July 26 - August 9, 2002

There's an old joke musicians like to tell about drummers that goes like this: "What's the last thing a drummer says in a band?" The answer: "Hey, guys -- why don't we try one of my songs?"

The source of the joke isn't known, but the implication is clear -- drummers are one-dimensional and ultimately expendable. However, some of rock's best-known stickmen -- Phil Collins of Genesis and Don Henley of the Eagles among them -- have enjoyed the last laugh by first making major creative and performance contributions to albums by their respective bands, then releasing commercially successful solo efforts on which they handled assorted duties, too.

One of the latest renowned timekeepers to branch out from his group is Aerosmith's Joey Kramer. But unlike Collins' and Henley's efforts on their own, Kramer's new project is all about the art of drumming and geared more toward working musicians, as opposed to a song collection intended for the general listening public. Aerosmith's Joey Kramer: Drum Loops and Samples is a two-disc set containing hundreds of his beats, which can be used by songwriters and publishers to -- as Kramer puts it -- "have a real human playing" on their recordings instead of a drum machine.

Kramer's solo project comes during a time of heavy Aerosmith activity. The band recorded a version of the "Theme From Spider-Man" -- the opening song from the 1960s cartoon -- for the Spider-Man movie starring Tobey Maguire. Kramer & Co. convened in Maui, Hawaii, earlier this year for recording sessions that produced three songs for the quintet's next studio album as well as two tunes -- "Lay It Down" and "Girls of Summer" -- that are featured on the recently released O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits compilation. On Aug. 13, Aerosmith are set to begin another North American headlining tour -- this one supported by rap-rocker Kid Rock and hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC -- that will keep the band on the road well into the fall.

Kramer recently sat down to discuss his solo project, his influences, the possibility of other outside ventures and what the future holds for the band.

Joey Kramer: The thing that separates this loop CD out from pretty much everything else that's out there is really three things. One of them is the sound of it . . . the sounds are the same as if we would put the drums on an Aerosmith record . . . The second part of it is that on most loop CDs you get a bar and you have to loop that bar. And that's all you get. What I did on here was I played two, three, sometimes four bars. I played enough, long enough to establish a feel. Because my playing is about emotion and feel. So, instead of having it sterile and stagnant on there, I played enough so you can establish a feel . . . And the third thing is that we've done something with this that's never been done before, which is we made a multitrack version of it . . . you can load the multitrack version into your Pro Tools, or whatever system you're using, and it will dump down onto eight tracks. Once you have it down onto the eight tracks you can mix it any way you want . . . So, because of those three things, I think that's what's going to separate it out from everything else.

Well, [the purpose of my loop CD isn't] necessarily to put anyone out of work . . . There's the school of thought where a lot people use synthesizers and drum machines and other people will only use a drummer. The machines can do things the drummer can't do, and the drummers can do things the machines can't do. This is kind of the best of both worlds . . . the [timing] is that of a machine, but it's a human playing, [so it] contains the feel, which is what the machine lacks.

I think that people probably don't realize that somebody like myself is available [for studio sessions apart from Aerosmith]. And a lot of times I'm not, only because I spend so much time on the road with my band. During a period of time off, sometimes the last thing I want to do is go and play on somebody else's record. It's something I would consider -- it would depend on whose record it is and how I feel about it.

If I was to do a [solo] record, I would probably have to do it all the way and put a band together. Sure, it's something that I could see myself doing down the line. I mean, there's still a lot to be done with my band. It's the same old thing, it's just the time factor. There's just no time. By the time you spend the amount of time that we do on the road, doing the amount of shows that we do, by the time we're done, I want to be off and I want to be with my family and I want to be with my wife, and I don't really want to do the music for a while. And then a couple of months goes by and I get antsy to go again and that's pretty much when we . . . y'know, Aerosmith is pretty much a nonstop entity. We go, we take a rest, we go, we take a rest, we go -- and it's been that way for 30 years. And I suppose at some point in time, if I had the time, if I was looking at two years off and I had the amount of time that I needed to do a project like that, I would certainly entertain it.

I'm influenced by everyone, not even just drummers (laughs). I always make it a point to go out and watch opening acts when we're out on the road. When the point in time comes that you stop learning from other people, regardless of who they are, it's over . . . I mean, I've learned an incredible amount from my son. He's 20 and plays -- Jesse. And, I know that he's learned from me, but it comes back around again. I can sit and watch him play, and I learn an incredible amount from watching him. I'll go, 'Wait, wait, hold on, hold on, what's that? Show me that.'

But most people are of the opinion that you can't learn from someone whose steps you've already taken and I don't buy that at all. A lot of that stuff, No. 1, gets forgotten. And No. 2, I'm old school, and I need to continue to watch this school. And I love watching the drummers from the new bands. I love Tré Cool from Green Day and . . . the guy from No Doubt [Adrian Young]. Not only are these guys great to watch, but they're great players. I'm definitely impressed and still learn from anybody and everybody. If there's a place for me to learn, I'll get it.

At this point in time, [the members of Aerosmith] probably get along better now than we ever have before. That's actually kind of amazing to me, but you kind of subconsciously work on those relationships over the years. It's like we're like five brothers, you know? Siblings always fight and there's always s**t going on, and it's the same with us -- there's always s**t been going on. I think the bottom line is that we all love each other and I think that we're slowly but surely letting that show more and more as the years go by.

The Just Push Play tour is pretty much officially over. This [new tour] is behind the greatest-hits record [O, Yeah] . . . For the most part, I think a lot of times our set consists of the greatest hits. You can't really get away from that. You can't please all of the people all of the time. If we're in New York at Jones Beach and we're playing three nights, we'll play a different set every night. We're always trying to keep people happy. The conversation will go: 'Well, let's play the same set that we did last night.' 'No no no. We can't do that because there might be some people who were here last night and the night before -- what are they gonna think?' We always like to change it around, switch it up and I think . . . that the set pretty much always is a greatest-hits [set].

We're talking about going into the studio after this tour, which is only going to be four months. What that's going to be, I'm not sure [yet]. But yeah, there's still plenty of juice left. By no means are we going to look at slowing down anytime soon.

In the UK, Oh Yeah is at no.6!

http://www.verizonwirelessmusiccenter.com

Aerosmith
Run DMC
Cheap Trick

September 22, 2002 - 7:30PM

Buy tickets
$ 75.00 Lower Pavilion
$ 65.00 Upper Pavilion
$ 30.00 Lawn

Parking Gates Open: 5:00PM Eastern Time
Concert Gates Open: 5:30PM Eastern Time

Early last year (I think, or was it late 2000?) it was announced that Aerosmith would record Yelvington, Malcolm & the Star Rhythm's "Drinkin' Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee" together with Kid Rock for an album featuring songs originally released on the legendary label Sun Records.

Now, I just saw a review of an album called "Good Rockin' Tonight - The Legacy Of Sun Records" (Sire/ 2002 / 48 min), which I would suppose is the same album as the one talked about back then. Well, Aerosmith wasn't among the performers listed, so I suppose they never recorded the track, or atleast it didn't make it onto the album.

The performers listed: PAUL McCARTNEY/JEFF BECK/CHRISSIE HYNDE/JIMMY PAGE/ROBERT PLANT/JOHNNY HALLYDAY/ELTON JOHN/TOM PETTY/HEARTBREAKERS/VAN MORRISON/CARL PERKINS/BRYAN FERRY/BOB DYLAN/ERIC CLAPTON/THE IMPRESSIONS/MATCHBOX TWENTY/SHERYL CROW/CHRIS ISAAK/LIVE/HOWLING DIABLOS/KID ROCK/DJ FONTANA/SCOTTY MOORE/CHRIS SPEDDING/MARK KNOPFLER/JOOLS HOLLAND

9/11 Anniversary Will Be a Silent Night for Rockers
World Entertainment News Network

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, THE ROLLING STONES, AEROSMITH, THE WHO and SANTANA are among the big name rock acts honoring the anniversary of September 11 by doing nothing.

All are touring America at that time, but have chosen not to perform on the night of September 11 as part of a tribute to those who died in the terrorist attacks on America last year.

Promoter LARRY VALLON, who is masterminding Springsteen's American tour, among others, says, "Everyone - agents, artists, promoters - all felt the same way: We should not be playing that night this year.

"The country's attention will be diverted elsewhere. They'll be solemnly remembering that day. Partying down with rock stars doesn't seem to be the most appropriate thing."

Aerosmith
With Special Guests: Run DMC, Cheap Trick

September 16, 2002 - 7:30PM

Buy tickets
$ 75.00 Lower Pavilion
$ 65.00 Upper Pavilion
$ 30.00 Lawn

Parking Gates Open: 5:30PM Eastern Time
Concert Gates Open: 5:30PM Eastern Time

Liam Mayclem interviewed Kramer for "The Screen Savers." Liam claims that this is one of the funniest interviews he's ever conducted. Click on the link above to watch everything that didn't make it on the air.

There are 8 pages of reports from the festival, which took place in Norje, Sweden on the 6th to 8th of June this year.

"Aerosmith's "Round And Round" är bara en av höjdpunkterna i detta blytunga set, exemplariskt framsjungen av fröken Holmsten"

About: Steven Tyler - 08/17/2002
Behind the scenes look at the veteran rocker, coupled with a look at other aging rockers who still endure.

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING BAGS UNDER YOUR EYES AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE SHOES TO MATCH"

STEVEN TYLER, 54, Aerosmith front man, on aging, to Maxim

------------------

Channel 191 on Dish Network. It's a computer tech channel.

"Oh Yeah" and "Just Push Play" are on surprisingly similar sales tracks. According to Clive Newton...

Just Push Play lost 47.42% in it's 2nd week, "Oh Yeah" lost 47.80% in it's 2nd week.
Just Push Play lost 19.03% in it's 3rd week, "Oh Yeah" lost 19.33% in it's 3rd week.

