Speaking In Code To Avoid Censorship

I'm noticing a trend on social media, particularly on YouTube. People are now speaking in code in order to avoid censorship through AI and the algorithm. When you use certain words, apparently they have ways of shutting you down, and you could ultimately be suspended. This is where technology is taking us.

One of the content creators I enjoy on YouTube covers music. The problem is, what's happening in the world right now is crossing paths with the music industry in a significant way. Concerts are being canceled due to the health concerns brought about by the pandemic and the reactions to it. Last year, we weren't able to have concerts at all. This year, we can have them, but you have to follow their rules to do it.

Anybody asking questions is basically being told to trust the science. The problem is, what science are you supposed to trust? Do you go around and research what different scientists are saying and come to your own conclusions, or do you merely listen to the scientists they parade out on TV? Who has the authority here? Who do you trust?

The person covering music would rather talk about music. He covers a style of music that doesn't get much recognition these days. He likes to tell us about the new bands that are out there playing that style, but of course most people went to listen to the old bands play the old songs. What's gotten his attention is some of those old band members who are giving people medical advice, and he disagrees with them. 

My concern is that we ought to be able to have a discussion about things without mincing words. We should be able to say what we mean, not get cute by saying terms like "do the thing". One of the principles our country was founded upon is the freedom of speech. If we can't talk to each other and make ourselves clear, we're not getting the full picture when we make our decisions. We're given propaganda and told to accept it.

It didn't start with the current pandemic situation that we're going through. It started before that. It was used to stifle certain political opinions that some people couldn't handle. Because people are actually generating significant revenue making videos on YouTube, they're not taking a stand against what's going on there. At least ways, they're not doing it in a meaningful way. Instead, they are speaking in code in order to sneak past the censors.

This does make me wonder about something. At what point do we say enough is enough and stop bowing down to the censors? At what point are we free to give our honest opinions? Nobody says I'm right simply because I believe differently than you do. It's just what I believe and the way I live my life. You may see things differently. We are coming to a point where if you don't believe, think and do as you're told, you are deemed a threat to society. Is speaking in code really the way to fight this?

The Defining Moment Of Luke Skywalker In The Star Wars Trilogy

The Defining Moment Of Luke Skywalker In The Star Wars Trilogy

I've heard debates about who is a "Mary Sue" type of character in Star Wars. Obviously, Rey is the one character people bring up the most. I'm not going to get into that, or how the Disney Star Wars sequels served to undo the great moments that occurred in Star Wars before they got a hold of the franchise. Luke Skywalker is no Mary Sue, and I can prove it with his defining moment. This was in Return of the Jedi, and Luke had to do something he knew could get him killed.

Luke wanted to save his father. This meant he was going alone to confront him on The Death Star. Not only would he face Darth Vader, but he would also face Emperor Palpatine. Luke was out matched. He simply didn't have the training or the ability to defeat them by himself. He didn't go there to kill anybody. He went there to bring Anakin Skywalker back to the light, and all he had was the belief that he could do it.

The problem was Anakin had been on the dark side for so long. Darth Vader was ruthless, and nobody wanted to cross him. As powerful as Vader was, Emperor Palpatine was even more powerful. He pretty much controlled and manipulated Vader. His reasoning for wanting Luke on The Death Star was because he wanted to turn him to the dark side as well. Skywalker was aware of that, but he was also aware that there was still good in Darth Vader. He believed his father was still there.

It's hard to imagine the courage that Luke had. Many of us fantasize about being in moments like that. Luke knows that he may not return from this mission. All he has to go on was is faith and his love for his father. It's hard to imagine that he would believe that strongly in a man that he never really knew. Of course, he's also trying to do this for the rebellion, but this is a family matter. He wants to save his father.

We see the scene play out. Luke and Vader are trading blows. Luke stands toe to toe with him, but he has a stronger will. He will not bend to the dark side. As proof of that, when he gets the upper hand on his father, he refuses to deal the death blow. He will not kill his father. Vader understands in that moment, because he failed that test years ago. Luke has a strong enough will to deny what The Emperor asks of him. He will not kill his father, and so The Emperor decides he must kill Luke

If Luke is wrong about his father, he's dead now. The Emperor will easily dispatch of him. Seeing his son in agonizing pain as Luke calls out to him, Anakin Skywalker finally emerges. He will not allow The Emperor to kill his son. Though he still believes it's too late for him, he does what must be done to save his son. It's a sacrifice that ultimately ends Vader's life, but Luke Skywalker lives. The Emperor has been defeated.

