Classic Artists Today: Welcome to 'The Grand Delusion'

Collaboration teams syndicated radio program with rock author on promotion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Syndicated radio show Classic Artists Today (The CAT) has partnered with author Sterling Whitaker to give away his book The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx in an on-air promotion the week of June 9^th - June 16^th.

The show, which features new music performed by classic rock, pop and soul artists, is broadcast in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, and is also simulcast on the World Wide Web. Times and "tune-in" information are available online at www.classicartiststoday.com, as well as www.myspace.com/classicartiststoday. New interviews with classic artists are available online at www.myspace.com/classicartiststodayinterview.

"I'm thrilled to be able to expose my book to such a broad and targeted audience," says author Sterling Whitaker. "The CAT is a really valuable resource for fans of the kind of timeless music from that era when Styx first emerged, so they can keep up with what an old favorite is doing today. For a band like Styx that's still out there performing a hundred dates a year, it's a perfect fit." Culled from the author's personal interviews with band members, managers, record company executives, crew members, journalists and other insiders, The Grand Delusion is the first-ever in-depth biography of the superstar rock act that has sold more then 35 million albums in a career spanning three decades.

From June 9th until June 16th, The CAT will announce the giveaway on-air as part of that week's show, and a listener in each market will win an autographed copy of The Grand Delusion. Four additional copies will be given away online as part of the promotion.

For more information about Sterling Whitaker and The Grand Delusion, please visit www.thegranddelusion.com or www.myspace.com/styxbook.

Here is the link to a very nice review of 'The Grand Delusion' from Goldmine http://www.goldminemag.com/Default.aspx?tabid=825&articleid=10798&articlemid=22192219Articles

This was written by Conrad Stinnett, who has also interviewed Dennis DeYoung for Goldmine several times, most recently just a few weeks ago. In fact, I cited one of Conrad's older interviews as a source for the book.

I hope everyone is well.

Sterling

We taped the show yesterday, for broadcast Sunday at 6PM EST. You can hear it stream live at www.cfrb.com. The show is called Rock Talk.

They had Gowan on before me, and I guess he was live in the studio, He had his keyboard and he was playing, and then they introduced us while they were on the first commercial break, and we all just kinda talked a bit. We were talking about him playing "Somebody To Love" by Queen at the after party of the Princess Diana Memorial Concert was part of what helped him get the job in Styx, so when we came back from commercial he played a bit of "Somebody To Love" and changed the lyric to reference my book, which was hysterical. I think that's how I'll come on when they edit this together; I hope so because it's funny! They did an interview with me, just talking about the book, why I wrote it, how long was I a fan, a question about Dennis and why things went the way they did between him and the others, and then we went to commercial again. We were all talking, and Gowan was flipping through the book and making some nice comments, and then JY came on the phone.

JY and Gowan greeted each other, and then the hosts introduced themselves to JY, and then one of them said, "And joining us on the phone is Sterling Whitaker." JY kinda laughed at that, and I said hello to him, and then we went back to air. They interviewed JY about the early days of the band, and he talked a little about Chuck's book, and they asked him if he had read mine. He said, "I've looked at it, and maybe read a few pages." Then they told him how great they thought it was, that it was a very balanced portrayal, and that he should read it. He said, "I actually never agreed to be interviewed by Sterling, and in fact this is the first time I've ever spoken to him." So I jumped in and said, "Hey, JY," which kinda made him laugh. I guess the reason that he agreed to do a show that also had me on as a guest is because he actually wasn't told beforehand that I would be on, which I did not know. But he was cool; he rolled with it, and he was cordial to me both on air and off. I talked a little bit about how I was not out to write a book with a lot of dirt in it, and he talked a little bit about why he had some trepidation about a book in the first place, which was actually very cool. We went to commercial again, and when we came back JY and Gowan talked about Styx' current endeavors, some plans coming up, and then the  segment ended with me talking about why Styx fans have been so loyal over the years. We stayed on the phone a few minutes and chatted amongst ourselves, and that was that. All in all, a very enjoyable and really positive experience, at least for me. Everyone was cool, and I'm looking forward to this airing. Again, if you want to check it out, it's at www.cfrb.com at 6PM EST on Sunday.

Thanks everyone for your great questions; unfortunately we went over time and I think they only ended up using one listener question, but I did forward them all. But I think the show is a really interesting mix of stories and perspectives on Styx.

I hope all is well.

Sterling

I have been meaning to post about this. A couple of weekends ago I went to Atlanta to see Glen Burtnik live for the first time. I decided to use it as an opportunity to meet him as well. Bizarrely, though I interviewed Glen for my book and he even wrote the Foreword, I had never met him. It was all by email.

     Glen played a club near Piedmont Park, which was cool. I used to live in Atlanta and played in a number of bands there, so driving to the venue, I was reminded of all the gigs I had played myself in that neck of the woods. Kinda bittersweet . . . the club where I had a CD release party years ago is gone now. You can go home again, but you might not like how the neighborhood has changed.

     When Glen was finished with sound check, he walked through and shook everyone's hand prior to the meet and greet, and I said, "Glen, I'm Sterling". He smiled and said, "Yes, you are",  which was pretty funny. I brought along a signed copy of the book for him, and he seemed to really appreciate that. We talked for a few minutes about the book, and he seemed genuinely interested in  my experience in writing and publishing it. We talked about Styx and also about Nashville and how crazy the scene is here, and just chatted in general, and that was that. A very nice guy, true to his reputation.

     Glen's performace was very enjoyable, a completely one-man acoustic (well, actually plugged in but unaccompanied) show. His songs hold up very well in that context. I've always liked his chord progressions, many of which contain some unusual voicings, and that came across well. And man, can Glen sing!

