Dennis DeYoung of Styx on Rush's 2112

[clem]

To be honest, I'm not entirely that familiar with Styx. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Listen to The Grand Illusion. I don't see how anyone would not enjoy that album front to back. Pieces Of Eight is good too. Its not Rush or Yes in its complexity but its excellent rock and fun to listen to music in my humble opinion..... :)

Will do. :)

 

I would also recommend 1975's Equinox and 1976's Crystal Ball. They were 2 albums that came out before the band was very popular, but were still very good.

After Pieces of Eight, they had two very successful albums as well - 1979's Cornerstone and 1981's Paradise Theatre. Both were HUGE sellers, and for awhile, Styx was at the top of the world. Those two albums, though, were more "pop" and less "rock" and alienated a lot of hard core fans - and also some of the band members.

 

Then, Kilroy was Here came out in 1983 along with the single "Mr.Roboto". Oy.

 

I still like them, but they're nowhere close to Rush in my book.

 

Clem

[Rushman14]

With no disrespect to Styx fans,

 

Styx, to me begins with "The Grand Illusion" and ends with "Pieces of Eight".

 

Two fantastic albums.

Yep

 

Yeah, they did great stuff up until they ate it with "Kilroy". That whole album just... wow. Painful. Like, this thing painful. -->

 

the pre Tommy Shaw album "Equinox" kicks ass over anything that came afterward. Definitely worth checking out.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Styx_-_Equinox.jpg

[Narps]

With no disrespect to Styx fans,

 

Styx, to me begins with "The Grand Illusion" and ends with "Pieces of Eight".

 

Two fantastic albums.

Yep

 

Yeah, they did great stuff up until they ate it with "Kilroy". That whole album just... wow. Painful. Like, this thing painful. -->

 

the pre Tommy Shaw album "Equinox" kicks ass over anything that came afterward. Definitely worth checking out.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Styx_-_Equinox.jpg

Styx definitely had it go'in on for a while there....

[patjnev]

Dennis forgot to mention that his wall of suck expanded beyond Kilroy ( which I remember listening to once after I bought it ) . shortly after that release styx did a live album and video and made a terrible video

 

Music Time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFlg8AuYlQ

 

Then shaw did girls with guns and deyoung went pseudo christian

show me the waaaaaaaaaaaay

 

Let see then shaw damned those yankees and

styx release some slick sounding 90s rock songs

 

 

oh wow they really havent gotten it right since have they?

[rocketom]

Wow, there is a video Gayer than "Time Stand Still".

[Mara]

Wow, there is a video Gayer than "Time Stand Still".

 

Oh there's lots:

 

[Empty Mindless Spectre]

Dennis DeYoung is a giant douche bag. This interview doesn't prove that, it merely reinforces it. He nearly destroyed Styx, I believe during the Paradise Theater tour. He tried to turn that tour (and Styx) into a theater production more so than a rock band. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was an hour long "play", (a serious theatrical production) which was booed mercilessly by Styx fans. When the other band members moved to eliminate the play, which was Dennis DeYoung's baby, DeYoung balked, insisting that the band's future must be based on such theatrics rather than on their music. As a result, the other band members rightfully kicked him out of Styx, after which he filed litigation to claim rights to the band name Styx. But the douche bag lost and Styx still lives today. I do like a lot of Styx songs. My favorite is Suite Madam Blue from Equinox, but I also like all of Grand Illusion, most of Pieces of Eight and much of Crystal Ball. I surely don't put them in the same class as Rush, I think most Rush fans would probably like Styx.

[bathory]

I have even heard the "good" styx albums and didn't like those either

[clem]

Dennis DeYoung is a giant douche bag. This interview doesn't prove that, it merely reinforces it. He nearly destroyed Styx, I believe during the Paradise Theater tour. He tried to turn that tour (and Styx) into a theater production more so than a rock band. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was an hour long "play", (a serious theatrical production) which was booed mercilessly by Styx fans. When the other band members moved to eliminate the play, which was Dennis DeYoung's baby, DeYoung balked, insisting that the band's future must be based on such theatrics rather than on their music. As a result, the other band members rightfully kicked him out of Styx, after which he filed litigation to claim rights to the band name Styx. But the douche bag lost and Styx still lives today. I do like a lot of Styx songs. My favorite is Suite Madam Blue from Equinox, but I also like all of Grand Illusion, most of Pieces of Eight and much of Crystal Ball. I surely don't put them in the same class as Rush, I think most Rush fans would probably like Styx.

Well.....you're not entirely correct. The "play" was a movie that lasted 11 minutes, not an hour. You can argue Rush did a (slightly) similar thing with the sausage restaurant on the Time Machine tour. The Styx movie is probably somewhere on YouTube. Yes, it's very corny, but Harry Satchel's "Smells Like Chicken" flick probably won't win any awards either.

 

Nobody booed the "band". The booing was because of the "bad" guy in the production. Don't believe everything "Behind the Music" tells you. But,yes, sadly DeYoung can be a jerk.....

