Sailing away with Styx memories and classic rock history with Lawrence Gowan

With Styx returning to The Lyric on September 13th and O.C. Bike Week on the 14th, Nestor called upon the only member of the band to never do his show. The great Canadian pianist, singer and classic rock guru Lawrence Gowan talks about his role in the band and its enduring ability to rock and create new music.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

band, sticks, years, great, play, jy, baltimore, people, lawrence, canada, music, tommy, canadian, dennis, songs, joined, working, rush, nestor, chuck

SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Lawrence Gowan

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Yeah, welcome home. We are W, N, S, T, tassel, Baltimore, Baltimore, positive. We did a lot of sports around here. We got football, baseball, September, but my God, what a concert week. Pearl Jam is in on Thursday night. Bruce Springsteen is on on Friday night, sticks is on on Friday night. I got calls out to everyone, and you just wonder who still loves you. You know, Nils Lofgren is a little busy this week. The great Nils Lofgren of Maryland, and I’ve interviewed almost every member of Styx. I’ve had Tommy on many times. I’ve had JY and I are famously friends. Todd Zuckerman did the show a couple years ago. Even Chucky did the show back when he wrote his book. Dennis de Young even did the show a million years ago, I have never had Lawrence Gowan on the program, so my request was, Kenny, can he zoom in long distance from Canada? Can he make it over here? Do we have to talk hockey if I have him on? Lawrence Gowan and I’ve met many, many times. I have fun pictures with you. You know, the one thing I think about your crazy band and knowing you guys, and the first concert I ever saw on the Grand Illusion tour at the Baltimore Civic Center, I was a very young man, and I love your band, but you are a working, freaking band, man. You guys, the older you get, the harder you work.

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Lawrence Gowan  01:16

Yeah, well, great to be on your show. Finally, Nestor, a and thanks for asking. And yes we when I joined, which was, I’m into my 26th year now. We passed the 25th anniversary

Nestor Aparicio  01:30

of the new guy anymore.

Lawrence Gowan  01:32

I guess not. I’m the old new guy. So when I joined JY, you know, and Tommy and Chuck their their goal was that sticks have to play a baseline of 100 shows a year. There are so many. There are so many markets, or whatever you want to say, countries, even that they that they had neglected to get to enough times, and there was such a reawakening culturally, for for classic rock right around that area, they thought, we better, we have to, we have to get on this kind of a schedule right now. So that’s why we have maintained that ever since it’s, it’s worked. Well, no one thought that it would go into this, you know, a quarter century or, you know, half the band’s life now has been this, this incessant touring schedule. But it really is what classic rock bands. It is the mandate of today, because people, I mean, there’s so few of them left in the world, and classic rock is the great musical statement that people want. You know, over the last half of the 20th century that people want. They have an insatiable appetite for it, and so we’re happy to provide. Well,

Nestor Aparicio  02:46

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you’re doing a bunch of shows. I should also say you’re in Ocean City with cheap chicken on Saturday. You’re up in Hershey on Sunday. So, so if you if you got Bruce tickets on Friday and you can’t make it to the Lyric, you got other chances to see sticks this weekend. So and please. So the thing I would say about your band is first band ever saw, first band ever loved, I loved rush juice. And we’re going to talk about that with you being neighbors, and you’re always the nice Canadian guy when I meet the band. You’re always the guy bringing me the drinks and whatnot. So I would just say for you and classic rock and all of these years later, the notion that when you were a kid in the 80s, growing up and, you know, Queen Street Scene and all that stuff, that this could still be a thing. I mean, I remember when Mick Jagger on tattoo you was, Oh, he’s 38 you know, it’s getting a little old, you know. And for a lifetime for me, I’m 55 little younger than you. It’s what I do. I’m a sports guy. I’ve done sports 30 anybody listens to me knows that sports has not treated me nearly as well as music. Music. I’m never a loser. When sticks goes off in place, Come sail away at the end of the night, Renegade. I leave a winner every night. Music has followed me in my life in a way that I don’t know, that I knew about when I was a younger person. That’s

