Thursday, April 18, 2002 | 8:34 a.m.
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When it comes to talking about his former bandmates in Styx, Dennis DeYoung is taking the high road.
And, he said, he hopes others will, too.
"I've said this before, but I really want all Styx fans (to) forget about whatever they've heard or seen about these individuals because, really, the story can never be told quickly," DeYoung said.
"And I want them just to rejoice in the music that was created because that's really what's most important. I'm proud of the body of work I was part of and I want people to enjoy it as long as they choose to."
It would be easy to forgive DeYoung if he had anything negative to say about his former band. He was unceremoniously kicked out of Styx in 1999 by the only remaining members of the group's classic lineup Tommy Shaw and James Young -- both of whom made sport of in DeYoung in a subsequent VH1 "Behind the Music" episode devoted to the band.
"We were in the midst of a divorce and (Shaw and Young) agreed to do that piece," DeYoung said. "I got a letter from MTV Networks saying they were going to be interviewed for VH1's 'Behind the Music' and I was stunned that they would do it at that moment.
"Ultimately, I don't know why anyone, anywhere, would denigrate something that was so successful and so loved ... I don't get it."
But DeYoung has moved on. He has gone solo and is booked for 30-plus concerts around the country. DeYoung is performing tonight through Wednesday at MGM Grand's Hollywood Theatre, with his band and accompanied by an orchestra.
Relaxing on a recent afternoon in the theater, the 55-year-old DeYoung was mostly smiles and jokes as he discussed his life with Styx and his forced departure in 1999 from the band he helped form 38 years ago as a Chicago teenager, along with brothers John and Chuck Panozzo, neither of whom are in the band. (John passed away in 1996, and Chuck is on a "leave of absence.")
Still, there are those brief moments when the memories get to him -- particularly near the end.
DeYoung had spent a year on the road as part of a Styx reunion tour in 1997. By the end of the tour, the singer/keyboardist was exhausted. Plus, he was dealing with the death of his father in December of that year, along with working on solo projects.
"I was emotionally and physically spent," he said.
A month later in January 1998, DeYoung developed a case of influenza, which he said lingered for a year and sapped his energy. Even while Styx recorded a new album in 1998, DeYoung was tired and frequently required breaks during the recording session.
It was clear he was in no condition to tour, which the band wanted to do in 1999.
So DeYoung, who wrote a majority of Styx's hits -- "Babe," "Come Sail Away," "Lady," "Grand Illusion," "Best of Times" and "Mr. Roboto," among others -- was kicked out of the band because he was not able to tour with them.
He filed a lawsuit in October 2000, which was subsequently settled out of court a year later. As part of the agreement, DeYoung is not allowed to discuss the case. But it is clear he is happy with the result.
"Everybody is moving forward with their own individual lives, separate from each other," he said. "That's the way it's going to be."
As proof of his new career outlook, part of DeYoung's show is focused on his work outside of Styx: three original solo albums, all of which were recently released in the Universal Hippo Records' Ultimate Collection series; an album of Broadway songs, "Ten on Broadway"; and a CD from "Hunchback of Notre Dame," an original stage musical he wrote a few years ago and performs the male leads on on the accompanying disc. (The show has only been performed once, in 1997 in Nashville, Tenn.)
"I'm out here playing the songs I wrote, songs I sang (that are) nobody else's -- except I do a couple Gershwin songs," he said.
In fact, DeYoung said, the show is basically an "Evening With Dennis DeYoung."
"It's different than in a Styx show because it's all about me and my personality," he said. "So, I recommend ... if you don't care for me, don't come, because I'm virtually the whole show."
As for performing Styx songs without his old band, DeYoung said his new group will play the songs as "authentically" as they can be played.
"I've got great singers backing me up and great players and it's me singing the songs I wrote," he said. "I'm not pretending to be something else -- that is what it is."
But, DeYoung acknowledged, the same cannot be said of the new Styx lineup, which opted to bring in another singer/keyboardist to replace him.
"For me, as a fan, I would want to see the members who created the music on the stage together performing it. I think that's really the secret to the Rolling Stones' longevity. In every band there are key members. I can't imagine seeing the Stones with either (Mick) Jagger or Keith Richards missing.
"I think it's important to have the key members on the stage. But I could be wrong."
So will DeYoung ever rejoin his band? It is safe to say the probability of a Styx reunion is not looking good.
"I would never say never, but from what I gather, the two remaining members of the band are happy not having me in the band," he said. "So, I suspect that's probably the way it'll stay."
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