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*My Favorite Aerosmith articles*
Here are some of my favorite articles about aerosmith. These are the articles that made my love and admiration grow for Aerosmith and Steven Tyler.
A rock & roll fairy tale
Sixteen albums. Thirty years. Drug addictions. Fading popularity. Rebirth. More lives than a cat. It's not surprising that Aerosmith, following last year's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, started being referred to in the press as America's greatest rock 'n' roll band. In fact, the Boston band's story could be seen as the archetype for the oft-melodramatic "VH1 -- Behind the Music" series. They started with nothing. They gained the world. They lost it all. They came back and reclaimed their throne with the original lineup intact. The story of Aerosmith is, as cliche as it might sound, a rock 'n' roll fairy tale.
MTV makes Aerosmith an Icon
Sure, there are Grammys (news - web sites) and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are MTV's Video Music Awards and platinum albums, too.
But Aerosmith (news - web sites)'s Steven Tyler said the ultimate accolade comes when well-known artists cover the songs that made his band a household name.
"We've had people cover our stuff for years. You can go into a lot of bars and hear it. That's an honor in itself. But then when you hear Kid Rock or Run-DMC or somebody else perform your songs, it brings it to a whole new level," Tyler told The Associated Press.
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Now Tyler and his bandmates get to see it firsthand when they are honored on "mtvICON," a star-studded cover-song salute. It airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. on MTV.
Among those taking the stage to perform versions of Aerosmith's music: Kid Rock, Pink, Train, Papa Roach, Shakira and Nas. Aerosmith also performs.
The show includes testimonials from Mila Kunis of "That '70s Show" and Alicia Silverstone, who have appeared in Aerosmith videos, as well as Janet Jackson, who was the subject of the first "mtvICON" special a year ago.
Aerosmith, with its 32 music videos, was a natural choice for the honor, said Brian Graden, MTV's president for programming.
"They were one of the first to play in other genres. They embraced the infusion of rap and rock and they have continued to work with other artists," he said. "They really have become generational icons."
Guitarist Joe Perry shrugged off the icon status.
"You stick around long enough and you get noticed," he joked. "It's fun. It's another adventure for us. That's why we're doing it."
He and Tyler formed Aerosmith in 1970. They became the U.S. answer to British invasion bands like the Rolling Stones and The Who, with hits like "Dream On."
But along with success came alcohol, drugs and infighting that caused the band to split.
A sobered-up band reunited in the mid-1980s. They teamed with rappers Run-DMC for a remix of Aerosmith's signature song "Walk This Way." The success continued in the '90s. They won Grammys and hit the top of the singles charts for the first time with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (the love theme for the movie "Armageddon").
In preparation for "mtvICON," which includes Aerosmith interviews, the band members admitted to reflecting on their careers.
Tyler said one night recently before he went to bed he compiled a list of the band's ups and downs.
"Aerosmith has been eaten, beaten, cheated, ignored. We've been loved, hated, censored, quoted, banned, scanned, honored, offered, rewarded and reported. We've been seen, heard, read, near dead. So where do we see Aerosmith going?" he read from the list.
The answer, he said: "Wherever the road doesn't take us, that's where we'll be."
After three decades, Perry said he has come to recognize that his association with the band is "about the journey and getting the most out of it."
"As long as I still get goose bumps playing and watching Steven hit those high notes, I know I'm doing OK," he said.
For bassist Tom Hamilton, the show has brought the band full circle from its beginnings.
"All these things that were supposed to replace us have come and gone — disco, punk, new wave. It's all gone and we're still lingering," he said.
It's that staying power that has the attention of many performing in the show.
"If there's anybody to look up to for that, it's them. They are one of the only rock bands left from the 70s," said Papa Roach guitarist Jerry Horton. "They are still doing it and doing it well. ... We definitely are going for that kind of longevity in our careers."
Shakira said she admired not only the band's longevity but its generational fan base.
"So many people — children, older people — know who they are," she said.
Horton, whose band performs "Sweet Emotion" during the tribute, admitted to a few nerves prior to taking the stage before Aerosmith.
"I don't normally get nervous. But it's one thing to cover a song from a band, it's another to cover it while they are listening to it," he said.
Aerosmith helps Los Angeles Food Bank
AEROSMITH Announce Major Soundcheck Promotion To Aid The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank - Dec. 13, 2003
AEROSMITH have announced a major soundcheck promotion in conjunction with their upcoming show at The Forum in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 18.
The first 2,000 fans that bring a minimum of one standard grocery bag of non-perishable food items to the venue on the 18th will receive a wristband to attend AEROSMITH's private soundcheck at The Forum.
As a "thank you," those participants that wish to purchase a ticket to the actual concert will be given a coupon to receive a special discount. These tickets may be purchased at the Forum Box Office on the day of the show only, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
This promotion is the result of an alliance AEROSMITH initiated with the World Hunger Year (WHY) to raise funds and awareness to fight hunger and poverty. Proceeds from AEROSMITH's Los Angeles soundcheck promotion will be benefit "The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank."
