Oh No Did I Listen to Come Sail Away by Stix Again

NEWS | FEATURES | PREVIEWS | EVENTS
By Spotlight Central

originally published: 06/16/2020

Vocalizer/songwriter/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung is a founding member of Styx and the lead songwriter on a vast bulk of the group's hits. Since leaving the band, DeYoung has toured with his ain group, and has as well just released a new 2020 solo album,26 Eastward, Volume 1.

Spotlight Central recently caught up with DeYoung and talked with him well-nigh his years every bit a budding musician, his rise to fame with Styx, and his thoughts on his most recent musical project.

Spotlight Key:You were born in Chicago. Did you abound upward in a musical family unit?

Dennis DeYoung:No — although where my dad grew upward they had an old spinet piano, like then many homes in those days did. My dad was born in 1917 and he learned, miraculously, how to play by ear. He e'er played in the keys of C# and F#, using predominantly the blackness keys.

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Spotlight Central:2 of the toughest keys to play in!

Dennis DeYoung: Aye, and to watch it was a marvel; he could play "Begin the Beguine," with both hands. But, you know, then much of life is timing, and I always say I was lucky by birth. My dad probably had innate musical skills that were never allowed to flourish because of the Depression. In those days, everybody had to quit high school at the age of fifteen and get out and help their families provide for food and lodging.

And I don't know if in that location were any musical skills on my mother's side. While she was alive, she used to say that my talent came from God because he was making up for the fact that her parents were deaf. She was raised in a dwelling house where nobody spoke. Isn't that fascinating?

Spotlight Central:It is! You lot're one of the almost notable keyboard players in rock, only it'southward said you taught yourself how to play keyboard. Is that correct?

Dennis DeYoung: I taught myself how to play pianoforte, but I played the accordion and took lessons for 7 years. When I was 13 years old, I stopped, only I took music lessons, and I can read music.

The keyboards on the pianoforte and the squeeze box are almost the same — it'south just that one's vertical and ane's horizontal. It can have an incredible corporeality of patience to acclimate to that because squeeze box players never utilise both thumbs, so to exist able extend one's hand and plow information technology took a not bad deal of patience to practice.

I am not a pianoforte player — I'm non a pianist in any way — I'thou only a guy who plays the piano to write songs and back-trail himself when he's singing. If you wanted me to sit downward and play 45 minutes of piano without singing, I couldn't do it, only if you wanted me to sit down down and play 2 hours of accordion, I sure could.

Spotlight Primal:Growing upwards, what kind of music did you listen to?

Dennis DeYoung: The music in my business firm was, essentially, Glenn Miller and the striking parade of the '50s. My parents liked swing music. But music was non in any manner, shape, or form, vital in our family.

One thing I do call back growing up, notwithstanding, is my parents had a "gang," I estimate I would call it — a big group of friends that always got together — and there were like 25 or 26 of them. This went on for years, and whenever they got together, they'd sing in harmony! Information technology was beautiful. They'd do "Down by the Old Mill Stream" and all the old songs, and everybody would sing together, like [sings "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad"] "Someone'due south in the kitchen with Dinah…" Remember that one? They did all that stuff, and it was beautiful.

So I tin can't really say I had a big musical background. And the reason I played accordion was considering a neighbor, Georgie Rozinski — a Smoothen kid who ultimately became my godfather when I was confirmed a Cosmic — played accordion. He was most six or seven years older than me, he had an accordion, and he was right next door, so when he came over, he played that thing. Yous have to remember: the accordion was extremely popular in the '50s. In those days, a guy could sit in that location and play piano accordion all by himself and could entertain you lot. It was similar playing the piano today, y'all know? And my mom, who was Italian, was thrilled when I started playing the accordion. Then I played it and I saw that information technology made my mom happy, and that's what nosotros desire to do, right? We want to make our moms and dads happy.

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Spotlight Central:Speaking of the accordion, yous started a group that was, essentially, an accordion trio, which morphed into the ring, Tradewinds, and then morphed over again into the ring, TW-4. Isn't it true you wrote your get-go song, "So Long Now," for TW-iv?

Dennis DeYoung: Aye, that's the very kickoff song I wrote. This was afterward The Beatles. Before The Beatles we didn't play rock and ringlet, but in '64, nosotros saw those guys and — y'all know, The Beatles invented the modern rock band — then we saw them and said, "Yeah," and that's when I started writing songs. I think I wrote one or two songs, only I wasn't a songwriter. I was basically a guy who imitated other people and played their music. That'due south what TW-iv was.

