Year 1996

December 20, 1996

Hi there,

Sorry but I have not been spending much time on my computer lately.

It looks as though STYX will be releasing a Live Album with 2 new songs and touring (only 40 shows opposed to 75)  to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Grand Illusion before taking time off and recording a completely new Studio Album. And we will be looking for a network to broadcast our new STYX: Live At The Rosemont Horizon concert  video after the first of the year before making it available for purchase.

These are our tentative plans. Remember, plans can change! But this looks like the way it will be.

Have a happy holiday season...

Tommy Shaw
 
 

September 10, 1996

Greetings Friends,

Thanks for stopping by. My friend Kim has been so kind to put this page together for my French speaking friends.

The tour is 7 shows away from being finished. In some ways, it feels like it only began a short while ago, yet in other ways, it has connected me with so much of the past, it has really changed my life. It is something I was not sure would ever happen again.

Jeanne, my dear lady, asked me 3 years ago, "So, why don't you get back together with STYX?" I said, "It will never happen. Too much water under the bridge. Too complicated." Well, so much for that. When the day came, as fate would have it, all it took was a phone call from J.Y.

I was back at Jack's and my studio up in Santa Rosa, California when I got the message that JY had called. We finished our work, took a lunch break and I called him back. He told me that the band wanted to re-record the song LADY, and put it out on the Greatest Hits (part 1) CD that A&M wanted to release. It was a real surprise to me, and I hardly knew what to say, but something inside of me knew I had to do it.

I asked about John because I knew he had not been in good health. I had also heard rumors about him that were disturbing, and JY confirmed that John's participation was indeed a question mark. If John was able and interested, we wanted John to be there. (As it turned out, this would be the first contact with Todd. He did such a great job re-interpreting John's original performance that it fooled me when I came to town and heard the track. I did not play on the track, I only sang the high part in the choruses and one harmony with Dennis De Young in the second verse, something that evolved from playing the song in concert over the years).

I told Jack about the call and he agreed, it was something I should do. He's a good man, Jack Blades. He knew, even before me that this would likely lead to other STYX business. Damn Yankees was stuck in the changing of the guard at Warner Brothers and there was no way the band could do anything for the next 6 months or so until it was settled.

We were called upon to go to New York to do some television and radio shows as well as other press that came up while we were there, to annouce the release of the Greatest Hits CD. While in the green room at The Today Show, we were warming up with the acoustic guitar and started singing LADY. you should have seen the way everyone stopped talking and some technicians literally raced into the room to see if what they were hearing was real. It was somewhat startling after all that time, but it made an impression on us all.

My manager, Charlie Brusco and I were talking a few days later about what I would be doing next. He mentionedthat he could not believe the response Damn Yankees had gotten when we played RENEGADE when he last saw usperform (Charlie and I had only recently begun working together, right after SHAW/BLADES). He knew better thant anyone what the situation was with Damn Yankees and said, "What do you think the rest of the guys in STYX would think if you asked them about touring with them this coming summer?" What a thought. It haunted me. I said, "Check around with some people (agents, promoters) and see what the reaction would be." He said he would, but he predicted there would be a very positive response. He got mixed reviews. The agency who had last represented STYX was not very enthusiastic, and said perhaps we might open for REO. That didn't make sense so he asked my agent, Dennis Arfa, what he thought. And so it began.

I made the call to JY about touring. STYX had no current manager and I had to tread lightly on the subject of having my personal manager getting involved. Managers are absolutely critical to a band's success or failure, and it sometimes takes a fatal amount of time before you know if you have made the right choice. But  Charlie is amazin, the greatest manager I have ever had, and I felt confident in his own ability to present himself. And in time, after many hours under the microscope as well as some amazing numbers and statistics he produced quite credibly, the bright members of STYX came to like and accept Charlie. Before we knew it, we were in Dennis DeYoung's kitchen, with the most powerful team of expert road men we had ever assembled, with drawings and set designs, lighting grids, etc., and were having to take a leap of faith. All we had was good men and women's faith that we would do well, and we knew that no matter what, we wanted a show that would live up to the high standard we had always set, one that would put the smiles we were so accustomed to seeing on our fans' faces. So we said, "Let's make it big..."

