As I sit here in the back of the bus, skimming over the Goldmine magazine article recently published with STYX on the cover, I am feeling a wee bit nostalgic. It is actually quite an emotional feeling. I suspect this time of year adds to it too. That "back-to-school" feeling that accompanies the cooler temps and the autumn colors. The one thing that comes from it is how life keeps marching on, through good times, bad times and all that exists between.

We have an amazing and ongoing story, which started long before I was introduced to the mix in 1975. It is rich with laughter, tears, music that was carefully carved and music that was almost stream of consciousness, all qualified in the final analysis as STYX. As with any retrospective, it is tempting to wish things could be as they were when we were in our 20's, all for one, drinking from the same cup, but life dictates that we live in the moment, and come to think of it, the moment is really quite amazing. It is not what anyone imagined it would be, but whose life is? Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

We are amazed and renewed every time we perform these days. The enthusiasm from our fans seems to know no limits and we are humbled every time we have to say good-bye after the final bow. It makes the constant traveling, the lack of sleep, the strange bed at the end of the day all seem an insignificant price to pay.

Looking at the old photos of STYX leaves me with a smile on my face, thinking how at the time we really thought we were the bomb, style-wise. I like the cover shot, which if I recall correctly, was taken in some hotel while we were on tour. Photo sessions were always awkward and remain so today. We still think we look okay, but I imagine 10 years from now we will look at today's photos and cringe a little (at the same time thinking how young we look). See, the moment is the best place to be!

STYX music has a richness of history behind it. There is new music being born even as we tour the world this season. It is the language of our spirits, a fresh cup drawn from the deep well of our continuing experience, and the ongoing journal which began long ago we are compelled to update. As I have always said even during the times when STYX has been inactive, when we are all in our graves, each of us will be likely referred to as "that guy from STYX." No matter what we do from this day forward. Not a bad thing.

I am a bit disappointed that Chuck Miller took several comments out of their original context, in particular the last paragraph of the interview. We were talking about how people dress these days, and I was talking about how anything goes these days--you can dress like a 70s hippy or look like Elvis, and it is all okay. In the interview, it seems as if I mean anything goes as far as STYX is concerned, something entirely different from what I meant. Unfortunately, this is something that happens more often than not when you do interviews for the written press. Nonetheless, his was the most thorough historical look at STYX I have ever seen, and we are grateful to him for taking the time and making it happen.