 

Clem

 

 

Clem

[Empty Mindless Spectre]

Dennis DeYoung is a giant douche bag. This interview doesn't prove that, it merely reinforces it. He nearly destroyed Styx, I believe during the Paradise Theater tour. He tried to turn that tour (and Styx) into a theater production more so than a rock band. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was an hour long "play", (a serious theatrical production) which was booed mercilessly by Styx fans. When the other band members moved to eliminate the play, which was Dennis DeYoung's baby, DeYoung balked, insisting that the band's future must be based on such theatrics rather than on their music. As a result, the other band members rightfully kicked him out of Styx, after which he filed litigation to claim rights to the band name Styx. But the douche bag lost and Styx still lives today. I do like a lot of Styx songs. My favorite is Suite Madam Blue from Equinox, but I also like all of Grand Illusion, most of Pieces of Eight and much of Crystal Ball. I surely don't put them in the same class as Rush, I think most Rush fans would probably like Styx.

Well.....you're not entirely correct. The "play" was a movie that lasted 11 minutes, not an hour. You can argue Rush did a (slightly) similar thing with the sausage restaurant on the Time Machine tour. The Styx movie is probably somewhere on YouTube. Yes, it's very corny, but Harry Satchel's "Smells Like Chicken" flick probably won't win any awards either.

 

Nobody booed the "band". The booing was because of the "bad" guy in the production. Don't believe everything "Behind the Music" tells you. But,yes, sadly DeYoung can be a jerk.....

 

Clem

 

 

Clem

 

Fair enough… yes my post was based predominantly on hearsay and it sounds like you were there so I trust what you are saying. Thanks for the clarification.

[drbirdsong]

I actually saw the Killroy Was Here tour. The movie wasn't too bad and we know from the recent Rush tours that they can be a fun intro. The problem with Styx was that they came out on stage and acted out the story and then played a really good show and then acted some more at the end. Nobody booed, but the "play" part was unnecessary and silly. When the show moved to larger venues it really didn't go over well in the big spaces. They were at their peak as far as live performance went and that part of the show rocked. At the end of the show they came out for an encore and everyone thought they would sing "Lady", but they quit doing the song live because some guy owns it and won't sell them the rights back or something.

 

I saw them a couple of years ago when they were touring with Yes and it was a much better show. Tommy and James are in full control now and they have a really good DDY sound alike and they rock like monsters now.

 

I never heard anything about a 2112 comparison either. It sounds like someone is fantasizing on a cold Winter's day.

[Ged Lent's sis]

Funny how people get so worked up—or choose to portray such with vitriol—at the fairly polite musings of a seventies rock star. I guess it comes with the territory, though; because DDY does his part with superficial commentary on the alleged weakening of rock by way of (insert pet whipping horse). It would seem to me that even mild lamentations about the state of modern music or this or that pop star might be an indication of somebody who's not getting enough from the things they do like. I dunno.

 

At any rate, Grand Illusion is one of the pinnacles of what I'd call mainstream post-prog "theater rock" - and as such, an occasional guilty pleasure. I do recall disliking Paradise Theater so intensely that I fell into the category of person I am criticizing in this comment. Me and my kind mocked Kilroy when it came out as well.

 

I don't recall the comparison either. It would be awesome if he made the whole thing up.

[Rushman14]

Dennis DeYoung is a giant douche bag. This interview doesn't prove that, it merely reinforces it. He nearly destroyed Styx, I believe during the Paradise Theater tour. He tried to turn that tour (and Styx) into a theater production more so than a rock band. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was an hour long "play", (a serious theatrical production) which was booed mercilessly by Styx fans. When the other band members moved to eliminate the play, which was Dennis DeYoung's baby, DeYoung balked, insisting that the band's future must be based on such theatrics rather than on their music. As a result, the other band members rightfully kicked him out of Styx, after which he filed litigation to claim rights to the band name Styx. But the douche bag lost and Styx still lives today. I do like a lot of Styx songs. My favorite is Suite Madam Blue from Equinox, but I also like all of Grand Illusion, most of Pieces of Eight and much of Crystal Ball. I surely don't put them in the same class as Rush, I think most Rush fans would probably like Styx.

 

Im old enough to have seem the Paradise Theater tour. It was actually pretty good. There was no play beforehand. You are thinking of the killroy tour, where they acted out a 10 minute scene prior to the show. It was ill-advised to say the least.

[Tony R]

Dennis DeYoung is wetter than an otter's pocket and anything he says should be dismissed as the deluded witterings of a Dean Friedman wannabe.

[The Cat 3]

After "Pieces of Eight", Dennis DeYoung makes me wonder what it be like if Liberace join a hard rock band just for kicks.

[Tony R]

After "Pieces of Eight", Dennis DeYoung makes me wonder what it be like if Liberace join a hard rock band just for kicks.

