DDY Audio/Print interview

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DDY Audio/Print interview

Postby sadie65 » Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:28 am

For those interested:

http://www.ourprattville.com/entertainm ... is-deyoung

Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, founding member of STYX, Dennis DeYoung’s singing talents have made his voice one of the most recognizable in the world.

DeYoung has sung and written such rock classics as: “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” “Best of Times,” “Show Me the Way,” “The Grand Illusion,” “Mr. Roboto,” “Don’t Let It End,” and People’s Choice Award Winner “Babe.”

In addition to his work with STYX, DeYoung has recorded four solo albums including “Desert Moon,” whose title track achieved Top Ten status.

DeYoung’s songs also have been featured in television shows and motion pictures: The Simpsons, Freaks and Geeks, Dharma and Gregg, E.R., King of Queens, Sex in the City, Detroit Rock City, Virgin Suicides, Disney’s Atlantis, Gold Member, and many more.

In 2008 a DeYoung-written musical of The Hunchback of Notre Dame premiered at the Baliwick Repertory Theatre in Chicago. The musical won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical.

Deyoung’s seventh solo album, “One Hundred Years from Now,” is being released on April 14, 2009 in the United States.

Our Prattville Publisher spoke on the telephone with Dennis on April 3 :

Dennis DeYoung audio interview

Melissa, this is Dennis DeYoung.

Hi, how are you?

Good, how are you?

I listened to your new CD, “One Hundred Years from Now” and I really liked it. It’s going to be released April 14, correct?

So far so good, sounds good to me…I’m all for it.

Okay, great. It was released in Canada in 2007, and it went to number one, is that correct?

That’s what they tell me. You know, it’s not a rumor I started. They actually told me that. So, yeah, it went to number one on the Pop, AC (Adult Contemporary), and the Rock charts, all three.I mean, you know, that’s amazing for a guy that’s as old as I am.

That is absolutely great.

I’m a hundred and eight.

A hundred and eight?

Yeah, so geez, no one has ever done that.

You don’t look that old. You really don’t look a day older than 80.

Well, thank you. I feel better about myself already. I would say 60 is the new 80 as far as I’m concerned.

I noticed that the new album is a little bit more of a harder rock.

Yeah, you got the new copy with “Private Jones” on it and all that, right?

Yeah, I do.

Yeah, it is. I think when it comes down to it…when I did my other solo albums I was still a member of STYX and I felt that I needed to carve out my own niche that was separate from the work that I had done with the band. Otherwise, what would be the point? Just go get a STYX album.

So that’s what I tried to do in my solo career and on this album I gave myself permission, obviously, since I have not been in the band for a while, that I could go back and revisit those bag of tricks that I brought to the band and make that kind of a record. And I was encouraged to do so by my record company up in Canada who…I guess there is an audience who still really appreciates that style of music. So, I actually set out to make that type of record.

That’s what I was wondering about because a lot of STYX fans see you as more of the pop side.

The thing is that I kind of evolved into that because, you know, I’ve thought about this a lot, having had time not to be in the band. It’s hard to understand how people’s perceptions are developed but I think it came from the fact that every member began to play a role like in any organization or any team or any club or even at your newspaper, right?

Right.

People assume certain responsibilities for the end product. And for me, I was the guy that seemed to have success with Top-40 radio…and so, obviously it began with the first song I ever wrote by myself and that was “Lady.” But, really in the early days before “Lady” was a hit and even sometime after, I was the guy who kind of directed the band toward the “art” rock. That was my contribution and certainly when I was less unsure who I was going to become as a writer and wrote more, I would say they were “art” kinds of songs.

But, then as the band evolved we kind of settled in – the three songwriters, to fill a particular need for the band. And that’s how I ended up being who I was. Not that I couldn’t do the other thing, but it felt like, you know, “Mr. Bojangles” would be in charge of this…the “Candy Man” would do that, you know what I mean?

Yes.

That was their roles to fulfill.

Right.

But, in this one, I felt like I could just go and fill all of the roles that I had filled at various times. One time I just put on a blond wig and danced around…but that’s another story.

Sounds like an interesting story, too. (laughs) On the intro to “One Hundred Years from Now,” the accordion in the beginning reminded me of “Boat on a River.”

