Styx, once again, isn’t part of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class. Not that it surprises co-founder Dennis DeYoung. He blames writers who never thought they were cool, a wrong-headed initial management plan to avoid the press, and the essential subjectiveness of fandom. He also notes that Joan Jett’s biggest hit wasn’t an original composition. And he throws in a bit of Latin, too.
“Fans of bands like Styx, Journey, Boston, Foreigner and others are stuck with the fact that the people who decide who is worthy of induction are for the most part the same ones who never liked these bands,” DeYoung says, via Facebook. “Anything said by any of us who were in those groups in defense will sound like sour grapes — no matter how valid the statistics, how persuasive the arguments. Music is subjective. As the Romans said: de gustibus non disputandum est, which kinda means ‘to each his own, said the lady as she kissed the cow’s ass.’ This is the thing I remember most from four years of high school Latin — that, and amo amas amat.”
Styx has been eligible to join since 1997. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was co-founded, of course, by Rolling Stone magazine’s Jann Wenner, and Dennis DeYoung infers that the magazine’s general emnity for popular turn-of-the-1980s acts — don’t call them corporate rock! — lingers in the selection process.
Still, Styx didn’t do itself any favors early on. “Writers are adept at making unknown acts they prefer into a big deal, thus giving them pumped up identities,” he adds. “Styx’s former manager not only distrusted the press and ignored them but went one step further and actively antagonized them. He and I had many a heated discussion over his policy. My view was simple: As individuals, we had worthy opinions and were not without humor or charm — and we should find those in the press willing to give us a chance. We finally revolted as a group and in 1981 hired the Howard Bloom PR firm, who did a masterful job in publicizing the success of that tour and album. But by that time, the image — or, should I say, non-image — had been established.”
As for one of this year’s most notable inductees, DeYoung says: “I looked up Joan Jett, only to find that she did not write her biggest hit, [1982’s] “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” but a band named the Arrows did. Wow! I did not know this. Their version, nearly identical to hers, is on YouTube.” Jett’s two follow up singles, “Crimson and Clover” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me,” were written by Tommy James and Gary Glitter, respectively. She later scored a Top 40 hit with an update of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People.”
Lest you think Dennis DeYoung has any lingering bitterness about Styx’s latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snub, however, he ends with a witty quip. “On a related matter, on a recent visit to FBI headquarters I went through a facial recognition apparatus only to hear the operator proclaim: ‘Sorry, Dennis, this machine can’t find your face.'”
- Angell & Crane, “Himalayan Dial-Up” from ‘Angell & Crane’ (2024): Video Premiere - November 22, 2024
- Michael Attias, “Avrils” from ‘Quartet Music Vol. II- Kardamon Fall’ (2024): Streaming premiere - October 11, 2024
- Bryn Roberts, “Aloft” from ‘Aloft’ (2024): Video Premiere - September 20, 2024
Styx ruled!
Where do I even start with the reasons why Styx aren’t in the R&RHOF? Two lead singers who both sound like they came from Alvin and the Chipmunks, all the lyrical and compositional pretensions of prog bands without the requisite virtuosity, and paving the way for CORPORATE ROCK (let’s call a bloody spade a spade) bands like Journey, Boston, Foreigner and others are just scratching the surface.
It’s about fame and success, Styx sold millions upon millions of albums. U don’t have to like them, but respecting their accomplishments is what Halls of fame SHOULD be about, not subjective tastes. As a musician for 39 years, there are many hall inductees in which I don’t care for their music, but respect their accomplishments. Your view is as ignorant as the very people keeping bands out for personal reasons, rather than accomplishments. If sports did that, a ton of those inductees would left out.