Those numbers are misleading however. JPP had MAJOR promotional support in the beginning (Superbowl, SNL, Hall Of Fame, etc) and Jaded was a BIG HIT. And besides a few commercials here and there, "Oh Yeah" has NONE of what JPP had (promotion or new hits). SO, for a Greatest Hits to be doing as good as it is is actually quite good.

Would a Little "Backstage Booty" set Your Pants on Fire?
Check it out at an Aero Show with Velvet Rope

O,Yeah! With the tour right around the
corner, AF1 brings you an unprecedented opportunity to slip behind the velvet rope for an experience of a lifetime.

Velvet Rope
Ever wonder how a rock show comes together? Or what really goes on backstage before a show? With Velvet Rope, you'll know! You'll get the stories -- and an inside look at Aerosmith's well-oiled machine. Then, you'll rock out with Aerosmith from an unf*@%*^^ -believable seat in the first three rows.

Experience the pre-concert excitement of an Aerosmith show like the pros. Get a first-hand look at the "guts" of a rock show. Hear stories from the road - and about the boys -- you won't hear anywhere else. Find out how many drumsticks Joey goes through a night; how much ground Steven covers on stage; how many watts power Joe's screaming guitar. See it all come together for America's greatest rock 'n roll band.

It's your show. Your night. And, you'll take home a piece of Aerosmith: maybe a snapshot of you at Joe's guitar rack or by something special of Steven's. You may even get the finger -- a rubber one, that is -- from Tom, a drumstick from Joey or Brad's guitar pick.

Velvet Rope Experience includes:

• AeroHosts walk you through the labyrinth,
  and talk you through tales you've never heard before
  
• Pre-show tour of an Aerosmith production
  
• Guaranteed great seat in the first three rows
  
• VIP party
  
• VIP backstage tour pass and bag of cool stuff
  
• Walk among the people who make the show happen. Who knows? There may even be a rock star lurking about

Confirmed Velvet Rope Cities:
Check back often, as new cities will likely be added. Currently, Velvet Rope is available at:

• Burgettstown, PA, 8.15.02
  
• Hershey, PA , 8.17.02
• Bristow, VA, 8.20.02
  
• Wantagh/Jones Beach, NY, 8.28.02
  

Cost:
$475, plus applicable taxes per person per show. Includes a seat in the first three rows (typically row 2 or 3) plus a VIP backstage experience. This is an extremely limited offer, so save your spot now by calling 1-866-AERO-999
(1-866-237-6999). The Velvet Rope Experience requires AF1 membership.

How do I get in on this?
First, be sure to read the FAQs Bellow. Then, reserve your spot for the Velvet Rope Experience one of two ways:

By Phone:
1. Click Register by Phone below to print the Waiver
2. Call 1-866-AERO-999 (1-866-237-6999) to contact a Velvet Rope representative and register by phone. Have your credit card ready.
3. If you intend to Fax the Waiver (recommended for speedier processing), fax to 1.978.856.0140 within 48 hours of registering by phone. Your registration is not complete or confirmed until your waiver has been received.
4. If you intend to Mail the Waiver, be sure to postmark the letter within 48 hours of registering by phone and mail to: AF1 - Velvet Rope, P.O. Box 1256, Lowell, MA 01853-1256. Your registration is not complete or confirmed until your waiver has been received.
5. Once your waiver is received, look for an email confirmation (or letter, if you do not have an email account) with further details

By Fax or mail:
1. Click Register by Fax below to print the Registration Form and Waiver
2. Read, complete and sign the Registration Form and Waiver. If you have any questions or difficulties, call 1-866-AERO-999 (1-866-237-6999).
3. Fax both forms to: 1.978.856.0140.
4. Once your Registration Form and Waiver is received, look for an email confirmation (or letter, if you do not have an email account) with further details

Velvet Rope: FAQ's

Will I meet band members on the Velvet Rope Experience?
It's not guaranteed or planned. Velvet Rope, however, brings you backstage and you never know who you might run into: one of the boys, opening artists or other celebrities who just happen to be backstage on the night of a show.

Will there be a Velvet Rope event at every show?
We can't say just yet. Velvet Rope will happen in a handful of shows at first. To find out where Velvet Rope will be available next beyond this handful of shows, check back often on the AF1 web site.

How can I find out if Velvet Rope will take place in my area?
Shows where Velvet Rope is happening will be posted first on the AF1 web site home page as soon as more Velvet Rope experiences are confirmed. Additionally, a recorded message about fan experiences is available when you call: 1.866.AERO-999 (1-866-237-6999).

Does this new Velvet Rope program negatively impact my seniority, or the quality of seats I can expect if I am an AF1 member, but do not participate in this program?
Absolutely not. The number of standard AF1 preferred seats allocated to AF1has increased at each venue for this tour. Velvet Rope adds even more seats, as seats in the first three rows that were never available before to AF1 have been added -- and set aside exclusively -- to make the Velvet Rope Experience possible.

For all AF1 members, Velvet Rope creates an opportunity to ensure a seat in the first three rows (typically in row 2 or 3). In fact, Velvet Rope actually allows AF1 to accommodate more members, in more venues, in additional quality seats closest to the stage.

Will Velvet Rope reduce opportunities for regular AF1 members to meet the band?
No. Other than travel package participants who always have top priority to meet band members, AF1 members' names will continue to be drawn at random from the list of AF1 ticket-holders at each venue where meet-and-greets are planned.

All I want are seats in the first three rows, may I skip the backstage tour and just show up early to claim my seats?
Yes, however, this may be arranged through AF1 customer service at their discretion at least one week in advance of the show. Keep in mind: doing so means you'll enter the venue when gates open for general admission. You also will be ineligible for the VIP party, VIP backstage tour pass and bag of cool stuff.

To reserve your spot for the Velvet Rope Experience,
call 1.866.AERO-999 (1.866.237.6999)

FEATURES

WE WANT ANSWERS!
STEVEN TYLER
Yeah, sure, he’s a millionaire rock star, but take pity on the poor Aerosmith frontman: After all, he’s the only guy in the world forbidden to lust after Liv Tyler.

Steven Tyler is an enthusiastic member of Britney Spears' fan club. The 54-year-old Aerosmith singer admits to Maxim magazine that he checked out the nubile Spears, 20, when they sang together at the Super Bowl. "Of course. I'm a boy," says the randy rocker.

"Britney's a sweet girl beyond that whole fake t--s and Justin Timberlake thing. Plus she sings her a-- off" ...

-The August 2002 issue of Maxim's Blender Magazine (Eminem Cover) has a pic of Steven and Joe in concert on page 22 as well as a full page size Dodge "Legends of Rock brought to you by the Legends of Roll" in the ad section. Facing the add is an article/ad of "Aerosmith's Greatest Road-Trip Songs". The magazine also has an article on the 50 top rock albums of all time, "Rocks" clocks in as the 24th.

-The Last page of the August 2002 issue of of Spin magazine has a Steven Tyler cartoon about the writting of Walk This Way.

-The September 2002 issue of Guitar World has a big article/interview with Joe, Brad and Tom from p.52-58. There is also a big pic of Joe on the table of contents.
They are apparently asked about 'O Yeah!', and past projects. Nothing particularly new or interesting.

-Last but not least, the August 2002 issue of Maxim Magazine (ie: not "Blender", but the actual guy's magazine) has an interview with Steven Tyler on page 100, and full page pic of him on 101.

Jagger Wanted to Be Liv Tyler's Dad
World Entertainment News Network

SIR MICK JAGGER was shocked to discover LIV TYLER was AEROSMITH star STEVE TYLER's daughter - because he fancied playing the parent himself.

According to Liv's mum BEBE BUELL's autobiography, she had an affair with Jagger in 1977 - around the time Liv was conceived.

And Bebe claims that when the LORD OF THE RINGS star was just months old, Jagger called her and announced that he was coming over to see his child.

Even after seeing the beautiful actress as a baby, Jagger found it impossible to accept Tyler was Liv's dad.

According to former PLAYBOY centerfold Buell, Sir Mick proclaimed, "She's mine - look at those lips."

Some very interesting questions and answers here. Some answers that will surely bother many of you, I know they bothered me. I gotta give credit to Kramer though, for being honest, not telling lies...

I gotta give my personal opinion on some of the answers... the answer to "Placentia CA" was especially bothering. What? Joey doesn't even play on "Girls of Summer"?! "New York, New York"'s answer was "funny"... "not tailored to the "MTV crowd." - "we will pull it off this summer on the road. We'll be doing a lot of stuff off our Greatest Hits record."? *lol* And what about the answer to the question from "Sao Paulo - SP - Brazil"? "The demand for us to come and play in Europe wasn't quite there when we were on the road last year"? How do they know that? They didn't even play one single concert over here? How do they know there's not a demand for Aerosmith among concert goers here? Of course there is! The answer to the final question, from "Santiago, CHILE", was positive though. I get happy everytime they mention the possibility of a blues album... :)

If you have a question, they ask you to submit it here: USATODAY.com

TALK TODAY
07/16/2002 - Updated 04:23 PM ET

Aerosmith's Joey Kramer
Thursday, July 18, 8 p.m. ET

Aerosmith has been around for so long, rocking so hard and being so all-around cool, that you probably think you know everything about them. Here's something you probably weren't aware of: In June, Audio Icons Inc., a new manufacturer of digital software specializing in digital loop and sample libraries, released Drum Loops and Samples by Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer. With over 60% of all music created digitally today, Audio Icons allows novice and professional end users to play and compose music with Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer’s innovative Loop library, license free. You can learn more about this product at all major musical instrument dealers, soundsonline.com and audioicons.com. Chat with Joey about his ventures both new and old.

"Oh Yeah- Ultimate Aerosmith Hits" slips to #10 this week on the Billboard Charts with sales of 71,500. That is a 48% drop from last week's numbers. Thru 2 weeks, it has sold roughly 210,000 copies.

