Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton Taking It All In Stride
The decision of Aerosmith frontman to accept the offer by American Idol to become a judge on the program has cast doubt on the future of the veteran rock group, but bass player Tom Hamilton does not seem too worried about it.
While Hamilton acknowledges that Tyler is taking on a challenge, he seems satisfied with Tyler’s commitment to continue as a member of Aerosmith. According to a recent article on the Boston Herald, Tyler has “been very emphatic in saying that the way his time is arranged on the show leaves room to work on a record. He’s been taking great pains to remind everybody of that, so hopefully that’s the way it will come out.”
Even so, Hamilton admits that he sees Tyler’s decision to take the Idol gig as a possible catalyst for future problems. Guitarist Joe Perry made his thoughts on the matter quite clear some months back when the Idol story first broke and was quoted as saying, “I don’t want Aerosmith’s name involved with (“Idol”). . . It’s a reality show designed to get people to watch that station and sell advertising . . . It’s one step above “(Teenage Mutant) Ninja Turtles.”
One might wonder why Perry would come out with something like when one considers all of the Aerosmith merchandise that’s out there for sale. Are we supposed to believe that Perry is not getting a piece of that action? Then there’s “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.” I wonder if that particular product has ever been advertised on television. He’s even got his likeness from the game along with the game’s logo on his Twitter home page!
I think Perry’s comments have more to do with his personal feelings about Tyler than about American Idol being a shameless, cash-grabbing sideshow designed to hypnotize viewers into buying whatever it is they happen to be advertising.
I actually think Perry’s a stand-up guy, but I think he lets his emotions get the best of him at times, and he may be coming out with things that he hasn’t quite thought through sufficiently. Who among us hasn’t been guilty of that?
Perry, the member of the group who has earned himself a reputation as the most outspoken on matters concerning the band’s internal strife, has so far remained silent since word came down that Tyler had inked the deal with American Idol and will be joining Jennifer Lopez as a new judge on the popular talent show. Maybe he’s taking some time to see how things go, or simply waiting to cool off a bit before commenting publicly.
Hamilton also reveals that he’s anxious for the band to get back to work on their next album, which is probably the case for other member of the group as well. Perry’s public comments and actions in recent months suggest that he has no plans of retiring from Aerosmith, and intends to keep on working with or without Steven Tyler.
Turmoil and controversy is nothing new for Aerosmith, a fact that’s not lost on Hamilton as he jokes about watching a TV game show, and then says, “Just this afternoon I was watching ‘Family Feud’ thinking we should be on this show. Oh wait, we already are!”