 

So that's what Half-Penny, Two Penny was about! :ouch:

[trenken]

He seems to know an awful lot about an album he claims to have never heard before, and being in a somewhat progressive band, I find that a little hard to believe, but maybe its true.

 

I honestly wasnt even sure if Neil denounced some of the things he was following in the past, and ive been following this band very closely for a long time, but Dennis seems to know that so he's obviously been doing a lot of research for a band he says he wasnt even a fan of. Seems a little fishy.

 

Also sounds like they may have been influenced by 2112 and did some borrowing, but is afraid to admit it, which is silly in itself because Neil has also done a LOT of borrowing. Much of what he writes about isnt from his own mind. He's borrowed a LOT over the years.

[MMCXII]

I always laugh at the Kilroy bashing. Not saying it's unfounded or anything but the only time I was a big fan of Styx was when Kilroy was just released. I was only about 12 and I loved it so please forgive my under-developed musical tastes back then lol

 

I never saw a connection to Rush though, but really the basic concept of the 2112 plot is nothing new especially in sci-fi

[losingit2k]

Never knew there ever was a comparison of the two.

 

Yeah. I didn't either. I actually liked Kilroy Was Here! It was a very different kind of tour IMO! Anyway no harm done. DDY statement was pretty funny actually.

[Mika]

It has been only the past month or so that I've started getting into Styx - don't think I had ever really heard of them before, or at least hadn't paid attention. Well, I've been randomly going through their entire discography, and while I'm still very much a Styx noob, my first impresson of Kilroy was Here was as being a bit comparable to 2112, with the theme of a musically-minded antagonist against the oppressive masses. I haven't yet fully explored Kilroy, but my impression is that it does have parallels to 2112 - not in a copying kind of way, but just that the themes are similar. It seems like kind of a not-obscure knd of theme, so it's a bit funny that there would be accusations of copying 2112.

 

It would have been interesting to watch the live show from the early 80's, with its theatre-production style, but I think I would have preferred to just get on with the music!

[ALifeson85]

Dennis DeYoung is a giant douche bag. This interview doesn't prove that, it merely reinforces it. He nearly destroyed Styx, I believe during the Paradise Theater tour. He tried to turn that tour (and Styx) into a theater production more so than a rock band. Prior to the band taking the stage, there was an hour long "play", (a serious theatrical production) which was booed mercilessly by Styx fans. When the other band members moved to eliminate the play, which was Dennis DeYoung's baby, DeYoung balked, insisting that the band's future must be based on such theatrics rather than on their music. As a result, the other band members rightfully kicked him out of Styx, after which he filed litigation to claim rights to the band name Styx. But the douche bag lost and Styx still lives today. I do like a lot of Styx songs. My favorite is Suite Madam Blue from Equinox, but I also like all of Grand Illusion, most of Pieces of Eight and much of Crystal Ball. I surely don't put them in the same class as Rush, I think most Rush fans would probably like Styx.

[ALifeson85]

That's EXACTLY what happened with Queensryche. Geoff Tate was trying to turn the band into this "Caberet" freak show, and showed no interest in making good music. In the end, he got booted out, thankfully. In saying that, I VERY MUCH SO appreciate and respect Tate's contribution to QR in the 80's through mid-90's...but he was really dragging the band down during his last decade with the band, with his "vision" of the band. Edited March 21, 2014 by ALifeson85

[Grover]

There was no hour long play. The Paradise theater to our was a regular rock show that opened and closed with the opening and closing of the album. The Kilroy Was Here tour opened with a 15 minute movie and then was about 7/8 concert and 1/8 stage play. Dennis was not kicked out then, they went their separate ways in 1984, had a reunion without Tommy Shaw in 1991 and one with him in 1995-1997. They did two big tours in 96 and 97. In 1999 they were working on an album and Dennis got sick and could not commit to a tour. Tommy didn't want to finish the album if they were not going to tour. Dennis asked for them to wait a few months to recover but they hired Gowan and went on tour without him. Dennis sued and they countersued and agreed that they could use the name Styx if he could tour as 'the voice of Styx'. Tommy wrote some great songs but about 3/4 of what I like most is Dennis' writing. I can live with Babe and Mr Roboto (he wrote a couple of worse songs). But the good outweighed the bad. I created 2 CDs of Styx songs for the car from my old vinyl and they are 3/4 Dennis 1/4 Tommy.Tommy.

[hobo73]

With no disrespect to Styx fans,

 

Styx, to me begins with "The Grand Illusion" and ends with "Pieces of Eight".

 

Two fantastic albums.

 

:goodone:

 

I really, really like Styx. Their heavy tunes are just awesome!

FANTASTIC show too. Over 2 hours and it rocked!They started playing Mr. Roboto at one point and suddenly stopped- they all tore DeYoung a new one onstage LMAO

They said "Hey, I know you guys like that song, but our precious ex-singer has a large ego and threatens us with legal action if we play 'his' stuff."

They really went off hahaha

Edited March 25, 2014 by hobo73

[toscanobarga]

The biggest surprise for me here is that there is a "Styx board"