Styx singer and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan recently shared a story about an encounter with a fan that left him shocked.
Gowan and the Foreigner frontman Kelly Hansen sat down for an interview with Fox News Digital where they recalled some of the moments they have had while meeting fans over the years. Gowan said of the ‘psychotic’ fans:
“Some of them can get a little bit psychotic. So, I want to be careful with that because I take that seriously.”
He then shared his own experience as a fan of other bands:
“I know what it’s like to be a fan, OK? I’ve done my share of hanging out backstage after shows when I was younger. And that’s all great, that can lead to a great experience.”
A Story About ‘A Criminal Mind’
During the same chat, Gowan shared a story about encountering a fan at the airport and discovering that the man was a criminal on his way to prison. Gowan explained that before joining Styx, he had a solo career, and one of his hits was called ‘A Criminal Mind’ in 1985. And one of his fans was obsessed with the song. He recalled:
“I had a guy once – I was in an airport, and I was sitting beside a guy… He leaned over, and he said, ‘You know, you wrote that song ‘A Criminal Mind.” I said, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘That song’s been my whole life.’ And I thought, ‘It’s a very dark song.’ And I kind of went, ‘Oh, really?’ And he said, ’My entire life has been that, and I’m trying to get out of it.’ And he started crying, and I thought, ‘What is wrong with this guy? He’s way too overly emotional.’”
That’s when he realized the guy was a criminal:
“And I glanced down and saw he had shackles around his feet. And beside him was an RCMP [Royal Canadian Mountain Police] guard. He was being transferred from one prison to another. I know that’s a dark story, but that was such a life moment.”
You can hear ‘A Criminal Mind’ below.