WHERE: Fans can bring donations to The Forum VIP Parking Lot #4 (off Kareem Court) between 10am-4pm.
THE FORUM
3900 W. Manchester
Inglewood, CA 90306
WHEN: Thursday, December 18
Soundcheck commences at 5:00 p.m. but please be there by 4:30 p.m.
Steven Tyler to be Honored at Berklee Commencement
One of rock's all-time most charismatic and entertaining frontmen - that's Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Born Steven Tallarico in 1948 in New York City, he began playing drums at an early age. His father was a high school music teacher, trained at Juilliard, whose piano practice was one of the few things that would reliably calm the already highly charged Steven. His father's readings of Debussy, Liszt, and Chopin, heard while the boy sat beneath his father's Steinway, truly began his lifetime love affair with music.
An adolescence of perceived hyperactivity — and real trouble in school — found a creative outlet in rock and roll, and drumming. Asked not to return to high school for his senior year, Tyler was soon spending much of his time playing drums in a band called the Strangeurs. In time, he moved from the drumkit and took his rightful place at the mic, when he discovered the Beatles, and the blues-rock of the Yardbirds.
After moving to Boston at the end of the 1960's, Tyler met his compatriots in what would become Aerosmith — guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer '71, and guitarist Ray Tabano, who was later replaced by Brad Whitford '71. The future supergroup played its first gig at Nipmuc Regional High School, in Mendon, Mass. in 1970.
Over the next few years, the band became a regional sensation, combining the bluesy grit of the Yardbirds and the Rolling Stones with the power of Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. And the newly renamed Steven Tyler proved to have a flair for the outrageous, with a rock and roll gypsy look that included long scarves, dangling from his mic stand.
By 1973, Aerosmith had signed with Columbia Records and issued their self-titled debut, which included the incipient classic "Dream On." Constant touring and massive word of mouth built the band a hardcore following, and with it, sustained radio play. As the albums mounted: Get Your Wings in 1974; Toys in the Attic in 1975; and 1976's Rocks, the band became a sensation, selling out arenas and scoring big with both hit albums and singles.
But with fame and relentless touring came hardcore drug abuse by the band, and resultant infighting. Their recorded output became more and more unfocused, and by the end of the decade Perry, and then Whitford, had quit the band to go solo. Tyler, focused largely on his own increasing drug habit, soldiered on with replacement band members, and Aerosmith, nearing bankruptcy, rode the fame elevator back down, from playing stadiums, to arenas, to theaters.
In 1983, Tyler and Perry patched up their differences, leading to a reunion of Aerosmith's original members, and arresting the band's descent. Over the next few years, the group all became clean and sober, and promptly reclaimed their position as a preeminent rock and roll band, with sold-out arena tours and enormously successful albums like Permanent Vacation and Pump. In the process, Tyler cemented his position as one of the most influential frontmen in rock history, and Aerosmith continues to sell huge numbers of albums and pack stadiums around the world. The band had its first-ever No. 1 single, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," in 1998, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing 70 plus countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.
Tyler helps woman achieve her goals
When Jan Smirnov bought tickets for last Friday's Aerosmith concert she had no idea she was on her way to achieving two important goals -- to tell the world about her incurable disease and to snag a kiss from frontman Steven Tyler. Smirnov, 47, is confined to a wheelchair and doctors have told her she only has several years to live. She suffers from scleroderma, which forms scars on the skin and organs.
During the Aerosmith concert, Smirnov tried to get Tyler's attention by holding up a sign stating I love you Steve Tyler, meet me on the other side and kiss me before I die, Steve.
At the time, she had no way of knowing whether she was successful. But after the concert she and her daughter, Laura, and several friends headed to the lobby of The Fairmont where the band was staying in hopes of stealing a kiss from Tyler.
Her hopes weren't in vain. When Tyler rolled into the hotel lobby shortly after 11 p.m., he headed right for Smirnov.
"I'm so glad you're here," Tyler told Smirnov. "I saw your poster at the concert and I just wanted to jump out in the crowd and give you a kiss."
Then Tyler asked Smirnov if he could sit on her lap. Thrilled, she said yes.
"He grabbed me by my face and then straddled me and asked 'What's wrong with you?' So I explained my disease and he said 'Aww.' in a scratchy voice and then gave me a kiss."
GAVE UP CAREER
Smirnov said Tyler held her hand as she explained how after she was diagnosed, she gave up her career as a physiotherapist and sold her possessions, including her home. She wanted to have enough money to give her kids something special to remember her by.
It was special, indeed.
Smirnov used the money to take her daughters Laura, 17, Lindsay, 21, and son Scott, 24, to concerts across Canada and Europe. "I don't have a lot of time left so I try to do what I love the most and that's share the music," said Smirnov.
"I said to him, it's because of your music and the fact that you still play is why I'm still here."