Lawrence Gowan  03:54

a tremendous observation. I do say quite often that music is the one thing in life that does not have the capacity to let you down. It just doesn’t. It will lift you to a great place no matter where you are in your life. You could be in in the worst circumstances and going through heartache or any sort of, you know, difficult times. Music is going to be there when you’re at your happiest of times. Music is going to be there sports. Is, it’s a great it’s a great sideshow. I call it, it’s, it’s exciting as hell, you know. But it also has the capacity to kind of let you down in a lot of ways, when, when some of your favorites, for example, can no longer perform. And I’ve spoken to a lot of athletes you you wondered if we had, we were going to wedge hockey into this. And yeah, we have to, because, by government law, I have to at least discuss hockey, at least for at least half like

Nestor Aparicio  04:48

disappointment. You’re Maple Leaf guy, right? Yeah, of course. So there you go. So you remember 67 but that’s all you got, right?

04:55

I do.

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Nestor Aparicio  04:55

I That’s all I got. I got 83 You know,

Lawrence Gowan  05:00

I’m fresh out. Congratulations, and your T shirts in great shape. If that’s from 83 I saw when I first joined sticks, I think a couple of years into the band. Thing was 2001 the ravens, Baltimore. Ravens were in the Super Bowl. You

Nestor Aparicio  05:15

guys played it. That’s right, I have a picture of me and Tommy in the hotel at the Hyatt in Tampa. I do, no kidding, absolutely. Yeah, am all my purple regalia. You guys. You know, you guys rock. And I think that’s the thing, like, I was going to make a best of times reference with you, and you sing Dennis’s part in the band, and, like, 25 years later and all that. But the thing that I think people don’t know about you that like, you know, babe on leaving or come sailor like more melodic stuff. But when you go see sticks anytime in your ERA last 25 years, you would leave saying, Damn, they rock more than I think they do. And I think every time I see you, I think you’re real rock band. And people don’t understand that from the softer side of ballots,

Lawrence Gowan  06:00

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I suppose. I mean, the great thing with one of the one of the many great aspects of sticks is that they had a very wide pallet, as far as, as far as what they could do. They could do they could do pop, they could do rock, they could do progressive. They had all of those recovered. And in an era when, you know, it was hard to hard to stay afloat. They, you know, if the next thing they needed was a number one single, they were able to do it. If the next thing they needed was a concept album, they were able to do it and and do it really, really well. So that’s what one of the things I was attracted to is with the band. However, as you point out, the one thing that they wanted to lean on more when I joined the band was the rock element of it. And so we have done that, you know, that’s, that’s basically, possibly what makes our shows so high energy, believe it or not, that people are always shocked with the fact that we’ve been around for such a long time, and yet the show has a high intensity of of energy factor. Let’s call it that. And you know, a band that leans into it and leans on the rock side of their career just tends to do better in big arenas and big, in big, in big, in bigger venues and and in even in theaters, I’d say there’s more of a concussive thing that that happens there when the band leans toward the rock side of what they of what they can do, and sticks. You know, that’s, that’s where I began with the band, and that’s where we’ve kind of held things,

Nestor Aparicio  07:28

new albums, new music. Some folks, some of your albums haven’t sold. Great. I get them all going back, cyclaming like through all the new era of music. But every time I go and see you guys. You’re you’re creating music. And I haven’t talked to Tommy. I had JY on during the plague, and I saw Tommy’s work with his piano follow. I mean, we’re all we all have mask on. We’re sitting at home. I’m watching all of you who were performing, whether it’s Garth Brooks and his wife, you know, whatever that was going on. But that period of time, you guys, you’ve never stopped really making new music. And sometimes I come to the show and say, can you just play lights for me? And sometimes I come and you’re like, Well, we’re gonna play a whole album, grand illusion, whatever pieces, eight you’ve done that stuff as well, but, but you, you’re not just a working band out on the road. But I’m just astonished that, and I’m not because you’re artist, that you want to create new stuff, whether we want to hear it or not. You want us to hear it. And you’ve never you’ve never stopped. I mean, like as a lot of classic rock bands, just say, look, we got our 12 songs, maybe 1518, we’ll go play those. But you’ve never been that band. And maybe that speaks to to Tommy a little bit.