This was no Mary Sue moment for Luke Skywalker. This didn't require amazing skills with a light saber. It didn't require brute force. It required the risk and potential sacrifice of his life. Luke may have believed he would succeed in his mission, but he had to know that he could fail. He had to know that this might be the end of his life. For him to step up and do what needed to be done and to risk it all for his father and for the rebellion, makes this the defining moment for Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy.

I think this is part of what made the original trilogy so amazing. It wasn't just the special effects, but the story being told. As much as George Lucas tried to recapture that in the prequel trilogy, he didn't quite get there. It's still a good trilogy in many ways, but it doesn't compare to the original despite looking better visually. By the time Disney got around to the story, the heart and soul of Star Wars was gone. There really was no big moment like this scene on The Death Star with Luke and Vader. Furthermore, the scene at the end of the Disney trilogy serves to almost destroy Vader's sacrifice and gives the ultimate win to The Emperor.

The Importance Of Panozzo Brothers To Styx

I was listening to one of Dennis DeYoung's interviews. One thing about the former lead singer and founding member of the band Styx is that he's charismatic, funny and an entertaining guy to listen to. Despite the fact that he's released two albums in the last two years, you can tell he's very keen on reuniting with Tommy Shaw and James Young for one more tour with the band Styx. 

I think one thing fans of his would like if there is no reunion is for him to play some of his new songs live and change things up a bit. When you understand that he's basically touring for nostalgia's sake, it's obvious that this isn't something that's likely to happen. I'm beginning to wonder if there's a possibility that he could get Chuck Panozzo to appear with him and his band for some shows. I get the feeling that it's possible.

When Dennis talks about the magic created by the classic lineup of the band, he points out the importance of the roles that James and Tommy both played in making the band who they are. One of the stories he tells is how the other band members wanted to continue to tour as Styx after Tommy Shaw walked off of the Kilroy Was Here tour. The other three members were keen on doing it, but Dennis felt Tommy brought something to the band that couldn't be replaced. 

When you listen to his interviews, Dennis talks about the importance of songs, and he definitely doesn't short change the abilities of either Shaw or Young. What he isn't doing is talking about the importance of Chuck Panozzo on base or John Panozzo, who has since passed away, on drums. He talks about how the songwriters are more important members of the bands, and I can understand that. However, the non-songwriters frequently contribute something to the formation of a song, even if they don't get credit. 

When you look at a band like Kansas, for example, it wouldn't exist today without founding drummer Phil Ehart. He was the glue keeping that band together from the moment it was formed, and he's the person who assembled all of the talent to make the band in the first place. Founding guitarist Rich Williams has been there with him the whole time, but these two performers didn't write any of the songs the band is known for. They did contribute something here or there, and the band Kansas simply would not exist if it wasn't for them.

I don't know the dynamics of the band Styx, so I'm not sure how songs were formed and what little contributions were made by people who may not have had writing credits on songs. Did Chuck add a baseline that the writers didn't have in mind? Did John change things up on drums in a way that they hadn't planned? Are there any lyrics that the two might have contributed to a song? I don't know. When they talk about those days, they don't really get into what Chuck or John brought to the band. 

I think it's rather funny that Styx continues the narrative that Chuck Panozzo and John Panozzo formed the band Styx. It's laughable, because it's highly unlikely that we would have heard of either one of those two had Dennis not heard them practicing one day. This is when The Tradewinds were formed, and they were a cover band. Even Dennis wasn't the Dennis that we know today. However, it is fair to say that the band wouldn't exist without John or Chuck. They were the inspiration for DeYoung to pursue the dream of creating a band and making music.

With John and Chuck, Dennis learned about playing gigs and they became better musicians. Dennis learned about crafting good songs. The importance that Chuck and John Panozzo have on the history of Styx is undeniable. This band wouldn't have existed without them. I would also go so far as to say that kicking Dennis out of Styx might not have been possible if not for Chuck voting with James. At that point, Tommy didn't have a say, so Chuck was needed in casting the vote to move ahead without Dennis.

In my opinion, any band that becomes famous is the sum of the whole. Many times, there might only be one chief songwriter who crafts the songs. Sometimes there are two. There may be one lead singer or two. The singer and the songwriter are generally the ones who get all of the credit for the fame a band achieves. In some cases, the lead guitarist will get that love, and oftentimes the bass player and the drummer might not get any credit. People sometimes assume that you can put anybody on base and drums and achieve the same results.

