ClarkCast Chapter 16: Lawrence Gowan is Awesome!

Styk lead singer Lawrence Gowan is on the ClarkCast Podcast. 

From LawrenceGowan.com:

Lawrence Gowan is a multi-talented musician and performer known for his electrifying live shows and soaring vocals. With a career spanning over five decades, Gowan has established himself as one of the most dynamic and versatile performers in the music industry. With his soaring vocals, virtuosic keyboard skills, and signature showmanship, he has captivated audiences around the world and established himself as a true icon of the music world. Whether he is performing one of his hit songs or showcasing his impressive range with a cover, Gowan never fails to leave a lasting impression and leave fans begging for more. With his boundless energy, passion, and talent, Lawrence Gowan is a true master of the stage and a true icon of modern music.

With over six solo albums and accolades including Juno and SOCAN Classic Awards, plus an impressive run with Styx since 1999, Lawrence Gowan's solo career is a thrilling musical journey filled with hit songs, captivating live performances, and endless creativity. With a unique blend of pop, rock, and classical influences, Gowan has carved out a musical style that is all his own and captured the hearts of audiences around the world. His soaring vocals and virtuosic keyboard skills have made him a fan favorite, and his electrifying live shows are legendary. Whether performing his own chart-topping hits or putting his own spin on classic covers, Gowan's solo career is a testament to his talent and showmanship. With a tireless passion for his craft and a commitment to excellence, Lawrence Gowan is a true force to be reckoned with in the world of music.

At the age of nineteen, he earned an ARCT in classical piano performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music, in Toronto. Upon graduation, he enjoyed modest local success with the band Rhinegold from 1976 to 1981.

Lawrence Gowan's first album, "Gowan," was released in 1982 and marked the beginning of his successful solo career. The album showcased his unique blend of pop, rock, and classical influences, and featured his soaring vocals and virtuosic keyboard skills.

His 1985 album Strange Animal was his commercial breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles "A Criminal Mind", "(You're A) Strange Animal" and "Cosmetics". The Juno award winning music video for "A Criminal Mind" was an innovator in the use of Rotoscoping, and inspired A-ha's music video for "Take On Me".

Some of Lawrence Gowan's biggest hit songs include: "A Criminal Mind", "Moonlight Desires", "Dancing on My Own Ground", "Strange Animal", "Lost Brotherhood", and "Cosmetics". These songs showcase Gowan's unique blend of pop, rock, and classical influences, and have earned him a dedicated following of fans and critical acclaim. With their catchy melodies, soaring vocals, and powerful instrumentation, these hit songs continue to captivate audiences and solidify Gowan's place as a true icon of modern music.

Lawrence Gowan joined the rock band Styx in 1999, taking over as the lead keyboardist and vocalist. His addition to the band brought a new energy and musical direction to Styx, and he has been a regular member of the group ever since.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Clark Cast is on the air.

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Lord Scannelman, three records to listen to the the rest of your life. What would they be? Three of the ones that you would like to listen to.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

What a hopelessly impossible question. First of all, not only that, but we're assuming that on this desert island we have uh access to electricity and you have a turntable, all that stuff that's the best deserted island ever.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

That's great.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

That is fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

We're not going out of space.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

So I I'm gonna go to probably the most obvious and most endlessly entertaining record for me is Sgt. Pepper. Um very obvious choice right there. Uh so I'll go with that one first. I'm just gonna pick three arbitrarily, uh honestly, Jeff, because it's it's it is an impossible question. I'll say that number two will be just because it's on my mind at the moment, would be uh selling England by the pound by uh Genesis. Great record. Sure. Uh number three is really, oh my god, really, really difficult. Probably you see, I have to choose between it would probably be, I guess, uh coin toss. Uh it would be uh it would be um Goodbye Elbick Road.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Right on.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

So having said that, I now want to highlight the three most recent albums I've been listening to quite a lot. Houses with the Holy Biolet's heaven. That's because I'm not on a desert island at the moment. Um the um uh Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

SPEAKER_03 2:08

Right on.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

And uh let me see what was the other one I've been listening to recently, is uh is back in uh Night of the Opera by Queen. So there you go. There's there's there's plenty to listen to. I've only left out merely thousands that I'd like to have with me.

SPEAKER_02 2:24

Right on.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Yeah. But anyway, there's there's my three first.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Welcome to PlackCon, conversations about life, love, music, and the pursuit of awful. Is your hostline.

