JY Interview [Jan 2019] - He doesn't crap all over Dennis!

[StyxGuy]

https://www.azcentral.com/story/enterta ... 468570002/

"I’m not a ballad guy," he says. 'When 'Babe' became the huge hit that it was, that type of music is just not my cup of tea. I maybe shouldn’t compare it to Barry Manilow, but it’s really soft. The Who would never have done a song like that, and I wanted to be in the Who. I wanted to be in Deep Purple."

"Dennis DeYoung contributed to making my songs great," he says. "Tommy Shaw did the same and John Curulewski as the writer and singer who preceded Tommy for the first five albums. I helped their songs get better as well. We wound up being broader and more Beatles-esque. I’ve come to view that as a great strength as opposed to a weakness."

Asked if the split with DeYoung has had an impact on his feelings for the music, Young says, "No. I mean, my feelings about the music we created were loudly expressed during the creative process back from 1972-1983."

He laughs, then adds, "None of that changed. Dennis and I were always competitors but when we chose to work together we were a powerful force. We all moved toward the center and I think that’s why we succeeded. We battled over so many different things but the work really stands up 30 years later, so I think that has to be the ultimate yardstick by which it’s all measured."

[yogi]

GREAT read.

Thanks for posting

[LtVanish]

It seems like this interview has pissed Dennis off a little bit on his latest Facebook post.

" Unfortunately a recent JY interview had him mentioning once again that he’s not a ballad guy and wished he had been in The Who or Deep Purple. How bout that. I wasn’t aware he didn’t care for Babe, Ho Ho. Though I was always quite aware that he was surprised Lady became a hit and that we went on to such great success. He didn’t believe we had what it took. He had said on Behind the Music and in other interviews that for the first 10 yeas of our existence I was great for the band and I always believed we would make it. I did. Those ten years would be 72 to 82. That leaves only 83 and Roboto which he claims was how we lost part our male audience. Maybe. What we lost for certain was Tommy (guess he’s right Tommy is male)who quit to pursue a solo career. If he hadn’t we would have made another album and got those guys right back. I know because we saw them in 1996 and 97. He also said If he were in charge the band would have been very different musically. “We just wanna rock”. But that was never Styx. Sure we rocked but there was more gold to be mined. Remember the first third of Lady is a pop ballad.

If JY had been bringing great rock songs to every album it would have been fantastic and they would have been on the albums but he didn’t. Sometimes he barely brought in one. In fact on our most successful Wooden Nickel record Styx ll he had none. I always believed getting the best songs on the albums was the most important thing.
I’ve said this before but JY never really would have chosen to be in a band with John, Chuck, JC and me cause we weren’t heavy enough for his tastes but his own band had imploded and he was looking for work and we had the gigs. Probably because we played songs people really liked.

Anyway it sure would be great if my old buddy JY would stop denigrating me and thereby the band that has given us all so very much. Its really not helpful to the Styx legacy or you our fans. For me it’s unthinkable that I would ever disparage his songs. We were in it together, a band...all for one STYX STYX STYX.
Hey JY, I love ya brother and Suzanne and I wish you and Suzie all the best. Really we do.

Cheers Denny"[/quote]

[StyxGuy]

It seems like this interview has pissed Dennis off a little bit on his latest Facebook post.

Yeah, I saw that pop up and was slightly surprised, however I can somewhat understand where Dennis is coming from. Over all of the years I've listend, watched and read JY interviews, he has been the most critical of Dennis and many times it almost just seemed to be for pure vilification of is former bandmate.

I get where JY comes from as a guy who thought he was in a collaborative band where we felt opinions and ideas could be shared and yet it seems that one person was driving the helm and making the ultimate decisions.

The thing with Babe that always gets me is Dennis has always been adament that he never wanted it on a Styx album.. Nobody has ever disagreed with that and yet Babe was the beginning of the end of Styx because "Dennis". Was it that Dennis didn't fight the record company enough to demand it never be released? Was it fear that this massive hit would derail Styx into making only pop-ballads? Why does Dennis get to much hate for it when it was apparently the record company who jumped all over it?!

I would rather hear from both sides about happier times.. We've beaten the dead horse of how Dennis is a megalomaniac, Dennis made Babe because he wanted to be Barry Manilow and didn't want to do rock music anymore and Dennis ruined Styx with Roboto which caused a slew of male fans to abandon the band.

