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Previous Letters from
Dennis
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Hey everybody,
First I would like to wish my wife Suzanne a happy 38th
anniversary. We celebrated as we have too many times on
the road while we were working. After the show we had
cake and it was awesome. I think I'll request cake at
all my shows, after all, everything goes good with cake.
All my to love to Suzanne for putting my career above
all else, baby you're the greatest.
From the
luckiest guy I know,
Dennis
Some quick
thoughts and updates: I am pleased and
proud to announce that the release in the USA of
"100 Years From
Now" will be on
Rounder Records. The president of Rounder, John Virant,
and I first met in New York at my rock symphony show at
the Beacon. His company is the distributor of my live
album in the states and now much to my surprise he has
decided to be the official record company for "100
Years".(100 Years the CD, not the duration of the record
contract.) The record business is in such a state of
flux that quite frankly I'm gratified that John has
belief in me. When he received the Canadian CD he called
me and talked enthusiastically about the music. How
refreshing! The album will
have two new tracks, "Private
Jones" and "There Was A Time." In addition, there will be
an all English version duet of the title track. The
release date and my duet partner are still being
determined. The album is ready to go today except for
the duet. John and I are looking for the right match.
Some early candidates: Jim Nabors (the southern
strategy), Florence Henderson (that Brady Bunch thing),
Axl Rose (projected release 2030) and of course my first
choice Jerry Lewis, my inspiration for "Lady".
New Year's Eve
was something else. We performed in Queen Victoria Park
on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. From the stage
looking left we had an unbelievable view of both the
American and Canadian falls. It was nationally televised
throughout Canada. Just for the record, it was 25
degrees Fahrenheit when we began to perform the first of
two sets of music. We played for 55 minutes then broke
for fifteen, came back for TV and did 5 songs. They had
placed some portable propane heaters around the stage.
Too close to one and you'd get third degree burns, two
feet away and they could chip ice off your tush for a
frozen Daiquiri. That being said the audience was
incredible, after all they had no heaters and they stood
there for nearly three hours. Once again the people of
Canada have been enormously supportive of my music. By
the way it was the first time I have ever performed
Suite Madame Blue, and actually turned blue.
'08: I'll be on the road performing
both the band and the rock symphony show hopefully in a
city close to you so you can come out and enjoy the
party. As I have already mentioned my CD will be
released in the US and The Hunchback will be
produced at the Bailiwick in Chicago May and June. In my
spare time I plan to be sleeping and have Suzanne peel
grapes for me for
nourishment.
See ya in the funny papers.
Dennis
01/24/08
Hey
Everybody,
Zippidee do dah zippidee heck,
I'm number one up north in
Quebec
Truth
be told, I would have bet the farm that such a thing
could never in million years happen. Wow! That sentence
sounds like Damon Runyon. Any moment now, I half expect
Nathan Detroit to place odds on such a long shot
possibility. I mean, really, having a #1 pop single,
rock track and AC, seems surreal. In Canada this, of
course, is known as "the hat trick". Never in my wildest
dreams could I have expected this. To have a #1 record
anywhere is amazing, even if it were Afghanistan,
Turkmenistan or StanMusialstan, let alone Quebec, one of
the most vibrant and knowledgeable musical scenes in all
North America. Quebec, after all, discovered Styx before
the USA. (We were actually discovered shivering in the
snow on the banks of the Saint Lawrence Seaway). Merci
Beaucoup and many thanks again to the people of
Quebec.
On
August 18, I performed in front of the largest live
audience of my entire career at St. Jean sur Richelieu,
outside Montreal. According to an email from Sylvain
Latour, Chief of the Cabinet Mayors office, there were
over 40,000 people at the concert. On stage with me were
my band, Glen Burtnik, guitarist Stephane Dufour and
Eric Lapointe, who joined me to sing "100 Years From
Now".
What a
night! It has been a very, very long time since I have
performed a new song and received a response like that -
long live radio!
