Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Rocking Into His Golden Years

It wasn’t all that long ago that we were talking about the likely demise of the legendary Aerosmith. Vocalist Steven Tyler’s personal problems put the group on the road to ruin – at least that appeared to be the case at the time.

It all fell apart on stage at the Sturgis motorcycle event last summer when Tyler slipped off a rain-slicked stage, and was badly injured as a result. No stranger to struggles with substance abuse, the former “toxic twin” found himself in a vulnerable position following the accident, since pain medication is something most people in his position would not have refused.

After reports of bizarre behavior and estrangement from his band mates, it was finally revealed that Tyler had been struggling with addiction to pain medication, and admitted himself to rehab to confront his demons once again. Although it’s easy for some people to judge, unless someone has actually “been there,” understanding Norco dependency and tolerance can be difficult if not impossible.

These days Tyler is back on track and currently on tour in Europe with plans to return home for a U.S. tour late next month. Tyler recently talked with the Associated Press about how he’s dealing with life back in front of Aerosmith.

“It’s been beautiful and I realized when I was taking care of my problems that the band is all I really care about,” Tyler said.

Although things got a bit nasty in the build-up to his realization that he needed to put himself in rehab, Tyler appears ready to put all the negativity behind him and get on with the business of being Aerosmith. It may have been the very public venting of frustration from some of his band mates that served as the wake up call he needed.

There was clearly a lot of frustration and disappointment on the part of the band after they were forced to cancel their 2009 tour due to Tyler’s accident. Guitarist Joe Perry was particularly outspoken about the problems that had developed between Tyler and the rest of the group.

Tyler seems willing to forgive, forget, and get back to rock and roll. “Everyone’s got their problems and their demons, but when we get onstage and play as five, that really all goes away, and that’s really all I look at now,” he says.

Although Tyler is 62 years old, and some say that the group should call it quits, he sounds like a man that plans to keep on rocking as long as he is physically able. The group still has plans to finish up work on a new studio album, and Tyler has plans of his own, revealing that he has never stopped writing, and says: “I’ve got 12 songs I’m sitting on right now for a solo record.”

That sounds like an indication that he’s not given up on his plans to work on “Brand Tyler,” although he certainly does not sound like he has any intention of walking away from Aerosmith.

When asked if he could see himself working 10 or 15 years from now, Tyler responded by saying: “I’ll be doing this 20 years from now. I’ll be doing this as long as sound comes out of my mouth.”