Styx was the sum of all of their parts, and they all were important to the band's success. In the case of this band, it wouldn't have been formed without Chuck and John, and they were there as it evolved, got the record deal and achieved the fame. I count myself among the fans who would like to see a reunion of the classic lineup, but the reality is we will never get a complete reunion. This is because John Panozzo has since passed away. I have a feeling that John may have played a more important role in this band than we've been led to believe, but I'll save that speculation for another time.

Closed For Storm Documentary Is Worth Watching

 

I watch quite a few independent content creators on YouTube. Among the things I enjoy are the urban exploration videos about abandoned malls and other places. I also like looking at the history of things that started out with so much hope and ended up going away. Some of the stories you see are heartbreaking. 

One of the content creators I enjoy is Jake at Bright Sun Films. It was probably through him that I saw a video talking about Six flags New Orleans. It's heartbreaking to see what remains of the place after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans hard back in August of 2005. After the hurricane went through, there was so much devastation. Some people still haven't fully recovered, and it's been 15 years. 

There was a restructuring of the corporation, and Six Flags used the hurricane devastation as an excuse to bail out on the New Orleans location. Maybe that wasn't evident at the time. Only a week before the hurricane hit, the park was open and it was business as usual. It seems pretty obvious now that the corporation behind the theme park was looking for a way out, and the devastation caused by the hurricane was a good excuse. This is only part of the story that is touched upon in this documentary. 

It seems to me that the amusement park was built on a dream and the belief that it would help elevate the surrounding community. The vision was to make it a tourist attraction. The park really didn't have much of a chance. It was only in operation for about five years. The people behind the idea in the first place all went bankrupt of left, and it eventually ended up in the hands of Six Flags. The sad reality is there was no plan for how to proceed after the devastation left by the hurricane.

This abandoned theme park obviously struck a cord with Jake. He does 15 to 30 minute video documentaries on YouTube, and they're quite good. If you check out his page, I'm sure you're going to see one topic or another that would interest you. When it came to making his foray into a full-fledged documentary, he knew that it had to be about Six Flags New Orleans.

This is no expanded YouTube video. The production quality is much better. The camera work, editing and even the soundtrack are very well done. The documentary takes you from the idea of an amusement park in East New Orleans to the realization of the dream. You see actual footage of the park being opened. You hear the story of the original investors pulling out or going bankrupt and Six Flags taking over. You see the optimism surrounding Six Flags being involved with this park.

What I like is that not only do you see the effects the hurricane had on the amusement park, but you get a glimpse of just how hard it impacted the city of New Orleans itself. They make a trip to the park to look at it as it stands now, and It's haunting to see some of those images. From there, we hear what they've been trying to do with this location since the hurricane hit, and it's enlightening. It's amazing how slowly the bureaucracy moves. 

There are so many points I could cover here, but I find it better to recommend viewing the entire documentary. I was moved by the lady who went on a crusade to bring the amusement park back again. They were taking proposals, and after nine years of making her effort, it's sad to see how it all went down in the end for her. You'll see where everything is as of 2020 when the documentary was shot.

I'm in full support of the independent content creators that are out there. This includes people who make entertainment properties via YouTube and other platforms, but also people who make mini documentaries. This is where Jake started with Bright Sun Films, Closed For Storm takes his passion for documentaries to the next level. I hope he continues beyond this project, because he truly has a knack for what he does. I would recommend this documentary to anybody.

 

Closed For Storm Home Page

 

Bight Sun Films YouTube Page

Something To Consider About David Lee Roth

There's a bit of controversy about David Lee Roth being removed from the current Kiss tour. Gene Simmons hasn't come right out and said that Dave can't sing, probably because he'd be opening up a big can of worms regarding the vocal abilities of Kiss. This gives me pause to forward an observation about Roth. 

Billy Idol did an EP prior to releasing his self titled debut album back in the early 1980s. There's a whole interview on one side that he did with Martha Quinn of MTV. He talked about Robert Plant and Mick Jagger, and he said something interesting. I don't recall his exact words, but he said that Robert Plant can sing and Mick Jagger can't. Why does he listen to Mick Jagger? Because he can't sing and he sounds great. 