The
release of my new CD in the USA will be in the first
quarter of next year. It will contain at least one new
track and an all-English version of "100 Years From Now"
with another guest vocalist. Sorry for the delay but the
success in Canada has caught us by surprise. (By the
way, my reference to a new CD called, "The Grand Pieces
Of Paradise" was meant as a joke, although some have
written to us in earnest about this project. FYI the
title's been changed to "Man of Serpent Crystal
Cornerstones".)
Back
in 2000, I had come to a crossroads in my life, unsure
about what career path I should pursue. Shepherd,
bouncer, philosopher king, ventriloquist or perhaps man
on the flying trapeze. Fortunately, I was guided by Tim
Orchard and my wife Suzanne back unto to the path of the
Magical World Of Music. Primarily because of the smell
of the goats and my overall appearance in circus tights,
I believe whole-heartedly I've made the correct choice.
I will continue to sing, write and perform as long as
you allow me this privilege, or 'till I just flat get
pooped.
Thanks
again for your continued
support.
The
Hunchback of Notre Dame:
It's
true, the Bailiwick
Theater , under the Direction and
guidance of David Zaks, will be presenting my musical in
Chicago starting May 8, 2008. David has been interested
in doing the show for the past few years but, frankly, I
was very busy on the road building a solo career,
something until I was in my mid fifties I had never
truly committed to. David's enthusiasm for my musical
convinced me that now is finally the time. As some of
you are aware, I became ill months after the first
staging in Nashville in 1997. At that time, the
producers of the show hired a new director from
Chicago's prestigious Steppenwolf Theater and were
determined to get it to Broadway. Not only was I unable
to continue working on the Hunchback but it affected my
ability to tour with my former band. Bummer! Life has
many surprises, "some happy some sad", but hell, let's
"take the best and forget the rest" and some day we'll
find...
Hopefully you know how this ends.
See you soon on TV, on tour, at the Bailiwick in May
or, see you in the
funny papers.
Dennis
08-27-2007
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Watch
Dennis DeYoung's performance from
the VH1 BIG IN 06
Awards
show.........
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photo by Remy
Boily - Le Canada Francais Newspaper
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photo by Remy Boily -
Le Canada Francais Newspaper
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photo by Remy Boily - Le Canada Francais
Newspaper |
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photo by
Remy Boily - Le Canada Francais
Newspaper
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Hey
Everybody,
My new CD
"100 Years From Now" will be released in
Canada on June 19th. The single of the same name
was released about three weeks ago and is a duet
with French Canadian rock star Eric Lapointe. The
song is sung half in French and half in
English. The original lyrics were written of
course all in Aramaic but at the last minute I
figured, too Mel Gibson. So I reverted back
to good old American English. Some have viewed
this as a critical error, seeing as how they
like my music better when they don't understand
what I'm saying...oh well, c'est la vie, which
brings us to the French. I gave the English
lyrics to Eric Lapointe and he kept the spirit
of my intent and wrote new lyrics en
Francais. Direct translations are of course
impossible although there is one troubling line
that I believe says "Dennis is a doofus", I
just can't be sure.
This is the greatest
collection of songs written and recorded since
Tiny Tim's landmark live recordings of Blind Lemon
Jefferson's "Ode To An Italian Beef."
Seriously, I'm very
proud of the music on this CD and I hope
those of you who have the chance to hear it will
be bewitched, bothered and bewildered. (I was
kidding about the seriously.)
Later this year the US
version will be available with "100 Years From
Now" in English. The English lyrics appear
below.
Dennis
052907
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One Hundred Years
From Now
Tell me how do we begin
this tragic tale
When centuries of fear and
hate have left a bloody trail
And will there come a time
we'll
live to see
When the sins of our
fathers and mothers will cease to be
And can we find a way
to live and let live
When we know the hardest
part is learning to forgive
And who will be the first
and who will be last
To admit that the future
can never be lived in the past
So pray tonight pray we
must
But prayers alone cannot
build the trust
For all those people whose
vengeance is their vow
Eye for eye
tooth for
tooth
Who among us will speak the
truth
So our children's children
will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from
now
How do we repair the damage
done
To all of those who've
known the loss
Of daughters and of
sons
And can we really feel
another's pain
While the killing continues
from Adam and Abel to Cain
So pray tonight we kill
the beast
That lives
among us from west to east
And all the people whose
vengeance is their vow
Eye for eye tooth for
tooth
Who among us will speak the
truth
So our children's children
will live in peace somehow
One hundred years from
now
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Hal Sparks and Dennis singing
"Come Sail Away" on:
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Dennis on
Canadian Idol
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Roger Hodgson,
Dennis and Ben
Mulroney
August 22, 2006
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| Hey Everybody,
With so
many unbelievable things happening to me this past year
I have not had the time to put it all into
perspective.
