Styx’s Lawrence Gowan Says the Band’s Enduring Popularity Is All Thanks to ‘South Park'
Even with their eight top 10 singles, their place in the Illinois Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and the absolute banger that is 1973’s “Lady,” Styx’s enduring popularity isn’t just a testament to their musical talents: It’s almost entirely thanks to South Park, according to singer and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan.
Gowan, who joined the band back in 1999, recently opened up about how the Chicago-based group has withstood the test of time, crediting Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski’s rendition of “Come Sail Away” in Season Two’s “Cartman’s Mom is Still a Dirty Slut” with introducing young people to the stylings of Styx.
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“I’m happy to admit that I’d say it’s one percent our effort and 99 percent South Park’s influence,” the musician told Boomerocity when asked about the show’s role in Styx garnering younger fans.
Beyond exposing Millennial and Gen-Z audiences to the ‘80s prog rock icons, Gowan — who said he turns on either South Park or Family Guy “every night after the show” on his tour bus — argued the animated elementary schoolers managed to best his colleagues with their take on of the 1977 hit. “The Cartman version to me, to my mind, is the definitive version,” he continued. “I’d put the original recording of Styx (second), and then I’d put my version maybe third.”
As Kyle so aptly put it during their Styx-fueled road trip: “Woah, dude!”