For long time Van Halen listeners, here's a good question for you. Name the great Roth vocals on any Van Halen song that would hold up against the best vocalists in rock music history? I'm waiting. My answer is he was never a great vocalist. Some might say that's blasphemy, but I'm going to be honest here. 

As a vocalist, he was okay. I'm not saying he didn't sound good enough on many classic Van Halen songs. The bottom line is I can admit Sammy Hagar was a better vocalist than Dave, but I'd rather listen to Dave's Van Halen any day of the week. Basically, I'll paraphrase Idol when I say Roth can't sing and he sounds great, or he did back in those days. 

When everybody was throwing a fit about Dave during his Vegas residency, I listened to his vocals. They weren't great, but they were hardly screechingly bad either. They weren't what they would have been 30 years ago, but even 30 years ago they wouldn't have been earth-shattering. I don't think he butchered his songs, and the people who paid to see him got exactly what they wanted to see.

I know it's not a major revelation here, but people are paying for nostalgia. My generation has the disposable income and will pay more for concert tickets. Many people want to be taken back to the good times in their past, and that's why so many artists in their 60s and 70s are still out there touring and playing the classic hits. Even if they don't have all of the old band members, people will still come out and watch them perform.

You can name the band from the 1970s and 1980s, and if they're still out there touring it's because they're making good money doing it. Record sales aren't going to be that great at this point, and going into the studio to make new music isn't going to make them money. If they do make new music, it's because they feel that creative itch or they want to give their die hard fans some new music to enjoy.

This brings me back to Diamond Dave. The reality is people want to see the spectacle of his show. They want to hear him attempt to belt out those classics from back then, but they also want to see what's going to happen next. Dave was always about the show itself. When you put a microphone in front of him for any given interview, you never know what he is going to say. When he goes into one of his dialogues between songs, people are curious what he's going to say next. 

People might go see Journey because Arnel Pineda sounds reasonably close to Steve Perry and isn't a bad singer. They might go see Styx because Tommy Shaw still sounds about the way he did in his glory days and they'd see Dennis DeYoung in his solo tours for the same reason. When they go to Dave's shows, they're going to be entertained by the overall spectacle of it, not necessarily just his vocal stylings. Most long time fans of Roth's will admit he was never that great of a vocalist to begin with.

Looking Back At The Beginning Of MTV

 Looking Back At The Beginning Of MTV

Music videos were around before MTV ever existed. Bands did them to promote their latest albums and hits, and these videos would play on TV's at record stores, among other places. Some would say The Monkees were doing music videos on their old TV show. In fact, Mike Nesmith was an innovator of the concept.

He produced some music videos and had an executive test market them on Nickelodeon TV. There was positive feedback to that, and the executives started getting the idea that they could make a good 24 hour music video channel for TV. Nesmith was offered a stake in this, but he walked away after being paid for the work he did.

The battle was uphill to secure the money and get cable operators to include the channel once it launched on August 1st of 1981. They brought in five fresh faces to be the first video jockeys, who would introduce the videos. There were technical glitches in those early days, but that wasn't the big problem.

The record companies were reluctant to share videos of their artists, and many markets weren't willing to air the channel. They just took what they could get and built from there. Songs from lesser known acts, such as The Buggles, Bow Wow Wow and Billy Idol, and a few videos from better known artists like Pat Benatar and Rod Stewart played in the early days.

They sent one of their people into the markets where the channel aired to get some positive feedback. The people loved the channel, and record stores reported that records for artists whose videos played on MTV were selling off the shelves despite no radio play.

As for getting cable distributors to add the channel, MTV created the clever "I want my MTV" campaign, which got people to call their cable provider and demand the channel. Getting new and better videos became less of a problem when the big artists started complaining to their record companies about not being on MTV.

Many of those artists were part of the "I want my MTV" commercials that included a who's who of the biggest names of the time. By the mid 1980's, the channel was profitable and growing bigger. They even withstood a challenge from Ted Turner to compete with MTV with a channel of his own.

However, MTV was eventually bought out by the Viacom, which was one of the big cable outlets of the time. Viacom is one of the biggest media conglomerates of today with MTV, VH1, CMT, Spike, Comedy Central and Logo among their many channels. For a while, MTV was still about the music.

Eventually, shows like The Real World aired on MTV, and music videos appeared less and less. Within the last ten years, music videos have faded along with the phrase "I want my MTV." It seems nobody cares about the music anymore, but you can still find people wanting their old MTV back. Forums and YouTube comments are filled with people missing the channel that used to be.

