dumb, stupid luck. I've got some of that
going for me. I've really been focused my
whole life on taking care of the vocals. I
don't smoke, don't drink and I didn't do
drugs, so that helps, and when I was
younger, I hired people to yell at my children so it wouldn't hurt my vocal chords
(smiles).
IE: Are there any songs in the set list that
surprised you during your revisitation?
ferent versions than any other Styx song.
Every kid who has a roll of tinfoil and an
antenna does some kind of imitation of
"Mr. Roboto" and it's crazy because I
never thought of it as a single…Elevenyear-old-boys loved it in 1983 and 11year-old boys still love it in 2014. I look
into the audience, and if parents bring
their kids to see me, that's the song baby!
Styx circa 1981, DeYoung (right)
IE: How about the most meaningful song
11•2014
DDY: We do "Don't Let It End" acoustically, just me and Jimmy for the most part.
It's really, really nice and I think I like it
better than the original. I rarely say that
because I don't care what anybody says, if
Eric Clapton had released "Layla" acoustically first, it wouldn't have been a hit.
That's my opinion of when you try to do
something completely different. But
"Don't Let It End" does work better. I
think I'm singing it better, it's more intimate and it's lovely.
IE: What's your biggest crowd pleaser
these days?
DDY: The response from "Mr. Roboto" is
stunning. I honestly thought that would
never happen, but they really do love that
song. This is what I used to say about
being in Jesus Christ Superstar after being
in it for six months. "I can't explain it, but
you can't deny it." If you went to YouTube
to find "Mr. Roboto," there are more dif-
to you personally and also the one fans
seem to be most moved by?
DDY: Well "Lady" changed my life. If I
hadn't written it and it hadn't became a
hit record, I wouldn't be talking to you,
but I think probably "Come Sail Away"
means the most to people. There's something in that song lyrically that connects
with people. And all artists get this, not
just me, where people sincerely come up
to you and thank you for the music
because it changed their life fundamentally and it saved their life fundamentally.
You hear that and you think "I was just
t