Steven Tyler

[LesStrat]

No, it's not music. It is about music. Sort of.

This book should have the subtitle, "Sex, D R U G S, and rock and roll".

Sure, you get a sense of how Aerosmith came to be. You get a few insights into the band, their careers, and relationships. Yet the predominant topic is illicit drugs. Tyler makes it clear that he is an advocate of their use. Repeatedly. He spends absurd amounts of text describing accessing, obtaining, using, and abusing drugs. He makes passing reference to his stints in rehab.

The writing style mirrors his drug fueled manner of speaking. Although entertaining at times, he often is difficult to follow in his stream of consciousness speech pattern. You would think the ghost writer would have cleaned it up for print. You would be wrong.

If you're an Aerosmith fan, you'll probably enjoy the insights into Tyler and his perspective of the band, warts and all. Be prepared to reread passages in order to follow his points, though. It is evident that there is a LOT of noise in his head.

[LesStrat]

It was interesting to discover that Tyler had recorded some tunes and had a couple of local/regional hits on the radio prior to Aerosmith.

In addition, I've always heard them described as a band from Boston. Turns out they are New Hampshire boys (well, Tyler was in the summers).

[Dr. Vegetable]

Brad Whitford lived in my hometown in the suburbs of Boston, but that was after they made it big. I know they met while vacationing in NH, and Steven lives up at Lake Sunapee now.

I always wondered where Tyler scores his smack.

[LesStrat]

Brad wasn't an original member.

Tyler's family rented cottages at Sunapee every summer. He tells it as though the other guys were from NH.

[Dr. Vegetable]

^ I really should have known that.

I guess what it really means is that, if you're from anywhere in New England and you don't want people to say "where you from... never heard of it" then you are from "Boston."

Just ask Bruce!

[LesStrat]

:werd:

[idsnowdog]

You never completely turn off the junky behavior. If you survive the lifestyle it becomes bragging rights among junkies and ex-junkies. So Bob how did you end up in rehab? Well I killed my wife while on PCP. When they found me I was floating face down in a Berlin canal. Dude that's nothing! When I was admitted to the ER after crashing my private jet they ran a tox screen and found 23 different controlled substances in my system. I spent the next 6 months in a coma until I could recover from the liver transplant!