For More On The Story Of MTV's Early Days: www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2000/11/mtv200011?printable=true&;currentPage=allPittman

 

 Old MTV And A Look At Ten Of The Best Videos From The Mid 80's

Back in the 1980's, "I want My MTV" was a popular phrase. They had the brilliant idea of taking songs and making music videos as a way to promote them. MTV would play video after video with music news breaks at the top of the hour. Plus, there were concerts.

The music video wasn't just some new concept from the 80's. Many bands were doing video's in the 70's, which would be played on the TV screens at some record stores to promote these albums. The idea of a music video channel was a joke to some, but that joke became very popular.

The down side was the fact that some popular bands from the 70's couldn't adapt to the new format and faded in the 80's. Some talented artists who didn't have the look fell by the wayside, while some attractive artists who didn't have as much talent flourished.

The original VJ's (Video Jockeys), they were Martha Quinn, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter, Mark Goodman and Nina Blackwood.

There were some clever videos and some very good ones too. Bands would hire producers to make these videos as good as possible. Michael Jackson's Thriller is probably the most well known music video of them all. Of course, the "King Of Pop" had other nice artistic statements, such as Beat It and Billy Jean.

There were some good ones and some funny ones. Here's a look at ten I remember. You may recall some good ones from the past too.

David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo: DLR got the idea of going solo after his success with this video and his version of California Girls. This video pokes fun at other music videos of the time.

Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It: The perfect song for people fed up with being pushed around and told what to do. Featured the guy from the ROTC scenes in Animal House, as did the band's I Wanna Rock Video.

ZZ Top - Legs: This band had a few videos during that time that featured their red hot rod car and beautiful girls. Very popular at the time.

Aha - Take On Me: This video features a very clever animation scene in it where they are running from the bad guys.

Queen - I Want To Break Free: This one was banned from MTV for the artistic dance segment during the musical interlude. The band was in drag for this video.

Madonna - Like A Virgin: Somehow Madonna singing this song was controversial at the time. She always found a way to stay relevant from the time she came out with I'm Burning Up. Say what you will, but she was very smart with her career.

Huey Lewis & The News - If This Is It: The band was very popular in the mid 80's and had a lot of fun with their videos. This one featured a beach scene with everybody except Huey buried up to their necks on the beach.

Van Halen - Hot For Teacher: Sit down Waldo! This band's biggest hit album was 1984, and this was one of three videos from that album that were very popular from this high energy band.

Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf: The band became popular in the states on the strength of videos like this one and Rio. This one featured scenes in the jungle and on the river, and, like many other videos, had a beautiful woman.

Weird Al Yankovic - Eat It: Weird Al made his career making fun of some of the biggest video hits of the time, including Michael Jackson's Beat It. He was so popular that MTV even gave him his own special, Al TV.

The Biggest Reason Dennis DeYoung Won't Be Back In Styx Anytime Soon (Revisited)

The music of Styx brings back a lot of happy memories in my life. When I was a kid collecting 45s, one of the first records I bought was Babe. I loved that song, and the b-side I'm Okay is one of my favorite all-time songs from the band. I have fond memories of hanging out in front of my house with my tape recorder playing of a copy of my brother's Paradise Theater album. My sister and I would listen to that album all the time.

My cousin and I used to rock out to the band. We'd sing songs by Styx as we walked down the street, but none more special than Come Sail Away. That was kind of our song. I remember driving down the road with him with no stereo in the car, and we'd sing that song. It's even more of a fond memory to me as my cousin is no longer here.

Another fond memory was finally getting to see these guys play live back at the Return To Paradise Theater tour. They came to my hometown, so there was no question we were going. I didn't necessarily think it was going to happen again. Dennis DeYoung, James Young, Tommy Shaw, Chuck Ponazzo and Todd Sucherman were on stage together. Sadly, original drummer John Ponazzo was too ill, and he would die that year.

I really felt like Styx had some momentum going. I knew fully well that the music industry had changed. Grunge basically was used to destroy the style of rock music that I loved, at least as something in the mainstream. However, you still had bands like Aerosmith making it up the charts. I felt like as Aerosmith was playing out their run, a new band from their era could have resurgence. After hearing Styx on tour, I felt like they could be it.

