Dennis DeYoung has by no means been one to carry again and he shared quite a lot of phrases when reflecting on the 2025 Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame inductions.
This 12 months’s class featured a lot of inductees who have been both inducted posthumously (Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon) or unable to attend on account of well being points, within the case of Dangerous Firm vocalist Paul Rodgers.
The previous Styx vocalist and songwriter, a cofounder of the Midwest group, expressed his remorse that Rodgers could not take the stage to rejoice his legacy of labor. “I’d have preferred to have seen him carry out years in the past to reveal how one in every of rock’s premiere singers really rocks, he wrote on his Fb web page. “You realize, just like the identify on their establishment’s emblem. I’ve stated this repeatedly for many years, simply change the rattling identify.”
READ MORE: The Finest Moments From the 2025 Rock Corridor Induction Ceremony
Dennis DeYoung Laments the ‘Tragic Method’ in Which the Rock Corridor Operates
The 2025 induction ceremony, he stated, “clearly identified the tragic method through which this joint operates. Making so many musicians wait till they both incapacitated or useless is shameful,” he added. “Joe Cocker, Warren Zevon et al are all of a sudden eligible many years after their success? Clarify that, what’s modified besides the Corridor’s incapability to let go of their clear prejudices and induct them?”
“They now admit, when it’s far too late that they’ve erred. Have Joe, Warren and others just lately develop into extra standard? …no,” he continued. “The Corridor’s preliminary mission assertion about who qualifies was all the time a ruse and a joke concocted to guard their very own private selections.”
READ MORE: Followers Petition for Styx’s ‘Lengthy Overdue’ Rock Corridor Induction
Why Dennis DeYoung Offered His Publishing Rights in 2023
The preliminary intent of DeYoung’s social media publish was to speak about why he determined to promote the rights to his publishing and royalties to Major Wave in 2023 — and his happiness at with the ability to meet with the principal employees from the group a pair years later. “They have been Styx followers for actual,” he wrote, detailing how he finally got here to an settlement with them.
Founder Larry Mestel, he shared, requested DeYoung what he’d prefer to see occur sooner or later and he admitted that although he’d by no means been nominated (Styx has been eligible since 1998), he hoped that he could possibly be inducted into each the Rock Corridor in addition to the Songwriters Corridor of Fame. “One final Styx tour would even be nice for our followers,” he added. “They’re conscious about that and naturally in favor of 1. Elevate your hand when you’re in settlement. Ooh that’s a lotta palms.”
READ MORE: Dennis DeYoung: ‘I Was Begging for my Life and Job’ With Styx
What’s Dennis DeYoung Doing Now?
The songwriter has been busy lately, caring for his spouse, Suzanne, whereas she battled most cancers. When she celebrated her birthday earlier this month, he shared an especially optimistic replace. “She’s doing nicely after two bouts with most cancers and want to thank everybody who provided their phrases of encouragement and their prayers,” he stated. “It helped an excellent deal.”
He spoke about her struggles earlier this 12 months throughout a dialog with UCR and in addition confirmed that he is continued to work on his memoir, although he would not have a plan but as to when it is perhaps launched.
“I’ve bought every kind of tales — and shameless plug — they’re all within the e-book,” he laughed. “There is a Kiss story, an Aerosmith story that is historic, not due to us, however due to them. There is a ZZ Prime story and I am going to most likely getting round to telling the Frank Zappa story.”
Hearken to Dennis DeYoung on the ‘UCR Podcast’
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