James “JY” Young is no stranger to hard work. With an aerospace engineering degree under his belt, the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, who has been credited with steering the multi-million-selling band Styx toward their first recording contract decades ago, continues to play hundreds of shows a year. I caught up with the non-stop rocker and real life renegade for my podcast shortly before he headed to Las Vegas to take the stage with the band and former Eagle Don Felder in their collaborative mini-residency Renegades in The Fast Lane.
Listen to the conversation with James Young on iTunes.
According to my calculations, James Young has been a rock star for most of his life. As he gets closer to half a century of keeping fans screaming for more, the Styx band member is as enthusiastic about performing as he was during the early years. In fact, the rock life just might be a factor in keeping Young so, well…young. “Forty-five years of doing this, and to me, it’s the Fountain of Youth. And I may be in my 60s, but when I get on stage I feel like I’m in my 20s,” he says.
The steady stream of hit Styx songs including “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” the cult-like classic “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man,” and “Babe” continue to resonate with multi-generational audiences today, which keeps Young busy and happy. Fans have always been drawn to the power of Styx ballads, but is he still able to find inspiration within songs that he has sung for so long?
“Yes, I do,” says Young. “Probably, I’m more aware of it now, only because when you’re a young person, you haven’t been through, you know, the different phases of human existence and you haven’t seen it from these different vantage points. When you’re older and wiser—you’re older and wiser, and these things relate more to your personal experience maybe than they ever did.”
Young recognizes the power of the music, describing the band as “humble stewards” in the performance equation. “We get together and put it out there. And the crowd responds and they send this joy back to us. And we send the joy back to them, and by the end of the night, we’re all surfing this giant wave of joy.”
Who wouldn’t want to keep playing?
Find out more about Styx and band members James “JY” Young, Tommy Shaw, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips, and Chuck Panozzo.
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Nancy Berk, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author, comic and entertainment analyst. The host of the showbiz podcast Whine At 9, Nancy digs a little deeper as she chats with fascinating celebrities and industry insiders. Her book College Bound and Gagged: How to Help Your Kid Get into a Great College Without Losing Your Savings, Your Relationship, or Your Mind can be seen in the feature film Admission starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd.
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