Well, there’s an interesting story behind “Boat on a River.” When we were making an album which I always look at as a bridge album in our career, which was “Cornerstone,” it was my, I guess, influence on the band…I thought it was time for us to get away from hard rock, progressive rock, whatever you want to call it. I thought it had run its course. We had made 8 albums like that. And I felt that the music business was changing in such a dramatic way that it would be important for us to, in order for us to survive, to make a switch so that’s why “Cornerstone” as an album is more organic in that it uses acoustic instruments, less synthesizers, less hard rock pretention as the story goes.

And Tommy had written a song called “Never Say Never” that we had demoed several times and then he brought in…I had told him to bring in all of his ideas so I could listen to them…and he brought me a tape and he said this song here is not ready for STYX….which was “Boat on a River.” It was an acoustic song…he played an acoustic guitar. And I listened to it and I thought, wow, why not? It’s a great song. And so there were a couple of people that were “agin” it as they say, but I decided “to hell with them.” Tommy would sing it…he was obviously for it, so I decided let’s try it…let’s keep it very organic and that’s when the accordion popped out. Originally, I’m an accordionist. I started at seven playing the accordion. That really is the instrument I learned first.

And you taught yourself?

No, no, no, I took lessons for eight years.

I see.

I had used accordions in a couple of records earlier, but I just decided, hey, it would be perfect for that song and that’s how that happened and “One Hundred Years From Now” has an accordion at the beginning. I wanted it to sound like it had been recorded many, many years ago maybe in 1910 for instance.

Yeah. That was the crackling phonograph sound?

Yeah, as if a hundred years from now was about today…only it started a hundred years ago. That was the intention. That’s a long answer to an accordion story, isn’t it?

Well, it was a good answer. I went to school with Tommy Shaw, by the way.

How about that!

Junior High and Senior High right here in Montgomery.

Well, there you go!

He and his band played at several of our dances and proms. And I also saw Harmony play at Kegler’s Cove at Bama Lanes.

I don’t know who Harmony is.

Harmony was the band that he was in.

Oh, you learn something every day!

Right, with Eddie Wohlford.

Oh, I know Eddie, yeah.

And, as a matter of fact, Beth Nielsen Chapman took Tommy’s place when he left the band.

I’ll be darned. How about that?

Yes, I have some fond memories there of early Tommy. Do you currently have a relationship with him?

No, I don’t have a relationship with those guys in the band at all. It was kind of acrimonious. You know, when I got sick, they essentially decided not to wait for me to get better and to replace me, so we really haven’t had much…well, we haven’t had any contact for almost ten years.

Do you think if you hadn’t gotten sick you would probably still be with STYX?

Absolutely. We were making an album together…we were making “Brave New World” when this all happened. We were recording an album.

And you weren’t able to go on tour.

No, I needed another six months to try to get better and I just didn’t have the energy to do it. I think they felt that it was in their best interest not to wait.

Well, you know, even Pink Floyd reunited for one day back in 2005…do you think that might happen with STYX?

Well, it’s never been up to me. I’ve said from the beginning that if it had been up to me, I would still be in the band. But, it ultimately didn’t turn out to be up to me.

I really like some of your Broadway songs…

Thank you.

I think that “Memory” is probably my all-time favorite…

Well, here’s what you do. Go to You Tube and you type in Dennis DeYoung and baliwick and there are four songs from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a musical I had written that won the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Musical. So, if you like that kind of stuff, you can see the Hunchback music there and it’s from the actual stage.

Great.

And I’m working on another thing right now simultaneously with this “One Hundred Years From Now” album…I’m doing the music and the lyrics for A Hundred and One Dalmatians, the musical, which will start on the road in October of this year.

Oh, great. Do you like performing on Broadway?

I only did it once. I enjoyed it for what it was but, you know, they do eight shows a week, those guys, and the last time I checked in Genesis, God only had seven days in the week…so, you know, that’s how I look at it. I had a good time doing it, I had very good reviews as an actor, but I don’t really aspire…I’m a writer more than anything in my own mind and I would rather write than perform eight shows a week.

You’re with Rounder Records now, correct?

Yeah, isn’t that something…a guy, 62 years old with a record deal! I don’t even think my former colleagues have a record deal at the moment.

Why did you happen to choose Rounder?

They chose me. The CD, STYX Live, an orchestra CD…I don’t know if you ever heard that one or not. Well, that one was distributed by Rounder in the USA. And the President, John Virant, was a fan and we had a nice relationship and well, I guess he did well with that CD. So, when this one was released in Canada, he heard it and said he wanted to do it. And so that’s how it happened and I was quite surprised that anybody would give me a record deal. So, that’s the way I look at it.

