In a career-spanning interview, former TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA narrator Tony Gaynor shares some intimate behind-the-scenes stories from his time with TSO, as well as his work with his new group, THE KINGS OF CHRISTMAS and his current tour with THE WIZARDS OF WINTER.

Gaynor also discusses the details of how he was suddenly asked to change his style, was then let go, and then the conflict when TSO told him that he couldn’t do Christmas with his new band.

Photo courtesy of Brian Reichow

Q: Your delivery style - the way you presented the story - was very different from how Bryan Hicks delivered it with the East Cast touring company. Was there ever a discussion to alter your style to come closer to how it was being done in the East?

TG: "The year that I was let go. After all those years it was brought up to change my style to do more of what he was doing. What Paul wanted me to start working on was a style of speaking that is called "Standard Stage", which is similar to what Bryan does. After the 2009 tour, Paul signed me up for speech lessons with a coach in New York. Even after going for those lessons, I found out before the 2010 tour that I was let go anyway.

Q: After 11 years of you delivering the narration in this style, were you surprised that they wanted you to change?

TG: "I was surprised. I sacrificed and helped build TSO to what it is today. The way I did the narration worked and it sold. We doubled, tripled and quadrupled the audience while I was narrating his story that way. I was surprised that now, after all of those years, he was not happy with it. I was not surprised about being let go though."

Go to this location for the complete interview.