Lawrence Gowan Of Styx Had Too Much Time On (His)Hands

He’d been waiting for me for an hour as the interview time was scheduled prior to the time change from Daylight Savings Time to Eastern Standard Time.  Let’s just say I entered very tentatively but thanks to his magnanimous personality, we began talking with ease.

Article and photos by Belinda Glass Hinton unless otherwise noted.

STYX has been on a bit of a multi generational journey of late.  While they didn’t exactly go anywhere, having been actively creating albums and touring since 1972, they have taken a few short breaks 1984-1990, and 1992-1995. They haven’t disappeared from the landscape as a staple of Rock and Roll.  They also hold the distinction of having released an album a year for the entirety of the 1970’s.  That’s pretty impressive in anyone’s book.

Once you’ve been there it can be a struggle to get back but STYX navigated the trials more like speed bumps than detours.  Now with sold out shows and even a brief stay in Las Vegas at the Venetian, where they will be playing their album The Grand Illusion in its entirety along with various hits.

After a quick clarification of what happened I used about thirty seconds to let out my best fan girl summation of my admiration of him and Styx to get it out of my system. I concluded that watching him play was magical.  If you’ve ever seen Styx live, you’d probably agree.

You wouldn’t know by his soft spoken and gentle personality in the interview that he was anything like the mad man with the spinning keyboard on stage.  It’s quite a contrast.

After the long and gruelling Summer schedule “We’re back to doing shows on our own and that’s going pretty well.”

“One of the great things about Styx is I’m just as entertained at the show as everyone else. I have to try to keep my focus, but when I look across the stage, you know this is a very entertaining band to engage with. What works for me is, and there aren’t often nights that this happens, but I’m just feeling ‘I don’t know if I’ve got it in me tonight’ But as soon as the Show starts or we’re about three songs in I’m like what was I thinking? It’s nonsense because this is the best place on the planet! There’s nowhere else I’d rather be at this moment. I can’t have that  kind of energy, keep that bottled up and not express that in some way. So, It comes out in all kinds of ways during the show. Luckily you seem to be one of many of the people that find some entertainment in that.”

Indeed, I am lucky. I agree wholeheartedly.  I could attend and photo this show hundreds of times and not tire because of the energy from the stage and the audience.

It is inspirational, (you)  come away with a positive sense of well-being, but I would add there is some sadness linked but not in a way that is detrimental. For example the last couple of nights we’ve been playing ‘Man In The Wildernes’ again. It’s a song that invokes this great feeling of melancholy. I’m a man in the wilderness, a soldier off to war not everyone can relate to that but I feel like a soldier could. People can put themselves in the narrative, if that’s what you want to call it, and somehow apply that to their lives, and in so doing it’s some kind of melancholy feeling.’ Blue Collar Man’ that’s another one give me a job give me security. Everyone’s had that feeling but it doesn’t have to end on a sour sort of ending. It ends with you feeling connected to the song and that’s where the positivity and uplifting feeling comes from. It’s that connection to understanding.”

Do they have some new music in the works?

“We always have new things on the burner but the time and the inclination  we have to put this up there’s just so much, but if the time and the inclination lines up there there will be a new album forthcoming.”

“I have a bunch of letters after my name ARCT( The Royal Conservatory of Music). Istarted training rather intensely most intensely during the ages of 15 and 19 I spent no less than 6 hours a day on the piano and then spending three hours a day studying things like counterpoint and harmony. Everything that pulled all those aspects of music together having said all that I eventually got that degree in classical piano and performance. Really it was to become a better and more well-rounded musician. Particularly a songwriter where I could come up with and not be intimidated from going to various musical directions because I would have the tools available to try to do that. At the same time I love the simplicity of rock music and how it is such a immediate hit with people and resonates our current time. Rock music  has become the great statement of the last half of 20th century. It  was definitely the music of my lifetime ( that)  lasted into this century. Classical foundations I wanted to make sure I had those in my musical vocabulary so to speak.” 

I asked if he thought formal training was a positive or a negative or both and if so why?

“Well one of my favorite bands, the Beatles, none of them really had any formal training. They just found a way to express themselves. For me being a keyboard player especially when I was a teenager in the early ’70s when I had suddenly seen Rick Wakeman, Tony Banks and Elton John all these piano players and a majority of them studied at The Royal Academy that made me suddenly think ‘Oh, maybe classical music is part of where their depth of technical ability comes from’. So depending on your instrument,if you want to play something more intricate the answer is both.  Go out and experience life there is a trueity to that.”