Spotlight Central:A cover band.

Dennis DeYoung: Totally. You lot had to be in a comprehend band in those days to make coin. All the guitarists that joined our original trio of John and Chuck [Panozzo] and me — joined a band that had gigs. The iii of us started playing weddings and anniversaries and parties, more often than not for older people. Nosotros played music from the '30s, '40s, and '50s out of a black volume which they called a "imitation book," and that's how nosotros made a living. I was a born performer — equally I like to recall of myself — and nosotros were very proficient at entertaining crowds. And, then, every guitar histrion wanted to join us because we had gigs — and then, somewhen, we morphed into a rock and scroll cover ring.

Spotlight Central:TW-4 ultimately became Styx, merely before the group met with such large success, you worked as an elementary school music teacher. Were you an afoot teacher — traveling around to different schools and working with lots of different kids — and what kind of music did yous teach?

Dennis DeYoung: I was a district music teacher, and there were 4 schools in our district. They would divide the yr up into quarters and, basically, I worked as a music appreciation instructor — I wasn't the band director or the choral director — although I ended upwards doing some of that because I was responsible for things like the spring musical play, or whatever it was dorsum and then. But I was essentially education music from the Baroque period to the 20th Century — so it was actually music history that I taught — and then when we got to the 20th century, I introduced the kids to rock and ringlet, merely that wasn't until the very end.

Spotlight Central:It'south great y'all were able to requite the kids such a wide background in music history.

Dennis DeYoung: Well, I came up with my ain lesson plans.

Spotlight Cardinal: Y'all developed your own curriculum?

Dennis DeYoung:Yeah, I did what I wanted to do, because — run into, what happened was: when I was getting ready to graduate from college, my good friend, Randy, who had graduated a half-year before, was teaching in this school commune. And Randy said, "Dennis, you should come and interview with the principal of my school. Our music teacher just got fired." So I went to the interview and the principal hired me before I had even graduated! I said, "What do you lot want me to do?" and he said, "I want you to make the curriculum your own." And so I went in there and simply made information technology up! I figured, my whole life, that'south all I always did was make things up; I actually didn't know what I was doing. But I guess I concluded up getting abroad with an awful lot, don't you lot think?

Spotlight Central:Sure! And speaking of making things up, in 1972, yous wrote your outset large hitting, "Lady," for your wife, Suzanne, on a small Wurlitzer electric piano in your garage. Do y'all retrieve how the idea for that song came to yous?

Dennis DeYoung:Non being a songwriter — although in 1970, when "J.Y." [Young] joined the band, we started writing songs together — the only song I'd written past myself during that period was a song called "I'thousand Gonna Make Yous Experience It," which got onStyx 2. But other than that — and you probably know this — if you lot're a slave to sheet music when you grow up, y'all don't use your ear! Every bit an accordion player, you don't have to, considering you're ever in melody, but you know, I have the worst ear — the worst ear always.

Spotlight Central:We would never think that after seeing and hearing you sing and play.

Dennis DeYoung: Well, meet how good of a faker I am? Listen, I know people who you can play a progression of chords for and they'll tell you what chords y'all're playing — I have guys in my band who could play that song subsequently one or two listenings. Not me, though — no way! I'thousand pathetic. But I think that gave me the power of ignorance. If you lot hear a chord progression, and you recognize it immediately, when yous go to write music, you may in some ways be burdened by that, maxim, "Oh, that'sthat song!" But not me! I'm similar only wandering around in the dark saying, "Oh, that sounds original!" — it could take been somebody else's song, but for all I know, I don't even know that!

But yous know what I tin practice? If you play me a series of chords, my friend, I tin can sing four different melodies to them! And they'll all exist decent. I hearmelody. Whenever there's a chord — whatsoever chord progression you can play — in time, I tin can sing you a melody. I one time idea everybody could do that, but they tin can't.

Spotlight Central:No, they can't! And speaking of melodies — for someone who doesn't consider yourself that much of a songwriter — yous managed to keep to write all these slap-up hits for Styx: "Lady," "Babe," "Mr. Roboto," "The Best of Times," our own personal favorite, "Come Sail Away," and many more than. Given the fact that you don't consider yourself a songwriter, do yous take ane yous're particularly proud to have written?