After doing another tour, they did Brave New World, which is very much an album of missed opportunities. Most of the band's successful albums that would sell million copies had the guidance of DeYoung, and this one didn't. There was already a rift developing between the band due to Dennis being ill. Tommy and the others were recording in one place, and Dennis recorded his contributions at his home studio. It's an uneven sounding album with some good moments, but it wasn't going to be the album that brought these guys back on top again.

I think Dennis is very much open to coming back and doing one more tour. I don't think he's even looking to be back in the band. However, touring with them one more time and coming full circle is something that appeals to him. I also think it would be good PR for the band. There's a rift between the fan base of people who support the current band versus those who support Dennis and his band. There are people who can appreciate both, but there are many who have chosen sides. Dennis doesn't like seeing that, and he feels this would be a way to put an end to that.

However, I don't expect this to happen anytime soon. I'm going to dismiss many of the BS narratives that we've heard since the band kicked Dennis out. It's been proven that he does indeed want to tour, even if not as much as the other guys. It's been proven that he does want to and can rock. It's been proven that he can write a good rock song. None of the stories that have been told make a lot of sense, and it really doesn't matter. The reality is Styx is on a different trajectory than Dennis.

Dennis is an artist and knows how to create a good song. However, he's also a businessman and has let his music make him a rich man. What he's discovered on his most recent tours with the band he has backing him up is that people enjoy the nostalgia. They love hearing the hits that they remember when they were younger. Since he's added August Zadra to the band, they even get to hear the Tommy Shaw songs being performed by somebody who actually does a pretty good job. He may not be Tommy, but he's not bad.

About 15 years ago, Dennis recorded 100 Years From Now. The album had some really good moments to it, but guess what? None of the songs on that album are being performed in his most recent tours. He's done 26 East Volumes 1 and 2, but he's not touring as he waits to see how things turn out on the other end of this pandemic. What do you think the odds are that he's going to be performing much of the material that he recorded on those two albums on his next tour? There are some really good songs, and some people would classify them as vintage Styx sounding moments, but Dennis is a smart man.

There's a reason why so many bands from the 1970s and 1980s can still tour heavily and make money. Their catalogs of hits are well known and appreciated by the older fans. This is because of the promoting of those albums via radio play, MTV and what have you. They are ingrained in the minds of the people. Therefore, when you see the bill that says Dennis DeYoung and The Music Of Styx, you're going there to hear the old hits, including many of the songs that Styx won't even perform anymore. If you work in too much new stuff that nobody's heard, it could negatively affect ticket sales.

Now move over to Styx. This band has tried to break out of the image of being the band that made those hits in the 1970s and early 1980s. It's not that they don't perform some of them, although there are many songs they don't want to touch anymore. The only reluctantly added Mr Roboto to their setlist because concert promoters wanted the song. The same promoters are the ones pushing for Dennis to come back to the band, which isn't likely to happen anytime soon. You have to understand that Tommy, James and the band have worked hard over the last 20 years too forge a new path.

I would say that Cyclorama and Big Bang Theory were not successful, and the material from those albums didn't get played much. One of those albums was a cover tunes album anyway. They've recorded much of their older catalog, and Lawrence Gowan is singing the Dennis stuff. Lawrence ought to be a prime example of why this band isn't looking to do anything with Dennis. He does the Dennis DeYoung stuff, but he sounds nothing like him. The band didn't care to get somebody who sounded like him. They wanted somebody who could play keyboard as well and gave off a more "Rockstar" vibe, which Lawrence does very well.

In the last 5 or 6 years, however, this band has gathered a little momentum as Styx of the current age, not Styx of the past. I think they are trying to do a little bit of what Tom Petty spoke of. He would record new albums, but he would insist on playing songs from those albums. He wanted go grow as an artist. You'd hear most of his big hits, but you were going to hear the new stuff he was creating at the time. I think this is where Styx is as a band, and you can tell that Tommy and the guys were very excited when they did Mission To Mars a few years back. Some of those songs are still being played on the tour today.

Unlike Mission To Mars, however, Crash Of The Crown doesn't really sound like your typical Styx album. It doesn't sound like vintage Styx. It sounds Styx for sure, but it's the band as they are in 2021. They are doing a few different things. I think they intentionally recorded shorter song so they could include more of them in the current set list, while still playing some of the Tommy Shaw standards that people expect. However, the bottom line is they are moving ahead as a band and trying to be accepted for who they are now, not so much who they were back then. Bringing Dennis back at this point would derail the current plan for the band.