Lawrence Gowan  08:37

Certainly it speaks to Tommy’s but it speaks to the entire band. We, first of all, the lifeblood of a band, you know, I believe, is a multiple factor to keep the body in shape. One is, one is playing live and having that, that endless, you know, give and take from an audience that tells you whether you’re still doing the right thing or not. But the next thing is, is new ideas, new new music coming along? And as far as sales go, it’s, there’s a different kind of there’s a different parameter to that now, a different a different benchmark. So we made, for example, our most recent album crash to the crown. We made that we started it actually in 2019 but we really, you know, dug in and finished it over 2020 when everyone’s away. When we came back to touring in 2021 it went straight to number one on Billboard’s rock album chart. So there’s a rock album chart now, because they, they’ve divided up all these charts mainly because, you know, new music that’s, that’s mostly stream, so we’ll say rap, hip hop and that type, that genre that dominates, you know, as far as the pop charts go, etc. But rock music now has, especially classic rock music has its own, its own definition on the charts, its own, its own category, much the same as when I was growing up, there was a jazz chart. You know, Jazz. Jazz was the big musical statement of the first half of the two. 20th century rock is the big statement of the last half of the 20th century. And I remember seeing, why have they got this little jazz chart over here on the side? Well, because it’s an important music it’s proved itself over the the course of time. And so I think it’s good that billboard and other other publications have a rock album chart because this is a it’s, I hate to use the word, but it’s a legitimized form of music now that is still being represented and and we, we continue to make new music. And as soon as we finish up here in Esther, I get right back to working on new sticks things

Nestor Aparicio  10:34

well. And you guys are on the road all the time too. Does that make it? Do you play with stuff on the road as a band with new stuff? I mean, are you always sort of in a place where I’m working on a song because that I’m, look, I’m a writer. I’m always writing something. I mean, I’m 55 whether anybody’s going to read or not. I never know, but I’ve, it’s a cathartic thing. I’ve got to do it. It’s, it’s part of what makes me me at this point my life.

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Lawrence Gowan  10:56

Well, that that articulates it really well. It’s part of what makes us us. Is when we’re in the dressing room a couple of hours before the show, new things are getting kicked around and played and jammed on. And if we do a sound check, it’s the same thing. It’s the newer things. However, you know, we’re aware of the fact that, as a band with a legacy that stretches over half a century, over 50 years, you know, people are coming to the show to hear, you know, blue collar man, Grand Illusion Come Sail Away. Renegade, uh, Mr. Roboto, you know, lady, I’m

Nestor Aparicio  11:29

always pissed when you don’t play lights, but and, and I just me, it’s not one of your big hits, but you play it every once in a while. And I have requested it, and I have heard it. I remember one night in Lancaster, you played it. I’m like, Yep, yeah, yeah, break it out.

Lawrence Gowan  11:43

I love lights. I really love lights. It’s funny, we do that one occasionally. We brought light up back in couple weeks ago. We’ve been doing lore live now for the last couple of years, because that, that’s really my

Nestor Aparicio  11:54

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wife’s favorite song, by the way, yes, Lorelei, yeah,

Lawrence Gowan  11:57

great. Obviously, she has very good taste. And what else have we been throwing in recently? I think we’re going to bring man in the wilderness. We’ll probably come back in a little you know what JY said years ago, there’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to great stick songs to play in the concert. So for that very reason, I extracted myself many years ago, probably about 20 years ago, from deciding what’s going to be on the set list, because it’s no one’s wrong, it’s just you’ve got, you’ve got five different or six different opinions going on in the dressing room. I’m like, just, just hand me the menu. I know it’s going to work out really well. I know how this is going to

