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December 2, 2009
Aerosmith Insiders Check In With Perspective on Band’s Status
Despite comments from Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford during interviews with Rolling Stone magazine, the future of Aerosmith is no less certain than it has been since Steven Tyler fell off the stage and brought the group’s tour to an abrupt end back in August.
There are some subtle and not-so-subtle indications from some band members that Steven Tyler is having problems with substance abuse again, and if the likes of Perry, Kramer, and Whitford are to be believed, Tyler’s behavior does strongly suggest that he’s a man with something to hide.
Tyler, referred to as “a brother” by more than one of his band mates, has distanced himself from the group for reasons that are not entirely clear. I don’t think it’s unfair to speculate about the man’s sobriety in light of the way his relationship with the rest of the group has evolved.
Tyler had reportedly been making noises about wanting to hire his own management – separate from Aerosmith’s – for a while, which at least some members of the group seemed to be a bit tired of hearing, and encouraged him to go ahead and do it. His decision to go through with it may have been the beginning of the rift that opened between himself and the rest of Aerosmith; a rift that seems to be growing wider as time passes.
Despite Steven Tyler’s recent surprise appearance at one of Joe Perry’s gigs, where he announced he was not leaving Aerosmith, his behavior doesn’t suggest that he’s in any big hurry to form up with his old buddies and get back to work on any kind of Aerosmith project. A two-year break still appears to be in the cards according to the other guys, even though a Tyler spokesman was quoted not too long ago saying that Tyler’s absence “won’t be substantial.”
One could easily infer that there is indeed some substance to Tyler’s desire to distance himself from the rest of the group if his odd behavior is any indication. Joe Perry reports that any communication between Tyler and the rest of Aerosmith has been conducted through their respective management companies. Tyler’s brief chat with Joe Perry before sitting in with his band is a notable exception, although Perry reports that Tyler simply disappeared after he finished his performance and has not seen him since.
Perry also reports calling Tyler to talk about doing some shows in South America. Beyond saying he was not interested, Tyler reportedly just hung up on his old friend. “I called him a little while back about doing these South American dates. He said that he didn’t want to do them and then I realized there was nobody on the other end of the line. So yeah, I guess he hung up,” Perry said.
Other band members say their experiences have been similar. Drummer Joey Kramer is said to have attempted to contact Tyler by telephone and text message, but does not get a response. Guitarist Brad Whitford refers to Tyler’s behavior over the last few month as “unpredictable” and that it “has just gotten more bizarre and more frequent.” Whitford goes on to say, “his behavior suggests to me that he’s… he doesn’t act like a sober person.”
Whatever the state of Steven Tyler’s sobriety, the words of his band mates suggest that they will always be ready to welcome him back into the fold, and are willing to do whatever they can to help him. Joe Perry, Tyler’s former “toxic twin,” can certainly relate to the tremendous challenge that addiction represents, and seems genuinely ready to do whatever he can on Tyler’s behalf if he’s given the chance.
No matter what Steven Tyler has planned for himself, it’s clear that the rest of the group wants to work. The big question is: Can Aerosmith really be Aerosmith without the larger-than-life Steven Tyler out front? The group is entertaining thoughts of filling the void in his absence, but do not even seem sure if they would be calling themselves Aerosmith under those circumstances.
There will surely be more to come regarding this drama as more and more media attention is focused on it, and fans wonder what will become of Aerosmith.
For the time being, most of the others in the band have opened up. I’m sure his fellow band members and fans would love to hear some straight talk from Tyler himself. Things like this usually end better when all involved parties are willing to lay their cards on the table.
For more details, see Rolling Stone.
October 15, 2009
Lifeson Soars, Bertinelli Dishes, Buble Tops KISS and Whitford Races
Rush axe man Lifeson soars on ‘man date’
Not looking much like the menacing owl portrayed on the cover of Fly By Night, Alex Lifeson recently joined Canadian comic Rick Mercer as they filmed a “man date” segment for Mercer’s CBC TV show The Rick Mercer Report.
The pair stopped by Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving to float around a bit, which, judging from the photograph, Mercer enjoyed thoroughly. More at The Niagara Falls Review.
Valerie Bertinelli pens new book
The woman who was the object of many a teenage fantasy during her days as a TV actress on One Day At A Time (guilty as charged!) is back with a new book.
This time, instead of Losing It, Bertinelli is Finding It, and sharing her inspirational story about how she “discovered how to live the best life possible at the age of 49.”
Coming as a shock to some of us who watched her every move on One Day At A Time, Bertinelli describes her struggles with her self-image and how she felt inferior to co-star MacKenzie Phillips. Perhaps by now she has come to the realization that it was her that most of us admiring young men had our eyes glued to during each episode. I know I sure did! Check out the full scoop at ABC News.
Buble and Oprah a KISS killer?
In a recent interview with Macleans magazine, KISS frontman and business mogul, Gene Simmons jokingly (at least I hope he was joking) referred to himself as “king of the world.” Unfortunately for KISS, Simmons was not able to proclaim his group as king of the charts at the same time.
Having never had an album make it all the way to #1 on the Billboard chart, the group seemed poised to finally reach the promised land with the release of their new album Sonic Boom.
Those hopes were dashed by none other than Michael Buble, the Canadian crooner who was recently featured on Oprah after the release of his new album Crazy Love. Oprah’s star power was cited as a contributing factor that helped send Buble to the top of the chart with Sonic Boom coming in second. Read more from Gawker.
Aerosmith guitarist takes to the track
If you happen to be an Aerosmith fan who also enjoys things like racing, you will definitely want to check out the footage of Brad Whitford as he zips around a racetrack in a Volkswagen speed machine.