While Styx is in the mode they are currently in, there are no thoughts about bringing Dennis back. Set aside anything the guys have said about him in the last 20 years, because none of that really matters. What matters is they made a couple of albums in recent years that they are very proud of, and they want to perform that stuff live. Lawrence Gowan is very much involved in those albums and what they are, and they're not interested in sidelining him after 20 years of service with this band. That's just not where they are in 2021.

Dennis is in nostalgia mode, so he'd be up to getting on stage with the others and performing those classic hits. It's just not going to happen anytime soon. Even if he were to get into the studio with these guys and record a new Styx album, there are problems with that. First of all, that would mean they were abandoning things the way they have been in recent years and sidelining Gowan. Secondly, they aren't going to suddenly go into the studio with Dennis and ignore what they have created recently. They want to tour behind this music, sell some album copies and some concert tickets, make new fans and perform as a current rock band act and not just a nostalgia act.

It's unfortunate that the time may never come when Dennis, Tommy and James get on the stage together. Even if they get inducted into the Hall Of Fame, you may not get these guys to perform any songs together. For those people wanting to relive the glory days of sticks, the best they can hope for is watching Dennis go back on tour in 2022 with the band he's assembled. They do a faithful interpretation of what long time fans know and love. Having August Zadra do the Tommy Shaw songs certainly helps. My hope would be that Dennis can sneak a couple of his newer songs into the set list, because I think they deserve to be heard live and very much sound like classic  Styx.

The Styx fans who have ridden the wave with Tommy and James or just the new fans who have come along don't really care if Dennis is back in the band. Many of these people don't care that Dennis has recorded some good new new music. They are interested in what this band is doing now and are willing to pay to see them. Styx tours heavily as they are now than they would if Dennis were in the band, but they're also a generating quite a bit of revenue.

There's an energy with them now that is undeniable. When Tommy Shaw said he just wants to be happy in his interview with Dan Rather, what he really should have said is he wants to look ahead to the future and not dwell on the past. Since he was so key in getting Dennis out of the band in the first place, why would he even think about bringing him back? Plus, I believe he truly doesn't like DeYoung and hasn't for years, even going back to before the Return To Paradise Theater tour.

What Will Amazon Do With Its Lord Of The Rings Series?

A few years ago, Amazon announced that they acquired the rights to the Lord of the Rings and would be doing a new series on their streaming service. The word was they were committing to five seasons of this series. The interesting thing is that the Tolkien Estate still retains the rights to The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and the History of Middle Earth books, which detail the happenings in Middle Earth prior to the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

People were speculating as to why Amazon was looking to remake The Lord of the Rings so soon after Peter Jackson's three blockbuster movies. However, this wasn't the game plan. Readers of the Lord of the Rings books will note that at the end of The Return of the King, there is the appendices. This is a timeline of the history of Middle Earth, and it also shows the family tree of some of the important families featured in The Lord of the Rings.

The appendices serve as the launching point for stories. The writers of this new series are not allowed to draw from anything specifically written about in the other books that isn't mentioned in the appendices. They are also not allowed to create any story that goes against what is officially considered Middle Earth canon by the Tolkien Estate. Despite these limitations, there's still quite a bit to work with when telling a story.

One shining example is in unofficial fan film that was created about a decade ago called Born of Hope. This was the story about Aragorn's grandfather and his father. It's basically a story that tells how the rangers in the land of Arnor survived after their kingdom fell. It serves to tell about the birth of Aragorn and how the baby was ultimately sent to Rivendell to be cared for by Elrond. It doesn't take away from the official canon and fills in a few of the blank spaces.

Some important occurrences in the history of Middle Earth are highlighted in the appendices. Some of those stories link together pretty well. There are enough story ideas to work with to paint a good picture. Rumor has it that they will be telling the story about the creation of the Rings of Power and the Fall of Numenor. This means they are heading into uncharted territory. There has never been any proper on screen depictions of these stories.

I am excited about the possibilities of what this series can bring, but I am also a little bit apprehensive. Considering how other beloved franchises have been used for the woke agenda, I am hoping that this will not go down a similar path. My hope Is that the people writing the scripts have a love and appreciation for the work of JRR Tolkien and will show it the proper respect. What I'd really like to see is parts of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales made into proper movies. Christopher Tolkien never wanted to see that happen, and I can't say I blame him. However, the Tolkien Estate may see things differently now.