Dennis DeYoung: No, not actually. I'thousand pretty piece of cake — you know? If you scratch my ear, I'll follow you. If I do something and people like information technology, I'thousand in. You know what I hateful?

Somebody just sent me a review of my new album — a friend of mine up in Canada, who's a writer — and he was the first to go on record calling my latest album a "masterpiece." I gotta tell you lot, throughout my career, I don't call back I've always heard that discussion associated with anything I've e'er done, in real time — just that word has shown up four or v times in the reviews I've seen.

And so he sends me this thing, and I'm reading it, correct? — and I'm thinking to myself, "Well, ameliorate late than never!" I oasis't been one to be fortunate plenty to have people rave about my music in print for well-nigh of my career; it'south just been continued with the people who heard information technology — the regular people — so I said, "This guy writes a beautiful review," and I think to myself, "Well, if you lot like me, I similar you!" [Laughs] That'southward it — there's nothing more to it.

Spotlight Central:And speaking of your new album,26 East, Volume 1, we empathize the title comes from the accost where you grew up in Chicago — 26 East 101st Place. You, pretty much, did everything on this album from writing and performing it to producing and mixing it, didn't you?

Dennis DeYoung: Yes, but it'due south not whatever dissimilar from my terminal album,100 Years from Now.For folks who don't know that one, they should go listen to it; if they like me, they'll like that i.

When I was in Styx, fromEquinox on, I was the primal figure in the band during the recording process. On the records, information technology e'er said, "Produced by Styx," and that would be true, except I was the nigh of import element in that. I was the guy who, basically — through my leadership qualities — was trying to indicate the band in the direction I thought would be the best for us musically.

When we didStyx II, in that location were seven songs on the album — five of the songs were mine, "J.C." [Curulewski] had two, and "J.Y." [Young] had none, which is why I had him sing two of my songs. When I thought it was so roundly rejected past the audience — considering it was a terrible stiff when information technology was get-go released — I idea they hated what I was doing. Information technology was my first foray into beingness an actual songwriter, arranger, and thinker of music in terms of how to put out a record. And and then when it was so horribly rejected, I spent the next two albums thinking people hated me — you lot know, it was similar Sally Field, just the opposite, "They hate me. They really detest me."

Working on the adjacent two albums, I constantly thought about that. You know, you desire success; you want people to like you. And then when "Lady" became a hit accidentally andStyx IIwent gilded, I went "Aha! They do like this thing!"

That's when I, kind of, took the leadership of the ring, and and then the mixing and the producing — believe me, the arranging and the playing of all those great Styx albums was a collaborative effort by all of us — ok? That was not me. That was us! Just of the "us," I might have been half of that, if you know what I mean. I was kind of saying, "OK, I think nosotros tin do this, I think nosotros can practise that," trying to forge the sound of the band.

And when I idea about doing this album,26 East —the new album — I didn't desire to do it. It took three years for my co-writer, Jim Peterik, to talk me into it, because I knew it was going to exist too much work. These days, the reward for most people who exercise a stone album is zero, because rock and roll radio in this country is gone. You tin't reach people with new rock music, for the about role, in the United States. And I think that'due south pretty much true beyond the globe, likewise.

I'thou happy to play "Come Canvas Away" and "Renegade" for my audiences. The members of my audition are steeped in their boyhood, which is understandable. They want the music to remind them of what they believe are the happiest times of their lives — costless of impossibilities, free of the chaos of the world.

And so, to brand new music, I thought, was foolish, but Peterik talked me into it, and I'm glad he did. It allowed me to say goodbye to my audition. It allowed me to accept one last become-round at what I've always washed, and it turned out well for me. But, really, it's a fool's errand these days to try to make new music — y'all tin can't reach the audition; it's about impossible.

Spotlight Central: Well, one of your new songs that reached us — through the Net — is the one yous just did with Julian Lennon, "To the Skillful One-time Days," which has this bully Beatle-ish kind of feel to it.

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Dennis DeYoung:Look, I'one thousand gonna say this, and it'll sound like I'm bragging, but I believe that back in 1981, that would have been a hit record. But we're in a unlike era now, so equally much as I like that song — equally great as it is to me — to get the kind of traction y'all'd like to see present is very difficult. Radio is merely not geared for music similar that anymore — information technology'southward for popular stars, rap stars, and some country stars — sadly, rock music is expressionless to the media.