JY, Tommy, Dennis... quit all your bitching and start recalling the happier times!!!

/end of my random thoughts on the whole JY/Tommy versus Dennis saga, for now

[LtVanish]

It's a shame that JY has a problem embracing what brought Styx big time success and what also made Styx a band that crossed many different bridges musically, that is why I love the band, to me they were a band that was still growing, wish we could of seen what the next step would of been after Kilroy, in the MTV age. Probably even more of a New Wave sound I am guessing, which to me is fine, it just shows DDY wanted to keep up with the times and be innovative also. This is why I became a Styx fan along with bands like Toto because they were always going into a different direction and exploring different sounds. JY I guess just wants to rock and if were up to him I guess he wanted Grand Illusion part II. I personally don't mind a good ballad on an album. I think JY and Tommy have told so many lies at this point they actually believe their own lies.

Dennis has been more critical of them ever since they started playing Mr. Roboto live and I think it is because they really look like hypocrites more and more, with that and the Mission album, to which they stated they didn't want anymore concept albums.

[yogi]

They did make The Grand Illusion ll, it was called Pieces of Eight and it was as good or pretty darn close as the original.

[fsutall]

Hard to argue with Dennis in this instance. There's nothing more irritating than people that complain about having to do something even though they aren't able to offer a better option. Given how poor most of JY's solo albums are, I have no trouble believing that he brought very little to the table in the songwriting department during the period in question, yet he continues after all these years to bitch and moan about Babe and Mr. Roboto. If he hated those songs so much at the time then he should have written better songs to contribute to those albums! If he can't resist getting in his petty digs at Dennis by now then he should just stop doing interviews altogether.

[Grotelul]

How did he bitch and moan in that interview? He doesn't care for ballads. So what. J.Y. in the past has bitched and moaned about Dennis and his ballads, but he basically stopped doing that. Some people can't let it go, including Dennis.

[fsutall]

They may not be quite as strong as some of the many derogatory things he's said in the past, but the following JY comments from the interview can be perceived as bitching, moaning and/or whining, and I fully understand why Dennis was annoyed:

Young was never a fan of their softer songs, "Babe" in particular.

"I’m not a ballad guy," he says. 'When 'Babe' became the huge hit that it was, that type of music is just not my cup of tea. I maybe shouldn’t compare it to Barry Manilow, but it’s really soft...I didn’t like the soft, sappy side of our band."

Young refused to play "Mr. Roboto" for "so many years," he says..."What that song did is it killed a whole lot of people’s interest in our music," Young says.

"It found its way out there," he says. "And I certainly spent the time and energy and invested the money into making that song what it was, even though I didn’t believe in it

[Abitaman]

I have always supported both camps, but was a little surprised by DDY's comments. I actually thought this was one of JY's better comments. Maybe all the years of JY's moaning finally pissed DDY off.

[masque]

basically this is both guys, mostly DDY, in this particular instance, showing their age and continued stubbornness.

JY kind of more nicely saying the same stuff he's said for 30 years and DDY basically screaming "get off my yard".

[ztyxlynne]

As the old saying goes, JY has kicked the poodle 1 to many times,now it has started to bite back.

Im sure Dennis has just gotten tired of the bashing no matter how big or small. They bitched about concept albums,they just did one, slow songs, they have done those, etc. I am glad he did call JY his brotjer and reached out and said hi to his wife Susie. He always takes the high road.

[Grotelul]

As the old saying goes, JY has kicked the poodle 1 to many times,now it has started to bite back.

Im sure Dennis has just gotten tired of the bashing no matter how big or small. They bitched about concept albums,they just did one, slow songs, they have done those, etc. I am glad he did call JY his brotjer and reached out and said hi to his wife Susie. He always takes the high road.

Dennis is a little too sensitive about it. JY doesn't like a soft ballad such as Babe. So what? JY is being truthful in that statement...what the hell is wrong with that? JY never bitches about Lady...why? Because it's not a total soft ballad like Babe.

The fact Tommy is doing a concept now, some 30 plus years after Kilroy and they're not allowed over that much time to do a concept album? After Paradise Theatre, Tommy didn't care to do another concept album with their next release. That was THEN!!! Not 35 years later! I just don't get why some fans can't understand that!

[gr8dane]

Dennis is realizing he is not coming back to Styx,so he might as well do some whining .
He has kept his gob shut, because then there might have been a chance for returning.(Wishful thinking obviously).
Good ole Dennis.