Smirnov told him she didn't want his pity, but wanted him instead to tell the world about scleroderma because most people don't know it exists.
"Then that's what I'll do," said Tyler. "I was thrilled because it's been my goal to tell world about my disease," she said.
STEVEN TYLER JUMPS ON RELIGION WAGON
This was on my local radio station's news page...
STEVEN TYLER JUMPS ON RELIGION WAGON
Rocker STEVEN TYLER chose to explore his spiritual side while out in New York - by chatting with a rabbi in a mobile synagogue.
The ample-lipped AEROSMITH frontman visited a caravan transformed into a place of prayer in Manhattan, where he engaged in a philosophical conversation - but RABBI LEVI BAUMGARTEN, who spoke to Tyler, didn't even know who he was.
Baumgarten explains, "He just said he was a singer. I didn't make much of it.
We just talked about the state of the world, Israel and Iraq, Judaism and religion. He is very open to learning things, very smart."
A faithful follower who was praying in the vehicle, known as the MITZVAH TANK, recognised Tyler and tipped off the rabbi.
Baumgarten continues, "When I heard he was famous, I told him he should use his power to influence the public and ask people to be kinder and gentler to each other.
"I think he accepted the challenge. But I still don't know what an Aerosmith is."
Sharks in Australia - by Steven Tyler
Whilst at the library picking up The Velveteen Rabbit, I noticed a peculiar globe with a sword-like rod that you stick into any spot on the planet, so you can see what location it would come out on at the opposite end. I decided to give it a whirl. I stuck the rod into my hometown of Boston, and its point of exit was somewhere in Australia. Perhaps not much of a surprise, but the real weirdness was that in less than 24 hours, I was to fly to Australia to kick off our next tour!
Life is often like that for me, one dream sequence after another that always comes to fruition in the most outrageous of ways. My life reads like Steinbeck’s Travels With Charlie, only in the last chapter, he finds himself in Jurassic Park, dancing with a raptor. And speaking of raptor, while in Australia, I wound up in a wildlife park with a kangaroo and a female Koala bear named Oh Yeah, who wrapped her arms around my neck, and I fell deeply in love. A living, breathing teddy bear that licked my cheek, another childhood fantasy come true.
Around this time, Aerosmith was flying high with the success of our then hit single “Dude Looks Like a Lady”. We were a bit concerned about going to Australia because we didn’t know how well we would go over, but an executive at Geffen answered our concerns with a mere two words: “trust me”. Well, our fears were confirmed when we played to a half-empty house at the first show. Why? You ask. Because Geffen, our now former record company, neglected to ship our hit single to Australia!! Those two words would continue to ring in my head, “trust me”.
Fortunately, we had two days off following our opening night fiasco, so I decided to hoof it up to the Great Barrier Reef for a dive trip and a much-needed decompression. After cruising by helicopter above the rain forest, I arrived at the reef. My pilot brought the chopper down to ten feet above the water and told me to suit up, and jump out-another boat with more divers would come by shortly to pick me up. “Are you sure?” I asked. His answer, the two words that plagued me since I left Boston: “trust me”. Living for the risk, I chose to dive. When I hit the water, it was like going from bleak black-and-white Kansas to majestic Technicolor Oz.
The Great Barrier Reef consists of hundreds of miles of six-foot coral plateaus, and every once in a while, a canyon that you can swim down into. In one such spot, 30 feet down, I noticed I was in the company of three five-foot black-tip reef sharks, three giant sea turtles, thousands of fish ten times the colors of the rainbow, and a piece de resistance, the infamous giant clam! I had to investigate. I dove down and poked it with my snorkel-a bad idea, because the clam snapped his shell shut right on my spare regulator, attached to my tank, attached to me!!! If that wasn’t bad enough, I looked up to see the three reef sharks circling like vultures. I panicked. Miraculously, as if on cue, the boat with all the other divers appeared above me. The dive instructor, a six-foot majestic blonde who could put a mermaid to shame, swam to my rescue. I considered mouth-to-mouth with my rescuer, slipped off my tank, and left it in the clutches of the clam. As I climbed aboard the boat to a chorus of, “Hey, aren’t you…?” I caught my breath, counted my blessings, and chalked it up to another day in the life of “TRUST ME!”
Steven Tyler Serves Turkey at Abuse Center
BOSTON Nov 26, 2004 — Rocker Steven Tyler served up turkey and a helping of advice on Thanksgiving at a substance abuse treatment center for women.
The rock band Aerosmith featuring lead singer Steven Tyler performs at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Mass., in this, June 24, 2004 file photo. Residents of a Boston facility for women recovering from addictions to drugs and alcohol got an unexpected but welcome Thanksgiving dinner visitor.Tyler helped serve lunch to the two dozen women living at Women's Hope in the city's Dorchester neighborhood, then sat down to talk to the women about his own struggles with drugs and alcohol.
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And one other article I love very much:
The Band Members
bravenet.com