

So Hollywood, are my assumptions close to being correct? Some, none or all?

The guys GREAT and I honestly don't even think he knows it or appreciates how tremendous he truly is.

[Boomchild]

He enjoyed his time in Styx and was making the best money of his career.

He certainly has a funny way of showing it when asked about it in interviews.

[masque]

i think it's obvious that what he liked was the self admitted ego gratification he got from playing in front of large audiences and making good money.


outside of that, i think he has been brutally honest that he didn't care for their music and he didn't like being on the road so much........his self admitted primary reason for joining styx was that it made sense and seemed like a good career move.

and for those 10 plus years it was........i think afterwards when his time in styx became an issue for his marriage and being burn out from being on the road....AND his time in styx didn't seem to open any major doors for him in the industry when he left, he maybe looked back and then thought "well maybe this wasn't all that grand" or something like that. who knows.

all i do know is that he doesn't appear to look back on those days with much happiness and that's too bad. well, in reality, i dont really give a shit how he sees it. the only reason i even know who he is was because of styx. but i did think he was pretty cool while he was there and it would be cool if had enjoyed himself more....but oh well.

[Hollywood]

So Hollywood, are my assumptions close to being correct? Some, none or all?

The guys GREAT and I honestly don't even think he knows it or appreciates how tremendous he truly is.

I think you are off on 1, 3, and 4. You are right on in #2 though. Everything he has ever done he does not look back upon positively. I don't understand why he has such a low opinion of his own work. In my younger years I had him sign some of his older stuff and he flat out said it was all garbage. He also did it in a way that made it clear that he wasn't fishing for compliments. I asked him at the Stone Pony once if Talking in Code would ever be re-released and he said he didn't understand why anyone cared about that record because he thought it was bad. I challenged him by saying that I loved the record and that every conversation I have he is telling me I'm an idiot for liking his music. It sounds harsh typed out, but was actually a pretty funny and jovial conversation.

Tommy and him got along fine and I would say that JY is the Alpha in that band currently. He got along with everyone in the band. I guess some bad blood came up in 2006 when he played with DDY.

He never had a problem with DDY. That version of Styx was done under by JY refusing a contract extension from A & M because it wasn't high enough.

[Hollywood]

He enjoyed his time in Styx and was making the best money of his career.

He certainly has a funny way of showing it when asked about it in interviews.

He talks bad about all of his previous projects. No exception. Just his personality.

[Monker]

He enjoyed his time in Styx and was making the best money of his career.

He certainly has a funny way of showing it when asked about it in interviews.

He talks bad about all of his previous projects. No exception. Just his personality.

Just so you don't think you are in the lions den.

I agree with you. It seems to me that Glen was in it for the BNW album and tour. Then Cyclorama...and he contributed a lot to that album. But, the tour never ended. From what I remember reading, and Zan confirmed it, he never meant for Styx to be a permanent job when he joined for the BNW tour. When it became one, and it started affecting his family in such a negative way, he wanted out.

It is easy to be critical in an interview and it is even easier for bias fans to take those words and blow them up to back up their own biased opinions. I remember in an interview he said when he was in Styx, Dennis fan's hated him. When he did the show with Dennis, Styx fans hate him...now, if he goes back to Styx...It seems to me that Styx was a "job" to him, not a 'family'...and that is how he treated it. And, the same when he did the shows with Dennis.

it reminds me a LOT of Steve Smith in Journey. After TBF, it seemed he was quick to leave after Perry "left" or was fired, or whatever you want to believe. So, fans jumped on that and used it to critique the band in the same way that fans are using Blen to critique Styx. But, if you actually read what Steve Smith says, he was only in it for the reunion. Once Perry was gone, there was no reunion. He gave Perry as much time as he could until his own established solo career started suffering and then he had to let Journey go. He never wanted to be a permanent member of Journey again...just a reunion. I see this whole thing with Glen being the same.

[Monker]

He never had a problem with DDY. That version of Styx was done under by JY refusing a contract extension from A & M because it wasn't high enough.

