*FIRST TIME HEARING STYX* 🎵 "Mr. Roboto" Reaction

[@AnyangU]

This son has multi-layered meaning. Dennis DeYoung has said that the primary influence of this song is seeing some of his friends growing up lose their jobs to automation and/or losing their jobs overseas to countries such as Japan. The lyrics in the beginning is Japanese. This song is part of a concept album, which tells the story of the rock star Kilroy, whose framed for a murder he did not commit and he is thrown in prison, as part of a diabolical plot by a religious zealot who is out to end rock-n-roll. This, too, was influenced by real life when a religious group claimed that Styx's Paradise Theater album had backward Satanic messages on it, something that baffled and upset the deeply Catholic Dennis DeYoung. The story open with Kilroy escaping from prison disguised as a Mr. Roboto - a robot that has taken over much of the work that is now done. In a dusty museum of past music, Kilroy meets Johnathan Chance, a budding young pop star and he removes his mask to show his true identity - the escaped convict (though framed) Kilroy. The whole story has a 1984 kind of feel - as it was 1983 and there was a lot of discussion at that time that 1984 was about to come and whether or not George Orwell's prophesy had come true or not. Maybe, he was a few years too early on it all. Cool reaction video I enjoyed it. Try some more Styx, as musical talents, they are among the best.

[@HBFTimmahh]

That Religious Zelaotn was Tipper Gore. Al Gore (the Democrat's) Wife.

[@oldmanjankins8812]

WOW!

[@BlackieNuff]

You remember the plot better than I do. I forgot about Kilroy being a former rock star and being framed... damn.

[@asraiSOA]

I remember seeing a documentary on Styx. DeYoung kept taking the band in directions the rest of the members didn't want to go. This album was a major rift between Dennis and the rest. He may have gotten lucky on some of his 'ventures' but I don't think it did the band any favors. Tommy Shaw was the best part of that band...

[@classicarcadeamusementpark4242]

@@asraiSOA The band agreed to it, and if you listen to the recently surfaced radio interviews on KZbin when the album came out in early 1983, the others were clearly totally on board and talked of the great work they did. Dennis found the group in 1962 with his neighbors who remained in the group. Tommy didn't join until Dec 1975 after the band had top 10 hits. Most of the success of the group was due to Dennis. He was the group's main song writer, singer, instrumentalist & producer. Tommy's best known songs were greatly affected by Dennis and wouldn't have been the same without him. Tommy was great, but Dennis was amazing. The band kicking out their founder & golden goose (as they refer to him now) is simply...preposterous. This would be the equivalent of George and Ringo kicking out both Paul & John and continuing the Beatles.Or The Police without Sting. Never should have happened.

[@Trev__rich]

If we’re venturing into styx now there’s a lot for you to experience “too much time on my hands” “babe” “lady” “renegade” “come sail away” “blue collared man” “the grand illusion” “the best of times” “lorelei” “fooling yourself” and a bunch more that’s just off the top of my head. I’d say your next one should be renegade or come sail away

[@willwozniak2826]

Who had the better voice? Shaw or Young? Always wanted to ask the question.

[@Trev__rich]

@@willwozniak2826 i think their voices work perfect for their seperate songs. if i had to choose tho i think tommy shaw edges it out just a little bit

[@Trev__rich]

also brad and lex idk if you guys will see this but if you do mr roboto is dennis deyoung singing, if you wanna hear a tommy shaw song listen to renegade or too much time on my hands

[@jschrauwen]

Come Sail Away

[@GrimmdarkTruth]

I really like a Man in the Wilderness.

[@kimberlinibambini1988]

Personally I think this song was waaaaay ahead of its time- and now we’re living it...

[@outtahere321]

I agree..... just look at Google and Apple. Where is the privacy today?

[@lesliesanders1067]

Word!

[@csedrivers2850]

I was thinking the exact same thing.

[@csedrivers2850]

I think you hit the nail on the head.

[@DJDarthVader]

“Mr. Roboto” is a song that tells part of the story behind the concept of Styx's 1983 release “Kilroy Was Here”. The story is about a future dystopian society where a tyrannical Dr. Righteous is trying to eradicate rock and roll under the pretense that it corrupts youth by getting them into sex and drugs.

[@jovancurcin3694]

Kilroy is a name of the main character in their rock opera "Kilroy Was Here". He defeats one of the robots that work in the prison he is in and uses it to disguise himself and escape.

[@Lonejustice1]

The word Kill Roy showed up on the inside of ships and planes from the factories in America during WW2.

[@andreadeamon6419]

Dennis DeYoung was heavily into Broadway type songs. That's also why they booted him out

[@TheRealMirCat]

@@Lonejustice1 'Kilroy was here' with a face peeking over a wall was drawn all over Europe. It was basically a meme, but the Nazis tried figuring out who he was. Thought he was a spy or some type of super soldier.

