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Classic Rock News And Views
December 15, 2009
Aerosmith Drama Takes Another Turn
It’s beginning to look more and more like Steven Tyler is a man with a lot of turmoil in his life. In the latest development, Tyler has dumped his manager and friend Jason Flom of Union Entertainment Group. Flom and partner John Greenberg were the ones that Tyler hired after splitting with the management that handled Aerosmith as a whole.
Road manager Henry Smith is saying that Tyler hasn’t been free of substance abuse problems for the last 18 years. It is also being reported that Tyler is enduring a lot of pain due to shoulder and foot problems. Tyler injured his shoulder badly during a fall from the stage while performing at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in back in August.
Since then, the future of the group is uncertain at best. With conflicting statements coming from various sources about whether Tyler is taking a couple of years off from Aerosmith to work on some solo projects, or is just taking a little time off to work on his autobiography.
Since leaving UEG, Tyler has hired Allen Kovac of 10th Street Entertainment, who represents some other well-known classic rockers such as Motley Crue and Debbie Harry, formerly of Blondie.
If reports of the “tremendous pain” that is plaguing Tyler is true, it’s not too hard to imagine that someone with his background could easily become dependent on pain killers and lead him back down the path to abusing other drugs, if he’s not been doing so already.
There’s no arguing with the fact that Steven Tyler’s behavior has been a bit bizarre. Accounts from his Aerosmith band members have painted a picture of a man who has moved further away from the band and deeper into isolation; refusing to return phone calls, showing up suddenly at a Joe Perry gig to announce that he does not plan to leave Aerosmith, and disappearing just as quickly. He has also reported to have been keeping himself separate from the rest of the band – with the exception of stage time – during the group’s most recent performances.
Legal questions are also beginning to surface in light of all this uncertainty. If the remaining members of Aerosmith replace Tyler and continue as a group, can they use the name Aerosmith without Tyler?
Whatever it is that’s happening with Steven Tyler, we are surely not hearing the whole story. I suspect his band mates and fans just wish he would get whatever kind of help he needs to overcome the problems he is struggling with.
See Showbiz 411 for more.
August 26, 2009
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Has His Say
With all the rumors swirling around him in recent days, sidelined frontman Steven Tyler decided it was time to go public with his side of the story. With reports from inside the band about Tyler’s lack of direct contact with the other members, his decision to break his silence is a development that fans have probably been waiting for.
In a talk with Rolling Stone magazine by telephone on Monday, Tyler dismisses the rumors that have suggested the 61-year-old rocker was drinking again. He confirms that the catwalk he tumbled off of at the show in Sturgis was indeed wet from rain, and despite efforts by fans to help breaks his fall, a barricade around the catwalk prevented them from reaching him in time and he went straight to the ground.
“I stood up and couldn’t raise my arm and knew I’d broken something,” Tyler told Rolling Stone.
On the subject of the now-famous visit Tyler made recently to a Pembroke, Massachusetts liquor store, he says he was buying the wine for a gathering that followed the funeral of a friend’s brother. “Anything to sell papers,” Tyler says.
He also explained that he was sorry about the accident and was “pissed” that the tour had to end that way. He hopes fans can forgive him. He has also apologized to the other members of the group, and says that there is no animosity among them and that things within the band are just fine. Aerosmith has no “leader,” according to Tyler and they are all equals, jokingly adding that they have probably remained together so long for that very reason.
Tyler’s decision to sign on with his own management company, separate from the one that manages the band, is something else that has led to rumors about trouble inside the group, but Tyler insists everything is fine.
“The easiest thing in the world is to say he’s drunk or stoned. But what are you gonna do?,” he says.
Like anyone else, I think Steven Tyler deserves the benefit of the doubt when faced with rumors and tabloid-style accusations. Nowhere do rumors fly faster and more furiously than in the world of celebrities. Tyler may have a point with regard to his comment about selling papers.
As far as I know, he hasn’t been seen by anyone with a bottle pressed to his famous lips, and as long as Aerosmith fans are satisfied with his performances, he’s still getting the job done whether he’s on the wagon or off.
The full interview is available at Rolling Stone.
