Aerosmith Rocker Remains Humble
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN
March 12, 2006
For anyone schooled in rock and roll paleontology, Joe Perry is a surprise.
Aging rockers are supposed to act like garage mechanics who’ve been hit on the head by too many falling torque wrenches.
But Perry – the longtime guitarist for Aerosmith – is thoughtful, humble, eloquent and honest.
Aerosmith performs Friday at the Jack Breslin Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
Perry is not offended by comparisons to dinosaurs, and he has an answer for people who wonder how old is too old in the milieu of arena rock.
“It’s not like we’re pro athletes,” Perry said in a phone interview. “It’s not as if we ever get to the point where we can’t physically do it anymore.
“As long as you modify your style, you can keep doing it as long as you want.”
Not only has Perry kept doing it, but he has kept doing it well enough to earn some accolades.
“Mercy,” a track from Perry’s self-titled solo album, was nominated for best rock instrumental performance at the most recent Grammy awards.
Perry says he was stunned and flattered by the nomination.
“It meant that somebody had really listened to the album, had actually dug down and listened to a track that was just a personal favorite of mine. It wasn’t a lead track.
“I was flattered just to be put on that list,” he says. “I mean, Steve Vie, Adrian Belew and Les Paul! It was great.”
Perry says it was strange to see his name projected on a giant awards show viewscreen.
“I was so used to having it be Aerosmith up there,” he says. “If anybody’s singled out, it’s usually a singer.”
Perry is one of those rare bandmates who has never nursed long-term self-promotional plans. He loves Aerosmith and values it more with each passing year.
“I think we really learned a big lesson back in the late ’70s and early ’80s,” he says. “We let fans down in a big way. We went out and collapsed on stage or didn’t show up. We didn’t put out the best records we could. We let fans down, and we let ourselves down. We let go of our own dream and our own reason for doing all this.”
Perry says all the old hits, such as “Dream On,” are “still magic to him.”
“I stand next to Steven (Tyler) when he delivers that high note,” he says, “and I get goose bumps every night. He hits it a little different every night, and I play the guitar parts a little different every night.”
The members of Aerosmith have to keep topping themselves because the fans expect it, Perry says.
“We just don’t phone it in,” he says. “It would be so easy to go out there with tapes. For me, it is so important fans know they’re getting our undivided attention.
“They’d know in a heartbeat if we were faking it in any way,” Perry says.
Whenever Perry feels his songwriting skills getting stale, he tries a little trick that producer Rick Rubin taught him.
“Rick said, ‘Take all the songs that turned you on to rock and roll as a kid, make a cassette, and listen to it non-stop for a few days.’ It puts me back in touch with why I got into this in the first place.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you go
Who: Aerosmith
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Jack Breslin Arena, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
Admission: Tickets, from $49.50 to $79.50, are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and charge-by-phone, 424-1811
March 12, 2006
For anyone schooled in rock and roll paleontology, Joe Perry is a surprise.
Aging rockers are supposed to act like garage mechanics who’ve been hit on the head by too many falling torque wrenches.
But Perry – the longtime guitarist for Aerosmith – is thoughtful, humble, eloquent and honest.
Aerosmith performs Friday at the Jack Breslin Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
Perry is not offended by comparisons to dinosaurs, and he has an answer for people who wonder how old is too old in the milieu of arena rock.
“It’s not like we’re pro athletes,” Perry said in a phone interview. “It’s not as if we ever get to the point where we can’t physically do it anymore.
“As long as you modify your style, you can keep doing it as long as you want.”
Not only has Perry kept doing it, but he has kept doing it well enough to earn some accolades.
“Mercy,” a track from Perry’s self-titled solo album, was nominated for best rock instrumental performance at the most recent Grammy awards.
Perry says he was stunned and flattered by the nomination.
“It meant that somebody had really listened to the album, had actually dug down and listened to a track that was just a personal favorite of mine. It wasn’t a lead track.
“I was flattered just to be put on that list,” he says. “I mean, Steve Vie, Adrian Belew and Les Paul! It was great.”
Perry says it was strange to see his name projected on a giant awards show viewscreen.
“I was so used to having it be Aerosmith up there,” he says. “If anybody’s singled out, it’s usually a singer.”
Perry is one of those rare bandmates who has never nursed long-term self-promotional plans. He loves Aerosmith and values it more with each passing year.
“I think we really learned a big lesson back in the late ’70s and early ’80s,” he says. “We let fans down in a big way. We went out and collapsed on stage or didn’t show up. We didn’t put out the best records we could. We let fans down, and we let ourselves down. We let go of our own dream and our own reason for doing all this.”
Perry says all the old hits, such as “Dream On,” are “still magic to him.”
“I stand next to Steven (Tyler) when he delivers that high note,” he says, “and I get goose bumps every night. He hits it a little different every night, and I play the guitar parts a little different every night.”
The members of Aerosmith have to keep topping themselves because the fans expect it, Perry says.
“We just don’t phone it in,” he says. “It would be so easy to go out there with tapes. For me, it is so important fans know they’re getting our undivided attention.
“They’d know in a heartbeat if we were faking it in any way,” Perry says.
Whenever Perry feels his songwriting skills getting stale, he tries a little trick that producer Rick Rubin taught him.
“Rick said, ‘Take all the songs that turned you on to rock and roll as a kid, make a cassette, and listen to it non-stop for a few days.’ It puts me back in touch with why I got into this in the first place.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you go
Who: Aerosmith
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Jack Breslin Arena, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
Admission: Tickets, from $49.50 to $79.50, are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and charge-by-phone, 424-1811
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