Not shabby numbers at all considering the album market, the #of past Aero compilation albums, AND the fact that "Girls Of Summer" didn't catch on like planned.

It should have suffiecent #'s of sales to be certifed GOLD by the RIAA next week.

Source: RCA Records

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler didn't jump out of a cake, but he might as well have... The Calling's frontman, Alex Band had no idea that Tyler, one of the hosts at the Y-100 Summer Splash in Miami on June 7, had secretly arranged to join the band on a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" during their set.

Band was kept clueless until just before showtime, when Tyler, a self-confessed Calling fan, came back stage to hang out with the band and make the birthday announcement. Soon after, following scorching renditions of The Calling's hits "Wherever You Will Go" and "Adrienne," Band invited "a bum they had found on the side of the road" to join them onstage. Tyler walked out, gave the signal to bassist Billy Mohler, and the familiar riff of "Walk This Way" lit up the National Car Rental Center as the band ripped through the rock and roll anthem in front of 14,000 screaming fans.

The Calling's RCA Record's debut, CAMINO PALMERO, is certified gold and is rapidly approaching platinum status. The second single from the album, "Adrienne," is currently heating up the same airwaves melted down over the last year by the band's breakout hit, "Wherever You Will Go." The band has been nominated for three 2002 Teen Choice Awards including Choice Breakout Artist, Choice Love Song for 'WYWG' and Choice Rock Track ("Adrienne"), airing Aug. 19 on FOX.

"Oh Yeah- Ultimate Aerosmith Hits" slips to #6,
with sales of 72,560 copies (guess sales).
Last week was #3 and 171,410 copies.

AXOLOGY
AEROSMITH’S JOE PERRY AND BRAD WHITFORD

At his 50th birthday party last year, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry was reunited with the 1958 Les Paul guitar that he’d played throughout most of Aerosmith’s Seventies career, but which he’d been forced to sell during the band’s troubled, drug-addled years.

"I sold it in 1981, I think," he recalls. "I was broke and I needed money for Christmas. Then, around the time we were doing Get a Grip, I started thinking, I gotta get that guitar back. I had no idea where it had gone. But one day Brad came into the studio with a guitar magazine. The centerfold was Slash’s guitar collection. And there was my guitar, sitting right there. I called Slash and said, ‘C’mon man, sell it back. I’ll give you what you paid for it.’ But he wouldn’t part with it. I felt bad, because every time I’d see him I’d bug him for it. And then finally I stopped talking to him. He never called or anything. Then when my 50th birthday came around, he got some idea in his head that he wanted to give it back to me. Which he did, the night of the party. I had no idea what was coming."

Perry used that guitar extensively on on Just Push Play, the band’s self-produced, high-octane home recording, as well as a 1960 Les Paul, while Brad Whitford relied heavily on a ’54 Strat. But both guitarists dipped deeply into Perry’s extensive collection in recording the album. Joe’s got a thing for old Supros and owns many fine examples, not to mention exotica like an Airline guitar, Vox mando-guitar and guitar organ, Hagstrom eight-string bass and Danelectros galore. But he’s no vintage snob. He’s just as fond of a new Gretsch Black Falcon he recently acquired and used when Aerosmith appeared on the American Music Awards early this year. And from a rack in the control room he eagerly pulls a Les Paul fitted with a computerized auto-tuning system, pointing out that Jimmy Page has one too. But asking a man with this many guitars which ones he played on any specific track is a bit like asking Casanova who he slept with on any given evening a few months back.

"The track knows which guitar you should use," Brad Whitford philosophizes. "You just have to find it."

The guitars went through a variety of new and vintage amps. "One of the big surprises was these new Gibson combos, the GA-30s," says Perry. "It’s actually a stereo amp with 15 watts per speaker. And it just cranks. We used them a lot of the album, and I think I’m going to use them onstage."

On the vintage front, Perry and Whitford made extensive use of Joe’s venerable tweed, 50-watt Fender Twin Reverb, model number 006. He’s got a handful of impressive old Gibson and Fender tweeds in the smallish (about 15x25) tracking room at his studio, as well as a nice old blonde Vox AC30 that’s been retrofitted with Matchless transformers.

"Whenever we wanted tremolo on the album," says Perry, "we used real amp tremolo, either an AC30 or one of the newer AC15s. We used a Super Reverb too."

Perry believes that the key to getting a roaring rock guitar sound on a digital recording medium like Pro Tools is to start with a good analog front end. "You gotta have good mics and mic pres. Mostly we used the old LA-3As, a Pultec eq and the Neve mic pres. We’re really fans of the Royer ribbon mics. They can really take a beating. We also used the Audio-Technica 4051s, [Shure SM-] 57s and [Electro-Voice] RE-20s. Before it hits Pro Tools, the sound has to be as good as it can be. I think a lot of people compromise by going straight into Pro Tools and using the plug-in [effects and signal processors.]"

But Perry and Whitfield aren’t dogmatic on this issue. While they favored Centaur and Line 6 stompboxes for a lot of the album, they were also open to using plug-ins. "In Pro Tools, there’s so much you can do in the way of adding Moogerfooger or some other plug-in to a guitar sound after it’s recorded," says Perry. "And there were times when we’d plug into Amp Farm. We didn’t go in saying, ‘We’re not going to use this.’ "

1-The Beatles
2 Led Zeppelin (Andrés couldn't hear, but he think that was Zeppelin
3-Pink Floyd
4-Rolling Stones
5-AEROSMITH
6-U2

They read up to that position. The guy who said it (who was about 50) said that the only contemporary band of that list was Aerosmith. No mention of the source.

Here is the link... http://www.ew.com

RYAN STARR

Age 19

Home Sunland, CA

In a nutshell Rock star personality with a bod that makes the judges' eyes pop out of their sockets.

Memorable Quote ''Look at me. I'm obviously not a lounge singer.'' Yeah, Rosemary Clooney's got better fashion sense.

Bonus You can't hate a Liv Tyler lookalike…

Then Again Unless she dresses like Steven Tyler.

Simon Says ''The song was terrible, but I understand why people voted for her.''

If all of that doesn't sound good, there's more bad news lurking around the corner. The word from the Sony building at 55 Madison Ave. is that John David Kalodner, the venerable eccentric and beloved producer behind Aerosmith, Kansas and Journey's greatest triumphs - and who's been with Sony since it was just Columbia Records - may not have his contract renewed next winter. Observers have already noted that Kalodner's entire department has recently been laid off. Ironically, Aerosmith's new greatest hits package - which is mostly Kalodner's work - is the lone bright spot these days for Sony on the Billboard/Soundscan charts.

AEROSMITH'S GREATEST ROAD-TRIP SONGS
Aerosmith know a thing or two about hitting the road - they've crisscrossed the country and the world countless times in the last 30 years. After all, you don't get to be America's greatest rock band without putting a few miles on the odometer. In that time, Aerosmith have written the kind of songs that make you glad to be behind the wheel. It's been tough to pick, but here are Aerosmith's greatest road-trip tunes. Be warned, though: Crank these on your car stereo, and you won't want to stop driving until you hit the coast...

20-Falling In Love Is Hard On The Knees
19-Just Push Play
18-Lord Of The Thighs
17-Train Kept A Rollin
16-Round And Round
15-Sweet Emotion
14-Milk Cow Blues
13-Walk This Way
12-Dream On
11-Rag Doll
10-Livin On The Edge
9-Eat The Rich
8-Permanent Vacation
7-Pink
6-Back In The Saddle
5-Last Child
4-Mama Kin
3-Dude Looks Like A Lady
2-Love In An Elevator
-#1- Road Trip Song...
Young Lust
pump-1989
-Described by Perry as the sound of "a dinasour eating cars," "Young Lust" charges out of the gate with almost indecent intensity, Perry's opening guitar brutality punctuated by Kramer's stabbing drums. Changing gears immediately, the song builds to Tyler's staccato yelping before pulling away like a dragster, underpinned by a finger-popping Hamilton bassline. Turn this up LOUD, preferably in a populated area, and the car that dinosaur's eating will feel like you.

Actually, they were all followed by a little description like number one... only the description on that one was posted on the mailinglist because it was number one and becuase it was so detailed....

Well, it's official. Radio and Records has declared "Girls Of Summer" a FLOP. Only on the airplay charts for 2 WEEKS, it could ONLY get to position #49 on airplay strength.

To see just how BAD that is, just check the last few singles and their retrospective airplay peak positions...

Girls Of Summer - #49
Just Push Play - #34
Fly Away From Here - #24
Jaded - #6
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - #1
Pink - #20
Hole In My Soul - #39
Falling In Love - #28.

So, even songs that BOMBED like Hole and Fly Away got my airplay then Girls OF Summer. Scary shit. Maybe this is the best thing that could happen to the band! Scare em straight into making some NO NONSENSE FUCKING ROCK AND ROLL!!!

We shall see! ;-)
Chris@AeroFANatic.com

That's right folks, less than ONE MONTH remains until Aerosmith's "Ultimate Hits / Girls Of Summer" tour starts a rollin In New Jersey...

And AeroFANatic.com wants to bring ALL the tour set lists and news to you from EVERY SHOW STOP THIS YEAR! How do we do it you ask? Well, if you are new to these boards/lists, let me give you a BRIEF rundown of what we do...

Basically, AeroFANatic.com assigns a "SET LIST REPORTER" to certain individuals for EVERY SINGLE SHOW on the Aerosmith tour. It is these reporters responsibility to relay the set lists BACK to me. Then I take those set lists, post them on AeroFANatic, and spread them around the internet for ALL the Aerosmith fans to view.

Last tour, the Just Push Play tour, we were able to get set lists for EVERY SHOW on the tour!!!! You guys really rocked last tour, there is NO reason why we shouldn't be able to do it again!!!

