http://www.styxcollector.com/tssterling93.html
This is one of the most telling stories about how Styx and the guys in the band work... right from Tommy's mouth. I haven't read the Sterling book, so this is "new" to me
TS: I don't know. I think I know . . . I think he (JY) was really mad because when I joined Damn Yankees I had been discussing the possibility of re-joining Styx. But I wasn't very excited about it, because I still was feeling the same dynamics . . . you know, it was, "Here's what I want. . . here's what I want." There was never any discussion of, "What would you like?" So I didn't feel particularly emotionally attached to the possibility, and so when Damn Yankees came along, all of a sudden I was totally hooked emotionally. Because musically, socially, and in all things it was like the old days of being back in MS Funk. It felt like a band. And I never really got back to those guys about the reunion. JY was very, very upset about that. My experience with those guys is, as intelligent as they are, their one downfall is their difficulty in forgiving and moving on. Once you have gotten on their bad side, you're pretty much locked in that position.
Difficulty forgiving and moving on.... like with Dennis in 1999 Tommy?
SW: The albums say "Produced by Styx". Does that mean that each of you produced your own work?
TS: We each spent more time on our own songs, but Dennis was the guy, he was the anchor there. He knew more of what he was doing than the rest of us did. Knowing what I know now, I see what he was doing then. But at the time I didn't understand why he would just keep working at things. I just wanted to move on to the next thing. Dennis had a real vision, and he knew which song to put more emphasis on to get it through.
SW: Was he as pushy as people portray him as being?
TS: Not pushy, I just think focused. You've got to be able to keep things moving when you're making an album. You just can't keep taking little side trips, otherwise you lose your edge.
SW: Quite a number of people have potrayed him to me as someone they don't like very much.
TS: I think Dennis is very likeable. You know, not everybody gets his humor. He's a very bright, very charming guy. Except for when he's mad at me, I enjoy being around him.
SW: So what is it about him that seems to rub so many people the wrong way?
TS: Well, he's very confident, he's very intelligent, and he suffers no fools.
SW: Sincerely, a lot of people feel like he thinks he's the Lord of the Earth and they are just peons.
TS: (Laughs). I know Dennis better than that, and I know he can come off like that. But I have a lot of respect for Dennis. I think there's more to Dennis than what people know. I think he has more talent than has been appreciated.