Styx Drummer Todd Sucherman Talks New Album, Fate of Styx Tour, and Stuber (Audio)

Styx drummer Todd Sucherman is not only celebrating his 51st birthday, but another milestone: 25 years behind the kit for one of the hardest working touring acts in classic rock.

“That’s over three times the life span of the Beatles,” he tells 1071 The Boss midday jock Michele Amabile.

With the Covid-19 crisis wrecking havoc on the music industry with the cancellation and rescheduling of shows, the Chicago native and the rest of the band has been sidelined and spending time at home with their families. Styx Guitarist Tommy Shaw has been posting videos of himself collecting eggs from his chickens and grating cheese, while Sucherman–who also hosts master classes on drumming–has been putting up a few videos teaching would-be drummers the basics.

“After 25 straight years on the road, I am dealing with this very well, but I do miss playing,” he said. “I miss my band, I miss my crew, I miss the audiences, so that’s how it’s going for the time being, but we are very content here.”

Sucherman hasn’t been idle. He has just released a new album, “Last Flight Home,” an autobiographical record that gives fans a chance to hear his beautiful singing voice. The title track, he said, is especially personal.

The song emerged when Sucherman jotted down some lines and lyrics about being “stranded at an airport and just trying to get home, and you are not going to get home in time to see your daughter, whom you haven’t seen in 20 days.”

Sucherman, Styx bass guitarist Ricky Phillips and the road crew eerily had a similar experience in Philadelphia, as they were preparing to play shows at Parx Casino in Pennsylvania on March 13 and the Tropicana in Atlantic City on March 20.

“I landed in Philadelphia to ten texts and ten messages” saying everything was cancelled, and he would be flying home.

“That was nine, ten hours in the air that day. That was March 12,” he said. “I will always remember that.”

While the Atlantic City show is set for Oct. 31, the fate of that show is still–for lack of a better word–up in the air.

Listen to Michele’s full interview below, which includes a deep dive into the album, and bonding over Genesis and the band, Jellyfish, and the epic use of “Come Sail Away” in the movie, “Stuber.”