The internet truly has shrunken the "world community", and for us Aerosmith fans....getting the set lists and news so quickly is REALLY a cool thing to look at and discuss.

So, here's the plan. ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SET LIST REPORTER, PLEASE MAIL Chris@AeroFANatic.com with your name, email addy, and the shows you will be attending. I will then describe the process to you and we'll make plans. This won't work without you all, so the MORE reporters we have the better! ô¿ô

If you were a set list reporter for the Just Push Play tour, I'd LOVE to have u help me again. If you are a newbie and would like to help...PLEASE DO! Like I said before...the more the merrier!

Let's truly make this "Ultimate Hits / Girls Of Summer" tour one of the best and most informative fan experiences on the net! And of course, ALL the tour and Aerosmith related news can be found at AeroFANatic.com. No Rules, Just Right ;-0

HOPE TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU!!!!!!
Chris@AeroFANatic.com

Aerosmith Girls of summer (2)
2002-08-05
35 kr

Aerosmith Girls of summer (Maxi)
2002-08-05
49 kr

Aerosmith The ultimate hits 2002 2-CD
2002-08-26
239 kr

So... it appears there will be two different "Girls Of Summer" singles, one with two tracks and one slightly more expensive with a couple more tracks. No tracklists were posted at the site, however. These are expected to be released on August 5th. Meanwhile, the album is listed as having an even later release date, August 26th.

The exact same release dates are also stated at another major swedish on-line store, CDON.com.

As for Ginza, they had some text listed to go along with the GoS entries, but they failed to spell Tyler's name correctly.

Steven Taylor & Joe Perry är tillbaka med en rykande färsk singel. Det första livstecknet sedan albumet "Just push play". Nya singeln är tagen från den kommande dubbel-samlingen som spänner över deras Columbia- och Geffenmaterial.

Subj: Ai Charter Member Offer

Dear Ai member:

As one of the very first Charter members who joined Ai, we would like to thank you by making the following unprecedented opportunity available to you. We have reserved AT LEAST ONE GUARANTEED ticket for purchase for one of the upcoming "Girls of Summer" shows. This GUARANTEED ticket is in addition to your entry into the ticket lottery now being offered to all Ai Charter and non-Charter members. Just go to https://members.aerosmith.com/tickets/orderTickets-gt.php. to place your order.

Beyond that, Ai is giving away free stuff. Your name will be entered in a special contest for at least one pair of free tickets for any Aerosmith show this summer. You are also eligible to win backstage passes, which will be made available for various shows along the tour. Just make sure your account is renewed and up to date.

Summer has arrived, "The Girls of Summer" is on the airwave, it's real hot and time to party - Our boys are gearing up for another World tour tied to the release of the new "O Yeah!" Ultimate Aerosmith hits album.

In addition, the ticket lottery is now open and you have a great chance of scoring an additional pair of tickets from the Ai reserve of seats.

As you can see, Aerosmith Interactive - the bands VIP premium online service - has been re-launched; we heard what you wanted and we're adding to it regularly.

The GUARANTEED tour ticket(s), the lottery and the backstage passes are just the beginning. Check it out: Steven, Joe, Tom, Brad and Joey, will be making appearances in AerosmithWorld very soon and we'll email you with the exact day and time- don't miss this exciting opportunity to be with the boys.

Besides the new Ai contests, you still have a chance to buy reserved tickets through the ticket lottery going on now, VIP access into AerosmithWorld, virtual backstage passes for Aerosmith's upcoming tour with behind the scenes videos and pictures, exclusive chats with the band and their guests, your personal e-mail account, message boards, personal web space, monthly contests, photos and special merchandise.

So, the tickets are on sale, the site has been improved, the boys will be coming to chat, and now you get a chance to see them for free! Come on and log in at http://members.aerosmith.com, and keep in touch with the tour.

So... If anyone still hasn't caught the GOS video, it's #20 on the countdown this week... which airs a number of times...

"The temptations of smoking pot for creativity are strong, but eventually marijuana costs you your spirituality."

Among those in attendance were Kiss' Gene Simmons and Eric Singer, Alice Cooper, Carnie Wilson and her husband, members of Nashville Pussy and Rev. Horton Heat, Aerosmith's Scott Hamilton, Adrian Perry (son of Aerosmith's Joe Perry), ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, Jeffrey Gaines, and Scott Ian of Anthrax.

Cheap Trick played three new songs -- "Scent of a Woman," "Words," and "She's So Bad" -- from its forthcoming new album, which doesn't have a release date or label yet.

----------

"Aerosmith's Scott Hamilton"? I suppose that should be "Tom"...

------------

The TENNESSEAN

Saturday, July 6, 2002

Rock 'n' roll Joe

Guitarist Perry chats on Aerosmith, past and present

By PETER COOPER
Staff Writer

After more than 30 years, the Aerosmith onslaught continues. Washed up on rock 'n' roll's needle-littered shore in the early '80s, the band found a way back into the mainstream, riding sobriety and songs like The Other Side, Pink and Cryin' to a position among the greatest American rock bands in history.

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/event/
music/summer2002/default.jsp

"O Yeah- Ultimate Aerosmith Hits" comes in at #4 this week with 136,879 copies sold. It becomes the highest charting Aerosmith compilation to date. The previous high was "Big Ones" which attained it's top mark at #6 in November of 1994.

"O Yeah" also becomes the 3rd highest selling 1st week Aerosmith album, behind Just Push Play (240,000) and Nine Lives (140,000).

It was helped by a marketing campaign, including commercials and the "limited" edition covers.

2nd week sales generally are off by a little less than half, so I'd look for it to sell roughly 70,000 copies next week. We shall see.

----

The top of the charts:

1. Nelly - Nellyville
2. Eminem - The Eminem Show
3. Various Artists - Gotti Presents
4. Aerosmith - O Yeah, Ultimate Aerosmith Hits.

3 & 4 were new entries.

When it comes to rock wild men Steven Tyler and David Lee Roth are at the top of the charts, in his new book, Rock & Roll's Most wanted (Brasseys), author Stuart Shea reveals a host of little-know scandals & facts, Including how AEROSMITH's Tyler and his band demand huge vats of slippery spaghetti back stage after performances- but not for band mates to eat

According to Shea, the gargantuan tubs of pasta were on hand so the group could climb into it and "frolic around with young ladies".

O,Yeah!-Ultimate Aerosmith Hits debut at #3!

#1 and 2 are Japanese artists, thus Aerosmith is the foreign artist on this week.

FYI: ORICON (aka/ original confidence) is a famous music/chart magazine in Japan.

Reps for Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock were fielding calls yesterday after a remark by Steven Tyler started folks wondering whether the two are expecting their first child.

"Gotta do it," Tyler told the Boston Herald's Larry Katz. "That's like me asking you, 'Larry, I know you're interviewing Kid Rock next week and I know Pamela Anderson's gonna be with him 'cause she's pregnant.' Now, let me ask you, are you gonna be looking at her breasts?' Come on!"

Mouthpieces for Anderson and her Kid didn't immediately return calls. But curious readers may want to follow Tyler's instructions and watch Anderson's bustline.

As if you could avoid it.

http://www.aerocanal.net/actual/hits/pagina.html

channels.netscape.com/ns/music/ch/styles/clsrock.jsp

music.netscape.com

MTV
Sun, 14
19:00 Dance Floor Chart
20:00 MTV20 Testimony, 20 Years Of Rock On MTV (Aero bits)
22:00 MTV Live

VH1
Thu, 11
09:00 Then & Now
10:00 Top 10 Aerosmith
11:00 Behind The Music Quincy Jones

-------------------------

Aerosmith Interview Session
R&R Convention
June 14, 2002

Announcer: Hello, good evening. Thank you very, very much for being here. My name is Tony Novia (?) and I am the Contemporary Hit Radio Editor for Radio and Records Newspaper here in Los Angeles. We'd like to thank all of you for coming again this year, supporting us day in and day out, week in and week out. They don't say thank you enough in this business so from me to you, thank you very much. What can I say? We have two band members from one of the greatest rock 'n roll bands of all time. They are as pumped up as you are. What we're going to do right now is show their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These guys came all the way down here from Boston to be here with you specifically. Please check this out.

(Video Rolling) (Crowd going psycho)

Voice: Aerosmith are the perennial bad boys of Rock and Roll. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer put their own stamp on their own stamp on hard rock, adding a little funk and raunchy humor. Aerosmith took off from Boston in the 1970s. Though they'd become known as wild rockers, they first made their mark with a power ballad. During the 70s, Aerosmith cut through the sounds of disco and mellow funk, and kept hard rock alive. By the early eighties, Perry and Whiford left the band, but a few years later all five realized to get together and reunite. In 1986, Tyler and Perry teamed with Run DMC for a remake of "Walk This Way" ignited the fusion of rap and rock that flourishes to this day. Platinum albums followed, they were now clean and sober, but more upbeat than never before. Aerosmith made the ultimate rock and roll comeback, and, thirty years in their career, they show no signs of slowing down.

Announcer: Incredible! I don't know if you're feeling it like I am. I need to thank Columbia Records, who worked for months putting this together, incredible record label and they really stepped up big. And I'd like to thank them very much. We picked a moderator for this session, this guy's really cool. You've seem him on BRAVO's Musicians on Television, he hosts that program. And he's the contributing editor to Rolling Stone Magazine, please give it up for David Wild!

David: Thank You. Welcome to the Tyler-Hamilton barmitzfah. I'm Rabbi Wild, I'll be officiating. When they asked me about doing this, I said yes right away. First of all, b/c I think Aerosmith is the greatest band in the history of rock and roll. (applause) Oh, I see you're not just here for me. But I also said yes because, as far as I know, Steven Tyler has only been asked one question in his life and it would be easy work for me. Joe Perry asked "how you doing?" in 1969, and they've been speaking ever since. We're going to talk a lot about their new collection. O, Yeah! Have you heard it? The Ultimate Aerosmith Hits, so lets bring out the guys.

