The Big Interview W/Dan Rather

[masque]

finally! the boys look to be interviewed on their next week! there was a "sneak peek" on my DVR last night.

I watched and of course the segment that is on the sneak peek is all about Dan asking Tommy, JY and Gowan all about DDY.

It's real obvious from both of their reactions that they truly just dislike the guy and simply do not and will not be working with him again. JY seems to harbor more resentment than Tommy.....but even Tommy was fairly vocal about his issues.

Looks like the interview is gonna pretty interesting! great to see them get this exposure.

[StyxGuy]

This will be interesting, loved his interview with Geddy Lee!

[Boomchild]

Dan Rather ugh! it's interesting that this is coming on the heals of DDY doing an in depth interview with Bill Curtis for the Decades channel.

[masque]

well I guess I have just kept up with this band so much that sitting and watching this interview, there was really no big surprise moments regarding anything. very cool to see them on the show and get the exposure. I suppose the biggest reveal of the night was to see how much tommy and JY were both on the same page about their future and how they want this last chapter of their careers to go.

[FormerDJMike]

I wonder if this is online anywhere as I no longer has AXS. Don't know why my provider dumped it.

[StyxGuy]

"I've forgiven Dennis for everything he's done I feel that was not right and wish him the best, *clenches his eyes* he's a really talented guy, I have no desire to work with him again"

Oh poor JY..... always the victim.

[masque]

nah, I dont think he sees himself as the victim at all at this point....I think he sees himself sitting in the driver's seat and in control of the brand and is doing fine without DDY, therefore no need to go back to that.

I dont know why people have such a hard time understanding that good ole DDY is simply not liked by these guys. hell, there are people I dislike and people that dislike me.......it's just a part of life.

my buddy's x wife was porn star hot but she was a super bitch, so was he supposed to stay with her because she was hot? nope.

so, OK, DDY was a great singer and writer and was the main creator of their overall success........but not the only creator.....good for DDY, happy for him. but these other guys dont like him and dont want to work with him anymore......big deal, they had better lawyers and wound up with the house and the IRA. DDY should have either had a better case against them or a better attorney.

[yogi]

Is there anyway possible for someone to post the interview here or steer me in a direction where I can watch it.

My family and I are down to 4 channels on all of our TVS. Got the rabbit ears back out and canceled our Direct TV subscription until:

We open our borders for ANYONE who wants to come here, repeal ALL lawyer client confidentially, give free health care for every person living in our borderless nation, only allow our 'higher up' elected officials, military and police the right to bear arms, overturn the last election where most of the country outside of California & NY got it wrong, move our nations capital to some enlightened place like SF or Oakland, apologize to Hillary for those deleted e mails ( that damn delete button), and finally become a gender neutral nation where sensitivity training is taught once a month at every school and business across our great borderless land.

[Boomchild]

Is there anyway possible for someone to post the interview here or steer me in a direction where I can watch it.

My family and I are down to 4 channels on all of our TVS. Got the rabbit ears back out and canceled our Direct TV subscription until:

We open our borders for ANYONE who wants to come here, repeal ALL lawyer client confidentially, give free health care for every person living in our borderless nation, only allow our 'higher up' elected officials, military and police the right to bear arms, overturn the last election where most of the country outside of California & NY got it wrong, move our nations capital to some enlightened place like SF or Oakland, apologize to Hillary for those deleted e mails ( that damn delete button), and finally become a gender neutral nation where sensitivity training is taught once a month at every school and business across our great borderless land.

You forgot the part where the citizens need to buy Hillary a new pant suit to replace the one that got "bleach bit" stains all over it.

[ChicagoSTYX]

Is there anyway possible for someone to post the interview here or steer me in a direction where I can watch it.