First, let
me say that Suzanne and I have just celebrated our 37th
year of marriage and as has been the case on more than
one occasion the celebration took place was while I was
performing. (No, not that kind of performing you nasty
little buggers, I'm referring to singing and playing
piano.) Many times over the years Suzanne has allowed me
to put my professional needs over birthdays,
anniversaries, holidays and family vacations.
Suzanne,
for this I say thanks for always being supportive of me
in every way. I have said this before but it bears
repeating as to how fortunate I was to meet you and fall
in love with you when you were just 15. You are the only
girl I have ever loved and I feel lucky to have had you
in my life. If there ever was a guy who made the perfect
choice for a spouse it's me. Happy anniversary, and
here's to 37 more. ( Let's see that will take us into
our 90's, egad's!)
From the
multi platinum success in Canada, to Star Academy, to
Canadian Idol to Celebrity Duets to VH-1's Big IN "06"
to countless usage's of my songs in movies and TV, to a
Yamaha endorsement, I feel a bit overwhelmed by my good
fortune. Never in my wildest dreams did I think such
things were possible yet again. Suzanne, Tim, Dianna and
I have worked very hard these last four years with
little guarantee for success. But hell, a lot people
work just as hard and never see results, I know I have
been one of them. So to all whom have helped make this
possible I send my heartfelt thanks.
To name a
few: Paul Jessop, Maurice and George and everyone at
DEP. To John Virant and Rounder Records Chris Taylor,
Dave Harris, Randy Lennox at Universal, Julie Snyder,
John Oshima, Paul Setzer, my band and my LD Matthew
DeYoung, my publicist CarrieAnn DeYoung. Also Sujata
Murthy, Todd Nakamine, Lori Lousararian, Our sound and
road crews and Craig Bauer. Most importantly, to all of
you who have come to my concerts and bought the CD and
DVD, many thanks!
The threat
is real! Yes it's true, I have been recording my first
solo rock album since 1888, I mean 1988, and it just
feels like 1888. The working title is "Back to the 10 on
Desertchild". Just kidding it's actually "The Grand
Pieces of Paradise". I have decided to return to my
roots and I feel this is my edgiest and rockin'est
record ever.(Hell everybody says this same BS don't
they?) Truth be told the songs do not suck, and If your
interested in a middle aged white guy who can still sing
high you just might like it. For more cryptic discussion
of this coming "masterpiece," keep an eye on this web
site.
GO
BEARS!
Dennis
01-26-07
Who
is
SPARKY THE FLYING
DOG? |
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This year believe it or not is the 25th anniversay of
the release of, "The
Paradise Theater" album. In accordance
with this event I have decided to tell the story of,
" SPARKY THE
FLYING DOG."
- Step one, drag out your "Paradise" record album or CD and
get yourself a magnifying glass. On the album cover
depicting the old rundown theater, look under the
marquee on the right hand side and you will see a
poster. With your magnifying glass in hand you will
notice a picture of a dog with this banner, "Appearing Thru July 7, Sparky The
Flying Dog."
- Next put on the, "Rockin the
Paradise" tract and listen to the guitar solo
and you will here me shout, "Go Sparky Go!"
- Next listen to the opening lyrics on this record,
"Tonight the night we'll make
history as sure as dogs can fly." Next
play this tract backwards and....oh I'm sorry that was
the, "Beatles" who did that, at my age I tend to get
confused.
Yeah, so what you say! Who the heck is this
mutt?