[@anthonymitchell8893]

I used to see street graffiti in England in the seventies Kilro y was here ha ha so know I know thanks brad and lex

[@toddstevens13]

@@andreadeamon6419 It is quite amusing they picked the song that blew the band apart.

[@srbaran]

This is completely unlike all of their other songs. To hear what Styx is best known for by their fans, listen to Renegade or Come Sail Away. If you want a romantic song, give Babe a listen. That being said, I do think this song is pretty epic, too.

[@jamesanthony8438]

They reacted to "Renegade" back on Nov. 21, 2021. Go check it out. =)

[@srbaran]

@@jamesanthony8438 yeah, that was after I made this comment. I checked it out as soon as they uploaded it.

[@ptkelly80]

It helps to know that this is from a concept album. It doesn’t make much sense when listened to out of that context.

[@gametime2473]

This is one of my favorite songs of the 80s. No song in history sounds like this. This song to me is about technology being used to take over the world and using a happy face to do it. Sounds pretty prophetic to me.

[@annaoswald5943]

To here the rockin' side of Styx try Renegade or Blue Collar Man. They were a very popular band in the late 70s and early 80s, with many hit songs and a variety of sounds.

[@RandomFandomDragon]

Renegade is definitely one they should check out.

[@djC653]

@@RandomFandomDragon yup

[@michaelkulis6008]

Blue Collar Man seems to be overlooked by most reactors. I’m not sure why it isn’t suggested more often. It’s a great tune.

[@sparkyjcm]

Agree. Renegade, Blue Collar Man or Queen of Spades.

[@bobbybobbatunday9959]

Cry ball and miss America are favorites of mine

[@AW11-e4h]

That Lex giggle is everything 🤣

[@USMC-dm3ws]

💯!!

[@davestratton460]

She makes me smile.

[@joecool152]

this was one of the biggest skating rink bangers in the 80"s. I still remember friday nights flying around thunderbird roller rink yelling domo arigoto Mr. roboto.

[@kimberlinibambini1988]

Yesssss! Same! Skating rink all the way! Floor and as full when this one came on! 🛼 🛼

[@timpeters4699]

I remember buying pizza and a Coke and this song would come on I just leave it to go skate. Only the comeback to my food being eaten by my friends great memories

[@lloyd67lp]

Thunderbird rink where? We had one in my neighborhood when I was a mere lad.

[@joecool152]

@@lloyd67lpI grew up in Plano Texas north of Dallas.

[@joeglennaz]

Oh my gosh I’m laughing my head off one of the biggest skating rink bangers. That’s hilarious. It’s so true though that’s why it’s so funny. Rolling around the rink jammin of this song.

[@DerekWitt]

I still love listening to this song. I remember it growing up. Looking back, it's as if Styx took George Orwell's novel "1984" and stood it on its head!

[@smbonna]

And this song also taught us all how to say "Thank you very much" in Japanese..

[@dipsydoodle7988]

Seeing her giggling and doing the robot was all I needed to see today. Mood altered. Thank you. 😁

[@michaelmulherin9952]

shes pretty sharp

[@andrewbaldwin9796]

'Lady' by Styx is a great classic🤘

[@thomaswhite7783]

I'd have to go with Lorelei

[@mangerinegirl]

Lex, your laughter and robot dancing made my day. This was fantastic. But yeah, back in the 80’s there was a real fear that computers would replace humanity. I’m sure there was more to this song than that, but it’s part of the message. It’s still a fear we live with today.

[@gertrudelaronge6864]

I agree.

[@scoobysnacks]

Just 23 years ago we were all afraid that civilization might actually come to an end because no one was sure if computers could switch to the year 2000 from the year 1999. We thought that it might cause all computers to simultaneously start malfunctioning or just end their programming entirely and stop working. And without technology most of the world's population would die of starvation. When you've reached the point that the human race could be absolutely decimated by technology, maybe your reliance on it in virtually every aspect of society should be questioned.

[@BalbazaktheGreat]

"Modren Man" gets me every time. That "just when I needed to" hits so good.

[@artizek]

I am the Margarine Man!

[@psions555]

It's deliberate. It's a word which can be used to sum up post modernism. It's the sort of thing that is deliberately mis spoken especially in academic and scholarly circles

[@kathleenarchacki7875]

I was at their concert when they toured with this album... it was very very cool

[@mikejohnson-dl7vt]

"Killroy" is a cartoon character in WWII, peeping over a wall with only eyes, nose&hands showing. Sign that you are being watched (Kilroy was here..👀😒

[@gertrudelaronge6864]

yup, fact.

[@kennyhogg5820]

I totally forgot about that drawing. Yeah kids would often draw Killroy in their notebooks and on the chalkboard.

[@archersfriend5900]

Actually Kilroy was a shipping inspector in America in WW2. He would sign his inspections, "Kilroy was Here".

[@ryanprentice6921]

I love the Southpark scene where Cartman does the whole rendition of "Come Sail Away" in like 30sec.