My family and I are down to 4 channels on all of our TVS. Got the rabbit ears back out and canceled our Direct TV subscription until:

We open our borders for ANYONE who wants to come here, repeal ALL lawyer client confidentially, give free health care for every person living in our borderless nation, only allow our 'higher up' elected officials, military and police the right to bear arms, overturn the last election where most of the country outside of California & NY got it wrong, move our nations capital to some enlightened place like SF or Oakland, apologize to Hillary for those deleted e mails ( that damn delete button), and finally become a gender neutral nation where sensitivity training is taught once a month at every school and business across our great borderless land.

You forgot the part where the citizens need to buy Hillary a new pant suit to replace the one that got "bleach bit" stains all over it.

I just hope there are more of us than there are of them. Otherwise this country is screwed.

[Baron Von Bielski]

It is and always has been about who has power. Anyone who doesn’t realize that is a fool. JY and Tommy do not wanna share power or give proper credit. Dennis is an alpha. He’s not gonna take the back seat and keep his mouth shut while JY and Tommy steer the ship. It’s all about pride. They wouldn’t care if Dennis came in and made them relevant again. They would actually prefer he crash and burn so it makes them look right. They’d rather see Styx disbanded then Dennis back and all of them more successful. I’m not saying in reality him being back would result in more success, I’m just saying if it were possible.

[Toph]

"I've forgiven Dennis for everything he's done I feel that was not right and wish him the best, *clenches his eyes* he's a really talented guy, I have no desire to work with him again"

Oh poor JY..... always the victim.

JY = No talent Shit Head

[StyxGuy]

"I've forgiven Dennis for everything he's done I feel that was not right and wish him the best, *clenches his eyes* he's a really talented guy, I have no desire to work with him again"

Oh poor JY..... always the victim.

JY = No talent Shit Head

I mean Miss America was a great JY song.... Honestly though, most of his songs aren't nearly the quality or calibre of Dennis or Tommy's hits.

[tj]

"I've forgiven Dennis for everything he's done I feel that was not right and wish him the best, *clenches his eyes* he's a really talented guy, I have no desire to work with him again"

Oh poor JY..... always the victim.

JY = No talent Shit Head

I mean Miss America was a great JY song.... Honestly though, most of his songs aren't nearly the quality or calibre of Dennis or Tommy's hits.

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.

[Boomchild]

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.

This may be true but, the guy sure does not know his own limitations. The reality is he knows and the rest of the world knows that Styx has been and still is his only meal ticket. I would also say that if he was the one steering the ship years ago, we would not be discussing the band at this point.

[StyxGuy]

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.

This may be true but, the guy sure does not know his own limitations. The reality is he knows and the rest of the world knows that Styx has been and still is his only meal ticket. I would also say that if he was the one steering the ship years ago, we would not be discussing the band at this point.

But JY is an integral part oy Styx, they NEEEED him!..... oh wait, let's look at his writing credits;

Grand Illusion - 2 songs, 1 shared credit
Pieces of Eight - 3 songs, 2 shared credit
Cornerstone - 1 song
Paradise Theatre - 2 songs, shared credit
Kilroy Was Here - 2 songs
Edge of the Century - 2 songs, shared credit
Brave New World - 5 songs, shared credit (probably only because Dennis was in a different studio)
Cyclorama - 2 songs
Big Bang Theory - 4 of the 14 covers
The Mission - 2 songs, shared credit

Dennis and Tommy obviously dominated the songwriting of the band. And probably the music too, outside of "hey JY we need a hard riff or solo here, thanks!"

[tj]

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.

This may be true but, the guy sure does not know his own limitations. The reality is he knows and the rest of the world knows that Styx has been and still is his only meal ticket. I would also say that if he was the one steering the ship years ago, we would not be discussing the band at this point.

How does he not know his own limitations, yet knows that Styx is his only meal ticket. Sounds contradictory to me.

[Cassie May]

My impression is that JY is aware of his limitations, and has made peace with them, at least in the songwriting department. When Dan asked, toward the end of the interview, if Tommy wrote a lot, JY mentioned Tommy's bluegrass CD, and Gowan's solo records, and said that he just sits back and waits for the call for Styx to tour again. He didn't seem bitter about it at all.