To me, Sparky was symbolic of many metaphors for
the underdog, no pun intended. For instance, "The Little
Train Who Could," "The Tortoise and the Hare," "Dumbo"
etc. Those of whom little was expected but much was
accomplished. A theme that I have explored many
time in my lyrics, you know "Winners
are losers who got up and gave it one more
try."
I knew the odds against me realizing my dream of
being a succesful musician were astronmical, but I
believed I could fly, just like Sparky! Hell
everybody knows dogs and guys like me can't fly,
but we did. So Sparky represents that spark in all of us
that refuses to take no for an answer. Here's to all the
the Sparky's of the world, the ones who have flown and
those about to.
PS. When traveling on the road
throughout the 80's I stayed under the name of Sparky
Allen. Souvenir Sparky
T-Shirts are available at all live concerts.
Dennis
July 6,2006 |
New Christmas Song |
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Star
Academie TV Show -
Quebec
Watch
Streaming Video
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Hey Everybody, or perhaps I should say
bonjour mes
amis.
Long before Styx was able to sell platinum albums and
headline concert tours in the USA, we were able to
accomplish these things in Canada. How so you
ask? Well, I answer, the French Canadians of Montreal and Quebec
City, radio station CHOM and a little song called Suite Madame Blue. That song
was so embraced by our friends to the North that it
turned Equinox into a multi
platinum album, our first anywhere in the world.
When released in the states Equinox
didn't even reach gold. In America we
continued to work our way up the ladder by being the
support act for Kiss, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, etc., while we
were true headliners in Canada. Remarkably, a
recent poll in Quebec found
Suite Madam Blue number three
on the all time list of favorite songs behind Stairway
to Heaven and Hotel California. |
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Because of this, Canadians and especially French
Canadians will always be dear to my
heart. When we played The Forum in Montreal for
the first time, the entire audience stood with lighters
in hand and sang every word to Suite
Madam Blue, Because of that, I knew success would
soon be ours! |
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Once again the French Canadiens have shown their love
and support for my music. I recently appeared on a
TV show in Montreal called Star
Academie. It's a combination of American
Idol and Fame all rolled into one. My good friend
Paul Jessop from Universal
Canada arranged my performance through Patrick Binnette and Julie Snyder the host of the
show. I'd like to thank everyone at Star Academie, the contestants,
Scott and the band, Julie,
and of course the people of
Quebec for their unbelievable response to my
performance and the upcoming concerts, and all the
support from my good friends at CHOM radio....and
DEP.
Check out the streaming
video . |
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MERCI
BEAUCOUP
Dennis
December 2,
2005
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HAPPY 36TH
ANNIVERSARY TO MY WIFE SUZANNE
I loved
you when I met you in 1964,
I loved
you when we dated in 1965,
I loved
you when we became engaged, 1966,
I loved
you in 1967, 1968, 1969,
I loved
you when you became my bride, 1970,
I loved
you when we had our first child, 1971,
I loved
you during the years we tried for a second child,
1972, 1973, 1974, 1975,
I loved
you for helping me through the tough times, 1976,
1977, 1978,
I loved
you when I wrote my first number one
single (BABE) for you, 1979,
I loved
you when you gave birth to our son 1980,
I loved
you for continuing to be my partner in
life, 1981,1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986,
1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2004, 2005,
I have
loved you every day of my life 2006.
Like most men
this is for all the times I forgot to tell
you!
Forever,
Dennis
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Hey
Everybody,
To be honest I'm not sure where to begin.
So many exciting and literally unbelievable things have
occurred over the last few weeks that I'm nearly
speechless (remember I did say nearly).
First, THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX WIN THE WORLD
SERIES! That's right SEIRES
DLROW EHT NIW XOS ETIHW OGACIHC EHT, backwards.
forwards anyway you like it it's still true.
My dad
took me to my first Sox game when I was nine years old
and to this day I still recall the moment we emerged
from the dark concourse stairs leading us up to the
field and into a magical world of emerald green and
blinding sunlight. One hand in my dad's the other in my
glove, with the dream of catching a foul ball, I stood
at the crossroads of innocence and hope. Oh the sights
of the uniforms, the scoreboard, the upper deck and the
enormity of the park itself. The sounds of "peanuts, get
your peanuts," "hey ump get's some glasses," the organ
playing "Take me Out To The Ballgame" and of course the
crack of the bat. The smells of fresh grass and hot dogs
mingling perfectly with the aroma of beer and
cigars.