Nestor Aparicio  12:34

end. Lawrence Cowan is here, the good Scottish man from Canada who has been in sticks for 25 years. First time I visited with you, but we visited many times privately. Um, so much with you, because I was going to talk hockey and hockey season or any of that kind of stuff. But when I come to Canada, and I try to come once or twice a year to get my passport stamp, make sure I get a little lug. I love Canada. Anybody knows me knows that. But when I when I go in, I always fly to Buffalo, and I always have breakfast with my buddy, and then I crossed the Peace Bridge, and I come over, and the cool part of Canadian radio is, and I’m sort of weirdly addicted to it. I’ll put it, I sometimes listen at home. It’s all Canadian, right? Like the the mandate of the government is, I will hear a gown song, I will hear some April wine. I will hear some honeymoon sweet. You know, I get to hear stuff. That’s the beauty of your country. I think in one way that lot of Americans don’t know that if they haven’t driven in when they put the radio station on, you go hear some rush, you know, you might even hear some Anne Murray and some Barenaked Ladies. I had Steven page on one of your countrymen a few weeks ago. You

Lawrence Gowan  13:34

Oh, fantastic. Yeah, yes, you might. Oh, Steven, good. Um, you’re, you’re right now the reason, the reason they brought in, they did the same thing in Australia, smaller countries that were in on the music industry when things were really you might know, people might be aware that back when you know, particularly the United States, you could do all kinds of favors for radio stations to get Your song played on the air.

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Nestor Aparicio  14:01

Pale, I own a radio station, so in my FCC thing, plug all pail, their actual word, plug all it was a word that was a

Lawrence Gowan  14:09

it was, it was, it was, it was, it was it was categorized as as, as independent radio promotion and

Nestor Aparicio  14:16

and pride just a bribe, is what we call in America, right? But

Lawrence Gowan  14:20

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in Canada and in Australia, realizing that, to combat that and have and have our own artists rise the since payola didn’t really exist here, or if it did, it was in its infancy, they basically made it okay. You have to play 20% Canadian content that’s on television, and already all broadcast has to be 20% Canadian content. Now Australia went 50% Australian content, and at the time, there was a great backlash to it. I know that you know, radio stations and TV were like, well, what are we going to play? Like local club bands like. ACDC, and they’re like, Yeah, you’re going to play that. And next thing you know, you have ACDC here. What’s the same? And

Nestor Aparicio  15:05

you have in excess, and you have, you know, exactly right,

Lawrence Gowan  15:09

it’s the same, because without that exposure, and if you’re, if you’re, it’s to try to level the playing field, so to speak. So, for example, we had much music in Canada where, whereas that was kind of our equivalent of MTV and radio we still play. Quite honestly, it’s about, the great thing about growing up here is would be about 50% American content, about 30% British and and that’s arbitrarily, and 20% was mandated Canadian. So bands would begin to emerge, because at least, you know, Rush could get on the radio, you know, Brian Adams could get on the radio, you know, etc, and this helped their careers to to blossom. In my case, it was simply that I was signed to Columbia Records in Canada, but not released by Columbia Records in the United States, even though they own the rights to my records, and that’s quite a common story. So people will hear myself or like The Tragically Hip, which is actually the biggest band ever in Canada, and yet most people in the United States don’t know who they are. So the great County, yes, yeah, the great Gord Downie. So there you go. But you’re familiar with this because you’ve come your luck now, since I’ve been in sticks, tons of sticks fans come to the when I do solo shows here in Canada, they come in from the US. They usually somehow get the first few rows. And I’ll be playing to a lot of the sticks faithful in my solo shows. And I absolutely love that I finally got some US exposure to my own music. Lawrence Gowan

