The Grand Illusion - Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx
Chuck Panozzo is a 58-year-old gay man who came out of the closet just 6 years ago.
Why would someone keep their sexuality a secret for such a long time? Well, as a founding member of the classic rock band Styx, (the first rock band in history to sell 4 consecutive triple-platinum albums), Chuck Panozzo is also a rock star born from an era not exactly accepting of homosexuality. Especially considering the fan base Styx found itself making its living from.
Chuck had a fascinating new book published last year that tells his tale. It’s a story about reaching the pinnacle of fame and fortune, but counterbalanced by having to live a lie. Sadly, he was probably correct when assuming fan and media rejection, which certainly would have presented itself 20 or 30 years ago.
After losing a close friend to AIDS, Chuck Panozzo decided that he “didn’t want to be a coward” anymore, and he came out. Being HIV positive, he is now dedicating a large part of his life to fighting the disease.
The book is aptly titles The Grand Illusion, after the classic 1977 Styx album of the same name.
Styx fans will get all the behind the scenes accounts they crave from The Grand Illusion - Love, Lies, and My Life with Styx, but those who are not fans of the band will find the story a page turner as well. The back story of being a gay man in the straight man’s world of classic rock adds a compelling layer to the already fascinating topic of rock star autobiography.
So listen to the album while you read the book. At least until the movie is produced.