The music business is not structured for people my age to really sell CDs. Nobody even knows what the music business is anymore. It’s falling apart in every imaginable way and it’s being replaced by a model that’s not as good. And you can quote me. And I said it the minute I saw it because with all of the faults of record companies, at least they provided a buffer and a filter from all of the crap.

Now, anybody who has a computer can be published. Most people should have to study music to write it, but that’s just me. If you think about it, anyone with a computer nowadays can be a published writer, if you think about it.

Absolutely.

And what is the prerequisite for that, a gift card at Best Buy? It’s the incredibly dumbing down of everything. Alright, I’m off of my soapbox.

I totally agree with you…blogs all over the place, they just write about anything.

Well, here’s the thing. Call me when someone starts to sell a million CDs over the internet only. Call me when that happens. Guess what…I don’t think so. It’s too easy to get it for free.

Who are some of your musical idols?

The Beatles. Everything that is everything is based on what they did and how they did it. You know, everybody else is second in my mind. But, I think the early influences on the band…are you asking me personally or on the band?

I was asking about both.

Three Dog Night, Crosby, Stills and Nash and probably on our guitar players, Jimi Hendrix…those were early influences on the band. But for me, I came from a very different background. I played standards before I played rock music, played accordion, so I have a different take on music. I’m a melody guy and you know, I listened to big band music growing up…I listened to all kinds of stuff, opera…I’m not an elitist about anything in music, as long as it’s good. I’ve no problem with American Idol or anybody else for that matter. If it’s quality, it’s quality. If it isn’t, it isn’t.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I don’t listen much. I listen to the radio. I bought a bunch of CDs recently when I started making “One Hundred Years from Now” from all of my peers who are making albums right now to listen and to try to figure out how they weathered the storm…had they seen their best days or were they still doing work, you know. But, beyond that, once in a while I hear something on the radio that peaks my interest and I’ll investigate it, but honestly, what am I to learn from listening to new bands because truthfully, while there is still good stuff being done…I’ve pretty much seen it.

Nobody’s going to come along, as least I don’t think, and reinvent something. My philosophy was by the 1970s before I ever made a record, almost every star in rock music had been defined. ..and everybody who came afterward just put their own spin on it. Now we’re forty years down the road from all of that and people have been putting their spins on it for forty years, so it’s hard to surprise somebody these days.

Were you always interested in music?

Yes, since I was seven.

As far back as you can remember, huh?

Yeah, the accordion was fascinating to me and it captured my imagination and then, off you go…

Were your parents supporting of your music?

Oh my God, please, my mother was Italian and that’s why I played the accordion. That was the law.

Do you have brothers and sisters?

I have a sister.

Is she in the music industry?

No, she’s a housewife, raised two kids in a successful marriage. That’s definitely an accomplishment.

Your son is in the music business, right?

My son is my lighting designer. He’s on the road with me. My daughter was my PR person for a number of years but she’s gotten out of the business. She works in health care.

I saw where he and you appeared in a movie, The Perfect Man, I believe.

Yeah, he was playing drums in it.

Was that the only time that you’ve been in a film?

Yeah, it is.

Not interested in a film career?

Well, I might have been when I was a younger man but I just never…I had a good job. I don’t know, I acted on the stage because somebody offered me the job. They came to me and asked me to be in it and I said okay. And so that’s why I did it. The same thing with this whole solo career I’ve embarked upon. A guy came to me with an idea right after I’d gotten removed from STYX and he came to me with this idea about the symphony show.

It was his idea and throughout the whole thing I had to be dragged kicking and screaming. I kept telling him, why would anybody be interested in me outside of the band. I guess I’m like Groucho – I didn’t want to belong to any club that would have me as a member. But, he convinced me to go forward and it’s beyond my wildest dreams…this thing that has happened to me since 2000, the last nine years. It’s so hard, you know I was fifty some odd years old, I was 52, and that’s a bad time to start a solo career in popular music. (laughs)

Well, you have a beautiful voice, so I don’t think it was that difficult for you really.

Listen, I’m going to tell you right now, talent has very little to do with it The music business is a business and it’s structured a particular way for a particular audience and it’s just really tough. It’s just tough to come out of a rock and roll band and…I mean, let’s face it if Mick Jagger comes to town and he’s playing at a small theater in Montgomery and if he comes with the Rolling Stones they will be in Birmingham at the outdoor…you know what I mean? People don’t confuse Mick Jagger with the Rolling Stones. They are different to them. And it’s the same thing with me only I would say more drastic. So, what’s happened to me has been a surprise…welcomed, nonetheless. So you like this record?
Dennis DeYoung - One Hundred Years from Now

Dennis DeYoung - One Hundred Years from Now

Yes I really do.