[@itmightbme]

This reminds me of being a kid! We all lost our sh!t when this came on the radio! ❤ as an adult, Stix rocks❤

[@ethanmac639]

what a masterpiece! wow! i have never ever heard this song or seen it until today! my jaw is still on the floor! wow just wow! this is my new favorite song! how did i miss this mini-operatic piece of brilliance!?

[@coreyz.2800]

Couple years back, for the first time ever, I tried karaoke. And this was the song I picked. I was a rockstar before I even opened my mouth to sing. They heard that intro and people were jumping up and down like "Is that Roboto...? Holy shit that's Roboto! You're the fucking MAN!" And by the time I was done, the next guy in line came up to me and called me an S.O.B. because "I have to follow THAT?!" IT was a huge boost in confidence for this lifetime wall-flower introvert. I wish I could have done it again but the whole next year I was busy (they only hold karaoke night there once a month) and 2020 was, well, 2020 so there would be NO going out to the local bar for karaoke night that whole year. What I love about this song is that it was ridiculously on-point and ahead of its time. Yes, Lex, it is most definitely an 80s song and a bit of a "one hit wonder" for the band, and lyrically it spoke to humanity's obsession with technology and how it was robbing us of our humanity. And when you think about it back then the technology was "archaic" and insanely limited compared to what we have now. But they knew where it was going. And where are we at today? People spend hours a day on social media "connecting" with other people hundreds and even thousands of miles away...while completely and utterly ignoring the people who are right there in the room with them. When tragedy strikes, or someone is committing an atrocity, what do we see every time? Dozens, even hundreds of people just standing there with their phones out hoping to "go viral" and even though they might try to make themselves feel vindicated by shouting "somebody should help" or "somebody should do something," not a single one of them makes a move. They don't step in to intervene. They don't break up the fight, or offer a helping hand to the person who is struggling. The agony of humanity is playing out right in front of their eyes and all they do is stare at their screen with no thought in their head deeper than "I could make this more interesting with a bit of editing but then someone who skips the editing will post it first and I won't get as many likes or shares because I was late." That line "machines to save our lives, machines dehumanize," as I hear it today I just picture some wannabe "influencer" taking a duck-face selfie or posting memes with four dozen "hash tags" to their "followers" while the person next to them is bleeding out from slitting his own wrists because he's overcome by depression from a complete lack of genuine human connection; and it's the irony there that we have all these devices that let us "connect" to people all over the world and sometimes a genuine human connection is all it would take to save somebody from ending their life but it's all just a hollow, meaningless obsession with chasing numbers that ultimately give us nothing of any substance. Like, I've got a few social media accounts, and the one I "value" the least is the one that has the most followers because even though there are over 2,000 "connections" there I can count on one hand the number of "followers" who've interacted with more than just one post. The rest just "liked" and "followed" hoping I'd "follow back" to boost THEIR numbers and give them that artificial endorphin jolt. The music video for this song plays up the theme of "technology has taken over" and this guy's desperate struggle to escape the dehumanization and conformity that this entails.

[@XDarkSyntaXOriginal]

In case you missed it in the live stream- "Kilroy" is the main character of the album, a famous rock star who is sent to prison by a group called The Majority For Musical Morality. In jail, workers have been replaced by robots called "robotos," and Kilroy escapes inside a robot costume (thus, Mr. Roboto).

[@tjcuillier7024]

Man...I remember this song playing ALL the time on the radio. Wow...memories!

[@Dragonscout]

Although this has been in your record for a while I will explain. This was an attempt for not just a concept album, but a "rock opera". My wife and I got to see Styx on tour in Miami Arena in about 1988. It combined all the music, semi-translucent screens, dancers as robots. This was the climax of the show and actually ended Styx as a group.. Most of the concerts during this period were awesome because the "new" technology of the synthesizers brought more music and was before the BS of autotune where people had to actually be able to sing. KC of the Sunshine Band fame went to school at Hialeah High with my brother-in-law and a lot of the music scene was bring in not only early rap from Liberty City, rock from upstate Florida, but reggae from Little Jamaica and Cuban/Latin from all over Miami...Interesting time in the 80's and 90's in Miami!! Keep diving in the rabbit hole!!

[@xoxxobob61]

Brad's interpretation of the lyrics is quite accurate. When this song came out in the early 1980's a IBM Computer was about the size of a refrigerator and today all that technology fits in the palm of a hand now.

[@danbaldwin9511]

Kilroy was a ship inspector during ww2 checking the welds on ships. He was chewed out for not inspecting the welds. He told them that he had already inspected them. So every time some one went to inspect the welds they found the "Kilroy was here".

[@bw9040]

I hear their live shows are really something. What a great classic to jam to!

[@lantose]

Great reaction you two! “Renegade” was a very big hit song back in the late 70’s!

