Issue #3 of the newly launched U.K. magazine Rock Candy features a candid interview with ex-STYX vocalist and keyboardist Dennis DeYoung where he makes an emotional plea to his former bandmates to get the classic lineup back together. DeYoung, the voice behind such STYX classics as "Come Sail Away", "Best Of Times", "Pieces Of Eight" and "Babe", used the interview with respected British rock journalist Derek Oliver to urge Tommy Shaw, James "JY" Young and Chuck Panozzo to put their differences with him aside. And he wants the classic STYX lineup to reunite for one last tour, a tour that would surely play to packed houses worldwide. "The fans want a reunion and I've wanted one every day since I was replaced," DeYoung — who was forced out of the band eighteen years ago in 1999 — told the British magazine. "I never wanted to be a solo artist. Still don't. I like being on a team and that's what a band is like. It's us against them, strength in numbers, and sharing the success and failure." "After being replaced in STYX, everyone around me encouraged me to try and stop them legally," he explained in an emotional interview. "I just couldn't. It would have been like suing myself and I held out hope they'd ask me back. They toured under the STYX name for a year and a half before I initiated legal action. I didn't sue for money or use of the name. I simply wanted back in the band." DeYoung recognizes that there are some significant hurdles to get over if every pomp rock fan's dream is to become a reality. But he firmly believes the classic STYX lineup — DeYoung, guitarists and vocalists Shaw and Young and bassist Chuck Panozzo (drummer John Panozzo sadly died in 1996) — would be able to serve up an unforgettable live show. "I haven't spoken to Tommy or JY since 1999," he admits. "But it's in their hands. Imagine one last tour with the original cats! I think there might be some interest." Read the entire article in issue 3 of Rock Candy, available online only at this location.
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