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November 23, 2009
Now You See Him, Now You Don’t: The Magic of Steven Tyler
The recent surprise appearance at one his live gigs in NYC may have left Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry wondering if his former “toxic twin,” Steven Tyler, may have been concealing his skills as a magician, but even if the aging frontman does not deserve that much credit, he sure has been successful at confounding fans and the media regarding what his status is within the ranks for Aerosmith.
Perry admitted to being shocked when Tyler showed up unannounced at a show in NYC where Perry was performing with his own group, the Joe Perry Project. Perry, later saying that Tyler was the last person he expected to see that evening, allowed Tyler to join in with the group for a rendition of the Aerosmith classic, “Walk This Way.” Tyler also seized the opportunity to announce to the audience that he was not leaving Aerosmith.
Since then, various other rumors and speculation about the situation have surfaced. There was a lot of buzz about the concern that the other members of the group are said to have for Tyler’s well being, suggesting that he may have fallen under the spell of substance abuse again.
Over the weekend, we’ve heard from a few more people who want to vent a little, or who claim to have some inside information on what’s really going on with Aerosmith.
A source claiming to be close to Joe Perry says that the rumors claiming Aerosmith has been seeking a replacement for Steven Tyler are not accurate. The rumors had developed to the point where names were even being tossed around. The group was said to be bringing in a guy from Venezuela named Paul Gillman for an audition. The alleged source claims that he has never heard of the guy.
Also checking in and sharing her thoughts is Tyler daughter, Mia, who, following what seems to be a new celeb trend of tweeting comments directly to fans, vented a bit and said that her dad’s band mates gossiping on Twitter was uncalled for. So far we have not heard anything out of Liv, but perhaps she’s busy with acting or something.
Finally, we hear from a representative for the man himself. A Tyler insider says that the whole flap is not a big deal, and that Tyler is just taking a little time off to continue recovering from the injuries he sustained in the infamous stage fall, and that he also has plans to work on his autobiography.
Previously it was believed that Tyler was planning to take a two-year break from the band, but now we are hearing from the Tyler rep that his time away from Aerosmith “won’t be substantial.” Let’s see if that quells the rumors a bit now, shall we?
Yeah, right, I’m sure that’s the end of it.
March 13, 2009
Poison’s Bret Michaels Next Up For Tell-All Book
Joining the ranks of other aging rockers who have decided to tell their stories of sex, drugs and rock and roll, Poison frontman, Bret Michaels is planning a June release for his autobiography entitled Roses and Thorns: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy to My Reality.
In the new book Michaels promises to deliver his share of the aforementioned sex, drugs and rock and roll. He also plans to delve into the downside of his life experiences, writing about his diabetes and his long-time battles with guitarist CeCe DeVille, which apparently culminated in a fist fight on at least one occasion, which Michaels describes as “one of the harder things to live with, much less write about.”
Besides the book, Michaels is one of those guys that does not seem to be content with one role in life, and has expanded on his endeavors with a television show called “Rock of Love,” which is currently in its third season and sounds a bit like a combination of ABC’s The Bachelor and CBS’s Big Brother.
Apparently the show involves a group of women who share a mansion and compete in a series of “challenges” for a chance to go on a date with Michaels. The first two seasons have not resulted in a match for Michaels, but he is hopeful that the third season will be the charm and hook him up with a suitable companion as the show departs from the mansion and takes to the road in a tour bus full of women who will vie for Michael’s affection.
Michaels will also be prepping for a summer tour along with Def Leppard and Cheap Trick that is being billed by Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott as “the Rock Tour of the summer.”
August 6, 2008
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler To Pen Autobiography
It must be nice to have publishing companies bidding against each other for the rights to publish your autobiography. The most recent legendary rocker to enjoy that experience is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
Ecco, an imprint under the HarperCollins umbrella won the auction, and has reportedly agreed to shell out $2 million for Tyler’s story. Perhaps stories would be a better way to put it, since I’m sure the aging rocker has a wealth of 
exploits to draw upon after so many years fronting such a successful rock act.
Publishers are obviously willing to pay handsomely for the kind of colorful work that results when rock stars start sharing a few secrets. Tyler’s offer of $2 millions pales a bit in comparison to the $7 million deal that Keith Richards managed to land with Little, Brown, but with Richards’ deal being reported as a “world rights” deal, that may command a higher price. The exact nature of Tyler’s deal was not revealed.
Guitar legend, Eric Clapton, also enjoyed success not long ago with his own autobiography, and was one of the Doubleday Publishing Group’s best-selling titles of 2007.
To say that Steven Tyler has had an interesting and eventful life would be an understatement. He’s overcome a heroin addiction, and is the father of actress Liv Tyler, who recently revealed that she would like to move in a little on her dad’s action by becoming a singer, and would love to do a musical on Broadway.
There was no word on the timetable for the completion of the book, but there will no doubt be an impressive number of Aerosmith fans who are willing to part with a few dollars to read Tyler’s story when it hits bookstore shelves.