[@Cadinho93]

You guys should react to… Styx - Come Sail Away 🎸🤘

[@jschrauwen]

That's an absolute must. Come Sail Away

[@timfeeley714-25]

You might like this! ~ kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmGzqKyKfKyGqpo

[@Vaelsung1]

Absolutely....however NOT the "Official Video" which leaves off the crucial instrumental middle section. Please react to the album version which is just over 6 minutes. "Come Sail Away" is one of those epic songs that is a "Classic Rock" staple and is always played as one of their "encore" songs and the whole audience sings along! Very powerful and emotional.

[@timothyharwood1941]

As said already not the music video version.

[@danielheffern7756]

I'd like to see them react to the cartman version of come sail away

[@timothyharwood1941]

Thank you for your reaction. I enjoyed hearing your thoughts and feelings and I hope to see you guys react to more Styx. Styx is a rock band that released their first album in 1972 and have just released a new album a few months ago. They are named after the mythical river of souls. Styx has had a rotating cast of members with 4 lead singers and song writers. There is usually 3 leads on an album at any time. They released 7 albums from 1972-'77. Styx's most popular album is The Grand Illusion, it's their 7th album and was released 7, 7, 77. Styx dabbles in little bit of every kind of music. They have blues, prog, folk, jazz, and even sometimes perform live with a full orchestra. They are mostly known for being a 70s hard rock or prog rock group with lots of radio friendly ballads, harmonies, and blends of different styles in their music. As such this particular song and album is divisive amongst fans. It's much more electronic heavy than Styx's usual music. This album is a concept album about Rock and Roll being outlawed and the missing presumed dead Rock star and former revolutionary known as Kilro was imprisoned and hid inside the the shell of the robotic guards to escape. This song is the story of his escape and it's subtext deals with using technology to hide from yourself and society. Styx usually has 5 different focuses when making music. It's either just fun and energetic music. Music with strong political themes and themes of personal character. Themes of facing sadness, hardship, and depression in life. Themes of personal motivation for all of the above. Songs of love, romance and sex. Because they're making fun and energetic music some songs are written to be silly or cheesy but they do have some very serious mature songs and themes.

[@bito269]

I remember this song on the radio in the 80's!!!! The 80's were such a great time

[@jamesmadden8724]

lex is really having fun with this song. good to see, it makes me happy to hear it too, brings back my teen days

[@leonardcharley5917]

This was a concept album. It is actually a pretty good story. A lot of movies have been based on this album.

[@sukioki6983]

I was about 10 when this song came out... I was OBSESSED with it! Still love it all these years later.

[@vincechampion3031]

They were huge in the 70s. Two of their best albums The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight. Anything from these albums is 🔥

[@babaoriley1]

Yes. Those albums rocked. These concept albums....not so much.

[@ChadCarlisle]

Pieces of Eight was like a greatest hits album. Mr. Roboto was the catalyst of their demise. Dennis DeYoung was like the Yoko within the band. He and Tommy Shaw ended up hating each other for a long time.

[@ralphfiligenzi6180]

So fun watching Lex do the robot on the couch.

[@Frostrazor]

HUGE Styx fan here since back in the 80s. First That's a fun song - many Styx "fans" hate that song and say it's not really Styx. whatever. It's different from their previous stuff but they evolved just as the 80s evolved music. This is from 83. STORY - the whole album is a concept story album - set in a dystopia world where Rock & Roll is outlawed by the tryannical and fascist government who decided it was in our best interest not to have Rock&Roll because it is "evil, and depraved' etc etc. The whole cliche gambit about rock music. This formed the MMM (Majority for for Music Morality), headed by Dr. Righteous - overall a trolling middle finger at mostly uptight groups trying to ban/censor Rock music. This was part of the 'satanic panic' of the 80s by Christian radicals. In this story/album, Kilroy was a singer/rocker who they could not remove so they killed a brainwashed supported of the morality movement and framed Kilroy. this was the doing of the Majority for Morality (think Woke Cancel Culture). He was put in prison which is completely controlled by non-feeling robots who care nothing for humans. Kilroy disables a robot and puts on his metal parts as a disguise (think storm troopers), and escaped back into the world. He was "Mr. Roboto." While not a hero or savior, he was trying to allow rock music to be heard again by the masses and wake them up from their oppression. He finally takes off the mask to reveal he's not really a robot that works for the regime - he's really Kilroy there to expose the lies, and give rock back to the people. There are ALOT of great Styx songs - their earlier stuff is much edgier and rock-heavy. I recommend "Renegade", "Crystal Ball" "Suite Madam Blue", "Man in the Wilderness," "Blue Collar Man", "Best of Times", and "Rocking the Paradise" They were a prog-rock band like Lex alluded to they remind her of Rush - spot on. They had three different vocalists and each took turns singing songs - so there are three distinctly different sounds of their songs. Most Styx fans prefer stuff prior to Mr. Roboto song (album called "Kilroy was Here") Their Grand Illusion album is one of the greatest most memorable albums ever recorded.

