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 "I voted for [Obama] but my vote was rescinded."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."

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Comments

[grace14]

the other last Pres loved doom doom and fear mongering to push his war of choice..did nothing and look around at America all has collapsed..last Pres read 2 books a week and never came out why? nothing to say for he was doing nothing...only came out to push his war of choice his doom and gloom..fear mongering.. and true all Canadians voted for Pres Obama and the world warned us not once but twice not to vote for Bush...well we did...no one to blame but ourselves..

[NoSillyName]

"WE" did NOT!!!

[beckpod1]

Gag me with a spoon!

[smchp]

....but if it was Toby Keith you would squeal like a little girl.

[NoSillyName]

Huh?

[MarsAmbassador]

They weren't an 80s band! That implies about 2 years of success during the worst decade for music since the 1870s. All their best songs came out in the 70s. As a STYX fan, I am personally offended by this. And no true STYX fan would EVER chant Mr. Roboto around Tommy Shaw. They would know better. He's a true blue rocker and HATED that garbage that Dennis DeYoung tried to pull in the early 80s.

[ClaudiaJean]

Amen.

[kingofallwhites]

You are living in denial. Styx is a sideshow without Dennis DeYoung. And they were popular through most of the 80's too. No offense to Gowan. I like his solo stuff. But Styx without Dennis DeYoung is like Playboy without naked pictures of women in it.

[MarsAmbassador]

Oh, you've GOT to be kidding. Their best rockers were ALL written by Tommy Shaw. Dennis DeYoung is an egomanical princess with delusions of grandeur. He tried turning STYX into a flamboyant Broadway electronic sideshow during the 80s and alienated the existing fanbase and drove Tommy from the band. Sure I like a bunch of DeYoung's 70s songs, but then he got utterly ridiculous and deserved his exile.

That said, we'll probably do no better than agreeing to disagree. :)

[bingvangorden]

Laday! When I'm with you I'm smiiiiileeng, gi-yave me who-uh-wo-uh yore lu-uvvvvvvvve!
Dennis DeYoung sucked dude. Are you from Canada?

[Quaoar]

I knew that he hated :"Babe" (The Damn Yankees used to make fun of it in concert), but I've never heard he especially hated Mr. Roboto. At least not any more than any other Styx song of the era.

[NoSillyName]

Ewww, is that who did that sappy song? Ugh. I heard it in the grocery store last week and it stuck in my head and played over & over until I was about to v0mit.

I hope I don't have a recurrence starting now.

[KataVideo]

This band is not styx. No Dennis DeYoung, no Styx. Styx was always about the tension between the hard rock guys and DeYoung's show-tunes. Tommy, while active and a major contributor during their best years, is not even an original member. DeYoung was ousted. A least one of the Panozzo Bros is dead. This is a county fair cover band.

[RickCoMatic]

Well, I'm a jet fuel genius - I solve all the world's problems
Without even trying
I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends
That is, as long as I'm buying
Is it any wonder I'm not the president
(He's not the president)
Is it any wonder I'm null and void Is it any wonder I've got ...

This President don't have "Too much time on his hands"
But, if the Administration made Styx the Official Rock Band of the Obama Administration, I go to the show and wave a lighter!

[qxav949]

So we got Styx and I guess the Stones are next.
I know, that was lame but I couldn't resist.

[NoSillyName]

LOL.

Stones would be a vast improvement

[MNKen]

Lame yes. But I laughed anyway. Thanks for the chuckle.

[jeburr24]

Did any of them thank a certain Mr. Roboto in Japanese?

[har5125]

Haven't had the chance to see Styx yet. But, in '88 saw Tommy Shaw open for Rush in Phoenix. By the end of his 3rd song(a ballad) we had the entire coliseum chanting "WE WANT RUSH!" Tommy turned said song to his bandmates and kick into Blue Collar Man. Six classic Styx songs later the crowd was chanting "WE WANT MORE!"

[noamjunior]

when the democrats took the presidency we were all fearful that lame 70's corporate rock bands would return - now it has come to pass

[babyboomerorig]

Awwww, come on.

It's great to have some levity back in the White House.

We have a young President. What did you have to say when Bill Clinton played his saxaphone at one of the Presidential Inaugural balls????

[Ldyandrea]

THIS.

[NoSillyName]

It doesn't say that BHO was present. It was a only the Gibbs Daily Briefing.

[BlueFloyd]

the DEAD are a corporate band????

[Typesbad]

Styx did originally come out of Chicago. I'm surprised that wasn't mentioned.

[Tommygun264]

Isn't this one of the signs of the Apocalypse? "Come Sail Away" was the theme of my high school prom - I still have nightmares.

[poaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BARLfUmyBJA

[aloha43]

GREAT, GREAT SONG!!

[ThermoChemist]

With millions of people out of work (including myself), I often think of the Styx song "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)"

Give me a job, give me security
Give me a chance to survive
I'm just a poor soul in the unemployment line
My god, i'm hardly alive
My mother and father, my wife and my friends
I see them laugh in my face
But i've got the power, and i've got the will
I'm not a charity case

I'll take those long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my eye to the keyhole
If it takes all that to be just what i am
I'm gonna be a blue collar man

Make me an offer that i can't refuse
Make me respectable, man
This is my last time in the unemployment line
So like it or not i'll take those

Long nights, impossible odds
Keeping my back to the wall
If it takes all that to be just what i am
I'm gonna be a blue collar man

Keeping my mind on a better life
When happiness is only a heartbeat away
Paradise, can it be all i heard it was
I close my eyes and maybe i'm already there

[har5125]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dV1v6FmB4P0

[paisleyface]

Light up, everybody, join us in this celebration
light up and be happy...

and did we ever.

[Dale Doback]

without Dennis DeYoung it aint Styx.

[Freesia2]

Is Tommy Shaw still with them? I wasn't a big Styx fan but I did like Tommy.

Sitting here humming "Renegade".

[byla]

The blond in the photo is Tommy Shaw.

[aloha43]

My husband does a GREAT Come Sail Away!

People say they can't believe how much he sounds like him.

Wish I had known......he could have stood in for him at the White House! :o)

[big666dog]

It's Styx and it's better without him. DeYoung contributed nothing but slushy showtunes towards the end of his tenure with Styx and forgot that they were a rock band. Granted, he wrote and sang many famous Styx songs, but in this phase of their career is much better off without him. For proof just check out the DeYoung concert DVDs and albums since -- Might as well be Englebert Humperdink.

Styx today is composed of Tommy Shaw, James (J.Y.) Young, Lawrence Gowan (MUCH better keyboard player and has hit songs of his own), Todd Sucherman on drums and Ricky Phillips on bass, although original bass player, Chuck Panozzo often sits in with the band.

Their shows are energetic and terrific, and their port-DeYoung records are great as well -- Cyclorama being particularly good.

[noamjunior]

Agreed - Gowan is a much better performer than DeYoung

[poaster]

More like sticks.