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James Young Interview
James Young, or "J.Y." as he is sometimes called, has a new
album out. It's titled "City Slicker" (Absolute Records -distributed
by Jem/Passport) and its J. Y.'s first solo album. For those who don't know,
James plays guitar for one of America's most successful rock groups - " Styx." To
date, " Styx" has sold over 20 million records worldwide.
Q. Are you in a position, financially speaking,
where you're well off, and don't really need to engage in projects outside
of " Styx?"
A. I'm in a position where I don't have to rush off and do just anything
for the money. I'm in a position where I can pick and choose. Whether or
not I can survive on what I have accumulated, for the rest of my life, I
suppose depends on how far I'm willing to cut back my lifestyle. I've turned
down sizeable amounts of money to do projects I thought were incorrect.
I don't feel it's appropriate for me to answer a question directly
about my finances. It's really for the love of creating and being involved
in the entertainment field, that I continue to do this.
Q. Why is there a need for everybody in " Styx" to record a
solo album? Why not have everybody contribute what they feel is their best
material to a " Styx" album?
A. There was not enough breathing room, let's say, on one little 12 black
vinyl disc every two or three years from this band to satisfy the need to
create and get things out there for people to appreciate. At this stage,
I will agree with what you're saying. It certainly couldn't hurt any of
us to collect right now and do another " Styx" project. You never
know, it might happen. The thing that obviously gets in the way is people,
like not having to answer to anybody else. When you're in a group situation,
you have to answer to the rest of the individuals in the band, to a
greater or lesser extent, depending on what your accomplishments have been
in the past.
Q. Is there a leader in " Styx?"
A. In any group situation, the person who has achieved the most success
tends to have more weight lent to their words, and Dennis DeYoung clearly
has the most success in terms of writing and singing songs out of everyone
in " Styx." His influence became very dominant on the 'Kilroy'
album.
Q. How long did it take to record "City Slicker?"
A. This album was started in Feb. 1984. It was right when Dennis DeYoung
and Tommy Shane were working on their solo albums. I started working with
Jan Hammer then. I was in no real rush. With Jan Hammer, I'd go to his studio
for a week and work with him, go back home to Chicago for a week, and maybe
laze around, or go into a studio and work on the tapes there. It took about
five months to get the original recordings and mixings done.
Q. What song seems to be getting the most airplay?
A. 'Something To Remember You By,' which probably sounds the most like
' Styx' on the refrain. I think that's why people picked up on it. I came
out much more hard rocking on this album. The whole thing about this album
is I wanted people to know I'm dead serious about being a hard rock 'n roller.
Q. There was a time in the late 70's when ' Styx'
was not doing interviews
because of the complaint of being misquoted. Since I never saw a ' Styx'
interview in any magazine during that time, where and when were you misquoted?
A. Our manager felt at the time that we didn't need the press. The press
didn't seem to be in love with our group even though we were selling 3 million
albums per release. And so it was a sort of thing where, 'If you're not
going to say nice things about us, we're not gonna bother to take the time
to talk to you.'
Q. How did you feel when "Rolling Stone" described " Styx" along
with "Foreigner" and "REO" as being "Faceless Bands?"
A. We weren't in the press. We didn't go out of our way to be seen in
a lot of places where the paparazzi hang out. We always returned to our
hometown of Chicago and sort of went back to our normal lifestyle. We were
never that visible. So, in that sense, we were faceless. I don't disagree
with 'Rolling Stone.' We were very visible as a group, but people just weren't
aware of the individuals. And, to this day, that still sort of persists.
If you want to be visible, you have to get out there, and there has to be
a major campaign put behind it. You have to talk to a lot of people. You
have to give yourself over almost every waking moment, to be involved in
your career. That was something we avoided doing, and it was kind of nice.
Q. Jan Hammer (composer of "Miami Vice" theme song) co-produced
your album. Has anyone approached you about doing a " Miami Vice" episode?
A. I had a chance to be on the first episode of last season, if I would've
gone to Miami. But, I was in the middle of finishing up touches on this
project. It turned out Gene Simmons ("Kiss") did the part
anyway. It was the part of a drug dealer on this yacht. There's always a
chance that somewhere there down the line, we'll get involved. Certainly
that's good and unique stuff. I think it would be better to get a song of
mine on the show.
Q. Would that lead to more record sales?
A. Whether or not that actually leads to people buying the record, I think
is almost more of a marketing and advertising question. I think it's a way
of letting people know you're out there, you're continuing to work, that
you're creating new stuff that people can check into what it is you're doing.
For my career, it certainly wouldn't be bad to be on “Miami Vice”.
It might not be the right thing to do, to go on the 'Muppet Show.' We're
talking imaging now. Miami Vice would certainly fit the kind of image I'm
trying to create for myself.
© Gary James All Rights Reserved
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