SPEAKER_02 3:08

Uh Lawrence Gowan. He needs no introduction, but he but he definitely deserves one. Um Lawrence is the uh you know the name brand of the band Gowan, which has been you know instrumental in making Canadian music in Canada hugely popular there since the early 80s, and we'll talk about that. Um since 1999, he's been performing with Styx. I have interviewed Lawrence many, many times over the past 15 years. I think the first time was when Styx was doing a summer package with Foreigner, you know, as goes like, you know, which y'all do pretty frequently. I'm actually gonna be excited about the the package you're doing this summer, like uh with Chicago. I mean, we'll we'll get more into that. But Lawrence is um he's my son Charlie's favorite performer, his favorite singer, Charlie loves Styx. We saw them recently in Bilexi. I'm sure he'll pop in to to check on on this. But Lawrence, I know you're super busy, so so thanks for doing this, man. Sure. I appreciate it. You know, I I I I was reading, you know, doing my research online, looking at you know, prior interviews and and things, and I came across a you saying that one of the first things that like really got you into music or made a huge impact on your life was seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. And then you uh mentioned that, you know, Sergeant Pepper's one of you one of your favorite albums. I know you've had to tell that story a bunch of times, so like what was do you kind of remember that moment of seeing the Beatles?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Oh yeah. I mean, I I I I I've I've recounted this story, you know, maybe thousands of times, but it's it's a typical story of so many you know musicians of our era. You know, it was uh a seismic kind of ground shaking uh event as far as uh it awakened the the the notion in in so many kids at the time, kids, teenagers, or whatever, um I was only seven. Uh it awakened in them the notion that you might get away with not having to do what your dad did for a living. But you could you could honestly I think even beyond the music, it was uh the immediately incredibly evident um observation that these guys were having uh uh an unbelievable amount of fun. Just interacting with an audience through through a few songs, a handful of songs that that sound very simple now. They're not simple, try to play them. But um but th th there was just a this joy that that uh sparked uh so many people that it wound up becoming musicians or just as importantly, um realizing the vital force that music could be in their lives. That's even more important than how many became professional musicians. It's that um music became uh incredibly uh important. It probably has been for every generation, but it was uh highlighted to such a degree in the moment that those guys got a chance to play in front of that audience. And uh and I as a kid saw it and you know, went to school the next day, the Monday, and immediately started seeking out who saw the Beatles last night, you know? And uh and then beginning to form the first band that would perform in front of the grade two classroom. Um we don't have to go into that.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

No, no. What was it like? You know, I'm always curious because for me I can like I can see the transformation in you two, like and and I'll use that as a comparison. Yeah. Like, sure. What was it like for like you to see see the Beatles young, raw, want to hold your hand like that era, and then grow into Sgt. Pepper's Abbey Road, like I mean, they definitely grew as a band. And and I feel that way about U2 when they released like Octung Baby, which was completely different than Joshua Tree, you know.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Yeah, some bands have this rapid growth that uh that is a a reflection of the times in which they are living, I guess, in that the 60s were so, you know, we hear the word turbulent, uh I guess they were that, but they were they were a there was a fast kind of a fast flash forward into into the uh uh uh the baby boom generation, I guess, basically taking over uh so much of the planet as far as you know the commerce of it, I guess, and all of the uh other factors that that that played into that. Um the the some bands were able to reflect that very uh in a very timely fashion. And I would say the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and probably uh you know, and bands that came after them, even The Who as well would be another one. Uh generally the British bands had had this incredible uh rapid uh evolving sound that kept pace with what was happening uh culturally at the time. And I guess you two were able to do that in their transition from the 80s to the 90s, a difficult, a very difficult transition for so many bands to make. Um but uh uh am I in any way in the ballpark of your question? Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_02 8:50

I absolutely it could be be hard to articulate, but just like as a music fan, so you you you hear all the the early rock and roll of the Beatles and stuff, but then you get to hear Sergeant Peppers or you get to hear uh it sounds like Beach Boys.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

That's right. Well exactly. So within within three years, you know, the Beach Boys went from you know the their their surf music days, I've got to plug in my computer, uh to their uh and that plug won't work, and this plug might work. Here we go. Ah Technology is such a wonderful thing. Ta-da! Yes indeed. And here comes power coming on. We have splashdown. Okay. So uh so uh uh Yes, uh the the rapid development of of of music. And and honestly, I guess at a pretty young age, um I guess I began to notice that from the influences of the of the 50s that that were developed into the early songs of the sixties, suddenly other other influences came in. And I would say in in the in the instance of, say, Pat Sallons and Sgt. Pepper that that suddenly orchestral music, uh, you know, classical music began to have more and more of a uh an entree into the into the pop rock world. And I guess that's another part of the uh the rapid uh uh evolution that music went through in that in that time. And and remember, as as kids, you know, or as young people growing up at that time, there's rapid development in you personally, right? So to have music that that reflected that those changes in your own life and what you're seeing in the world around you and how you're perceiving it, uh further uh uh galvanized you to that, to those musical moments and those melodies that uh that shaped, helped to shape your perception of the world.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

You you also were uh a big you know supporter, a fan of classical music, and that's obvious when when people see you perform live still to this day. So not only you're uh exposed to the Beatles and stuff, but also be you're you're learning classical pieces as you're a teenager as well, right?