I like the lyrics. “Crossing the Rubicon” was the original title for the album and that’s probably my favorite song.

Yeah, I was going to talk about that. That means to “pass the point of no return.”

It does.

So…

That happens when you turn 60.

I was going to say…does that have a special meaning for you?

Yeah, I think. You know, I hadn’t made a rock solo album since 1988 so I didn’t really…you know, I did some records with STYX and I did some Broadway stuff…but, I didn’t have a forum by which I could be reflective in a way you would when you make a solo album and you have to have ten or twelve songs all about you in some way, shape, or form so I had a lot to reflect on when I turned 60 when I did this record.

And, ah, perspective on life, I guess. “Crossing the Rubicon” is about coming to terms with the past and knowing that you can’t really go back. You have to cross the Rubicon. Caesar got there. He knew he had to go. And do you know what the “estragon” line is in reference to? There is a play called Waiting for Godot…well, Estragon is the other character and so the whole play they are waiting for him to show up. And you can’t do that and I’ll not be like Estragon…a fool who’s waiting on some better day. You have to make your better day. So, that’s the philosophy there.

Speaking of better, you’ve been married to Suzanne for 39 years.

Yep, hard to even imagine. I met her when she was fifteen…I got lucky.

And she’s been with inspiration for how many songs?

Well, because of my relationship with her, even if she isn’t a direct inspiration, a lot of my songs have reflected on the relationship itself and what I know about life and what I’ve learned about being married…caring for somebody and having them care for you. I have written my fair share of love songs and you know, I’m always suspicious of people who can’t or don’t write them. Because I’m going to tell you something, Melissa, are you ready?

Yep, ready.

Cheap sentimentality…cheap sentimentality. Got it?

Got it.

Is still better than none at all. And you can write it down. You know what I’m saying?

Yes. I understand.

If I’ve got to face a world that is just negative and cynical all of the time, give me some cheap sentimentality. I prefer the sincerest kind. But, if I can’t get it, I’ll take the cheap stuff.

What is your next project?

Well, The Hundred and One Dalmatians which will probably be coming…the tour starts in October and it will be going on all over the USA and then it’s going to go to New York and play Madison Square Garden.. I’m working on that and like I said my album’s coming out…I’ll be appearing on the Bonnie Hunt show next week and I’ll be promoting, doing radio and you know, the schlep and my gigs and I go wherever they will hire a middle aged white guy to sing high.

Well, we’d love for you to come to this area.

Well, if there’s a promoter that’s interested…fans have to understand, you just can’t show up in your car…if there’s not a promoter willing to bring it all down there….so, if there’s interest, I’ll come to Montgomery. I’ve been there before.

We’ll just see what we can do about that, huh?

I’ll just come down there and sing “Renegade,” the hell with it!

Okay, that’s fine.

(laughs)

If you could just come to my house, that would be great…and sing “Babe,” that would be great.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

My husband wants to ask you how the White Sox will do this season.

Too many holes right now to make a judgment…a hole in center field, a hole at shortstop and second base. So, I don’t have the highest expectations. You tell him that the Bears just got Jake Cutler, so that’s good.

I’ll tell him that. He’s a little disillusioned with his Braves this year.

Well, they’ve had a good run, tell him. It’s been quite a baseball team for some time.

Maybe the White Sox will have a good run this time.

I don’t know. They had a good run a couple of years ago so that was good.

Well, Dennis, I sure do appreciate you talking to me today.

Alright!

Take care and keep turning out those albums.

Thanks!

Yes, thank you.

Bye bye.

Interview by Melissa Parker
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Postby chowhall » Mon Apr 13, 2009 11:21 am

My patience for Allan's interview is getting thin. This interview was great as usual from DDY.
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Postby KWH17 » Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:17 pm

I too can not wait for Allans interview. From the way he described it, it should be really good!

As always, the part that interests me most is when they talk about reuniting with Styx [call me overly hopeful :roll: ]. I'd expect some people in the industry to get mad talking about such things [heck if you bring up Dennis with JY he'd probably get mad pretty quick], but Dennis seemed more morose than anything during that segment. Not trying to bring the dead horse back for a fresh beating, it's just that the topic of bands reuniting [any band really, but especially Styx] just piques my interest.