Check it out at Aerosmith’s official website.
July 15, 2009
Aerosmith Tour To Resume Tonight Despite New Medical Issues
The show must go on! It appears that Aerosmith has decided to take those words to heart and resume their tour tonight in Atlanta. The group has had to postpone several dates due to an injury to frontman Steven Tyler that he sustained during a show in Connecticut and resulted in a torn leg muscle.
With Tyler apparently in good enough shape to take the stage again, another member of the veteran rock group will be sitting out for a while. Bassist Tom Hamilton is said to be recovering from “non-invasive surgery.” It is not clear how long Hamilton will be out of action, but during his absence, Aerosmith friend David Hull will hold down his spot until Hamilton is fit to return. Hull is also a member of The Joe Perry Project.
In a strange revolving door-like scenario, guitarist Brad Whitford will return to the fold tonight in Atlanta while Hamilton bows out. Whitford has had to sit out of the current tour due to a potentially serious head injury he suffered while exiting from his car. Fortunately, Whitford recognized the seriousness of his injury and sought medical attention and underwent surgery to alleviate the problem.
Steven Tyler’s daughter Mia reported yesterday that her father was in a cast as a result of his leg injury. I guess the fans in Atlanta will find out of Tyler is well enough to put on a show that measures up to his usual energetic routine or whether he will have to scale things back a bit to avoid re-injuring himself.
The number of illnesses and injuries that have plagued Aerosmith in recent years may be unmatched by any other group to date, and may have some fans wondering if this will be the last opportunity to see the group live.
Three members sidelined due to medical issues at the very start of a tour is quite extraordinary and might have some of them thinking about saying so long to life on the road. Perhaps that’s jumping to conclusions at this point, but unless their luck takes a turn for the better where medical issues are concerned, it may be tough for them to think about more touring in the future.
June 16, 2009
Aerosmith’s Whitford Takes ‘Head Banging’ To A New Level
While the nature of Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford’s medical issues have been a bit of a mystery lately, we are now getting word that his problem resulted from a blow to the head, taking the slang term “head banger” to a new level.
Not to make light of what could have been a serious condition for the veteran rocker, but I can relate. I’m pretty notorious for being a klutz myself, and have hit my head on more things than I care to think about.
The good news is that Whitford had the good sense to seek medical treatment when he found himself suffering from symptoms of a serious head injury and is expected to make a full recovery. The band has set a tentative date of July 7th for Whitford to join the current tour and resume his rightful place in the Aerosmith lineup.
As the story goes, Whitford was exiting his Ferrari about a week before the tour was scheduled to being and somehow impacted his head on the machine in the process. Unknown to him at the time, it caused a bleed in his head which later manifested itself as a severe headache and prompted him to seek treatment.
Surgery was performed to relieve the pressure that had been building from the internal bleed and Whitford is now recovering.
I suppose this is something for those of us prone to knocking our noggin on various solid objects to be wary of. Warning signs like the severe headache Whitford experienced may be in indication of a serious head injury.
The July 7th target date for Whitford’s return is the date on which the group is scheduled to perform in Raleigh, NC. I suspect he will be warmly welcomed by the assembled fans upon his return.
June 11, 2009
In Sickness And In Health, Aerosmith Rocks On
Four decades, give or take a year or so, is a long time rockin’. With that in mind, I suppose that the health problems the various members of Aerosmith have been dealing with lately should not be unexpected. These guys, after all, are all in their late 50’s or early 60’s, and the rock and roll lifestyle does tend to take its toll through the years.
Recently, bass player Tom Hamilton talked the Sun Chronicle about his battle with throat cancer and how he has come to the conclusion that the experience has actually improved him as a musician and resulted in a sort of wake up call for the 57-year-old rocker.
Having to sit out a 2007 tour due to his illness Hamilton reflected on that time. “What I had to go through was the band going out on tour without me. And so I had a taste of that, the negative feelings of that,” he said. “So it was a
terrible thought, but I had to learn that there were some things that could be worse than not having the band.”
Since then, Hamilton’s band mates have had to deal with medical problems of their own. While working on their new album, the group was forced to put a halt to the work when frontman Steven Tyler got sick with pneumonia and guitarist Joe Perry had to undergo knee surgery.
Tyler has also endured both throat and foot surgery in recent years.
With their summer “Guitar Hero” tour just getting underway with ZZ Top, the veteran group has been dealt yet another blow which takes guitarist Brad Whitford out of the lineup while he recovers from surgery. The exact nature of Whitford’s surgery has not been revealed, but he is expected to recover in time to join the tour before it concludes. In the meanwhile, Bobby Schneck will be standing in for Whitford.
As contrary as it may first appear, Hamilton does look back on his experience with cancer in a positive light. “But you know, sometimes you have to think like some day is coming. I think going through that cancer experience, it kind of grabbed me by the head and made me look at a lot of stuff and just sort of in general, you think of things you always wanted to do some day,” he said.
“Well some day is here. So I got a lot of that, which I think is a positive thing because it really focused me. And I’ve come a long way musically since that happened. It was almost a gift of the whole process that I’m probably a better player, writer, recorder now than I would have been if I hadn’t gone through that.”
For now, work on the new album is going to have to wait until the tour is over. Hamilton does reveal that fans can look forward to an album with a sound that is more like the raw, hard-rocking Honkin on Bobo as opposed to the more highly-engineered approach that was applied during the production of an album like Just Push Play.
The current tour comes to an end during September, and the group is expected to convene in the studio to finish up work on the new album. As long as they remain in good health, that is.
To read the entire interview with Tom Hamilton, visit the Sun Chronicle.