SPEAKER_01 11:11

I was, yeah, I was. Well h however, with with the very much the intention of being a rock musician, or basically trying to write my own songs and and uh uh connect with uh to you know be able to do this for my life, you know, and mainly because uh the second record I mentioned, particularly um selling Ema by the pound, when I heard, you know, Tony Tony Banks on keyboards. I have to also mention, though, that I think the first time I really listened to Rick Wakeman, you know, in depth, I guess, was probably on close to the edge, other than his organ solo and roundabout. But uh and and and Keith Emerson, I just realized the level of musicianship has suddenly become such a uh uh integral factor as to as to this prog this progressive rock that was you know so progressive suddenly in the in the early 70s. And uh I realized um I I want to be able to do that, you know. Uh um and so that's that's part of what really pulled me into classical music and the technical side of how to be able to play those pieces. But again, ultimately just to kind of broaden um a musical vocabulary more than just the technical aspects of how to play.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Right on. What about like composition? Like what who's someone who taught that that you learn the because you you you've written you write a lot of songs. I mean, you're still writing songs to this day. What what was a ground sort of a groundbreaking moment of composition where you heard something or were influenced by something that still lingers with you to this day?

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Well, uh uh it was probably songs that that really broke uh whatever the previous mold was. Okay, so uh so it it uh I I I suppose um you know, songs that really caught me, even by acts that I loved. Like so songs that that broke the previous mold would be uh for me the first one that really hit me like that was I Am the Wall, I Am the Walrus. As being uh this is nothing like what a traditional pop song would be like. And then in close succession to that errand, uh uh good vibrations would be uh would be a great example. Uh and then you know, hearing uh early Hendrix, especially that very first album, you know, it's like this is completely breaks all all the the previous mold, so to speak. Uh and then I guess the next one that truly did that for me uh would be uh probably something like uh well we hear it so often now we forget just what a groundbreaking song was, but say Bohemian Rhapsody, a song like that that completely broke whatever rules may have existed in people's minds as to what a great uh rock song could be. Um so those those are the kinds of songs that opened your mind to being able to um uh be more experimental and still be able to uh have a uh uh uh an uh a communication with people through the music that it wasn't um overly uh challenging cerebrally, so you know, but but still was really engaging with you, uh, but just kind of pro provocative in in that it's um uh uh it breaks previous expectations, songs like that.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

Right on, you know, we we we talked a lot about you know the influence rock had on your life at an early age, but like what about uh like American Soul while you you're living in Canada? Do you remember like I'm always fascinated with like flying a family stone? Like I mean like I imagine seeing that for the first time, you know. I'm always curious about that, you know.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Really great, great, great. Um uh so as a as a kid here at Motown stuff, because again, it's I owe so much to this guy. Um uh the Supremes, you know, or the uh I I I you know what a band I listen to so much now because I have an old jukebox is the platters, you know. Uh great vocal harmonies, great uh emotional ways of delivering songs. I love that as well, that aspect of it. And um yeah, great. Uh I'm glad you brought up Sly in the Family Stone because sometimes he doesn't get enough uh uh attention in that in that regard. But yeah, that that uh that that way of having a band that could could could gel with this, you know the the funkiness of it was really compelling. Still is, you know. Song sounds so so great to this day.

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Right on. Um you made your you started you did your first uh gown recordings like in the early 1980s, correct?

SPEAKER_01 16:09

88. My first album came out in 1982, correct.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

82, that's what I thought. So you you were were fortunate enough to record with Tony Levin on one of your albums, like right?

SPEAKER_01 16:21

So Tony Tony joined me on my second, third, fourth, and fifth album. Yes, he's on four four of the albums. And we actually were yeah, I got a chance to have him play on some stuff that I've been working on for a number of years in the background to my six life. So uh I I've been really, really fortunate with the musical associations I've had with Joan 11 and with Jerry Murata. Uh, you know, if you look at my records, you'll see there's a lot of my my heroes I got to play with, you know, John Anderson and uh Alex Lifeston and uh you know a lot of other guys that uh I'm so fortunate to have worked with.