Spotlight Central:Well, how tin can nosotros put this? We've seen your alive concerts. Live concerts tin actually bring people dorsum in time, but in many cases, they can besides enable artists to introduce new music, also — like the new music you currently have coming out. What are yous doing now that you're not able to do alive concerts since they're currently suspended?

Dennis DeYoung:You know, the odd thing is since concerts have been suspended, I've been forced to stay in my family unit room. And because fans on my Facebook page recently asked me to exercise a song from my house, I did "The Best of Times," and I don't know how it happened, only information technology caught fire! I didn't do anything — and you tin't repeat it; it was lightning in a canteen — but over 1,100,000 people in the last four or five weeks accept watched this video, and I merely was like "What the hell?"

Spotlight Fundamental:Nosotros saw it!

Dennis DeYoung: Yeah, well, how did it happen? You tin't indistinguishable that! I did another song, "Show Me the Way," and at that place were about 100,000 or so views, and that'south really wonderful, just "All-time of Times" actually resonated with people. And let me be honest with yous. The comments? "All-time of Times" has over viii,000 comments which, for YouTube, is a lot in such a short period, because for "Renegade" — a vocal that'south been up in that location for eleven years — there are around 9000 comments.

Plus, what people are saying on there makes no sense to me! I see these sentences and I come across my name in them, but I don't know what my name is doing in at that place. They've attributed — how should I say this? They've put me on a pedestal that I couldn't perchance have climbed up on my own.

Spotlight Primal: Well, you have a tremendous fan base! We write a lot of stories about music, and we constantly talk to people who know music, and so many of them take specifically contacted us to say, "You'vegotto talk to Dennis DeYoung."

Dennis DeYoung: [Laughs] Can you give me their names and their numbers? I've got to become to know them!

Spotlight Central:Sure — but commencement, we accept ane concluding question for you: We know you're scheduled to perform a live concert on October 17 at MPAC in Morristown, NJ. Is there annihilation you lot'd like to say about coming out and playing for all the folks who tin't wait to see you perform live again?

Dennis DeYoung: I tell everybody that my new bout manager is the CDC. I'm just like everybody else. Nobody's goin' nowhere 'til we're all sure that it's safe. I could prove upwardly there in October and there could be 20 people in the audience, considering the residuum of them are scared to show up. This is something where — yous know, everyone says, "Nosotros're all in this together?" — well, we all know that'southward horse shit; some people accept it a lot worse than others.

That said, nosotros are all in this in that we are all susceptible to the virus. Then I'm similar all the other musicians and promotors and everybody else in the music business organisation who've had their jobs come up to a screeching halt. Everyone has said that these big concerts — and sporting events, too — will be the last things to come back. And so if you lot're planning to come up run into me in October or November, all I tin can say is: Keep your eyes and your ears open up, considering events will dictate what happens —not my willingness or my desire to play. I'one thousand powerless over it.

Spotlight Central:You want to be out there doing it.

Dennis DeYoung: Sure! And, you know, I released this new tape, and non existence able to tour is disappointing. But really, what's a mother to do? Moms can't fix this. This is just a clear reminder that no matter how much we endeavor to delude ourselves, the reality of our existence is that nosotros, as human beings, are finite. We know this. Nosotros are all merely these heaps of meat held together by cord hurtling through the universe — nosotros're the bracioles of the universe — that's what we are.

Spotlight Cardinal:Merely at to the lowest degree nosotros have the music to go on united states going!

Dennis DeYoung: That'south right — and that'south why we love information technology! It makes usa feel good. It connects us like no other art class — none! Take your favorite volume. You tin can listen to your favorite vocal 100 times, right? Of form you lot tin! But I cartel you to read your favorite volume 100 times, or lookout your favorite movie 100 times, or look at the Mona Lisa 100 times? — [laughs] If you do, you'll say, "She still looks the same!" — but every time you lot heed to music, it transports you.

To acquire more about Dennis DeYoung, please become to dennisdeyoung.com. For information on Dennis DeYoung's concert -- now rescheduled for March 5, 2021 at Morristown, NJ's MPAC — please click on mayoarts.org.

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Source: https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/2020/06/16/come-sail-away-spotlight-on-styx-founding-member-dennis-deyoung/

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