In 1983, Styx released their 11th studio album and rock opera titled Kilroy Was Here. The first single released from the album was Mr. Roboto. Kilroy Was Here was the last studio album of original material to be released by the classic Styx lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo.
Mr. Roboto was a top ten hit on the Hot 100 charts, peaking at number three. The Roboto costume and mask were created by Stan Winston, who would later become very well-known for his work on Jurassic Park.
From Wikipedia: “The song tells part of the story of Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (ROCK), in the rock opera Kilroy Was Here. The song is performed by Kilroy (as played by keyboardist Dennis DeYoung), a rock and roll performer who was placed in a futuristic prison for “rock and roll misfits” by the anti-rock-and-roll group the Majority for Musical Morality (MMM) and its founder Dr. Everett Righteous (played by guitarist James Young). The Roboto is a model of robot which does menial jobs in the prison. Kilroy escapes the prison by overpowering a Roboto prison guard and hiding inside its emptied-out metal shell. When Jonathan Chance (played by guitarist Tommy Shaw) finally meets Kilroy at the very end of the song, Kilroy unmasks and yells “I’m Kilroy! Kilroy!”, ending the song.
Enjoy this look back at Styx’s memorable music video for Mr. Roboto from 1983!
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