Nestor Aparicio  16:39

is here. He famously, infamously, replaced Dennis the young many years ago, 25 years ago. Let’s talk about members of bands and your band specifically, because I’ve been at it from the beginning, you know, I mean, I saw John play back in the day, and through all of it, you know, Chuck and I guess burtnik And the people that have been in and out of the band. Ricky Phillips, the latest member of the babies, I mean, bad English, the whole deal. He decided, like, oh, 60 something, 70 maybe I want to stay home with Mike. Maybe it’s time. Maybe where we are. And then you replace members. It was so controversial when it was You foreigner, I know you had this incredible tour this summer with foreigner. And you know, some members aren’t in bands anymore. You were of that first generation of that ain’t Dennis anymore, is he? Can he sing like that? And you had that scrutiny. And look, I’m a kid from Baltimore. It’s like replacing Brooks Robinson for anyone in a band, whether the person is deceased or just they can’t get along, or business, or whatever. You really carried that maybe more than most other guys performing a role in a band. It’s very common 25 years later, but you were on the first end of that, um, yeah, that that was tough for you. I think you know when you shop say, Hey, where’s Dennis? People were looking for that, and you were always great for me. I, and I like Dennis, and I know that, you know, but, but it was always sort of a, do you know Dennis?

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Lawrence Gowan  18:08

No, we met briefly when we did a show together in Montreal. But I do feel, obviously, since I’ve been in the band and sung songs, that he’s been either part of the writing of or was the writing of, that we are, we’re kindred in that sense, you know. And I, I am as proud of sticks as he’s proud of sticks. It’s funny, you know, I just, I have the same sort of thing. So there’s that, there is that, that connection. And I think that’s a more profound one, anyway, and but I would say this, first of all, I never, the word replacement has never been used within the band. I always kind of get a bit of a wince at that, because, and it goes back to because I’m a fan as well. I never felt that Phil Collins replaced Peter Gabriel as the lead singer of Genesis. Phil Collins became the singer of Genesis, and Peter Gabriel, luckily went on and had, you know, for us fans, went on and had this stellar solo career.

Nestor Aparicio  19:05

So look at Sammy Hagar and Van Halen. There’s two van halens. They’re really exactly, I

Lawrence Gowan  19:09

don’t, I don’t ever think that Hagar replaced David Lee Roth. I don’t. I never think of it that way. And when I joined sticks, Tommy, j, y and Chuck, when I spoke to him in that year, he was that was one of his most difficult years, health wise. But the word replaced, or the word to try to, to emulate, or in any way Do an impression of was never, ever brought up. They’re like, No, you sing the songs the way you sing them. And that’s, that’s the best way that we can move forward, is basically you, you know, and then people can like it or dislike it or be indifferent to it, it, that’s entirely up to the audience, I mean. And that’s that’s something you have to bow to as a performer any any time. So I always look at it like, No, I joined the band at that point, and I brought whatever, whatever cards I have. I brought those and put them on the table, and have been doing it so ever since. And we are, and I’ve say this often, we are the culmination sticks that you see today. We are the culmination of the efforts of everyone who’s ever been in that band. So John bonazzo, John selewski, Dennis, the young Glenn bertnick, Ricky Phillips, these are all people that have contributed, you know, to varying degrees, to to what the band is today, and the same for foreigner, every guy in foreigner, as you mentioned, you know they but they were all hand picked by Mick Jones, who’s the center of that band, every single one of them. So it ties to what Rick Wakeman predicted back in 1990 I read an article in New Music Express where he said, there’ll be a yes 100 years from now, when our grandchildren are off the earth, because much the same as there’s a London Symphony today that play Beethoven, there was a London Symphony 200 years ago that played Beethoven, and no one says, Hey, that’s not the same first chair violinist I saw 200 years ago. You know, it’s, it’s, it’s all how you want to look at that if you really connected to through the original members of a band. Then the Rolling Stones ended when Brian Jones was no longer in the band for you, but I’ve seen the Rolling Stones, and I see Ron wood, and think he’s every bit as much a rolling stone as anybody on that stage. So it’s all it’s all basically your own perspective and your subjective opinion on these things. Last

Nestor Aparicio  21:19

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time I was in your beautiful country. I came in to go to Massey Hall, a place I’d never been famously with Russian farewell kings and like all world stage, excuse me. And I went there the most unique band, right? They, I mean, even you too. Now I’ve seen without their original drummer because he couldn’t play on the last tour out of the sphere and but rush, like you’re Canadian, you got a rush thing? Please tell me you have at least a little bit of a rush thing. Well,