Next step, leaving home. Jeanne and I had just sold the big house lower down in the canyon and bought thesmaller one up high with the big yard and the view. We were redoing the dilapidated '51 contemporary, no small task. We thought it would be finished in 3 months, in time to move out of the rental house in the valley, move into the new one, and pack the bags to go rehearse and go on tour. Not so. We moved out of the rental and into the two rooms that were somewhat inhabitable -- the kitchen and the bedroom/bath, opposite ends of the house. The middle part was a construction site. Two days later, I left for rehearsal, leaving Jeanne behind to deal with the ongoing renovation. After 2 & 1/2 weeks off rehersal in the suburbs of Chicago I returned for 3 days to change out my suitcases for the 2 & 1/2 months it would be before we returned to Los Angeles for even a day. I don't know how Jeanne handled dealing with in the house. The dust and lack of privacy got to me before the sun went down. But 2 days later we packed up Bubba, a ton of luggage and went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to open the tour.

The tour has been a huge success. A renewal. At the time we first discussed even the concept of touring, we heard that KISS might be going out and we assumed REO would. That was our only indication of what became the summer of nostalgia and what would become a glut of bands who, seeing the success of the early summer shows, regrouped and called their agents. From some reports, there are several who did not take it very seriously and that is unfortunate for the concert audience as well as the bands who did. But, just as there is always room for more love in the world, the same applies to music. They are the same...

Being back in STYX has spun my life in many ways. All good. There have been many adjustments and I am sure  many adjustments lay ahead. Such is life in a band, especially one with such a history.

The other band members have matured. We are all a bit more mellow, philosophical and understanding now, 13years later. And we have a deep appreciation for each other, sort of like leaving your brothers, sisters, mother and father's home to strike on your own. Once you see what it takes to have your own home, your own support system, etc., you view your family a bit differently. Sure you know everything there is to know about them. Too much. But you realize that you have a connection with them that is unlike any other you will ever have.

In 1991, I had my little run-in with STYX in Syracuse. After we sat down and spoke our minds, I remember saying to them all as theyprepared to leave the hotel, "You know, no matter what other things we may do, when one of us dies they aregonna say, 'Hey, that guy from STYX died'". We laughed but I think we all agreed.  And so the tour draws to an end. It won't be long until we regroup to commence pre-production for the next studio  LP. There are also many other things on the horizon for STYX, so keep checking in to see what's next.

See you again soon!

Tommy Shaw
 

August 29, 1996

We are now in Quebec city and I am enjoying the view from my room on the 18th floor of the hotel. We flew today from Montreal and the only passenger was the owner of the airline. Bubba seemed to not be very thrilled because he refused to look out the window. I am not sure if dogs really grasp the concept of air travel...

We were thrilled to perform for Montreal fans on Tuesday night at the Molson Centre. A beautiful hall with great acoustics and the perfect place to see and hear STYX. Now we return to Quebec for another show in what has to be the most beautiful city in Canada. We will be sad to leave tomorrow, but it has also been a long time since we played Toronto. That too should be fun.

I would like to thank Kim for the effort she has put into this site. She is a great person who has the respect of STYX, as well as the record company in Canada, who took care of her and made sure she got in to the show Tuesday night. I look forward to working with her to bring you some insight into my life and my music. We will soon have personal photographs that should be interesting to look through. You NEVER know who you'll run into out here or what events take place as you go from city to city on tour.

As we near the end of this tour, we are preparing for the day when it all stops. No matter how many times you go on tour, eventually it ends and it ends abruptly. Whammo, it's over. It is always a case of culture shock, no matter how you prepare. So for the next few weeks, we are all taking in every moment as best we can, and looking down the road to decide what is next for STYX.

In a couple of weeks I will be deciding between several projects that lay before me. Each one something I would love to do. As soon as I know what I will be doing, I will let you know, via this page.

Until then, have fun and enjoy life!

Tommy Shaw