[masque]

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.

This may be true but, the guy sure does not know his own limitations. The reality is he knows and the rest of the world knows that Styx has been and still is his only meal ticket. I would also say that if he was the one steering the ship years ago, we would not be discussing the band at this point.

But JY is an integral part oy Styx, they NEEEED him!..... oh wait, let's look at his writing credits;

Grand Illusion - 2 songs, 1 shared credit
Pieces of Eight - 3 songs, 2 shared credit
Cornerstone - 1 song
Paradise Theatre - 2 songs, shared credit
Kilroy Was Here - 2 songs
Edge of the Century - 2 songs, shared credit
Brave New World - 5 songs, shared credit (probably only because Dennis was in a different studio)
Cyclorama - 2 songs
Big Bang Theory - 4 of the 14 covers
The Mission - 2 songs, shared credit

Dennis and Tommy obviously dominated the songwriting of the band. And probably the music too, outside of "hey JY we need a hard riff or solo here, thanks!"

you act like that amount of credits is not an important thing......keep in mind that when they were releasing albums it was common for the albums to only have 7-8 songs.......so to be in a band with DDY and TS and get 2 or so songs per album pretty damn good.

also keep in mind that JY also had the all important opening track to 2 of their A & M albums with "put me on" and one of my top 5 all time styx songs "great white hope". if "they", they being DDY didn't think that what JY was doing was important then there is NO CHANCE he gets any opening tracks on any album or an opening track on side 2 of an album....just wasnt going to happen. Back in those days, album song sequence was gigantically important.

also, keep in mind that the sound of styx's signature background vocals is pretty much due to JY, plain and simple....if you like it then blame JY, it you dont, blame JY, because HIS voice is the one that stands out in nearly all of their big choruses.

much like Michael Anthony's voice is the signature sound of Van Halen's background vocals.

[masque]

[/quote]

That's fine with me. Almost 50 years in the band, grinding it out year after year through all of the changes in people and styles of music gives him the right to have his say. At least in my opinion.[/quote]

you damn skippy it does. well said.

[masque]

here's the thing that cracks me up;

if JY and TS were "non factors", "puppets of DDY"........."hangers on to DDY's incredible rise to the top talent".

and DDY knew "what was best for styx" and blah blah blah then riddle me this;

how did they "win" the lawsuit? in other words, how did they keep the name and the right to carry on with the name and DDY wasn't allowed to do so?

so it stands to reason, much like roger waters found out, that you may be "alpha" dog, but you aint the only dog in the pack, and the pack is still able to hunt and feed itself without you around. and maybe you should have thought about that.

and people can say what they want all day long about how "it isn't styx" without DDY, but nearly 19 years later they are still playing over 100 shows a year and still touring package tours every summer. so even without their "leader", their "talent", their "chief songwriter" etc. they have found a way to keep their business alive and in many cases thriving along just fine. anybody who thinks otherwise just simply isn't paying attention.

and since DDY gets to bill himself as DDY AND THE MUSIC OF STYX!!!! it would stand to reason based on many of everyone's opinions around here that he would be playing mega packed house, halls and arenas all over, since "everyone knows he was STYX".......then where are the crowds? he's playing smaller places than "fake styx" does and thus far, he's pretty much either been unwilling or not asked to do any classic rock package tours.