    A very enjoyable night of music, and I also got to meet some people that I have only known online like Zan, Stabbim (by the way, the Sons of Nothing CD is really good!), StyxfanNH, and Ash from the Melodic Rock board. Thanks everyone!

Sterling

Here's a link to a nice mention of the book from Dave Ling of Classic Rock magazine in the UK. http://www.daveling.co.uk/diary.htm

    It's under the diary entry for Sunday, April 29th. Thanks Dave!

Styx Biography Set For December Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 2, 2006

     Nashville-based music journalist Sterling Whitaker has announced the upcoming release of his second book, The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx.  The self-published book is set for publication December 12, 2006 and will be available through Amazon.com, as well as the book's own website at www.thegranddelusion.com. It is the first-ever biography of the superstar rock group Styx. "This is one of the most beloved groups of its generation," Whitaker said. "It's about time the story is told properly."

     Culled from the author's exclusive interviews with many of the principal players in the career of Styx, including  guitarist/bassist/vocalist Glen Burtnik, guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, and drummer Todd Sucherman, as well as management, record company executives, crew members and fans, The Grand Delusion is the definitive portrait of the Chicago-based rock ensemble that has sold more than thirty-five million records in a career spanning three decades. Beginning with 1977's The Grand Illusion, followed by Pieces Of Eight in 1978, Cornerstone in 1979 and Paradise Theatre in 1980, Styx was the first rock group ever to earn four Triple Platinum albums in a row, selling three million copies each.  The group's #1 hit "Babe" was Song of the Year at the 1980 People's Choice Awards, and the 1979 Gallup poll named the group the most popular in America. Styx' other hits include "Lady", "Come Sail Away", "Renegade", "Blue Collar Man", "The Best Of Times", "Too Much Times On My Hands", and, of course, the ubiquitous pop culture reference "Mr. Roboto".

     "The Grand Delusion is more than just another sleazy biography about the excesses of rock stars," Whitaker maintains. "It's about hard work and sacrifice, success and failure, fame and fortune, love and hatred, friendship and betrayal, and hopefully redemption. It's the true story of how a group of people who have very little in common outside of music struggled to overcome their differences and their limitations to create a body of work that is beloved by millions of people. It's also about the business side of the band's career, the behind-the-scenes work that greased the rails for the band to succeed. It's not so much a story about rich rock stars. The story of Styx is a very human story, good and bad."

     Fans who purchase the book through Amazon.com or through www.thegranddelusion.com between December 12th and December 25th will receive a free download of the author's first book Unsung Heroes of Rock Guitar, featuring Whitaker's exclusive interviews with rock guitarists such as Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Craig Chaquico (Jefferson Starship), Howard Leese (Heart) and Richard Williams (Kansas), as well as a free download of Behind The Grand Delusion, comprised of the author's project notes and his exclusive interviews with some of the principal players in Styx' career which form the backbone of the project.

     Styx will release a live album, One With Everything, on November 7th accompanied by a DVD. The band will tour abroad with Deep Purple in early 2007. Former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung is working on a new studio record, the follow-up to Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx: Live With Symphony Orchestra, which has been certified Triple Platinum in Canada.

For More Information Contact:

Sterling Whitaker

Sterlingwit@aol.com

www.thegranddelusion.com

www.myspace.com/styxbook

#  #  #

I thought this was interesting. A while back I became aware that Styx' lawyers had served www.styxnet.com, a Styx fan website, with a Cease and Desist order. This of course has touched off quite a bit of fan debate in the online Styx community.

     View the Cease and Desist letter for yourself at www.styxnet.com/styxnet.html   

     In response to this situation  the webmaster of another Styx fan site, www.styxdreams.com, has taken the site down in protest.

     Like I said, interesting.

I've had several people ask me why I chose The Grand Delusion  as the title for my Styx biography, so I thought I'd post an explanation.

     Styx' drummer and founding member John Panozzo was a guy with a great sense of humor, someone who has been described to me over and over as one of the funniest guys anyone ever met. He used to enjoy making up alternate titles to the band's albums. His alternate take on The Grand Illusion was The Grand Delusion. He would sing "Welcome to the grand delusion/Come on in and see what's happening/Raise the price for the tickets to the show . . ."   LOL (He also referred to Pieces of Eight as Feces Tastes Great).

     So that was what initally inspired that title, and I also think it plays into the delusions of grandeur that are part and parcel of the music business. Most famous performers wind up with some delusions about themselves and their place in the world, and these are bolstered by the delusions of the fans, who simply project whatever qualities they prefer onto the blank canvas of fame, making someone into a "hero" without having any way of knowing what they are really like . . . and therefore, no way of being disappointed.

     So that's what inspire the title of the book. It's not so much a commentary on the members of Styx as it is a commentary on the music business itself, and how it affects the perceptions of both performers and fans in various ways and for various reasons. It's not a "slam", merely an observation. For what it's worth, I've written about many, many bands, and I've yet to see it go any other way.

Sterling

Hi Everyone:

     Thanks for visiting my little corner of the Web. Some of you may be familiar with me,  but most, probably not. You may have wandered here because you looked for "Styx" as a keyword. Great!

     For those that did not know, I have been working on writing an unauthorized biography of Styx for several years now. It is almost complete. I am hoping (and this is not at all set in stone, it is a wish rather than a plan at this point) to get this out for Christmas 2006.

     This book is not authorized by Styx, its record company, or its management,  but I did manage to interview many of the key players in the career of Styx including Tommy Shaw, Todd Sucherman and Glen Burtnik from the band.  I also interviewed sources from various record companies, management, road managers, road crew, friends and family, and various others in the business to create what I think is the definitive portrait of one of rock's greatest acts.

     I hope you are looking forward to this as much as I am! More news  to come as soon as I know more. Thanks once again for visiting.

Sterling