[@kens32052]

It's kinda like YES fans don't like "Owner of a Lonely Heart".

[@ΑθανασιοςΘωδης]

this song is a 100 years ahead of it;s time.Hi from Greece!!

[@_Michael_Scott]

Despite this song/album basically breaking up the band, it was way before it’s time & is now more & more coming into focus-we’re more disconnected relationally although being more connected technologically

[@nikkiwilliams8508]

When I was little my Momma rocked MTV all day and this was one of my favorites had a whole skit I did to it…..😎🤘🏻

[@capstan50g]

This Styx song hasn't aged as well as some others. I'd recommend you listen to Come Sail Away or Fooling Yourself. Kilroy was a drawing that showed up wherever American GI's went during World War II. It was captioned "Kilroy was here." Hard to tell what Styx meant by this reference.

[@SuperFlowback]

I absolutely loved this song as a kid. I think I was 8 or 9 years old when this came out. I remember the robot was crazy looking to me. I actually had this record and I got it just to look at the robot. Also, this is really the only Styx song that had this sound. Their library of great music is long and definitely worth listening too

[@bdavidson8658]

Seen this tour in Toronto in the early 80's awesome show.

[@tskwerl]

Y'all should do Come Sail Away. But, every time I hear that song, I can't stop myself from hearing Eric Cartman singing it. "Come sail away with me! Guys!"

[@brandonhensley14]

Chef Aide is a great album!

[@sylvialopez5928]

Great voice one of my favorite bands Thank you guys!

[@shashys8854]

My father was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He related to this song better than I did. He understood some of the Japanese words and explained "Kilroy was here" was perhaps the first meme. It was written as graffiti starting in WW2 with a character drawn that was peeking over a wall with a large nose hanging over and a bald head.

[@wildcat1790]

Yall are so awesome!!! Definitely is my favorite channel!!

[@jimcorbeil]

My first 3 concerts. 8th grade, St Patrick's High School - Chicago. Hockey Rink in Oak Park, IL and then Headlined at Chicago Stadium. Yes, I'm old : )

[@andrewjackson7758]

If you are a nerd, Mr Roboto just is part of your DNA. Like a force of nature the lyrics seamlessly integrate into your cerebral cortex. If you don't get it, congrats. You're not a nerd.

[@rhopsi5620]

Styx was a pretty unique band in that they had three lead vocalists: Dennis DeYoung, James Young and Tommy Shaw. Although prior to Tommy Shaw, there was John Curulewsky who also had some lead vocal duties. All three had distinctively different styles and sounds.

[@Candadian_Minion]

This made my day , thank you for doing this song .Cheers

[@t.r.1708]

“Kilroy was here” was a saying from the war. Soldiers would graffiti it to show American presence.

[@timfeeley714-25]

which war?

[@uoabigaillevey]

@@timfeeley714-25 WWII. It is also a generic term that effectively means 'nondescript person.' From the wikipedia entry for 'Kilroy was here' : The Oxford English Dictionary says simply that Kilroy was "the name of a mythical person" So.. when Mr. Roboto removes the mask to reveal himself as 'Kilroy' he is revealing himself to be 'just about any average person that exists.' You.. me.. anyone really. The public. Taken in context with the 'too much technology. Machines to save our lives. Machines dehumanize.' it basically is saying that the futuristic society (which today's society is kinda similar) technology has replaced what once passed for humanity within the human condition itself... and 'Kilroy' has had enough (throw away this mask.) At least this is my take on the song.. and this was back in the 80's even lol. Technology has taken over even worse than we thought back then.

[@michaelmacdermott6340]

@@timfeeley714-25 he's referring to WWII. Kilroy was here is a meme that became popular during World War II, typically seen in graffiti. Its origin is debated, but the phrase and the distinctive accompanying doodle became associated with GIs in the 1940s: a bald-headed man with a prominent nose peeking over a wall with his fingers clutching the wall. HOWEVER... Kilroy Was Here is a concept album that is a commentary on censorship. "Kilroy" is the main character of the album, a famous rock star who is sent to prison by a group called The Majority For Musical Morality. In jail, workers have been replaced by robots called "robotos," and Kilroy escapes inside a robot costume (thus, Mr. Roboto). This song is about his escape from jail; it makes a statement about the dehumanizing of the working class.

[@timfeeley714-25]

@@michaelmacdermott6340 I saw the the guy looking over the fence graffiti when I was younger, but I didn't know it was that old. I thought it was from Vietnam, Thanx

[@chriswood1054]

@@timfeeley714-25 Kilroy made appearances in Vietnam as well... but he's a WWII creation. Fyi

[@vdoman]

always a big STYX fan, nice to see a reaction to one of thier songs...gotta do more Renegade, Blue Collar Man, Lady too many to name

[@lantzkeefer6]

Definitely not my favorite Styx song, this came later on in their careers, but it was very different from what they usually sound like.Nice singing Lex👍

[@donaldoakes6177]

I love Styx. Blue Collar Man is one of my favorites.Love yall's channel

[@markwilson3697]

This was from the 1986 album "Kilroy was here", a conceptual album that the entire band except dennis de young hated. Kilroy was a muscian in future world where rock music was outlawed. He was inprisoned and used a Robot worker known as a Roboto to escape by taking the faceplate of the robot and leaving out with the rest of the roboto workers. at the end of the song Kilroy (played by de young) takes off the faceplate and reveals himself for who he actually his..Not the Robot but the human.

