The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Michele Skettino (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Panozzo was the bass player in Styx, whose mid-'70s hits such as "Mr. Roboto," and "Lady" are staples of classic rock radio, and he is rightfully proud of Styx's accomplishments—"The first rock band ever to sell four consecutive triple platinum albums." Styx's fans will enjoy Panozzo's detailed look at the band's internal conflicts as they rise from small Chicago bars to sold-out arenas. But the heart of Panozzo's autobiography is a sensitive and insightful look at "one gay man's struggle to come to terms with himself" while performing in a rock world where "the things that would make the other guys laugh—a female fan lifting up her skirt, a pair of panties thrown on stage—just didn't do it" for him. The most fascinating sections are accounts of Panozzo's conflicted youthful feelings in his sheltered Catholic neighborhood; his adolescent trips to gay theaters where "skin flicks validated the fact that there were other people out there like me"; his attempts to keep his rock identity secret during furtive dates while on tour where he "treated every excursion like a CIA mission;" and a joyous moment when he publicly comes out and decides to tell his story "to inspire others, gay or straight, to live a proud, truthful life." (May)
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Review

"His story is as compelling as it is unexpected." -- Instinct magazine

“Styx fans will enjoy Panozzo’s detailed look at the band’s internal conflicts as they rise from small Chicago bars to sold-out arenas. But the heart of the Panozzo’s autobiography is a sensitive and insightful look at ‘one gay man’s struggle to come to terms with himself.’”

-Publisher's Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814409164
• ISBN-13: 978-0814409169
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #196,654 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chuck Not Styx Revealed, May 15, 2007

By	Robert H. Garcia "Pyrenees Doggie" (la) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

GRAND ILLUSION is more than a verismo aria from the ongoing grand opera production known as Styx. Co founder /bass player with one of the most celebrated rock bands of the Seventies Chuck Panozzo has written not only a frank history of that band, its internal struggles and successes, but more important a personal and frank chronicle of his life, first as a closeted gay man in the Sixties and Seventies, his battle against the AIDS virus, and finally his emergence as an eloquent activist for AIDS and gay rights. The book covers Panozzo's growing up closeted gay in Sixties Chicago, his emergence as an international rock and roll star with one of the biggest rock groups of all time, his battle with AIDS, the death of his brother Styx drummer John Panozzo, his eventual coming out to family, friends, band members, and his recognition and personal acceptance of being a gay man and spokesman for AIDS and other gay rights issues. He pulls no punches in this chronicle. And spares no one including himself in his search for Self Truths. For those readers looking for band gossip--it's here but not sensationalized. But for those readers looking for a story spanning almost 60 years of a musician's journey to be recognized as a gay human being--GRAND ILLUSION is an eye opening, heartfelt memoir. -Bob Garcia (former director of Artists Relations, A&M Records, 1969-1996)


I have known Chuck Panozzo, bass player and co founder of one of the more successful rock groups of the Seventies--Styx--since that band first signed with my former record company, A&M Records back in the early Seventies. As Artists Relations director I worked with Styx in its early years through its triumphs as a mega platinum band years later after that signing. I have followed the band's ups and downs, internal turmoil through its various personnel changes right up to the present time. But through all of my 30 year history with Chicago's finest--Panozzo has been a constant, and a friend close up and from a distance. There are episodes in this book that are amazingly frank, emotional and disturbing, but always true to Panozzo's quest for recognition not simply as a musician, but more importantly as a gay man living with AIDS, and a Human Being. There is little that is sensationalistic here. It is all set down rather matter of factly but with honesty. If there is criticism--it is more inner directed by the author as he moves from the Sixties into the Nineties as a closeted musician who perhaps lacerated himself too much--holding back from his fellow band members and even his family--his gayness. It finally comes down to being a book about beating the Odds--both personal and professional. And Chuck has won. No author could be harder on himself than Chuck in this memoir. As a person who is still questing I hope that there are no more Illusions-only peace. Bob Garcia (former director of A&M Artists Relations, 1969-1996).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Heartfelt Coming of Age Story, May 17, 2007

By	Sterling C. Whitaker (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been looking forward to Chuck Panozzo's autobiography for a long time. It's the first time any Styx member has told his own story in his own words, and as such it's a great read. Taking the title from Styx' breakthrough and best-known album, 'The Grand Illusion' tells a compelling and heartfelt coming of age story about a young boy growing up [...] and in the closet in the conservative, predominately Catholic environment of 1950s middle-class Chicago. Panozzo was aware of his feelings of being "different" from an early age, he writes, and struggled through his adolescence and most of his adult life to reconcile his desire to live openly and without shame, and the guilt bestowed upon him about his sexuality because of his Catholic upbringing.