(Audio Problems) ("Girls of Summer" played)

David: Not only is that a great song, I think it's the greatest song ever to use the words "pussy willow."

Steven: The pussy willow up your tree, to the boy who climbs, there'll always be the girl.

David: Hilarious! I notice a recurring theme, "horticulture" is a recurring theme.

Steven: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't lead a whore to culture.

Tom: You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think.

David: We want to bring out the crowd, they're a big part of this, so let's have some questions for the guys. And let me call on a few of you.

Tom: Class?

David: Don't be shy.

Audience: How long did it take you to lay down the track "Girls of Summer"?

Steven: (calling for Marti) Where's Marti? Marti--about two days?

Marti: Yeah!

Steven: Pro tools, god bless 'em. The ideas come off the top of your head so fast, that you can lay it down and play it, and go "yeah!" And then it makes up the chorus, we had like five different choruses. The B section was like, "Oooooooh, all I wanna do, is touch you here." (inaudible) But the good news is, it'll be on something that's previously unreleased later on. But it took about two days, and we're off and burning. So………

David: Next question, please. Over there.

Audience: The next time you do a record, not a greatest hits record, but a record record; are you going to do it in the studio or back in Joe Perry's bathroom?

Steven: You can do the vocals in Joe Perry's bathroom! (laughter) Well, no, ah……we all have these Pro Tools systems in our houses and you go in the chamber and start singing. I don't know if we're going to go back in the studio, it's so much more fun. The last time we did an album, we took great pride in doing our own demos. And why keep changing them, and changing them? You're not being true to yourself………Who knows? It depends, we may do a couple of songs in Brazil or maybe do the whole thing in our basements.

Audience: Let me ask a question now……….I had an experience the other day. I have a 2 and a half years old son who was listening to the Spiderman soundtrack. He heard you guys do the theme song and said, "wow that is cool!" That's the exact same thing I said 20 or 30 years ago when I heard "Get Your Wings" for the first time. That is what I jumped on. What's the secret to staying eternally cool? Do you think there is a secret to being eternally, relevant cool?

Steven: Well, I think……..

Tom: Your kid was listening, right? Not watching? hehe It still has to do with the beat in the song and the beat has so much to do with whatever……..the attitude where the song's going. But it's always about the song. You know, I pick my kids up from school. And when we pick in the car, it's always radio tunes going. And to see my kid, a first grader in the backseat, getting off on music the same way I have all my life. It made me realize that there's no such thing as not being………. I remember when the Beatles first came out. I was like 9, I hate to admit that I guess, but we had these 2 little Motorola transistor radio, that was my first radio. And I found that by turning them both on, it created this surround sound, and all of a sudden music got really flipped out. Music has so much to do with sexuality…..

Steven: And you also write your own thoughts down, so all of a sudden the music becomes one with the song. I'm going to kill the next guy who asks me what "Dream on" is about. I mean common' man, it's self-explanatory.
(inaudible)

David: My next question Steven………what is "dream on" about??

(laughter)

Steven: Dave, you mean, (something), hosebag!(laughter)

David: You're the third person to call me that day. Next question…..yes?

Audience: I was coached not to say anything about children. (inaudible) I was coached not to ask this question, but my husband……….I have a two and a five year old………I told my husband, I told my son that I was coming here tonight. And he knows that there's no one I love more than Aerosmith and Steven Tyler. If I would leave my husband, he knows it would be for Steven Tyler.
(inaudible) So anyway, I told my son who's five, I'm going to Steven and I asked him, "If I do talk to him, what do you want me to say to him." And my son said, "just let him know I love him probably more than you do." And speaking of children liking songs like in your car, my two-year-old kicked off her shoes and lip-synched "Sweet Emotion." And I just wanted to relay that to you, not that it means anything. ( inaudible)

Tom: (inaudible) Wow…..2 year old girls getting into us?

David: Who knew that that'd be a problem, is that they've reached too young an audience! Yes……..

Audience (ME!): Steven Tyler-isms, we all know 'em, we all love em. I was just wondering how you came up with lyrics like "erot-ickle cool" and "cha-ah!" (laughter) Because you are just cool as hell! (applause) And I was wondering what your thought process was in coming up with them?

Tom: You'd me amazed what sounds come out of his butt! (laughter)

Steven: It's just uh…… you know, um…………(pause) When we first started the band…..I had some classical in me….. a lot of classical that I got from my father because we grew up listening to his piano at Julliard. So I had a lot of notes in my head. The first record came out we had "Dream On" and a bunch of things and then we started digging around for other things to do. And I kind of lost it….the first record was fine, but then we started getting high. And we found the notes, and through the notes came the drugs. And then we got sober and I found out that if I just went inside my own imagination, I could get back to where I was when we first started this band. And……it's like a sandbox of sorts inside your own mind. There's always music. And I'm really 20 years old with thirty years of experience. I love that, I love that. You know…..we called a record "does the noise in my head bother you?" You know creativity you really go to a place where people can tell what you're really thinking, and they even think you're out of your mind and send you to rehab again. (laughter) But, you just gotta go to some place and just let it fly and put it down on paper. Like "ero-tickle", I don't know where I got it from either, (noises from "Under My Skin") you take a Samsung pen and come up with something……….. like the buzz which you be getting 'From the crack don't last I'd rather be o.d.in' on the crack of her ass (Fever) (laughter) And it goes something like (rapping noises) So it's all about freedom and a fear of not you know………..and I love rhyme schemes, you know, I look for them and if there isn't one I'll make it up. And that's the shit for me, you know, (singing) Hey Jaded, hey j-j-jaded, we went on for twenty minutes with that one. It's just allowing yourself to be free with it, and not caring. But believe me, I care, and "Dude Looks Like A Lady", at first it was like "Oh shit! How do I sing that?" First it was "cruisin' for the ladies"…… That sucked. (laughter) Then it was "you better (something) them jeans boy." But what it really is, is a series of events and you just gotta work hard, you know. You gotta not be afraid."

David: By the way, I have to apologize to Radio and Records, we did not know Steven and Tom had ever done drugs. And we'd have not done this interview if we'd known that. (laughter)

Audience: Um……… Steven and Tom, the history of Aerosmith. I don't want to rehash it, but most recently, the Icon Show. Over the years, but I figure if song that tells story really well. Can you give us a little version of "no surprise" that tells the story well?

Steven: Well, first of all, we're a Clive Davis band--he signed us. ( applause) Clive Davis! The man knows a good song……and we were playing at Max's Kansas City and this is back when we're playing bars and stuff, doing our own music. And no one would come……..I mean NO ONE. We'd be on the stage playing and not a soul would walk in. And I'd say to the owner: "Can we leave now?" And he'd say "no, you have to play it out." But we were fortunate enough to get on the bill and play music with Edgar Winter, Humble Pie. We'd set up one night and all the corporates came and we had our bar set of songs that we did, and the dressing room was the bathroom. And I remember, we were getting ready to go on and I looked out the window and saw limousines, and I thought oh my god, John Lennon was here. I was scared to death, and one thing lead to another, and the very last song. We talked away and said, "Well we'll see you all we'll be back in 20 minutes." Our manager came up, Frank Connoly, said: "Tell them the name of the song is…..we don't wanna fuck you lady, we want to eat your sandwiches." And it was so weird, we freaked out, I could not believe, laughing so. So after the show, people backstage clapping. It was storybook we wanted to be big stars………….

Tom: And one other manager came up and what he said was right out of a storybook. He said something like, " Ya know, I think we can work with you boys!"

Steven: So about six years later Joe Perry came up with this lick.
Ba-da-ba-da-dow-dow (noises). And I spent about a month going (singing to the beat) "I milked the family cow! I fucked a girl today! And about a month passed and I realized once the lick happened, then came the answer. (noises) "1971, we all heard the starter's gun" (weird noise comes over speakers) We all heard the starter's gun. Haha! (laughter)
"New York was such a pity, but at Max's Kansas City we won. We all shot the shit at the bar with Johnny O'Toole, who was our road manager at the time, and 'ol Clive Davis said he's surely gonna make us a star. I like you star, just the way you are. But with all our style, we could see in our eyes that we were going on trial, and it was no surprise." And the rest history………….

David: The new album, in a way, brings everything full circle. All the songs from all the eras are now on one collection. All the best of…….. what's your relationship like with Columbia Records? What does it mean to you to come full circle now?

Steven: I can honestly say that, right now, my head is so far up the corporate ass. I'm starting to see thing's like (some guy's name) way. And I hate that about me. The one thing that we've learned all these years is that working hand in hand is not selling out. It's striving to make sense of something you believe in. And if someone else doesn't, then it's worth a fight. And I live to prove people wrong. And not that anyone thinks we don't b/c people are always going to jump on the bandwagon to what you are anyway. You know Alanis Morisette, they say "we always loved her." But do you know how many people in the industry passed up that record? Wow! It opens your eyes to what the hell's going on. Really. But, it's an honor to be with a company like that. Distribution is from hell, but that's always been it for music. You send something out here, and it'll be in Boston tomorrow. Same record, same quality.

Tom: And we've never forgotten that we're a rock band. Our natural……..when gravity pulls us to the ground, that's what we are…..a rock band!

David: Let's here from the audience again.

Audience: I have a question here. Going back……looking at bands today…..you have been a band that's been able to hit the 70s, recreate the 80s, recreate the 90s. Where generations of kids are growing up with nameless, faceless bands. How do you it? How can you constantly comeback and recreate? With Run DMC, and so on and so forth? What's the formula and how does it happen?

Tom: You can feel the vibe of people out there that want to see you play. Whether at home or on the road. There's a lot of people out there that wanna see you tour, they want to hear you, they want to hear your music. You can feel it. That's pretty much I guess. Other than that we're compulsive about having attention stick to us.