SPEAKER_02 17:04

And I think it's really, you know, uh I think Todd Suckerman's probably the most underrated drummer, like, you know, the the guy's a drummer's drummer. He he's so amazing, and especially what he brings to the band now. But you have the privilege of of him playing shows with you as well and solo shows too, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:22

Yeah, that's and that's actually how he and my brother became a rhythm section was back in 2010. After I'd been in Sticks for 11 years, um, you know, a good number of the venues that we played at in Canada started questioning, you know, are you ever going to do solo shows again? Would you play here? And the first one was this place in in Niagara Falls that we played a number of times with Sticks called Falls You. And the fellow there, Larry uh Gregson, just said, you know, we get a lot of calls for people wanting a gown show. Would you come and play here? And I we'd just done three nights with sticks. He said you could do three nights with gown. So I that was in uh 2009, and I said, Well, next year is the 25th anniversary of my biggest album, which was Strange Animal. And uh, so I brought Todd. He and Terry kind of quickly, my brother became the rhythm section. Terry'd been in my solo band for years. And uh so that's part of why Todd raised Terry's name when we needed a new bass player, uh, just three years ago, two and a half years ago. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

And uh what's that like for you? Obviously, y'all y'all played together, you know, often, you're brothers, but I mean, I'll I'll tell you as a fan, like he he he really he's a showman and he really elevates, you know, el elevates the stick show. And you know that that rhythm section's really, really solid, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Oh yeah, he got all that from me.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Right on. Of course. Why wouldn't he? Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

No, he uh yeah, he's he he he's his own individual uh performer and and and musician, and uh I'm glad you said that. Yeah, he's very deserving of the uh uh of the spot, you know, lucky uh for the association he had with Todd, and I guess with myself, and uh it just made sense and and he seems to have been embraced by the the Styx Faithful uh very well.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Yeah, absolutely. Um do you do you have some some plans to tour Gallon, you know, in the near future or do some recording?

SPEAKER_01 19:20

Yeah, yeah. We just played um so uh yeah, I so far this year I've done one to nine. I've done eleven gallon shows this year. So it's usually that that kind of balance. It's probably been about eleven gallon shows and probably close to maybe close to thirty or forty stick shows at this point. So it's usually about a quarter of what sticks you can do can pull off in a year, which is close to a hundred shows. Uh the next round of gallon shows comes up um uh in uh late June. Late June. That's it. And we'll go out, we'll do a few uh one in Quebec, one in Ontario, and then we go out west in Western Canada and play uh and play a bunch of shows there. Those ones, though, it will likely be my son, Dylan, on the plays a lot of time.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

I was gonna say that. Your son.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Yeah, he just played last night in in Denmark. He just sent me a clip from that show, and it was great. He plays with in a uh a couple of metal bands, um one called Seven Spires, and they've just played in Sweden and Denmark, and they're going to South America. So he's he's been a professional drummer for a good number of years, and uh uh Todd Todd Zuckerman had a had a dramatic effect upon his life, is one way I can put it, since he knew him since he was seven years old.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Right on. I I I I I bet. Um you're gonna do that the Gallan tour till big beginning of July, then then Stick starts up a uh headlining tour with Chicago.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Chicago, yeah. So that that tour actually begins in June, I believe. Yeah, earlier June, early early June.

SPEAKER_03 20:52

June.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

And uh Stick's in Chicago. Oh my god, I I'm so looking forward to that. Chicago is a band that I used to go and see uh growing up in Toronto in the 70s when they still had Terry Kath in the band. Wow. That's amazing. Yeah, really great. Uh but beyond great, like uh life-altering in in its own way, um, with all the elements of what they brought into rock music uh to such an uh engaging degree. And uh I uh really looking forward to it. I mean, do we I love these package tours that we do in the summer where we play these big amphitheaters, there's you know, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen thousand people there uh hearing two or three, you know, bands that have survived, you know, decade five five decades plus at this point. So uh you know, it's a real uh moment to kind of over the course of a great evening, you know, acknowledge the fact that this music has stood the test of time, obviously, and is the is part of the great musical statement of rock of the last half of the twentieth century. And I get to kind of listen to other bands. And in this case, it's going to be Chicago, you know, night after night, just uh laying it out there.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

You know, and you talk about like composition and songwriting. Like I I love Chicago. I mean, I think Peter Fatera probably the most underrated vocalist and bass player, you know. And I know Peter's no longer with the band, but those songs that he wrote and what he contributed, it it it still lives on.