Panozzo's views on the Church are among the highlights of the book. Recalling his days at Catholic school he writes, " . . . we were taught by nuns. These supposedly Mary-like women would hit us with rulers and even punch us with their fists. You had to wonder, did Mary really beat the hell out of Jesus like this?" Ironically it was also a nun who would give Panozzo, his twin brother John and their neighborhood friend Dennis DeYoung perhaps the best advice they ever got: to switch from playing standards in their little three-piece combo, to playing rock and roll. Thus, the band that would become Styx was born.

'The Grand Illusion' focuses on Panozzo's gradual development in coming to grips with his sexuality, even as Styx became, over the course of more than a decade of struggle, one of the most popular rock roups in the world. Panozzo remained in the closet the entire time, terrified that in the macho rock culture of the 1970s, his secret could threaten the career that he had worked so hard to establish. In 1991 Panozzo was diagnosed as HIV positive, and even then he hid his secret from the band and the world until the late Nineties, when he was diagosed with full-blown AIDS. Panozzo writes with harrowing effectiveness about the ravages of the disease on his mind and body, and when he finally recovers enough to return to Styx part-time, and decides to come out to the world and become a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, it makes you want to stand up and cheer.

Perhaps the other strongest part of the narrative deals with Panozzo's twin brother John, the original drummer for Styx who passed away from the ravages of chronic alcoholism in 1996. Chuck writes with brutal honesty about his brother's struggles in the wake of Styx' breakup in the early Eighties, when he began a tailspin into depression and alcohol. His account of John in the last few years of his life brings to mind the late great Keith Moon; a sometimes funny, sometimes troubled, sometimes tragic character who struggled to fight his demons through his sense of humor and alcohol, and ultimately destroyed himself. It's a disturbing portrayal that's hard to shake.

The reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because I think most people reading it are probably interested in it because of Styx, and as such they are probably expecting lots of juicy details about the career of Styx. As the title says, this book is about Chuck Panozzo's life AND Styx, with Styx listed last, and that's exactly what you get. Styx is just one element among many in Panozzo's life story, and there is little in the way of new insight into the other members of Styx (except for his brother John), the music of Styx and how it was written and recorded, or the interpersonal struggles that happened behind the scenes. The other band members are barely even characters, existing in this book only to the extent that they bounced off of Chuck Panozzo. You get no real sense of who any of the other members of Styx are as people. But I don't mean that as disparagement, just an observation for those who want this to be a gossipy book about Styx. It isn't, for the most part, despite a few wry observations on Chuck's part.

All in all, 'The Grand Illusion' is a very heartfelt and insightful book, and well worth reading. I highly recommend it.


Sterling Whitaker
Author, The Grand Delusion: The Unauthorized True Story of Styx

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncovering the person, not the band, May 26, 2007

By	Ron Stevens (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Grand Illusion takes the reader on a journey that starts in Chicago's south side in the 1960's. Chuck Panozzo tells his life story honestly about growing up, being a member of the rock band Styx, his struggle with being a homosexual, and his battle with HIV and AIDS. The book is an educational experience for hetrosexuals, and a wake-up call for homosexuals. For those readers wanting a lot of details about the inner workings of Styx, they're not here. This is a personal story about Chuck and his life. Styx is discussed, but much like anyone's job is discussed in any other autobiography. There are a few interesting facts about the band, and some resentment or anger displayed against cofounder Dennis DeYoung, but that's all you get.
The real story is about Chuck's struggles with depression, and the secret of being gay in an era that was much less tolerant of homosexuality than today. The Grand Illusion reveals Chuck Panozzo completely.