A day to remember, a day forever etched in my
mind.
WHITE SOX WORLD
CHAMPS, long time coming, worth the wait. I only
wish my dad were here to have seen it. |
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I've written a
Christmas song entitled "When I Hear A Christmas Song. I
played it for Suzanne and my family and they agreed I
should definitely do something with it. So I sent
it to some of my friends in radio and to John
Virant the president of Rounder Records, the distributor
of my live album. Everybody loved it. So Rounder will be
releasing it to radio for play during the holiday
season. It will be avilable through I Tunes in the next
week or so. The song is an old fashioned traditional
kind of tune, one that I hope will bring everyone a warm
and loving feeling for the holidays. (If
you would like a copy, click here .)
Dennis
November 2, 2005
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 Hey Everybody,
These photos are from an event I
performed at in Chicago's Arie Crown Theatre last
Saturday night. It was a benefit for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation,
a very worthy cause. Actor and former police officer
Dennis Farina and comedian
Tom Dreesen spearheaded the
event with help from several of us from the Chicago
sports and entertainment community.
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 To name a few: Gary
Sinise, Vince Vaughn,
George Wendt, Joe Mantegna, Robin Tunney, Larry Minetti, Peter Cetera, William Petersen, Mike Ditka, Jim
MacMahon, Jimbo
Covert, Matt
Suhey,Shaun Gayle,
Steve McMichael, Leslie Frazier, and last but not
least Greg Maddox who
informed me that growing up in Las Vegas he was a
Styx fan. I'm waiting for that group photo to
arrive, and when it does I'll post it.
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 At present I've begun work on a new CD that I'Il
hopefully finish by the end of the year.(Though which
year I'm not completely sure.) The
songs deal with topics such as sailing away,
to robots, to really big illusions to...hey wait a
minute somethin fishy here. Truthfully this collections
of songs are the greatest I have ever written in my
entire life. (Which is musician code for, they don't
suck as much as I thought they might.) Some working
titles are, Hey Juice, Stairway to Hefner, Sweet Home
Alla snackbar, and A Whole Lotta Luft, a song
about Liza Minelli's sister. Many of you
are now wondering why you took time out of your busy
lives to read this, sorry I have no answer for you.
Seriously the actual song titles have been
hermetically sealed in a vault in Berwyn Ill. and will
be posted just as soon as I'm sure they will not
embarass my friends and family.
Enough
nonsense. I have been moved to tears as many of you have
by the images of our fellow Americans and the scope of
the destrucion and misery caused by hurricane
Katrina. My families heart goes out to all
those affected by this national tragedy. I urge everyone
to contribute in any way they can to help. There but for
the grace of God go
I.
Dennis |
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"The Perfect
Man" In Theaters June 17, 2005
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Copyright Universal
Pictures
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Hey everybody,
CarrieAnn, Suzanne and I just
retuned from the "Perfect man" premiere in L.A. at
Universal Studios City Walk. Hillary Duff, Heather
Locklear and Richie Sambora, Mike O'Malley, Carson
Kressley from Queer Eye, Caroline Rea, Mr. Roboto
blasting from the sound system, red carpet,
countless paparazzi the usual suspects and... well
me. How low can Hollywood
stooooop. |
As we walked the red carpet
shouts of "Dennis, Dennis over here to your
left, right behind you" were heard. I was really excited
until I realized I was blocking their view of Heather
and Hillary. Hmm, Heather and Hillary, I believe that's
the Democratic ticket for
'O8. Seriously it was quite
exciting and the after party at the Hard Rock was..well
noisy and crowded. |
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Free food and drink brings
out the worst in people.