Lawrence Gowan  21:48

I was managed by the same manager as rush for 14 years, so from 1981 to 1997 Yeah, yeah, I was, I was with Ray Daniels, so he was my manager. So I got to know the rush guys. Alex leifson Is the guitarist on my fourth album. He’s on that whole record. You can look up lost brotherhood, and we did a video together. So I know those guys quite well in that we would see each other two three times a year at something at the office. Just had nice text from Getty Lee just yesterday. So

Nestor Aparicio  22:19

tell him I love him. Tell him I still love him. I’ve always loved him. Let him know. Esther still Getty, yeah, it’s good, all right, it’s

Lawrence Gowan  22:25

good. Don’t be don’t tell him you’re the Canadian

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Nestor Aparicio  22:29

absolutely still love Tell him I’m coming to see his baseball collection. Let him know. Just let him know, that’s right, his baseball collection

Lawrence Gowan  22:35

is astounding. Is it just a amazing human beings? We’re in that are part or that band. All three phenomenal sense to humor and just great people, even on in the in the brief encounters, we’ve actually played hockey together. So, but, but yes, so I know those guys in association with under the same management for a good number of years. What was the question? No, just

Nestor Aparicio  23:03

that, you know, they were the band that never broke up. They never had to get on stage in any other way. And then, you know, then they had this tragedy with Neil. But they’re, they’re the original, like they’re very few bands that went 50 years and never stood on stage with a Lawrence instead of a Dennis, or you’re a Ron wood instead of a Brian

Lawrence Gowan  23:23

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jug, right? They are the they are the exception. They are the exception. To this point, they’re the exception. I mean, who knows what’s going to happen in future if they may want to go out and play rush songs and not call it rush, I don’t know, but yes, there’s always an exception. It’s like even, for example, you know, Aerosmith, I don’t think they had any changes at all, did they? No, they didn’t. Yeah, and now, sadly, you know, hopefully his voice will recover, um, Stephen Tyler, but yeah, it’s every band, honestly. Nestor, every band is unique, just like every family is unique, and sometimes some families are built on, you know, adopted kids. And some, some are built on, you know, the the indigenous to that very family. Unusual things happen with within the camp of every single band. That’s been my observation. Anyway, from being around these bands, there’s no two alike. The main thing is this, the songs outlive everyone anyway, and the melodies and the lyrics in stick songs are strong enough that they’ve survived over half a century. So I’m proud and happy to be to be part of that legacy in that, you know, it’s extended the life of the band.

Nestor Aparicio  24:36

Ricky out of the band. People don’t know Evan. I, I came out and I saw Evan on stage, I think here in Timonium, you played the fair, and JY was out and with his wife. And I’m like, Hey, who’s that guy? And I had to Google. And I mean, he’s been a part of the band for a decade, really, in studio ways and in different ways, but sort of a new member as well as your brother. Correct? Yeah. Oh

Lawrence Gowan  25:00

yeah, okay, so no, you’re referring to Willie vankovich. Will will began working with the band. Actually, shortly after he produced Tommy’s solo record, he began working co writing with Tommy, and then I got into that. So it became kind of a three way co writes that we came up with the album The mission, and which he produced and CO wrote 2017 and then, of course, crash to the ground. Now, when we did the mission shows, because we did a series of shows where we played the mission in its entirely entirety, and because it had sold enough copies and enough people wanted to see that record because of the concept album in its entirety. So we did three nights in Las Vegas, night in Boston, a night in New York, a night in Washington. We did several of

Nestor Aparicio  25:45

them. I was at that show, yeah, I know you did. It was a small little thing you did with the machine, yeah. So

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Lawrence Gowan  25:49

will join us on stage for that. You’ll remember. And then after crash the crown, we just figured, why don’t we just keep them, you know, you know, keep them in on stage every night. And he joined the band, and great move. And then with, with the with the departure of Ricky Terry was the most obvious one, because I mean, he and Todd when I play my solo shows, by the way, I just played Massey Hall just a couple months ago, solo as a gallon show, but Todd Zuckerman joined our drummer from Styx, has been playing my solo shows from 2010 to 2020 so over that 10 year period, he and Terry, my brother, Terry, had formed a rhythm section that was played well over 100 shows together. So Terry’s name was at the top of the list when we needed someone and need someone fast because they’d already been in a rhythm section. And although he’s my brother, I was, I was kind of the, the quietest voice in the room, because I thought, if you guys want this, I’ll try to make it work.

