There is a specific kind of cognitive dissonance that occurs when you watch Lawrence Gowan spin his keyboard like a top in front of 5,000 people. For the better part of 20 years, he has been the face of Styx, the high-energy engine of a classic rock machine that refuses to quit. But for those of us north of the border, he remains the guy who owned the 80s with a cape and a grand piano.
This article first appeared in the September issue of 519 Magazine which is available online or at more than 300 locations throughout Southwestern Ontario.
Gowan is currently pivoting back to his roots. He is stepping away from the massive Styx production to revisit the solo hits that defined a generation of Canadian radio. We are talking about the heavy hitters: (You’re A) Strange Animal, Moonlight Desires, All the Lovers in the World and Dancing on My Own Ground. And then there is the 1985 masterpiece A Criminal Mind, a song so essential it has basically been grandfathered into the Styx setlist for years. He brings this solo revival to The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Friday Sept. 7.
Sitting in the plush seats of a venue like The Colosseum, you realize the scale of Gowan’s career. The acoustics in that room are unforgiving, but Gowan’s voice has remarkably stayed in the same register it occupied three decades ago. He is a pro who treats every interview with a level of engagement that most legacy acts lost in 1994. He always has a story, and this time, it was a bizarre piece of Canadiana involving royalty and face paint.
We spoke on Canada Day, and the conversation felt appropriately patriotic. Gowan is a proud Canuck who genuinely seems to enjoy the grind of the road. He is not just going through the motions to collect a cheque. He actually likes this.
When asked about his Canada Day memories, Gowan offers up a gem from his youth that highlights just how much the world has changed.
"One of my favourite stories is about Canada Day," Gowan says. "When I was 17 years old, I was hired at Queen’s Park in Toronto to be a clown. It was a full clown make-up - you know the creepy looking clown with the red nose and the white face. The Queen Mother was visiting on that day and she got out of her limo. I was able to walk right up to her and basically do some kind of clowny hello. And she smiled, laughed and was amused for a half a second and then went on with her day. I spent the rest of the afternoon as a clown. I was just thinking that would never happen now, and it could never happen again. To get that kind of access to someone that high up in the government or the Royal Family would never happen. And that was really quite astounding just how convivial the whole affair was."
It is a striking image. A teenage Gowan, long before the gold records, standing face-to-face with the Queen Mother while dressed as a circus performer. It speaks to a level of innocence in the 70s that is entirely gone. Today, a clown approaching a royal would be tackled by four guys with earpieces before he could even honk a horn.
But Gowan’s transition from solo star to band member is equally fascinating. He mentioned a pivotal moment in his timeline that served as the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
I try to attempt to exceed and go beyond what the band was doing back then... to elevate the show beyond that and to play over a hundred shows a year. We carry that logo all around the world and we made a new record 'The Mission' last year.
"Also, in 1999 I was playing a Gowan show in Quebec and it was the last show I did as Gowan before joining Styx 20 years ago," he says.
Joining a band like Styx is a double-edged sword. You get the global platform, but you often lose the intimacy of being a solo artist. Gowan, however, seems to have bypassed the typical "rock star" isolation. He is known for being accessible, often seen chatting with fans long after the stage lights have dimmed. I asked him if the security wall around a band of Styx’s stature makes it harder to maintain that connection.
"Umm, funny enough I treat it exactly the same way that I did in my solo days," Gowan says. "I still enjoy meeting people who are usually congregated by the bus or something like that after shows and I try to make myself accessible. Honest to God, Dan, I came into it with a Canadian attitude. I make it that way today. There are sometimes like the winter months in particular that I can’t spend too much time standing outside chatting with people in case I get sick and can’t do the show the next day, but generally speaking I try not to be a dick when I meet people."
That "Canadian attitude" is his secret weapon. It is a lack of pretension that allows him to navigate the ego-driven world of American arena rock without losing his soul. He has now been in Styx for 20 years, which, as I pointed out to him, is actually longer than the original lineup lasted.
"Correct. That’s right," he says.
It is a staggering statistic. Gowan isn't just a "new guy" anymore; he represents a massive era of the band’s history. He has helped steer them through a period where classic rock transitioned from being "old music" to a permanent fixture of the cultural fabric.
"That is true. This is an era when classic rock bands of the last half of the 20th century were part of the great musical statement of those 50 years," Gowan says. "I try to attempt to exceed and go beyond what the band was doing back then. They had intense recording and touring years, but to attempt to elevate the show beyond that and to play over a hundred shows a year. We carry that logo all around the world and we made a new record, The Mission, last year. I think I came to the band at a great time because the guys have a great deal of gratitude and a great deal of pride in what the band has been able to accomplish. You know it’s closing in on five decades of existence at this point."
The Mission was a surprise to many critics. It wasn't a lazy nostalgia trip; it was a conceptual prog-rock album that actually had something to say. It proved that Gowan and the rest of the band—Tommy Shaw and James "JY" Young—still have some creative gas in the tank. But even with the new music, the thrill for Gowan remains the physical act of performance.
"You know what’s exciting to me is being able to play rock music every single day that I get up and having the day end with several thousand people on their feet with big smiles on their faces and their arms up in the air," Gowan says. "That’s really what the goal was at the beginning and by 1999 I had 14 years of playing my Gowan shows."
There is a sense of unfinished business when it comes to his solo career, particularly in the United States. While he was a superstar in Canada, the American market remained elusive during his peak solo years. It is one of those industry quirks—a matter of contracts and borders rather than talent.
"Just because of the way my record contract was structured, it was not incumbent upon them to release the albums in the States," Gowan explains. "I had come to a point where, especially with the Internet emerging, we began to notice people around the world discovering Gowan records. But I still felt like nothing was really connecting with me in the United States. They’re our closest neighbour and the biggest rock market that exists, and to be so suddenly given an entrance into that world was exciting."
Joining Styx wasn't just a job for Gowan; it was a strategic move that allowed him to finally plant a flag in the US while keeping his solo legacy alive. He sees the two as complementary rather than competing interests.
"I kinda figured it was a two-pronged opportunity," Gowan says. "One, to be part of this legendary band, obviously, and the second was all those years that were put in making those Gowan records. I’m very proud of the Gowan material and to this day I love playing it."
Watching Gowan now, whether he is fronting Styx or playing his own hits, you see a man who has mastered the art of the long game. He survived the fickle nature of the 80s pop scene and the internal politics of one of the world's biggest bands. And he did it all without becoming a caricature of himself.
Gowan performs at Caesars Windsor on Sept. 7 and returns to the 519 in March to play the Chatham Capitol Theatre. If you want to see how a real pro handles a stage, you should probably be there. Just don't expect him to be wearing the clown makeup.
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