It was pretty cool to get some info on the Dalmations musical, like an actual general date for its start! The Musical parts were pretty enlightening, but it was also pretty cool with the part where Dennis was talking about "Crossing the Rubicon". Overall, good interview, and Dennis is just as good as always!
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Postby stmonkeys » Mon Apr 13, 2009 12:59 pm

the band tommy was in back in montgomery was Harvest, not Harmony.
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Postby pinkfloyd1973 » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:55 pm

stmonkeys wrote:the band tommy was in back in montgomery was Harvest, not Harmony.



According to Wikipedia it was Harmony...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Nielsen_Chapman



In 1976, Chapman played with a Rock & Pop group called "Harmony" in Montgomery, AL, effectively replacing Tommy Shaw who had just left to join Styx. She played acoustic guitar and piano as well as providing vocals for the group in a locally-popular bowling alley bar called Kegler's Kove and she has returned to play in the area on an infrequent basis ever since.


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Postby StyxCollector » Mon Apr 13, 2009 2:59 pm

chowhall wrote:My patience for Allan's interview is getting thin. This interview was great as usual from DDY.


Do realize there are other factors at play here that have nothing to do with me at this point. It is transcribed and pretty much ready to go.

To that point, I will most likely be talking with DDY again later this week after some of his other promotion for One Hundred Years From Now he's doing earlier in the week.

So chill out. Dealing with an interview that big consumes quite a bit of time (in addition to the other factors that go with it) and when I have a job and other things I need to do which can and do take some precedence, it is what it is. I want it posted ASAP, too.

Shouldn't be much longer.
Last edited by StyxCollector on Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby pinkfloyd1973 » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:01 pm

pinkfloyd1973 wrote:
stmonkeys wrote:the band tommy was in back in montgomery was Harvest, not Harmony.



According to Wikipedia it was Harmony...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Nielsen_Chapman



In 1976, Chapman played with a Rock & Pop group called "Harmony" in Montgomery, AL, effectively replacing Tommy Shaw who had just left to join Styx. She played acoustic guitar and piano as well as providing vocals for the group in a locally-popular bowling alley bar called Kegler's Kove and she has returned to play in the area on an infrequent basis ever since.


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Don't mean to respond to myself but I just looked up Tommy Shaw on Wikipedia and there it says Harvest....so which is it? :?
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Postby KWH17 » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:31 pm

It could be a case where the band had a habit of changing its name frequently and went by both names at some point in their career. It's either that or human error is just as prevalent as it has always been. :P [Especially as it is on wikipedia]
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Postby StyxCollector » Mon Apr 13, 2009 3:52 pm

TS was definitely in a band called Harvest. It's possible he was in another band called Harmony as well, but Harvest was a real entity.
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Postby brywool » Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:15 am

Funny that the interviewer was from Pratville where Tommy first sang in front of people.
NO. He's NOT Steve F'ing Perry. But he's Arnel F'ing Pineda and I'm okay with that.
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Postby ItsMyLife » Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:34 am

StyxCollector wrote:
chowhall wrote:My patience for Allan's interview is getting thin. This interview was great as usual from DDY.


Do realize there are other factors at play here that have nothing to do with me at this point. It is transcribed and pretty much ready to go.

To that point, I will most likely be talking with DDY again later this week after some of his other promotion for One Hundred Years From Now he's doing earlier in the week.

So chill out. Dealing with an interview that big consumes quite a bit of time (in addition to the other factors that go with it) and when I have a job and other things I need to do which can and do take some precedence, it is what it is. I want it posted ASAP, too.

Shouldn't be much longer.


You're the guy that told everyone "end of March".

Get your shit together :wink:
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Postby StyxCollector » Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:29 am

ItsMyLife wrote:You're the guy that told everyone "end of March".

Get your shit together :wink:


Well, shit happens.

EDIT: Just got off the phone with Dennis; we chatted for a few minutes. He's going to do the followup questions in the next few days and then I'll post the whole shebang.

I'll say it again: DDY is a gracious guy.
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Postby StyxCollector » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:36 pm

The interviewing is DONE! Just have a bit of tidying up of the HTML and it'll be posted.

Off to bed ...
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Hey guys I am the interviewer - The band went by both names

Postby lissap53 » Sat May 02, 2009 5:21 pm

Hi,

Just to clarify, Harvest changed their name to Harmony after Tommy left and Beth joined.
I was technically incorrect though the spirit of the article is not damaged since it was the same group of folks minus Tommy plus Beth.

Harvest = Harmony = A great band either way...

P.S. If you have not listened to the audio you are missing a treat.

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