Styx Takes Over The White House Briefing Room

Shortly after Robert Gibbs ended his daily briefing on Monday, the White House press corps was treated to an unexpected guest appearance.

The members of the '80s band, Styx, suddenly took the podium to snap a couple pictures behind the famous lectern. The press, naturally, went crazy, with photographers gathering around the foursome and correspondents chatting like their youth had been restored.

The band happened to be in town for a gig. And as the long-haired musicians took questions and posed for pictures, a few members of the media could be heard chanting the lyrics to "Mr. Roboto" and "Come Sail Away." One member of the Obama communications team, laughing at the spectacle, whispered: "This is why I love working in the White House."

It was keyboardist Lawrence Gowan's first time in the place. "I'm a Canadian," he said. "I voted for [Obama] but my vote was rescinded."

Asked how the thought the president was doing, drummer Todd Sucherman responded with a thumbs up. Did he know if Obama was a fan?

"Someone had mentioned that we are in his iPod," he replied, "but I can't substantiate that claim."

Get HuffPost Politics On Facebook and Twitter!

Comments

[SecretWeapon625]

12:28 PM on 06/23/2009

Um, interestin­g item, but Styx is an '80's band? That's news to me. If all I knew about them was what VH1 spoonfeeds the public on "nostalgia­" bands, I would assume that too. However, even a casual check on their history reveals NINE albums recorded in the 1970's and only two in the 1980's. That doesn't sound like an "'80's band" to me.

[JimR]

12:00 PM on 06/25/2009

Eh, that's nitpicking­, I think. Their bigger hits didn't come until toward the end of that stretch, so 80s band seems fine.

[AMR71]

07:24 AM on 06/26/2009

No, they really weren't an '80s band. Their first hit came in '75, and their first #1 in '79. They only had two big albums right at the start of the 1980s before they fizzled out. Three of their five platinum albums were in the '70s, as well as three of their four gold albums. I know all of this because I used to be a big fan, and also I have no life.

Funny there would be people singing "Mr. Roboto," when its writer is no longer in the band, and the guys who remain won't go near that song anymore.

[VicDaring]

09:50 AM on 06/23/2009

Hello friends!

I'll be seeing Styx in concert in a couple weeks.

And you won't catch this Styx fan getting all caught up in the DeYoung, Shaw, JY, debates.

I don't think Styx is as good without Dennis, and I don't think Dennis is as good without Styx.

As a group, I think they were better than the sum of their parts. Now, I root for them all to succeed, so I can enjoy the DeYoungles­s Styx as well as Dennis' solo material.

In that vein, classic Styx fans might want to check out the new Dennis DeYoung solo effort. "100 Years From Now." The first five tracks or so sound more like Styx than anything we've heard from either camp in quite some time.

These are the Best of Times...

[melindamoore]

02:05 AM on 06/23/2009

President Obama's Secret Service code name? RENEGADE!

Styx is still Styx, and they still rock.

[MajorKong]

11:14 PM on 06/22/2009

I'm very embarrasse­d to admit that I once liked these guys back in the 1970s.

[ladycubsfan]

08:17 AM on 06/23/2009

You're embarrasse­d to admit that you were once cool? Okayyyyyy.­.....
We get it.

I loved Styx. They were an important part of my growing up. Every song evokes a special memory, to this day. Are you sure you aren't thinking of Disco? Now, THAT would be embarrassi­ng!

[bingvangorden]

10:56 PM on 06/22/2009

I think the real question to the President is, DeYoung or Shaw? If he says DeYoung, he's a communist.

[PatA]

10:11 PM on 06/22/2009

Styx almost ruined me in the middle 70s by not appearing for a concert. They pulled out about 3 hours before the show was to open.
I stood at the front door and refunded every cent that I had taken in for tickets. I had not thought of them in years and years.....­...(you can't buy class)

On the other hand, Willie Nelson always shows up and I've never lost a cent on him.
(you are born with class)

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

10:04 PM on 06/22/2009

oh no, not stynx.

[melindamoore]

02:09 AM on 06/23/2009

Oh man...that is SO original! I mean, WOW! Calling them Stynx instead of Styx. I'm so impressed that you can add a letter. I am overwhelme­d that you can use a lame criticism that a pathetic excuse for a critic used back in 1977. I bow down to your brilliance­.

[ManwithaParachute]

09:35 PM on 06/22/2009

FYI Styx is a Chicago band there may be a slight connection­.

[NoSillyName]

09:27 PM on 06/22/2009

This has to be a JOKE. Freakin' STYX? How incredibly dreadful.

Where's BREAD?

[ladycubsfan]

08:21 AM on 06/23/2009

One can like STYX AND BREAD, you know. They're not mutually exclusive. Some of us have eclectic musical tastes. :)

[BlueFloyd]

09:32 AM on 06/23/2009

my favorite all-star band is BREADSTYX.

They snap!

[smchp]

08:47 PM on 06/22/2009

where is the change!
{/sarcasm off}

[underoath]

08:19 PM on 06/22/2009

This is a strange white house thats for sure

[NoSillyName]

09:29 PM on 06/22/2009

LOL, Gibbs may have engineered this; I can't believe BHO is a STYX fan.

And if he is, I don't want to know.

[SweetBabu]

07:55 PM on 06/22/2009

My class song (MHS Class of 1984) was Come Sail Away. Wow, the memories this brought back . . .

[apoyo]

07:28 PM on 06/22/2009

Love this band!

[KnowzyRowzy]

07:12 PM on 06/22/2009

Babe I Love You!

[ckfan]

09:00 PM on 06/22/2009

UGGGGGGGGG­GGGGGGGGGG­GGGGGGGGGG­GGH. Prom song. UGHHHHHHHH­H.

[hapiday]

07:02 PM on 06/22/2009

This awesome how President Obama is joining all kinds of people together. As bad as everything is in this country right now. Don't you just feel alive???!!­! The White house is a live with hope and anticipati­on of what's next. Everyone is not going to have all their dreams come true. At least you know President Obama is not going to sleep through this presidency­. We couldn't stop the Bush administra­tion so a lot of people just gave up and decided to sleep through his presidency­.