[@rbloomquist69]

So remember when this song came out! Ahhhhhh memories!

[@Almcingrid3663]

Styx has some amazing songs! “Come Sail Away” is probably my favorite.

[@JamesMyers-s2o]

You should listen to Paradise Theater, then watch the video return to paradise… great storyline. Mr Roboto is the guards, police for Dr Rightious…. Kilroy is a political prisoner, the story is with Johnny Chance. Saw them live several times.

[@chilesuicmez]

4:10 - 5:15 is legendary, the theme, the beat, the proggresion, for a 1983 song is outstanding, i dont even like styx or this popish rock, but that whole minute is iconic.

[@Frostrazor]

If you loved that - you'd go crazy over "Come sail Away", "Castle Walls" and "Suite Madam Blue"

[@wesleycrespo]

This song is a great Classic I love this Song!! I love Styx! Hugs from Brazil

[@donaldgilbreath4200]

This is one of those songs I have to be in the mood for. I can like it one day, hate it the next. Lol.

[@missroxy1484]

I know what you mean lol 😆

[@christian7951]

Yes so 80s as a kid this was one of my favourite songs 🤣

[@bluebird3281]

"In the eighties they had a lot of predictions for the future"-Lex "Yeah they were wrong"-Brad Too funny !

[@HBFTimmahh]

but looking outside how wrong were they? about 41 years it looks like.

[@Butterfly22593]

But they weren't wrong

[@scottvanhille5688]

What a great way to start a new band by listening to this song. "Come Sail Away" "Too Much Time On My Hands" "Lady" are a few of their other hits to check out. Kilroy Was Here is the name of one of their albums. Check out their video for this song it's fun.

[@eyeD10T]

Heard this a thousand times, didn’t know it was STYX

[@grapeape1987]

At 4:15 might be my favorite Lex reaction! No matter what kind of day I've had, I always get a smile when Lex has an excited reaction to a song or part of a song.

[@Philbertmac]

This song was from a theme album they did called, "Kilroy Was Here". They even made a movie/musical for this album that Mtv played way too much of. This is the album that originally broke up the band. Tommy Shaw said in an interview, "I just can't write a love song for a robot". When the band reformed without singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung (who came up with the concept and most of the songs for this album), they refused to play this song, but the fans demanded it because it had become so popular. So now they play the song just for the fans.

[@thorshammer5776]

Always on the encore along with Renegade

[@Faltor895]

Styx didn't reform without Deyoung. How would you explain 1990's Edge of the Century album, 1997's Return to Paradise album and 199'9's Brave New World album? They kicked him out.

[@Philbertmac]

@@Faltor895 I just jumped ahead past those to when Shaw and JY reformed the band without DeYoung and was actually quoting DeYoung from a post on Facebook.

[@davidmcclure5752]

I love this song, watching you 2 experience it is almost priceless. Keep us laffing. The 80s had a LOT of different tunes coming out. Peace 4:20

[@tonymoll6265]

I love how Lex starts going crazy and Brad looks over at her with that smirk on his face like, here she goes again. Man, I love you guys. A lot of fun in a un-fun world. Keep it going guys.

[@bageltv3489]

Ya need to watch the video of this.

[@drmauriciodiaz]

Look for the live version of Too Much Time in My Hands. You’re gonna love it.

[@joshuatift4640]

One of those videos o stayed up all night for to watcj on MTV back in the day

[@strangeworldsunlimited712]

This was the first track off of the "Kilroy Was Here" album. It was thought up by Denis DeYoung, the singer here and keyboardist for the band. It was meant to be a rock opera, but ended up wrecking the band and causing them to split up (and kick DeYoung out when they reformed). DeYoung plays the character Kilroy, who is a rock singer framed for murder by a religious zealot who uses the publicity to take control and outlaw rock music, specifically. Kilroy is imprisoned and guarded by Japanese made robots named Mr. Roboto. He overpowers one and uses it to disguise himself and escape prison. He then works to discredit the zealot and bring rock back. Sounds good on paper, but the rest of the band wasn't fully behind the idea, and the execution blew apart, along with the band.

[@vincentgrogan7611]

true

[@ronniecarter266]

It's a song about computers and how they are replacing humans with robotic parts in the workplace and depending less on humans to operate machines, and the message is very true at this time!