He’s been in STYX for a quarter century plus now. It’s hard to imagine a band holding together that long much less an individual surviving the intricacies that are the pre-built relationships of other musicians before they’re arrival.

“I joined in April of 99 so I’m 6 months into my 26th year legendary group that’s been around for more than half a century.” I mentioned that I would use the hokie expression they are aging like fine wine. Which is response was: “there’s definitely some fermentation going on or actually some any kind of fermenting food that has some health benefits.” He laughs heartily. I compared them to the penicillin of rock.  He agreed and again laughed with me. “Yes there’s some healthy mold.”

Are there any plans to do a live album since you guys are doing so much? Just a curiosity question.

“Since The Mission in 2017 we’ve been recording all of our shows live”. So they could put out one at any time we’ve done a lot of that. I suspect,  I’ve been told that there will be a live album in a couple of years.  Do you enjoy live albums, Belinda?”

Well he got to know me fast. I do. Sometimes I’m so deep in the moment that I don’t hear the music and I miss certain songs that I really love because I’m so hyper focused on the photography side. One thing I do remember that I didn’t tell him was when he was singing lady directly to me.  He’s quite the showman as was the rest of STYX.   I mentioned they hadn’t produced the live album in over 8 years and maybe it was time. He laughingly said that he’ll “bring it up at the next general meeting.” So if you get a new live STYX album in the near future, that was me. I also asked for a rock opera. Why not? If any group is capable of creating that, STYX would top my list.

Larry also credits the vinyl resurgence for the art form. “A forty minute experience that leads you from one song to the next It’s almost like reading a book instead of an article or  a very short story. It’s very philosophical it carries you on a musical adventure and journey.”

We discussed how the new generation may have not had an opportunity to experience that art form and how maybe the resurgence is coming. “Well that’s what we hear a lot of time our younger crowd is 50% of the audience and they say that their favorite STYX  album is Crash of the Crown because it’s the first one they’ve heard, or that they may have only known Too Much Time On My Hands, Come Sail Away and Renegade,  Maybe Grand Illusion. They might yet have not experienced listening to the whole album. Pieces of eight Paradise Theater. That will just further cement their devotion of that and get them off their phone and go and listen to an entire album.”

Then I brought up the only slightly awkward subject of where does he see sticks going from here. Let’s be realistic there’s many bands that have quit just this year and it’s hard to interview artists that have been around as long as sticks without brooching the subject.

“No one in the band has even used the r word retirement hasn’t been mentioned by anyone That’s why we’ve never done a farewell tour It’s just not in our vernacular at all. At some point the gods of rock will bring the curtain down on us whether we want it to or not. While we enjoy doing this because we all agree that we do. If you’re going to be away from home for over half a year every year it has to be something that’s really of value and worthwhile to be doing  and playing music in front of thousands of people every night as we do as part of STYX and I do as a solo artist 15 or 20 shows, It’s something that feeds our souls.  Quite frankly Belinda and we see that from the stage that it’s doing that thousands of people and we do that daily. People with their arms in the air asking for more and you realize ‘well this was very worthwhile endeavor’. We went through it because we’re all feeling great as long as we’re feeling that way, I don’t want to stop.”

I know that sometimes what you see on stage is not what you get in real life.

“That’s exactly true 100% true there is still a show going on and I can’t believe what’s going on in real life. Real life will intercede and stop us one at some time from being able to continue and we’re aware of that. We’re not blind to that at all until that comes upon us we’re forging ahead.”

Aren’t we all at this point?

Catch up with the tour and other news on various platforms here:

http://www.styxworld.com
http://www.facebook.com/styxtheband
http://www.twitter.com/styxtheband
http://www.instagram.com/styxtheband
http://www.youtube.com/styxtheband

About the author:
Belinda Glass Hinton has been a professional photographer since 1985.
Photographing her first main stream music shows at 18. Subsequently she has built a successful photography business that landed her a coveted role on the Miller’s Professional Speakers team.
Her work has appeared on album covers, movie posters and magazines covers world wide.
Her forward thinking has been the basis for several other endeavors including introducing Santa to the Bass Pro Shops from 2005-2008.
Leaving most of the high volume business behind to focus her first love, music in 2012.  For the last 10 years she has taken only boutique jobs and is the US Content Editor for Music Injection 2019-2023 and was a contributor from 2009 forward.