Steven: And the Run DMC thing, it's no secret that we got so caught up in drugs. And it stole our families and music out of us. And then when we got sober………what's his name? Def Jam……..

Tom: Rick Rubin

Steven: Rick Rubin called up and said "Run DMC wants to do a song……" We were coming out of the ashes at the time. And I'd love to say it was us, but it wasn't. It was John (guy's name)…..came up with the video…..breaking down the walls, breaking down the black and white. And mixing the two songs. You know it was just a good song. We used some loops on it, I'm a drummer at heart, I love it. I think loops are great. And I love techno. (inaudible) Like the middle part of this jig "don't you know it……". It's just a beautiful loop. (starts doing Jamaican patiois) You know that piece from Just Push Play. It's just using your resources and keep them fresh, and hanging outside the lines. And what we do put out, I'm scared to death. I'm not sure about it. But what you do know is that it comes from here. I like to think I know when something's good……. But you never really do know, it's a crapshoot. Which is why we just love doing it so much………

David: And one thing that's interesting about the new collection, is that you listen to "Mama Kin", which is the first track on it, and then you listen to the two new songs "Girls of Summer"……. "Lay It Down"…..which is an incredibly gorgeous ballad that will be #1 later this year.

Steven: That's right.

David: But you actually have grown. Steven, as much as I love "Mama Kin", you're a much better singer today, a much more expressive singer than back then. Musically, the foundation of the band, keeps growing……..

Tom: I was actually reflecting on that a lot when we were making the Just Push Play album. The way the song writing was going, and the way the ideas were flying, everyone really had to step up another notch, and we all had to step up to the plate. And I think we all felt better on our instruments when we got out on the road. And once we got out on the road, we had to step it up another notch there too, as far as ability of being able to play good on stage day after day. It's really satisfying…….you go out and get better.

David: Steven, talking about what every player in the band brings to the party, let us know what Tom has meant to Aerosmith.

Steven: O boy…..ummmmmm…….you with a lot of the songs we jam together, play together. Everybody brings something that they'd played at home the night before. For the first album we rehearsed(inaudible) Everybody brings something Joey Kramer brought R&B. One thing that we did have in common…….with that record…….the best part……..We are a true band, wrote all our songs together, everybody had a voice of their own. Tom brought du, du, du, du (bass noises) "Sweet Emotion"!!!!

Tom: I brought the pizza!

Steven: And everybody's got something, ya know. And I think the joy of it is that we're still a band, we love being a band, we're still the same guys in a band. And at heart we just a bunch of guys who like to get out, kiss ass, and rock and roll live.

David: When will you guys be kicking ass next at a venue near us?
(Confusion as to when they start. Then audience yells out right dates.)

Tom: Yeah, we're going out in August and will probably be out until the end of November, and if the phone rings, we'll be out longer.

Audience: You brought up a couple interesting points about having a string of hit singles, and being contemporary in the roots, and things like that. Taking a bigger picture view of radio over the years, I see the guys who were there at the beginning for you who are now nearing your age, or perhaps beyond that, still love the old stuff, but perhaps aren't selling to the more recent things. It seems like the guys that are in their twenties have not a lot of interest in Aerosmith music or at least the way it pertains to radio. And I'm curious if there's a conscious effort, when you're making these records to have a string of hit singles, seeing the success of "Jaded" from the last album, perhaps "IDWMAT", and maybe even this new song. It seems to be more pop radio than rock radio. Is that the nature of where it is today? Is there a conscious effort in your mind that you're appealing to the younger crowd so they're buy your records? Just a chance…….

Steven: I think melodic sensibility rears it's ugly or beautiful head, whichever way you choose to look at it. In a sense that I'm a melody freak , I love chorus lines. Sometimes we'll start with that. What is wind up with is………."When winter hush turns summer pink, in a half the time it takes to blink, but it all depends on what you think." (singing) It's just a beautiful thing, and if it comes out more pop, then you guys are gonna play it and our tour will sell. I don't think we do it consciously. But it works out like that. We wished for years and when we came out. There wasn't CHR rock radio………album. A O…….

Tom: AOR

Steven: AOR was the thing. They played you know, "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by……..

David: Marvin Gaye………

Steven: No, no, no, not Marvin Gaye. (audience yelling) Creedence Clearwater. And you know that took twelve minutes and we started going. (snoring) That was the norm back then. And we started playing, but we noticed no one was buying the records. The "Train Kept A Rollins'" and "Let the Music do the Talking"………..People wanted "Dream On" on there. So there's a little bit of forethought……..

Tom: People use rock music in commercials now. Music you hear in advertising is just amazingly creative. There's no way of saying, "Oh man, maybe if we write this, Dodge will want to use it someday!" (applause) I mean rock music has just become much more universal and mainstream. It used to be if you listened to it, you were a freak and not to be trusted, and everything else. We've all grown up with it, and we all want it as much as we can. When you're writing and to sit down and right a hit, that's kind of the secret dream of every musician. But when you're jamming and you're just doing that musical daydreaming it's just a river of things flowing, and ideas for songs is all about seeing that idea and grabbing it before it floats away. You want to write something that has more of a melodic sense and has a certain texture to it. Just be watching out for it. And then just expand on it.………..

Audience: Steven, you mentioned techno, and I know that you did a song with Pink on her album. I was wondering if you guys thought about collaborating with or doing a song with any other artists on an upcoming record. Or maybe some techno remixes of some of your songs. And get a different spin.

Steven: All the above. I'm hoping for it all. That song that was on Pink's record was written by Richie Supa. We wrote "Pink" with him, the song "Pink", and "Chip Away The Stone". That song was intended for an Aerosmith song, wrote it down, she heard it and loved it. It think it's a great song. We're open to work with lots of people. That's how we keep it fresh and I love it. Communication sit in a room (noises) and that's how we come up with a song. It's a great thrill to be on a record with someone else. Eric Clapton……or whoever, I'm looking forward to that. Techno……I love that. Crystal Method………

David: We have a question over there, with that feather boa or is that a pussy willow?

Audience: I've been lucky enough to see you twice in concert in the last year. This is unbelievable. I got to stand up on the catwalk………….. (tape change) (asked about privacy in the public eye)

Steven: …………..and yeah there's a lot of stress in the business. But this kind of stress is different, though. In the old days you'd wake up from a nightmare sweaty. Today you wake up from a nightmare, and realize you'd never fallen asleep. It's crazy, but it's beautiful……and it really is beautiful. I can a little worried when people say: "How's your dad Vic and your cat Pooker?"…………and you're in Taiwan……….."Steven Tyra!" (laughter)

David: We have another question……yes……gentlemen right there!

Audience: Thank you. Hey guys! Honored to be in the same room with you, my wife is on the cell phone, can you take a minute Steven? Just kidding. She's love you, she hates me for being here with you. You're multigenerational, kids love you, adults love you, how did you hook up with Disney World and establish the Rock 'n Roller Coaster? That's awesome.

Tom: I'm sure when them facts came in we said: "Yeah, it's like anyone would want to do a roller coaster!" I don't remember exactly how it started, but it made perfect sense actually. I remember going to Disney World, they had the "Tower of Terror" and I remember thinking they needed something a little more harrier. Something really cool, you know something a little more extreme. And I swear it was within the next year they were coming out showing us pictures of this huge building they were building……..and they were already working on it. And they hadn't even talked to us about it. So that's pretty clever thinking on their part. It was just a blast working with their music people……..the really encouraged us to come up with ideas………we saw the effort going behind it. And when Disney wants to do something, it gets done.

David: MTV officially declared you guys as Icons. Is it more meaningful now that you guys are official recognized as Icons? Considering when you guys got started, there wasn't people jumping on the bandwagon…….you were dismissed my many people early on as Stones repeated…..What does it mean to you now to overcome any opposition?

Tom: I'm an icon, click on me!

Steven: It's been hard, for years we got, "You look like Mick Jagger!" You know, Joe was Keith. And the interview was always about how we looked the same, and I was the lead singer and all that. And that was hard…….for years, I didn't admit that Mick Jagger was the baddest boy on the block. And I did admit it…… because he danced his ass off. But you know sitting there, it kind of puts a……..you know…….We're still a rockin' band, we're still out there touring, we're still on the radio, we're still out there working. And we kind of overcame that…….and it gave us a chance to talk, to sit down and really just be in the moment with the fact that it's been 30 years. I don't know what to think of that you know. and it gave us a chance to just sit down. Sometimes in the summer, I'd sit there and get out "Rocks" and listen to it, with headphones, by the pool or something and it takes me so back. But the fact that our peers played our songs………There's a great album out there called "Blues on Fire" All these black artists, sang there asses off! That made me cry. That was just……that was a moment I was really proud to have written those songs and to have other people…….. And it's really been incredible…..in the last year with the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, and the Icons. It's just good. To have everybody get together and tip their hat…………

Tom: It's funny you know when sometimes when people asked me that question, I get self-conscious. I want to just point down to the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix…….the bands that I worshipped when I was growing up. But then I think……"Wow! Thirty years!" You know…..I guess it's kind of natural. At that point, you're gonna get to experience just about everything. You learn to just kind of relax and enjoy it………

David: One of the secrets I think for those of us who've seen them live, is that I saw you the first time on (inaudible tour) at Madison Square Garden with Derringer opening up. And the fact of the matter is, you're a much better live band now, than you were then. I don't know what chemical factors may have contributed. I know at one point, I slept thru part of it. Today, you're just incredible--do you feel like the shows have gotten better over the years?