[gr8dane]

here's the thing that cracks me up;

if JY and TS were "non factors", "puppets of DDY"........."hangers on to DDY's incredible rise to the top talent".

and DDY knew "what was best for styx" and blah blah blah then riddle me this;

how did they "win" the lawsuit? in other words, how did they keep the name and the right to carry on with the name and DDY wasn't allowed to do so?

so it stands to reason, much like roger waters found out, that you may be "alpha" dog, but you aint the only dog in the pack, and the pack is still able to hunt and feed itself without you around. and maybe you should have thought about that.

and people can say what they want all day long about how "it isn't styx" without DDY, but nearly 19 years later they are still playing over 100 shows a year and still touring package tours every summer. so even without their "leader", their "talent", their "chief songwriter" etc. they have found a way to keep their business alive and in many cases thriving along just fine. anybody who thinks otherwise just simply isn't paying attention.

and since DDY gets to bill himself as DDY AND THE MUSIC OF STYX!!!! it would stand to reason based on many of everyone's opinions around here that he would be playing mega packed house, halls and arenas all over, since "everyone knows he was STYX".......then where are the crowds? he's playing smaller places than "fake styx" does and thus far, he's pretty much either been unwilling or not asked to do any classic rock package tours.

Exactly.

[Boomchild]

My impression is that JY is aware of his limitations, and has made peace with them, at least in the songwriting department. When Dan asked, toward the end of the interview, if Tommy wrote a lot, JY mentioned Tommy's bluegrass CD, and Gowan's solo records, and said that he just sits back and waits for the call for Styx to tour again. He didn't seem bitter about it at all.

I wasn't speaking of it in present time. This just clearly shows JY's opinion of the band doing full album releases. He has said he doesn't think it's worth it anymore. I believe it was around the time of the Regurgitation albums his point was he was not in favor of releasing full albums anymore. He was more inclined to do a new song here and there. JY's lack of presence (song wise) on The Mission supports this. I remember when I listened to that album thinking, "that's it for a JY song".

[Boomchild]

you act like that amount of credits is not an important thing......keep in mind that when they were releasing albums it was common for the albums to only have 7-8 songs.......so to be in a band with DDY and TS and get 2 or so songs per album pretty damn good.

also keep in mind that JY also had the all important opening track to 2 of their A & M albums with "put me on" and one of my top 5 all time styx songs "great white hope". if "they", they being DDY didn't think that what JY was doing was important then there is NO CHANCE he gets any opening tracks on any album or an opening track on side 2 of an album....just wasnt going to happen. Back in those days, album song sequence was gigantically important.

also, keep in mind that the sound of styx's signature background vocals is pretty much due to JY, plain and simple....if you like it then blame JY, it you dont, blame JY, because HIS voice is the one that stands out in nearly all of their big choruses.

much like Michael Anthony's voice is the signature sound of Van Halen's background vocals.

In my opinion, this is not really directly addressing the point. Granted even DDY has said Styx would not be what it was without the influences they had on each other. Having said that, it was TS that has been quoted as saying that JY was ALWAYS the last person to bring song ideas to the table for their albums. He also said that the MAJORITY of the time the material needed work (by others) to make it into something usable. Also, I believe JY has said that quite a bit of the material he brought to the table was rejected by the rest of the band. It's not a stretch to say that this would have a negative effect on someone with the type ego JY has.

[Boomchild]

here's the thing that cracks me up;

if JY and TS were "non factors", "puppets of DDY"........."hangers on to DDY's incredible rise to the top talent".

That's isn't what I am saying. What I have said is that when comes to song writing material, TS and DDY were the major players and deserve the lion's share of credit on that.

and DDY knew "what was best for styx" and blah blah blah then riddle me this;

how did they "win" the lawsuit? in other words, how did they keep the name and the right to carry on with the name and DDY wasn't allowed to do so?

They didn't "win" the lawsuit. The lawsuit was settled out of court. It was best for both sides to do so. It shortened the process as well as saved both sides tons of money in court litigation if it went to trial. On top of that, if TS\JY chose to fight it in court there would have been a possibility DDY could have obtained a injunction to halt TS\JY going out and using the Styx brand till the suit was settled in court. That would have been the last thing TS\JY would have wanted. They would had to either cancel tour dates or re-bill them as something else.

