South Park's perpetual fourth-grader released his cover of the Styx anthem in 1998, 21 years after the original, as part of the Chef Aid: The South Park Album record, which was primarily produced by Rick Rubin. The song reached a new generation of fans, and Gowan always liked Cartman’s chops.
“It’s the best rendition ever. That’s all I can say about that,” he shares.
The 68-year-old is a “gigantic” South Park fan and still hopes Styx can eventually team up with the show’s co-creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to perform “Come Sail Away” in Colorado. He recalls the South Park 25th anniversary concerts in 2022 at Red Rocks with Primus and Ween and sees potential for a future collab.
“I’ve seen clips of that. We got to be part of that someday and have Trey do ‘Come Sail Away.’ I don’t know if I’ll be able to get through it doing that voice, but I would love that,” Gowan adds, before breaking out his best Cartman voice and singing the praises of Casa Bonita. “Last time we were there, we actually couldn’t get a reservation,” he notes.
The band — which also includes founding guitarist James “J.Y.” Young, longtime guitarist-vocalist Tommy Shaw, drummer Todd Sucherman, guitarist Will Evankovich and new bassist Terry Gowan, who is Lawrence’s brother (original bassist Chuck Panozzo is still a member of Styx, but hasn’t performed full concerts since 1999) — hopes to visit the infamous local Mexican restaurant now owned by Parker and Stone when in town on Monday, June 9, for a show at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Styx will be performing the 1977 album The Grand Illusion, which first introduced “Come Sail Away,” in its entirety. Former REO Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin and former Eagles axeman Don Felder are opening the show.
Styx playing Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony back in 2016.
Courtesy Styx
“It’s a huge driver of how people connected to the band,” Gowan says of the South Park connection. “Then, when they see us, that seals the deal.”
With such a long list of setlist staples, Styx could easily rest on its laurels at this point, but the Chicago crew isn’t content with just playing the back catalog. To go along with the current tour, Styx announced its eighteenth studio album, Circling From Above, and shared the single “Build And Destroy” at the end of May. CDs and vinyl are available at all concerts before the official July 18 release date.
“There’s something about this band that wants to drive forward. We’ve had it in our DNA for a long time. I still kind of marvel at it that it’s that kind of band. It just seems to continue to experiment with new things,” says Gowan, who joined Styx in 1999 after a successful solo career in Canada, including the multi-platinum album, Great Dirty World (1987).
“There’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to history and great songs to play, but part of the live blood of the band is playing live, so when you go through the joy and pain and elation and the friction of making new music, you come out the other end with an extra dose of inspiration to push on and make things fresh and new.”
For example, “Build And Destroy” sees Styx revisit a theme it is familiar with, but from a modern perspective.
“It’s about the interaction between humans and the technological world. That’s a field that Styx has gone into in the past, but now it’s become such a central part of our lives and how we grapple with it,” Gowan explains, adding, “There’s a lot of humanity in this record.”
It’s clear Styx isn’t slowing down anytime soon, so the possibility of a South Park crossover in the future isn’t too far-fetched, especially after Gowan showed off his impromptu Cartman impression.
“Once you’re a songwriter, there’s always a new song coming into your head,” Gowan concludes.
Styx, with Kevin Cronin and Don Felder, 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 9, Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwold Plaza Blvd. Tickets are $56-$198.