Steven: Yeah, I think we embrace more now what we stand for. And even that's a trip, trying to figure out what we stand for. (inaudible)

Audience: By the way, "Sweet Emotion" is probably one of the greatest rock songs ever written and recorded. I have more of a comment than a question, but I want you guys to know this: being in radio, I have been to so many Meet and Greets where the band doesn't sign anything, they don't take pictures, don't talk to ya--you have five seconds. And that's it. But, the meet and greet I went to with you guys. You came out, talked to people, signed things, you took pictures with them. And I just really, as a radio programmer, wanna thank you guys for that because it does make a difference not only to us radio people, but to our winners, and the people that you meet and greet. And it's just an incredible experience, and I hope you guys continue to do that and, like I said, I just want to thank you guys for doing it. It's very much appreciated.

Tom: We like to think of it as a ritual of getting ready to go on stage. People always ask: "do you have these special rituals you do to get ready?" And, of course, especially the last hour before we go on, it's just a series of rituals of frantic rituals. But doing the meet and greets you, all of a sudden, are getting a hit of the raw enthusiasm for rock and roll. So that's what it's about. We all like raw rock and roll. So….it kind of just starts the process of getting ready for the audience.

David: And to show you what generous guys they are, in the old days, other than the meet and greet, they'd also frequently sleep with people! To show you how times have changed, when I was backstage on the Pump Tour. I remember, it was in Toronto, and afterwards there was the best chef in Toronto was backstage preparing you anything you'd guys wanted to order. And I remember you turned to me and said: "In the old days, he'd give us powder, now it's pasta." Which I think, says something about how times have changed. Yes………..

Audience: You've done everything from the Super Bowl to rollercoasters these days. Can you give us any previews of what you might have in store or what you want to do in the future? Basically, I'm asking what your next big thing is………….and……can I be a part of it? (laughter)

Tom: I don't know our next big grand design…….but, I'd like to play in Moscow. We've never done that. I'd love to go back and tour South America some more. And there, there's plenty of places we've never been to, so we can always have that as a goal.

Audience: ( inaudible)When you're making an album, how do you decide which ones make the cut? How do you do that? And are you surrounded by various opinionated people? Get feedback and…….how do you stick to your instincts?

David: If I can answer for one second for them, I think we have the most ultimate opinionated person, Josh Wilder(??????) is here.

Tom: Like when Luke Skywalker wanted to learn how to fight, he went and found Yoda. And when we got back together after the……….in the early 80s and did a record called "Done With Mirrors." Which was a record for what we were doing at the time, and when we came out we felt a lot better. Getting the band back together meant we had to say goodbye to a lot of ways that we did things. And a lot of those things involved ego. We were really ready to find our mentors and find people who could give us an outside view ourselves to give us a better understanding of what we are about. It's not that we asked other people to tell us what we are, but we lost our own life for a long time. It's part of the getting back to it process. So…….it's just something that has worked really well for us.

Audience: Hello Steven, right back here on the side of the room. Hi, I'm from Boston actually, and I remember when Aerosmith first kicked off along with The Cars in Boston. I was going to Berkeley College of Music. And I lived next door to a guy named Mark Perena who was playing you on the radio. And I think at that time, Aerosmith wasn't a big as Aerosmith is today. And I wonder what advice you have for program directors at this event, for the artists who are not signed yet, or the merging artists that would be played on their stations. I'm sure everyone would clamor to play the new Aerosmith record, but what about the new folks?

Steven: I would love to know and hear that there is room for anybody in this room, if they pick up a CD that they'd heard that weekend like Black Rebel Motorcycle, and be free to play that because you just loved it. And I think that's what's needed. Play lists are to restricted to the big stars There's a lot of show's like (inaudible) that sometimes do get to ya. But what I hope is that some guy will represent what he feels honestly in his heart, to be able to play that. I'd love to hear the program directors open up to that. That's a beautiful thing you know. We get hit all the time by: "why don't you have people on tour?" "why don't you do it?" "why don't you open the door for people more?" In a sense, you want the new bands to make it mandatory on themselves, because that's the one's that when in the end. And there's a lot of bands out there doing it. And if you like any bands that you hear, I would love to say please get on it, play them. Take that one track that you hear……….your ears are better than anyone else's, you're playing all the hits all day long. (inaudible) a couple branches on the way down to grab onto.

Tom: I don't know what the statistics are, or whether the radio business is expanding or what. But I know one thing, there are so many more kids that want to try making a living doing music than ever before. When I was in high school, in the country, I was one kid out of 70 that had the audacity to say, "look, I'm gonna go try this." In that same class, today, there might be 5 or 6. So the pool of potential great music is just gigantic. But at the same time, it's laws of supply and demand. There are so many good musicians now. With pro tools, for instance, there are a lot of people that are creative, but marginal music wise, that can suddenly huddle up to be recording artists. So I don't know how they're all gonna get their stuff heard. You guys have a big job. That's all I can say

Audience: I have a question. Before I ask it, I just want to tell you that, Steven and Tom, that my parents got together at one of your gigs so, thank you. So you're part of the reason why I'm here.

Steven: Do you know what song? And the chorus? Or…………….

Audience: I gotta ask them that!

David: "Lord of the Thighs"!

Audience: But seriously, just looking to the future of music, the biggest issue in our history right now is the problem with downloading off the Internet, people not buying CDs, and artists and record companies going bankrupt. As an artist, how do you feel about this, and do you see any solutions in the future?

Tom: I think that going out on touring, that's sort of a retro way of looking at things, but it's going to be more important than ever for people who want to make a living. And I just think that there's something good about that. Obviously, I don't love the idea of the record business shrinking, downloading, but I like the idea that a lot of bands putting out their first album, will really go do what it takes to be good live. Because a lot of them……. There are a lot of great musicians, and their enthusiasm is way up there and they're dying to do it, but they don't let themselves go thru that wall of learning how to play live. And I think it's just going to be more and more important.

Steven: That's a really touchy subject because…………The Aerosmith catalog used to be worth millions of dollars, and now I think I can trade it in and get a couple wheels on my skateboard. Um……..people who download all the old stuff. It's a two-headed snake, in a sense that, some people who think: well you guys have got enough money. But there's a lot of artists out there, that are still in the business and touring, that are losing a lot of money. And there's a lot of kids at home that are downloading music that they would have never heard. Right next to the Aerosmith song on Napster, is the one with Pink. And hearing stuff that they would never have heard. So in a sense, they're getting a really rich history of music. And then you got the new bands who will never be heard unless they can download their own stuff with each other. Personally, I'm extremely angry at Sony, and a bunch of other companies, for sitting around fifteen, eighteen years ago with this little device called the MP3 player. That would digitally, take anything you want and you can have all the CDs at your ear, and then making that okay and not thinking about the artists. Not thinking about any of the artists on the label that have that catalog and going for some of this MP3 hype. You know you can point your fingers, and blame a lot, but something needs to be done. I don't know what it is, but that's what I can tell you right now. That's where my thoughts are. And then I meet some kid backstage who can't get gigs, and his stuff is on his web site…….that I downloaded. So…….. Something needs done, and I don't know what it is, but I do know that it's going down……… Something has to happen.

Tom: The only records that should come out are records that have all quality songs. They don't all have to be hits or commercial---or whatever. But they need to be all good songs. So that situation of a consumer buying a record and hearing one and two good songs and being disappointed in the rest, isn't such an established, accepted paradigm right now. (applause) Certain people think, "what are we going to do?" The genie's out of the bottle. I think once you get it to the point where it's taken for granted, by the public, that when they buy a record based on a song they like, they're going to get more of that you know…….they say that's a given. The other way is just to find new way to add value to that thing that you buy. I remember when CDs first came out they were long cardboard things. The thing is, most of that was thrown away. Maybe now, that's a great way to enhance value is to come out with packages so it's like a booklet. And it's got something else in it that gives them so much more perceived value. Some people feel they not only want the music, but they want all the other artistic, creative stuff that goes along with it.

Audience: What advice would you have for someone like me, to have someone read my lyrics and actually take them seriously?

Steven: (confused) What advice would I have for what?

Audience: For me, as a writer, to have someone actually read my lyrics and take them very seriously?

Steven: Um…………….

Tom: Publicity stunt. Literally, there is so much creative, quality stuff coming out right now, that you have to do something outlandish. Lucky for us, we can go out on tour, that's established……...but I don't know how you can do it.

David: I think that they would suggest you play the Super Bowl Halftime with Britney Spears!

Steven: Well, do you have some clubs, or favorite bands that you like? I was going to say, go find some band you like and have them read your lyrics and see if they like it.

Audience: But I'm from a small town though, there's not much going on.
(Steven, Tom, David confused)

Announcer: David, Steven and Tom, on behalf of Radio and Records, we're getting to closing time here. We know that you took time out of your schedule, to fly across the United States, from Boston, to be at this Convention with these radio and program directors. And, on behalf of everyone here, we would like to thank you very much, not only for all your music, for all your continued views of this industry (applause) And also for the wonderful people that you are. So thank you very, very, very much for being here and being a part of this.

David: And play "Girls of Summer" right away!!!!!!!
(Applause, "Lay It Down" plays, mob at the front of stage)
(Steven and Tom exit)
THE END!!!!!!!!!!

The 10 year jump from Draw The Line to Dude (Looks Like A Lady) is ridiculous. You can hear the band evolve through the different tracks, and then they jump ahead 10 years. It sucks. I know it's a greatest hits thing, and 77-87 weren't popular years for the band, but they could've put No Surprise or Think About It or Come Together or Lightning Strikes on it to fill in the gap.

Are the Geffen songs the remastered versions? They sound a lot better than I remember the old CDs being, although I haven't listened to them in a while so I don't know for sure. Dude and Rag Doll had a better drum / bass sound than I remembered...for example.

The booklet is cool...there are some nice old and never before seen pictures in there. I like the shot of Joe in front of the flag on the video screen...

O Yeah has a slightly longer version of Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees). On the single and on Nine Lives, the song starts with Joey counting "1, 2, 3, 4". On O Yeah, Joey counts "1, 2, 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 4"...

