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January 20, 2010
Aerosmith To Continue Work Without Steven Tyler?
It’s always a pretty uncertain thing when someone enters rehab. Will they stay long enough to complete the program and emerge with the ability to maintain their sobriety or will they wash out after a few weeks and return to their old habits? Anyone who was watched Intervention, or who has had personal experience with rehab knows there are no guarantees.
Regardless of any progress Steven Tyler’s has achieved in rehab, it looks like the former “toxic twin” is going to be laid up for a while due to other medical problems. Word is that he is due to undergo surgery on his leg and foot, and will reportedly be unable to perform on stage for about a year.
The rest of Aerosmith, having vented some frustration in recent months over Tyler’s strange behavior, seem ready to move on and resume working with a replacement for Tyler until he is well enough to return. Recent reports suggest that the group is actively seeking a stand-in.
It sounds perfectly plausible. As guitar man Joe Perry points out: “Just like when Tom was sick – we got David Hull to come in and play bass. When Brad was sick, we got somebody else to come in and play for him. That’s basically how I look at it; we need another singer to fill in.”
In contrast to how things appear to be working out between Jon Anderson and his former band mates from Yes, Aerosmith has indeed utilized replacement musicians in the past, and then returned them to their posts when they were up to the job. That should give fans confidence that Tyler’s spot will be waiting for him when he is ready.
One can’t help be a bit concerned about a guy who has struggled with an addiction to pain-killers going under the knife yet again, but perhaps doctors can patch up the energetic frontman sufficiently to alleviate, or at least reduce his pain for the long term.
It’s hard to imagine Aerosmith without their iconic frontman in the line-up, but it appears that is indeed something we may be seeing before long. In the meanwhile, I expect Tyler’s family, friends and fans will be pulling for him, and look forward to seeing him fronting those “Bad Boys From Boston” as soon as possible.
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.
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.
November 16, 2009
Aerosmith Uncertainty Continues
Many fans may have concluded that the drama that has been playing out within the ranks of Aerosmith in recent months was over and that frontman Steven Tyler had kissed and made up with the rest of the guys. After all, he did make a surprise appearance on stage in New York City with the Joe Perry Project and boldly announced that he had no plans to leave Aerosmith.
Does that mean Tyler will not be taking some time off? Perhaps not, and if comments attributed to Joe Perry by the Boston Herald are on the money, Tyler’s appearance – and we presume his words – meant nothing. According to Perry Tyler wants to take a couple of years off from Aerosmith and “do some of whatever he wants to do.”
Perry insists that Aerosmith will keep on working, whether Tyler is present or not. “The band is a really well-oiled machine, and we’re going to work one way or another, and I don’t know what form that’s going to take,” said Perry.
If that turns out to be the case, the Steven Tyler wannabes out there may want to start those video cameras rolling and post their “audition” tapes on YouTube. It worked for Arnel Pineda and Benoit David.
Meanwhile, Perry is working to dispel some rumors that surfaced after his group canceled a gig in Connecticut. A spokesman for the venue where the show as scheduled, “Toad’s Place,” in New Haven, said that they were told that the entire tour had been scrubbed.
Perry took to his Twitter account to set the record straight, saying, “JPP is not canceling the tour.It’s going strong. We are In process of adding dates the end Jan throughout Canada in Jan too.”
It appears Perry’s point was proven on Friday night when he and his group took the stage at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in New Hampshire. Speculation about the future of Perry’s main gig continued, with fans expressing their opinions on the subject.
As reported on Seacoast Online, fan opinion varied. When asked whether they thought Steve Tyler would make another surprise appearance at the show, reaction varied from “That’d be pretty cool.” to “I really don’t care if he shows up or not. Joe Perry is the band.”
Why Tyler decided to make the surprise appearance with Perry’s group in NYC is not clear. Even Perry was reported to be completely surprised by it, and admitted that Tyler was the last person he expected to see that night. Perhaps Tyler was just trying to put fans at ease by announcing that he has not plans to leave Aerosmith, but that does not seem to be a guarantee that fans will have a chance to see the group perform together again anytime soon.
October 23, 2009
Bon Jovi World Tour, Joe Perry Interview And Writing For Def Leppard
Bon Jovi Announces World Tour
In support of their 11th studio album, Bon Jovi have announced that they will embark on a world tour that will stretch into a period of nearly two years.
February will mark the start of the tour which will begin with Seattle and eventually take the veteran rockers through more than 130 shows in 30 countries.
Bon Jovi’s new album, The Circle, is set for release on November 12th on the Island Records label.
Read more from ABC News.
Joe Perry Interview
On October 14th, Aerosmith guitarist stopped by radio station 107.7 “The Bone,” in the bay area.
Perry has recently released a new album entitled Have Guitar, Will Travel and will be on the road next month for a few shows with his group, The Joe Perry Project.
The show venues are limited to the northeast U.S., with the exception of a show in Windsor, Ontario and Indio, California.
Check out the video clips of the interview at Blabbermouth.
Song-writing a Painful Process For Vivian Campbell
Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell describes the song-writing process as “painful,” and his inclination towards being more of a soul singer demands that he consider the fact that singer Joe Elliott does not approach things the same way he does.
Describing his struggles with song-writing, Campbell says, “I’m not a good enough songwriter where I can write to order. If somebody says, ‘Write a song for Britney Spears’ – I can’t do that. I’m not a prolific songwriter. I’m not one of these songwriter hacks who can churn out a song a day for so-and-so. It’s a painful process for me.
For much more on this, see Ultimate Guitar.