[@andrewkelley434]

My favorite Styx song from this period has got to be "Show Me the Way." A very empowering song!! But, their good stuff is definitely more 70's early 80's. Also.....just saying that they just need to bury the damn hatchet (Tommy and JY, come on guys!!!) and reunite with Dennis for one last tour. Do it for your fans!!!

[@thorshammer5776]

A great live band! Still tour today! First band I ever saw before they became well known at Wheeling High School’s gymnasium in 1973. You should check out Tommy Shaw singing with the youth orchestra on KZbin. Phenomenal

[@Boatzilla2]

Great reaction by Brad, "a seemingly amusing song that has a deep meaning."

[@GMoby]

And in the middle Domo part Brad's NOT swaying; he's lightly banging his head to the right ---- THAT is AWESOME !!

[@Crystalspanda]

Oh My, Kilroy 😂 Im old n grew up with these songs. You two are Adorable ❤ Comments will explain...

[@react2reactions246]

“I wanna know what direction this is gonna go.” Bet you didn’t see that direction coming 😂

[@timothyharwood1941]

Definition of a Styx song! Lol

[@tomlavine9480]

This song rocks

[@tomdolman8158]

My all-time favorite band. Although this is not representative of most of their work, unlike a lot of fans, I like this song. This song was not originally supposed to be on the actual record. It was only supposed to be played live as part of a "rock opera" concept that was a combination of a theme about the robots and technology taking the place of humans and also the dangers of the religious right. (They were accused of having backwards Satanic messages on their previous album). The result was an album called "Kilroy Was Here." There was a 20 minute video played prior to the concert. It's too long to explain here, but the video effectively married the two concepts together and the song makes sense in that context.

[@agatehuntress499]

Kilroy Was Here was my very first concert, and it was an awesome show.

[@trinitraveller2592]

They are such a fun band with a long list of hits. However, you have to do Come sail away with me. Styx are legendary 👏👏👏

[@cgarbo8726]

SO glad I found y’all. 💕

[@DaveCosley]

It's a shame that you started at the end (for Styx). "Come Sail Away" would have been a better starting point for Styx music.

[@mesusfankris2154]

This takes me way back!!!

[@JP-jm9fy]

I always got the feeling that the band was trying something different with this song seeing how it’s such a huge departure from what they normally did. In the early 80s a church made news by burning albums citing “satanic influences” as their reasoning. In Greek mythology the River Styx runs through Hades or Hell as it were. Anyway this got the band to thinking about censorship which formed the concept of this song. After making a trip to Japan he merged the concepts of censorship, robotics and Japan into the song. In doing so making a story about a robot/human hybrid who’s called upon to save the world. I can get more into who Kilroy is if you like but it’s the name of the concept album and Kilroy is the main character.

[@billycooke6208]

Styx?!?! I just heard them on the King Biscuit Flower Hour!.. ;) good stuff:)

[@joseantoniolarrea7152]

Brad you got the song immediately. I liked this song from the beginning and never thought about the meaning of it until I watched a Styx interview on KZbin.

[@davidcampbell1753]

You’re a cute, fun couple. I love your reviews, your intellect, and your apparent pure enjoyment of music. As for Kilroy, a long time ago, it used to be a thing to write “Kilroy was here.” Like an early form of graffiti. Keep the music humming, Kids. 😁👍❤️

[@3YearsApart1613]

Couple of things: 1. I noticed with this song that the lyrics were so compelling that Lex focused on them more than she usually does, which was fun to see her get pulled into the song meaning. 2. I have a pool cleaning robot that is named Kilroy.

[@klaptongroovemaster]

"80s!" Correct! Now PLEASE do Styx from the 70s. They went pretty cringe at this point. Their early stuff ROCKS HARD.

[@shakawhenthewallsfell8570]

Have a listen to Queensryche. Their Mindcrime album is a masterpiece, but as an intro you can check out Breaking the Silence, or especially Eyes of a Stranger.

[@Aralynnfireborn]

Id also recommend Empire and Operation Mindcrime

[@patches6309]

RENEGADE! DO IT!!

[@MichianaSteve]

Yes!

[@Jessica_Roth]