More importantly what you are not mentioning here is exactly what the lawsuit was actually about. I can tell you that it was not for DDY looking to gain sole control of the Styx brand. He knew based on the incorporation and agreements they signed he couldn't do so. What the lawsuit asserted was that TS\JY\CP were in violation of the current agreement they all had signed. Which was all band members had to agree on band decisions and actions. By not responding to DDY's repeated requests to sit down and hash out the issues they were in violation of the agreement. The other aspect of the suit was that DDY asserted that either directly or in-directly they were using DDY's image and voice (in songs) without his consent to promote a tour that he was not a part of. This may have been done by promoters selling the tour dates but TS\JY\CP had a legal obligation to ensure that was not occurring. You also had the financial aspect of things. DDY was protecting his investment and financial interest in the band. Anyone with that amount of investment in a business would have done the same as he did based on the circumstances presented to him.

[masque]

^ I agree completely that DDY had every right to do what he did legally and I would have done the same as he did. The point I am making is that I think he along with Roger Waters learned a very harsh lesson.....these guys can and will go on without you if has to come to that. I dont think roger or DDY ever believed they would or more importunely COULD. Nobody every wins a lawsuit, that's why I put in "quotations", to make that point......but the point is relevant, that nobody will ever get me to believe that if DDY could have actually truly stopped them from booting him out and continuing with the name playing live that he wouldn't have. as hurt and bitter as he was, I am sure he would have set his own ass on fire to keep them from doing.....point is that he was apparently wrong about where he stood and what power and what legal protection in had in place.

I am sure both of these guys thought "once people realize I'M not there, then that will be it." but in both cases, that did not happen.

and before anyone talks about the size of places they have played or attendance in recent years, then I would simply point out why does REO play to similar type crowds? Most of their heyday lineup is there, including their most known face in Cronin.

Outside of a handful of bands from the 70's and early 80's, none of them are even remotely capable of drawing more than 5,000-6,000 on their own. Hell most of them honestly can't even draw more than about 2500 on their own at this point. And here's the thing, if DDY had stayed in styx in 1999 and never was booted out, they would still be doing package tours with other famous bands to survive. They still wouldnt have the draw to go play the summer sheds on their own or as the headliner......they would still need journey or def leppard to be the headliner.......they may not have to swap out with REO or Foreigner on who is second billed, but really who gives a shit?


as for DDY and TS getting the lion's share of writing credit, you would have to be a damn fool to not agree with that......but my point is that what JY did contribute was more than an afterthought to their albums and to their live shows. His songs were very important during their heyday on those albums. no argument who the chief writers were, but JY was an important part of their sound. I just get tired of many on here totally dismissing him like he played no factor in who they were or why they were liked from 75-83.

as for JY's ideas not being as "fleshed out" as the others.....def lep says the exact same thing about Steve Clark's contributions but they also say those contributions were extremely important to the final product. JY may have not walked in with "Babe" already 100% done, but if he walked in with 75% of great white hope and 50% of queen of spades then he deserves a standing ovation from my ears.

[StyxGuy]

^ I agree completely that DDY had every right to do what he did legally and I would have done the same as he did. The point I am making is that I think he along with Roger Waters learned a very harsh lesson.....these guys can and will go on without you if has to come to that.

Context for those who don't know the RW/PF stuff. It's similar but also different from the DDY/Styx lawsuit.

Roger Waters wanted to end Pink Floyd totally. He left the band and when Gilmour and Mason wanted to keep Pink Floyd going, he sued claiming that "Pink Floyd" was a spent creative force and broke (the band, not the members) and therefore Pink Floyd should cease to exist.

2 years after the lawsuit, they met on David's houseboat, Roger was told Pink Floyd as a name held incredible value and he settled, giving Mason and Gilmour the ability to be Pink Floyd and giving Roger the full rights to the inflatable pig and everything that had to do with The Wall.