The movie is fantastic. Warm
heartfelt and funny, Marc Rossman did a terrific job
telling the story and most importantly incorporating my
songs into the plot. It's great family entertainment
without being sappy. Everyone is great and Mike
O'Malley is especially good as the die hard Styx
fan. I of course play a singer in a Styx
tribute band named
"Kilroy". |
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If you have trouble recognizing
me I'm the guy who looks like the love child of Tommy
Lee and Mike Reno. The band consists of Matthew my
son on drums, Hank, Tommy, and John from my
band all in disguise. I must say it made me laugh.
Remeber now this is all in good fun and meant to bring a
smile to your face.
The soundtrack CD is
quite good and contains all four of my songs used
in the movie, Mr. Roboto,
Babe, Lady, and The
Best of Times. It's available on Curb Records.
If a few years back you would
have told me four of my songs would be in a movie,
again and I'd actually be in it, well...you
know...
"Winners are losers who got up
and gave it one more try".......Dennis
(June 15,
2005)
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 Hey Everybody,
April 11, this year, Suzanne and I
celebrated 41 years together. This of course includes
our dating and going steady way back when humans did
such things. As I reflect on our lives together, the one
thing that stands out is how vital Suzanne has been to
my musical career. Not simply because she has been the
inspiration for so many of my songs (Lady, Babe,
etc) but how important her belief and support was
critical to the sucess of Styx. Yes the sucess of Styx.
During the Equinox tour of 1976, I felt I could no
longer continue touring and making albums. I had become
disillusioned and quite frankly depressed over what I
perceived as the failure of Equinox to reach its full
potential. I had lost faith in myself and in my
dream.
Through this very
difficult time, Suzanne stood by me, sheltering me,
protecting me, loving me and encouraging me to get back
on my feet and return to my music. She understood it was
what I needed. I did, but not until she agreed to
accompany me on the road. I needed her there for moral
support. She agreed immediately and took our daughter
CarrieAnn out of school to join us on tour. She home
schooled CarrieAnn by visiting her teachers every two
weeks to gather all the material CarrieAnn would need to
continue her education. When Mathew was born in 1980, he
became part of our family entourage. Both Suzanne and I
took full responsibility for our children while touring
over 100 cities each year. Most of the work fell on
Suzanne's shoulder, for we never used nannies or outside
help of any kind. Everyone out there with children,
imagine if you will; you, your spouse and your kids in a
hotel room over 125 days each year, that's right,
twenty-four hours a day. Did I just hear a giant gasp?
Instead of being relaxed and comfortable in our home
raising our children, Suzanne made the sacrifices
needed, so that I could continue touring. I owe her a
lot. Without Suzanne, I doubt that "Crystal Ball", "Grand Illusion", "Pieces
of Eight", "Cornerstone", "Paradise", "Kilroy",
or any of my solo albums would have been
recorded.
Since we were teenagers Suzanne has shared
my dream of becoming a professional musician. Hell, she
loaned me four hundred dollars to help pay for my first
electric organ. When it came to me or my career, she was
selfless and dedicated to my goals. She is the only
woman I have ever loved and I'd like to thank her for
all she has given me over the years. It is in my humble
opinion, more than I deserve.......Dennis
April 1,
2005
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 Hey
Everybody,
'04 was an incredible year and
'05 looks even better, what with concerts lining up
everywhere. The good people at Universal have dug down
into their precious vaults and have come up with gold.
The "20th' CENTURY masters' THE
BEST OF DENNIS DeYOUNG , The DVD Collection is a
reality. I must say that I'm thrilled to once again see
myself driving a red 1965 Mustang convertible into that
fake Midwestern sunset. Of course I refer to my favorite
video 'Desert Moon'.This affords me the opportunity to
shed a tear, not for the theme of lost innocence but for
the loss of...hey, how the hell did I fit into those
jeans and what happened to my brown hair? This video
collection reminds us of a time when 'VHI' actually
played videos and was less focused on the amorous
affairs of Sly Stalone's ex-wife and that Flavr...what's
his name guy! Here's to a simpler time when rock stars
were foolish enough to pretend to be actors. On the
other hand I am in that new Universal picture 'The
Perfect Man,' apparently they didn't see any of these
videos.....
Dennis
January 2005
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