SPEAKER_01 22:26

Oh, absolutely. Every every member of of of that band, you know, contributed yes, as same with Sticks, you know, for right from the very beginning. The band that exists today is the is the culmination of everyone that's ever been in it. That that's that's a huge part of it. But ultimately, the stars, the the the the longevity of the songs are the true stars of of all these shows. So um, yeah, uh I mean, yeah, Peter Sotero, what a phenomenal voice, and you know, Robert Lamb as well. Terry Cat dialogue that was one of my all-time favorite songs. I hope they play that. I don't know if they still do or not, but yeah. Um so yeah, I'm so looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

When when do you you know the the only drawback, if there is one, to to to those shed tours is like it's hot, right? Like, you know, when when like I love sticks, but when sticks plays at the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach, Alabama, I can't go in the summertime because it's just there's it's a concrete bowl and there's no air, you know, and it's a lovely venue. I get the aesthetic of it, but you know, do you do you have to condition yourself to get ready for those tours?

SPEAKER_01 23:36

Uh yeah, you know, honestly, Jeff, you have to condition yourself for all the tours. Right on the the at this age, the physical demands of it are are are still there, evident every single night. And uh, you know, right after you and I get off the phone, I have to go and go through my daily uh routines to try to get ready for eight o'clock tonight. So um the heat of the summer shows is you know, it it is oppressive on the one hand. It's also it's almost like a great uh I don't know, there's something about the physicality of going through that that that uh that that tough of a sweat that that makes the shows just really incredibly memorable. Although um challenging challenging. No matter where you're playing, any time of year, there's a there's a some there's some element of of ch challenge involved. But yeah, the heat is one of those one of those features that I mean for a good number of people in the audience, the heat is part of the is part of the whole thing. Just part of it, man. Just making it making it wrong. Look at it that way. And and for some reason, any time we get a a show where there's torrential rain and the show still goes on, uh, you know, if it's as long as there's not a lightning threatened, those become very memorable shows for people that uh probably needed a shower later. Yeah, you could use one right now.

SPEAKER_02 25:04

One uh one once again, do I want to ask you about sticks? You know, you got the call, Tommy. You gallan had opened up her sticks, Tommy called you, you know, hey, want to come out with us, you know, almost 30 years later, still doing it. But beyond that, like I mean, you you and Tommy are write songs together. You'll just create a did a new album, which I think Terry helped co-write, uh Circling from Above. What's it like to uh be at this point in your life where Tommy Shaw is one of your your songwriting partners or someone you trust to write songs with?

SPEAKER_01 25:36

I mean absolutely great. I mean he's written some of the greatest songs of uh in the history of rock. So having him in the room is certainly a plus. Uh uh but I I have to point out Will Willy Vankovich bringing him into the uh into the fold has been uh a remarkable uh addition to the band because we needed uh an outside producer. And I was, you know, I would I'm so happy to have him in the band now. But I had the I remember saying to Will when when the notion came up of him actually fully joining, I thought, oh, I hope this doesn't take away your objectivity as a producer. And I uh I think surfing from above and cross McCron have proven me to be uh my my um fears in that uh department to have been kind of let go because he's able to kind of discern uh between the the the role of of himself as a performer and the role that he plays as as the producer and co-writer on the on these records.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Right on. Man, I I want to I don't want to want you to use your voice for the good people of Montgomery, Alabama tonight are gonna be coming to the stick show, and I know you need to rest your voice. So the last thing I want to ask you is how how do you stay awesome? Like what's your secret to your success or the method to your madness? You know.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

I don't know how I stay off awesome. I know I know how I try to get awesome. Uh honestly, I think uh as a daily way of life to to to engage with music and to to keep it at the central as the central kind of guiding force that it is, I think is the is the uh the way that I which they really engage. I I have to say that that, you know, in this era of rock music, you know, the live performance has become so it's always been a critical factor of it, but it really is it it's it's really central in so many ways to seeing how audiences react to this music and the the uh the exchange of uh kinetic energy exchange, whatever it is that happens in a concert, that that really is the ultimate motivating factor uh for me at this point. And uh you know, keeping doing that for as long as the gods of rock deem it to be acceptable to continue to do that.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Cool. But hey man, thank you so much for your time. Uh the show was amazing. We had a great time. It was awesome.

SPEAKER_01 28:06

I saw you guys right up front with your son. That was fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Yeah, I got you, and you had a great time, so thanks, man.

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Uh great to see he had he had a great every time I caught his eye, he looked like he was having the time of his life.

SPEAKER_02 28:24

He was you know, he's a drummer, he's in a drum line, so he loves Todd. You know, he was like blown away.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

Well, he got a good up close look at what uh Todd can do, and it's uh it's pretty impressive every single night.

SPEAKER_03 28:37

Sure.