I thought the accepted version of that story was that DDY refused the offered contract? I thought even Dennis mentioned that in interviews since then...that it was embarrassingly low-balled for a band like Styx.

[Boomchild]

I thought the accepted version of that story was that DDY refused the offered contract? I thought even Dennis mentioned that in interviews since then...that it was embarrassingly low-balled for a band like Styx.

This is interesting. I got the impression that A&M just dropped them like a rock. That one of the execs made a comment to another exec along the lines of " I don't know what you think we can do with a band like Styx".

[masque]

I thought the accepted version of that story was that DDY refused the offered contract? I thought even Dennis mentioned that in interviews since then...that it was embarrassingly low-balled for a band like Styx.

This is interesting. I got the impression that A&M just dropped them like a rock. That one of the execs made a comment to another exec along the lines of " I don't know what you think we can do with a band like Styx".

that was pretty much what i remember being said as well.

[Monker]

I thought the accepted version of that story was that DDY refused the offered contract? I thought even Dennis mentioned that in interviews since then...that it was embarrassingly low-balled for a band like Styx.

This is interesting. I got the impression that A&M just dropped them like a rock. That one of the execs made a comment to another exec along the lines of " I don't know what you think we can do with a band like Styx".

that was pretty much what i remember being said as well.

I know it was in one of those early interviews after the break up. It's probably nowhere to be found by now. I know froyline used to use it as a matter of pride, "DDY no's Styx is worth mor than A&M offered. No signing bonus? Get real. He wanted to moov on to better things." Or, that type of crap. I would use it as a fact that DDY's control issues were so bad that he lost them the contract and put the future of Styx on hold for years.

I doubt it was JY...at that point, without Styx - he doesn't work. DDY had Hunchback...and IMO, that is where his heart was anyway.

[Boomchild]

I know it was in one of those early interviews after the break up. It's probably nowhere to be found by now. I know froyline used to use it as a matter of pride, "DDY no's Styx is worth mor than A&M offered. No signing bonus? Get real. He wanted to moov on to better things." Or, that type of crap. I would use it as a fact that DDY's control issues were so bad that he lost them the contract and put the future of Styx on hold for years.

I doubt it was JY...at that point, without Styx - he doesn't work. DDY had Hunchback...and IMO, that is where his heart was anyway.

I do know that in his book Chuck talked about the comments from the A&M exec. mentioned above. Which to me shows that A&M had no real interest in getting behind the band anymore. Sure they may have thrown Styx a bone due to their past relationship. But I would be willing to bet even if they took the deal it would not have worked out well. They weren't going to put big dollars and support behind an act that they seemed to feel was a dinosaur.

[Toph]

I thought the accepted version of that story was that DDY refused the offered contract? I thought even Dennis mentioned that in interviews since then...that it was embarrassingly low-balled for a band like Styx.

This is interesting. I got the impression that A&M just dropped them like a rock. That one of the execs made a comment to another exec along the lines of " I don't know what you think we can do with a band like Styx".

I remember that they dropped them right after LAFS came out and the promotion stopped almost overnight - which caused a top 10 record to become a middling chart hit (mid 20s) and closed the door for any additional singles/videos (AIADW?). The bone headed move was Styx not renegotiating a new contract prior to Edge coming out - so A&M would a) have incentive to promote it, and b) so in case it did bomb, they'd be financially covered. I'm sure both DDY and JY can share the blame for that one. JY was the business manager and DDY would have had his feathers in a rut if he was offended by a weak A&M offer (if there was one).

[yogi]

EVERYONE involved with Styx has made a lot of business mistakes.

Despite ALLLLLLL of these mistakes they were and continue to be a great band.

Talent trumps, and Dennis, Tommy, JC, JY, Chuck, John, Glen, Todd, Lawerence, Ricky have a ton of it.

[gr8dane]

EVERYONE involved with Styx has made a lot of business mistakes.

Despite ALLLLLLL of these mistakes they were and continue to be a great band.

Talent trumps, and Dennis, Tommy, JC, JY, Chuck, John, Glen, Todd, Lawerence, Ricky have a ton of it.

Hear hear.