Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry might be starting to feel like someone – or something – is out to get him. Although the 59-year-old recently escaped serious injury after being involved in a traffic accident while riding his motorcycle, Lady Luck has not been as forgiving on the career front.

After a tumultuous period that estranged iconic frontman Steven Tyler from the rest of the group, stopped their 2009 summer tour in its tracks after Tyler’s infamous stage accident and later landed him in rehab for treatment of his addiction to prescription pain-killers, fans wondered if Aerosmith would ever appear on stage together again.

More recently, it seemed that things had finally turned around for the group. Even though Tyler decided to retain his own management and public relations reps separate from the rest of the group, and made noise about taking time away from the group to work on “Brand Tyler,” Aerosmith reconciled and seemed to have put their problems behind them.

Now in the middle of their North American tour, it appears that a new rift may be developing within the group as a result of a new career opportunity that has reportedly been offered to Tyler. With big changes rumored for Fox TV’s hit show American Idol, and the departure of talent judges Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres confirmed, word has it that Tyler has been offered a chair at the ‘Idol’ judges table.

Once again, it’s guitarist Joe Perry that’s not holding back regarding this latest development. “I found out on the Internet like the rest of the world,” Perry told The Boston Herald. A revelation that suggests Tyler is still not fully reconnected with his long-time band mates, and may not be as committed to the future of the band as Perry and the other members of the group seem to be.

After hearing news of the American Idol offer, Perry reportedly confronted Tyler in his dressing room before a recent concert and came away with a statement from Tyler that he had been instructed to not discuss the issue.

“I mean, after working with me for 40 years, he couldn’t tell me about this,” Perry later said. “Why so secretive? We’re told it’s a done deal. If Steven is committed to a TV show, that kind of affects the rest of us. We’d like to plan our lives, ya know?”

This latest trouble within the ranks has not dampened Perry’s enthusiasm for delivering for fans, however, and he reports that the group went on to rock the MGM Grand Saturday night following the exchange. Perry says they plan to do the same thing when they headline a two-night event at Boston’s Fenway Park with fellow Beantown rockers J. Geils later this month.

It’s uncertain how Aerosmith would be impacted if Tyler does end up with the American Idol gig, but the frontman’s recent behavior suggests that he may be thinking more about that whole “Brand Tyler” thing than he is about Aerosmith. Maybe after 40 years, the guy is just starting to feel like it’s time to move on.