Nestor Aparicio  26:52

Family’s different. Correct, correct. Yes,

Lawrence Gowan  26:56

I think you understand what I’m getting at. Funny enough, Chuck. Chuck was kind of laughed about it and went, Well, we had brothers in the band before, and somehow it worked out. So maybe we’ll try it again. How’s

Nestor Aparicio  27:07

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Chucky doing?

Lawrence Gowan  27:08

He’s doing so well. I’ve never seen someone who is when I joined in 1999 Chuck was really, really going through a major struggle with his health. I’ll just say I actually thought he was at he was at death’s door, and apparently he did as well. He wrote a whole book about it, but he has, every single year, he has recovered remarkably, and he plays more. He played more shows with us these last two years than ever. So if ever there was a testament to somebody you know following doctor’s advice. It’s Chuck panazo. He has done that, and he’s just in a few days now, he’ll be turning 76, years of age, and he still comes out to the majority of shows. Hopefully you’ll see him in Baltimore next week. It always comes down to how things are on the day for him, but he’s doing remarkably well, and I won’t even say remarkably well, he’s just he is triumphed over one of the hard, high, highest challenges health wise, that a person can have. So Chuck’s doing great. Lawrence

Nestor Aparicio  28:12

Gowan is here. He is in sticks. Sticks is playing three shows next weekend in the area, Friday night at the Lyric, in case you got Springsteen tickets or you’re a little hung over from that Pearl Jam thing on Thursday, Saturday down at the beach. It’s part of the whole bike weekend. Skinner’s down. There’s easy tops down there’s the cheap tricks down there. I’m gonna be down at the beach eating oysters next week as well. And then on Sunday night, they’re up to the Hershey theater, but that thing’s almost sold out, so get down to the lyric and check it out on Friday. Alright, last thing, and this is where I’m gonna have a little fun with you. Is your hair purple? I gotta ask, What color is it? Right?

Lawrence Gowan  28:39

Purple, that I believe is blue. It might show up as a purple on screen. Sure,

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Nestor Aparicio  28:43

Baltimore, just say it’s purple. We lost on Thursday. Oh, sorry, yes, this is,

Lawrence Gowan  28:47

this is because I knew I was talking to you today. Nestor, sorry, we’ll, we’ll go back on that one. Yeah, I had this done in Raven purple, just for you.

Nestor Aparicio  28:55

My first ever favorite stick song was probably Come sail away. And Lady, you know, wouldn’t nickel in that era, but really Renegade. You know, when that happened? I was 10 years old, 7879 and it was my favorite song until I went to Pittsburgh about 20 years ago. Um, I’ve seen you dirty sobs down there in that awful black and gold wear your purple hair when you do that Lawrence. But I’ve also seen you guys sing the national anthem at a Ravens, Bears game. I have a picture with all of you in regalia you were in the press box. And I’m like, they’ll sticks to in here. I’m like, oh, it’s Chicago. That’s why they’re here, you know. And this renegade thing, I’ve talked to JY about it. I’ve didn’t I’ve, I’ve denounced it. I’m letting you know I’ve denounced it with Mike Tomlin on a stage as well. The renegade thing’s a hell of a thing for you guys, right? I mean, it makes you relevant every Sunday that the Steelers are home and on national TV. I like it better when they stink and they’re not on national TV because I’m from Baltimore. But the renegade thing your band, whether it’s, I guess, you know, the the cartoon that kept Come sail away the. There’s just pop culture things that make it happen, but nothing like football in America and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Renegade