[Boomchild]

^ I am sure he would have set his own ass on fire to keep them from doing.....point is that he was apparently wrong about where he stood and what power and what legal protection in had in place.

He wasn't wrong about where he stood. The suit wasn't about trying to shut them down. It was about DDY protecting his financial interest in the band, his rights under the agreement they signed and their apparent lack of control of not using his image or references to him in promoting the BNW tour. They left him no choice since they refused to respond to his requests to sit down and discuss the situation. Based on what DDY has said about his former band mates and what that meant to the Styx brand, I highly doubt he was looking to shut them down or gain full control of the brand.

as for DDY and TS getting the lion's share of writing credit, you would have to be a damn fool to not agree with that......but my point is that what JY did contribute was more than an afterthought to their albums and to their live shows. His songs were very important during their heyday on those albums. no argument who the chief writers were, but JY was an important part of their sound. I just get tired of many on here totally dismissing him like he played no factor in who they were or why they were liked from 75-83.

as for JY's ideas not being as "fleshed out" as the others.....def lep says the exact same thing about Steve Clark's contributions but they also say those contributions were extremely important to the final product. JY may have not walked in with "Babe" already 100% done, but if he walked in with 75% of great white hope and 50% of queen of spades then he deserves a standing ovation from my ears.

No one is claiming JY's input was an "after thought". What is being pointed out is what TS had to say about JY's contributions to the song writing process. Again, he said JY was the last person to submit material in the process. I don' think that was complement. He went on say that a lot of times what JY submitted required work to make them usable. I believe it's possible that your 75% is most likely off as a general rule. This is going by what has been said by people that were there. Also what I think you are over looking is that many times what he brought to the table was rejected. Which by JY's own admission ended up on his solo projects. If that is the case we can see why the stuff was rejected. It also gives good insight into JY's own song writing ability when not helped by others.

[Toph]

here's the thing that cracks me up;

if JY and TS were "non factors", "puppets of DDY"........."hangers on to DDY's incredible rise to the top talent".

and DDY knew "what was best for styx" and blah blah blah then riddle me this;

how did they "win" the lawsuit? in other words, how did they keep the name and the right to carry on with the name and DDY wasn't allowed to do so?

so it stands to reason, much like roger waters found out, that you may be "alpha" dog, but you aint the only dog in the pack, and the pack is still able to hunt and feed itself without you around. and maybe you should have thought about that.

and people can say what they want all day long about how "it isn't styx" without DDY, but nearly 19 years later they are still playing over 100 shows a year and still touring package tours every summer. so even without their "leader", their "talent", their "chief songwriter" etc. they have found a way to keep their business alive and in many cases thriving along just fine. anybody who thinks otherwise just simply isn't paying attention.

and since DDY gets to bill himself as DDY AND THE MUSIC OF STYX!!!! it would stand to reason based on many of everyone's opinions around here that he would be playing mega packed house, halls and arenas all over, since "everyone knows he was STYX".......then where are the crowds? he's playing smaller places than "fake styx" does and thus far, he's pretty much either been unwilling or not asked to do any classic rock package tours.

What a completely bogus and full of shit argument. Masque, you are one whose opinion I somewhat respect because you don't fly off the rails like some of these idiots. But this one is waaaay out there. Here's the deal - Styx can only do amphitheaters if they combine with at least 1, preferably 2 other acts. This tour with Joan Jett is NOT DOING WELL. Let me repeat that. It is NOT doing well. There are tons of tickets out there. This is a played out act that cannot sell out anything by themselves. The band calling themselves Styx,when they have to play on their own, play 1500 seat halls just like DDY. And you know that is a bogus argument that DDY can outsell them when he doesn't have the name. Only the diehards understand the difference. Most people who think they are seeing Styx still think they are seeing the real thing. Come on Masque, you are better than this horseshit.

[Toph]

how did they "win" the lawsuit?

Is winning having to pay DDY every time they perform? #winning