Lex nails it right away. This is 1983. Styx is a "three-headed monster"; there are three songwriters/singers and they all have their own niche. This is the keyboardist, Dennis DeYoung. He writes affirmative "songs of hope" (one is actually called "I'm Okay") and theatrical concept-pieces like this. It was "concept album" called "Kilroy Was Here", named for the old World War 2 graffiti, when workers in the war plants would write that on the wall about how they felt they were losing their identity. He also wrote the group's love songs. Key Dennis songs are "Come Sail Away" (the most-recognized song), "Babe" (the only #1 hit) and "The Best of Times" (the key to the previous concept album, "Paradise Theater", about the decline of a Chicago neighborhood). Although Dennis actually wrote and sang the group's most successful songs, the singles-oriented member of the group was 2nd guitarist Tommy Shaw. He wrote bitter songs about how his life sucks (unemployment, lack of direction, trouble with the police) but did it in an up-tempo, accessible style. Key Tommy songs are "Renegade", "Blue Collar Man" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". Lead guitarist James "JY" Young wrote cynical acerbic songs about society, but with an amused "the-joke-is-on-you" attitude. Examples include "Miss America", "Midnight Ride" and "The Great White Hope". The band originally formed in Chicago, with Dennis, JY, guitarist John Curulewski, and the Panozzo twins (Chuck on Bass, John on Drums) as the rhythm section. They were with a local label, Wooden Nickel Records (an accurate description of how much the label was worth) and put out four albums that went nowhere. (Like the early Rush, they were mostly progressive rock. Good call, Lex.) Then Dennis got a local DJ to dig out "Lady" (a love song from the second album) and it got some national airplay and became a hit, and they could sign with a REAL label, A&M records. Their first album from A&M ("Equinox") contained so some strong work (try "Suite Madame Blue")…but still flopped. At which point, John Curulewski decided the band was going nowhere and quit to spend more time with his family. (Ooops…) Looking to replace him, they reached out to Tommy, whom they'd seen playing in Chicago. Tommy was actually part of Harvest, a group based in a Montgomery AL bowling alley ("Kegler's Kove") and didn't really like Styx's music, but the rest of Harvest said "what are you, stupid? Get out of the bowling alley" and got him to take the gig. (Harvest replaced Tommy with a very different singer/songwriter, Beth Nielsen Chapman, who went on to great things on her own. You should definitely cover her, too. [Try "Sand and Water" or "Say Goodnight, not Goodbye"]. Harvest themselves never had any great success, though.) Styx's first album with Tommy, "Crystal Ball", also flopped. But on the next one ("The Grand Illusion"), Dennis finally found his songwriting voice, instead of just writing love songs and fun songs, as before. (One early song, "Light Up", was basically just him telling the audience to smoke pot. I doubt they needed much urging, honestly.) With a nice balance between the three songwriters, strong support from the Panozzos, and trading prog-rock for bombastic "symphonic" rock, success was theirs. And continued for several albums, although tensions surfaced. (Dennis was a bit of an impressario, which Tommy took as "controlling dick".) The "Kilroy" project involved a whole theatrical show, including a mini-movie that was shown before the concert. Tommy was SO not into it, and you can see it. Afterwards (1984), he quit the group. Most of the group wanted to replace Tommy (the group was going to do a stadium tour to support a "greatest hits" album) but Dennis said they should wait, especially as Tommy was also battling a heroin addiction. But Tommy didn't come back…he joined Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent and also Jack Blades from Night Ranger. Styx did one album without Tommy ("Show Me the Way" was a big hit) with Glen Burtnick as a replacement guitarist, but the Panozzos were now having problems (Chuck, who is gay, came down with AIDS; John was in the process of drinking himself to death) and they broke up again. In the mid-'90s, after Damn Yankees broke up, they did a reunion tour with Tommy (Burtnick moved to bass; Todd Suchtermann was the new drummer) and then a new album. But Dennis and Tommy still couldn't work together, and this time JY decided to try supporting Tommy, instead. Since the rhythm section was new, Dennis ended up kicked out of the band that he and the Panozzos had founded. Lots and lots of lawsuits followed. These days, there are two separate bands: "Styx" added Canadian Grammy winner Lawrence Gowan to take Dennis's place, while Dennis tours as "Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx". (In a small visual rib, his guitarists are two blondes, one tall and one short, just like JY and Tommy.) Both acts are good (both released new albums this year) but fans want a reunion tour, which sadly will likely never happen. (Things are so acrimonious that the band's website doesn't even list Dennis among the former members, which I think is tacky. Even if he is a bit of a dick.) Okay, I wrote a book, and I'm not even that much of a fan! I just think it's such a "rock" story. Drugs and fighting and AIDS and lawsuits and theatrical concept albums about robots…what more could you want? Lol.

[@kevindeeren4123]

There was a meme that became popular during WWII. A cartoon figure looking over a wall and written beside it would say “Kilroy was here”. I bought this album when it came out in the 80s and always figured the Kilroy in the song was somehow in reference to that.

[@choppermartin3167]

fantasy song. like that boston or flock of seagulls effect. strong keyboards makes u feel like youre in a ship looking out the window into space and just making your own adventures. good sleep music and dream music.

[@murrayspiffy2815]

Dennis DeYoung was in full bloom on this song - his voice was incredible. Brad is right - fun song with a deep message. Lex doing "the robot" - could she be any cuter?

[@markvanderstelt8999]

more like CHEESY as hell LMAO

[@tiffanyscott4823]

Hey y'all, the Concert was called "Kilroy Was Here'' ...1983 or was it '84? Very good concert, I know because I was at it on the front row in Greensboro, N.C. Great reaction as usual! Bobby (Tiffany's husband).