Lawrence Gowan  30:06

8

have to agree. I have to agree. And yeah, it’s, it’s a phenomenon. It’s, you know, you know, there they have t shirts that say, Oh, mama, actually, I

Nestor Aparicio  30:16

know, I know. I’ve seen them in airplanes. I take pictures of the only,

Lawrence Gowan  30:19

it’s the only NFL endorsed shirt that’s outside of any any team logo, because there’s no logo on there. Just says, Oh, mama, but people know what. People tend to know. People like yourself tend to know what it’s referring to. And yeah,

Nestor Aparicio  30:35

I would never wear that shirt, and I love your band, but it’s black and gold. I don’t wear it. That’s why it works. That’s

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Lawrence Gowan  30:41

the sports affiliation. I understand it. I understand the passion that you have Nestor. It’s you’re like the pride I had in your purple hair when I thought it was purple. Well, for you, it’s going to be purple if you’re going to, if you’re going to go on like a 10 year old boy, I’m going to make it purple maple

Nestor Aparicio  30:57

leaf and blue jay blue is what it is. Okay. Hey, I got a request lights. Just tell tell some I’ll be in the show. I’ll be in the show next week. Well, I mean, really, you’ve made time to come on with me, and I’m very appreciative, because you’re home. You worked your ass off. All you guys do for you to take a little time with me today. I’ve always wanted to have you on. It was a thrill for me. I know it wasn’t for you, but we got to talk about your favorite your favorite country, Canada.

Lawrence Gowan  31:24

So I always enjoy doing these because it’s, it’s one of the nice things that happened after 2020. Is so often I would do interviews with people over the radio and never get a chance to see them or see them briefly after a show, and not be able to connect the fact that we had a good conversation. But you obviously, you are a dyed in the wool sticks fan. You are definitely a Ravens fan. And you’re, here’s

Nestor Aparicio  31:47

8

my 1978 belt buckles. These are my pacificos.

Lawrence Gowan  31:50

I only have the one on the Oh, yeah, I have the one on the right.

Nestor Aparicio  31:53

Yes, green or the or the or the maroon.

Lawrence Gowan  31:55

Which one maroon one I’ve got the more maroon one and the first one you held up, that one I wear on stage.

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Nestor Aparicio  32:01

You do you wear this one? Yeah. This was, this is an A and M. This was officially licensed from the Yeah, from the from the record company back in

Lawrence Gowan  32:08

the late I wish we should start making those again. Yeah, I love those. I want

Nestor Aparicio  32:12

to come sing songs with you next week at the Lyric. Sticks is at the Lyric on a Friday night, they were out with this incredible score all summer long, uh, with foreigner and John wake. They skipped Baltimore so they could come back and do a special on Friday night down at the Lyric. Um, thank you. Good luck to the Maple Leafs. Uh, I’ve, you know, I’m always hoping, I’m figuring Canada’s going to burn down if that ever happens. Like, if that ever happens, Canada’s just going to take, like, the whole month of June will be off, and you guys will come back after Canada Day. Um, thank you for everything all the years, and I’ll see you next week. Okay? Nestor,

Lawrence Gowan  32:44

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I look forward to it all the best. Great, great chatting with you.

Nestor Aparicio  32:47

It’s a hell of a whirlwich, sir. He has behind him as well. On our next episode, we’ll find out what he has in his jukebox. Lawrence Gowan from Styx, JY Tommy will of Occam, I pronounce his name wrong. I’m an idiot. And now Terry Gowan in the band playing bass. Maybe Chucky will come in as well. Uh, hearty, hello to Ricky Phillips. I love you in the babies as well. Be Babalu, but you got this 50s in there. You

Lawrence Gowan  33:12

got real stuff. 78 baby.

Nestor Aparicio  33:19

I am Nestor. We are W and S, T, A, M, 1570 towns in Baltimore, arts gown, and I had more fun than I even thought we were going to have, and I knew we were going to have a lot of fun. Stay with us for Baltimore. Cheers. Cheers, thanks.