Austin

With 20% of ALL sales in, "O Yeah- Ultimate Aerosmith Hits" has sold 33,750 copies and is #4 on the charts. It is on PACE to sell 168,000 copies. Can it keep up that pace?

Also, as of 2am EST....

CDnow.com- "O Yeah" #2 on sales list
Amazon.com- "O, Yeah" #10 on sales list.

Some Walmart, Target, and Best Buy locations have sold out at diff. times this past week.

NHK Hi-Vision
2002/08/03 Sat, 19:30-21:00
NHK BS-2
2002/08/12 Mon, 22:30-24:00

Note:
NHK Hi-Vision is channel that air in the format for "wide screen size"
BS-2 is the usual TV format size channel.

" Today I was watching the qualifying session for Daytona on the NASCAR. Kenny Wallace #55 was being interviewed and they were talking about music for some reason and he said he was a HUGE Aerosmith fan."

As you may remember, Wallace drove the car when it had the Aerosmith paint job back in 1999.

Go there to see a pic of Steven and Tom with a "Sludgeaholic", and some comments on them.

Roy tells me that he has it in mpg format up at Kazaa. The file is called Aerosmith - Girls Of Summer(R)

At Gasty's forum at aerogang.com, you can get find a link for dowloading GOS in Real Video format (6.71 meg). Thanks to Diablo for the conversion from mpeg (52 meg)

...you can also download the GOS video from Kuba Cichocki's site (www.aerozone.w.pl -multimedia section) and in the News section there are some pictures from the video...

" Interesting tidbit here... watching the Girls of Summer video again, I noticed that on the tray with the sandwich is an open tube of lipstick. "Eat Me" was written with a tube of lipstick! So it was definetly a girl who caught Steven. Lucky her! "

07.05.02 "GIRLS OF SUMMER" VIDEO TO PREVIEW ON AOL STARTING JULY 5

Beginning July 5th, America Online (www.aol.com) will present  the exclusive premiere of the "Girls of Summer" video for one week.  Check for the video on AOL sites on Netscape, Compuserve and AIM as well.  

The "Girls of Summer" video premiere can be found on AOL at Keyword: Music Videos or Keyword: Aerosmith. Beginning Tuesday (July 9th) it can also be found on the web at www.music.netscape.com

Steven spent the weekend in Miami, Florida filming for the Girls of Summer video. The video was directed by Dave Meyers who's popularity has been a result of his ability to capture the innate visual appeal of an artist. For the past several years, Dave has worked with the best talent in the music industry including artists Pink, Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger, Kid Rock and many many more. Look for the video to be hitting the television airwaves in the next few weeks.

Also, the bands greatest hits record, O,Yeah!-Ultimate Aerosmith Hits will find it's way on store shelves Tuesday July 2nd. (Story courtesy of Aeroforce One)

-------------------------

06.11.02 SEVENTIES ROCK A BIG PART OF EMINEM'S SHOW RAPPER LOOKED BACK TO ZEPPLIN, AEROSMITH, HENDRIX WHEN MAKING LATEST ALBUM. SOURCE: VH1.COM

"Seventies rock had a feel to it - it was crazy. When I go back and listen to it, like Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix or Aerosmith, there was a feel that '70s rock had that was incredible. I thought, 'What if I took that feel and that emotion and put it with [the new millennium]?'

"I like guitars," he added. "I know guitars ain't real big in hip-hop, but if you use them the right way they can be. Other rappers have used them and got away with it."

It was Em's right-hand man Proof who sparked the idea to sample Aerosmith's "Dream On" for "Sing for the Moment." Read the full story here. (Story courtesy of Aeroforce One)

-------------------------

06.06.02 WHAT'S COOKING IN SUNAPEE?

Who was that in the kitchen in Sunapee, New Hampshire yesterday? It was none other than ex-employee Joe Perry and his toxic twin Steven Tyler. The guys spent all afternoon with Behind the Music's camera crew doing interviews at The Barn, the Sunapee Yacht Club and of course at The Anchorage restaurant. As of right now, the crew is completing the interview process. Aerosmith's Behind the Music should air in early July and as more info becomes available, we'll keep you posted. (Story courtesy of Aeroforce One)

-------------------------

06.04.02 ROCKING BOSTON

This past weekend in Boston the stages were rocking! Pop artist Pink performed at the Orpheum and surprised her audience when Steven joined her during her encore of the song "Misery". As we've been told, the crowd was thrown into a frenzy! Tom and his family hit the Kiss Concert featuring artists Shakira, Alanis Morissette, the Goo Goo Dolls and many others. (Story courtesy of Aeroforce One)

Sky One - The Simpsons
16-Jul 19:00 8F08 Flaming Moe's

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry used to be called the ''Toxic Twins'' of rock 'n' roll. Now, they're more like the music's deans, though Tyler will tell you, ''Don't refer to me as the 50-something Tyler. Just call me the 20-year-old Tyler with 30 years of experience.''

The Boston band mocked the notion that rock 'n' roll is about only the quick fix and isn't suited for longevity. Aerosmith received MTV's ''Icon'' award this year and has younger artists like Eminem and Pink asking members of the band to record. The group also remains a force on the road, with three shows scheduled at the Tweeter Center on Aug. 22, 24, and 26 (the most of anyone playing there this summer) and will release a greatest hits album on Tuesday titled ''O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits.'' It has two new tracks, including the potential hit ''Girls of Summer.'' As Perry says, ''It's a put-the-top-down-and-go-to-the-beach type of song. It's a summer car song.''

Aerosmith has been putting out good-time music for several generations now, but they've also earned the right to warn young musicians of the darker side of the pop industry. ''The beauty of being around long enough,'' says Tyler, ''is to be able to tell Eminem and Pink that there are people out there who are perched and waiting to look at you with a smile, but as soon as you turn around, they'll stab you in the back.''

Minding their business

As big as Aerosmith is, the group does not own its catalog, having signed away the publishing rights to the corporate suits in the '70s. ''It would be wonderful and it would be right if more artists owned their own music,'' adds Tyler, ''but when you're up and coming, the wolves see you coming and they make you sign on the dotted line with hopes that you hit big and then they can really reap and suck your blood dry.''

Aerosmith has had an uneasy relationship with the corporate world since they were first signed, when the band's members felt they were taken advantage of by their earliest managers. But the group recently made its own deal with the corporate world by doing Dodge ads that seem to be on TV every time you tune in. ''You know, the money was good, the song was good, and we saw the video and had the power to turn them down, but we went with it,'' Tyler admits. ''But we didn't sign on the dotted line so we would be ruled by the corporation. That's not Aerosmith anymore. It was all predicated on `What can you do for me?'''

Tyler also just did a milk advertisement in which he appears on billboards with a streak of milk atop his mouth. ''Who else has a mouth that big?'' he says with a laugh. ''Hey, if it's funny enough, do it. I mean, I would do an ad for rehab if they used [our song] `Take Me to the Farm.' One thing I learned from the '80s is that it's good to have a sense of humor.''

Tyler and his bandmates displayed more humor by letting Eminem sample their hit ''Dream On'' on his latest album. ''I love Eminem because he pisses people off and that's what's missing in rock 'n' roll today,'' says Tyler. ''No one pisses anyone off anymore. No one plays from the heart. The spoken word music in hip-hop is brilliant.''

Eminem tracked down Aerosmith when they toured through his native Detroit last year. ''He played the rough version of the song and he was really respectful about it,'' Perry says. ''He said, `Do you mind if I do this? And would you guys mind adding to it?' Then he sent us a loop and I put some guitar on it. It's great. The song lives again in another form.''

Perry's guitar solo remained on Eminem's record, but Tyler's new vocals for ''Dream On'' were cut out. ''Em said, `You know what dude, I liked the vibe of the old days. You just can't fix that,''' Tyler recalls. ''He decided to go with that old vibe and that old studio sound.''

`Misery' loved company

Another hot young talent, Pink, approached Tyler to sing with her on ''Misery,'' a bluesy love song he originally wrote for Aerosmith, but the group voted not to use. Pink loved it and the duet she and Tyler did highlighted her last album and her recent Orpheum Theatre show, where he joined her in a captivating performance. Her boss at Arista Records, L. A. Reid, however, didn't want her to include the song on her album - another sign of what's wrong with the corporate side of the industry, according to Tyler.

''She told me L. A. Reid said, `You're never going to get a rock star like Steven Tyler to sing that with you on the Grammys if it wins an award.' And she got back to him and said, `If it wins an award, who cares whether he sings it or not?' Pink is just brilliant. I told her, `You know, I don't care if I get paid for this or not. I don't care what the percentages are. I don't care what the lawyers say. Put it on the record.' And I signed off on it.''

Tyler hopes to put ''Misery'' and other songs on a solo album someday. He'd also like to write with the likes of Elton John, Keith Richards, Eddie Vedder, and Dave Grohl for that album.

Meanwhile, Aerosmith is finally heeding its longtime diehard fans by planning to make a blues album next time out.

''Maybe it will have some [blues] classics, but we'll definitely write some new songs for it,'' Tyler says. And Perry is more expansive about it: ''What really inspired me was when I heard the blues tribute album to Aerosmith,'' he says, referring to ''Blues on Fire,'' which found Otis Clay, Joe Louis Walker, Pinetop Perkins, and other blues notables doing their versions of Aerosmith tunes. ''When I heard that, I thought, `That's what we've been missing.' So if we take that inspiration and work from that format, I don't know what it's going to sound like, but I do know it's going to be something different from anything that we've done in a long time.''

Perry - and here's another hint of his dean status - also plans to start a production company to sign some ''baby bands'' to help accelerate their careers.

''I just hear too much music that comes and goes,'' he says. ''The whole industry is so shaken up all the time that I think a lot of this new music scares off the old guard. They don't know what to make of it. But it's coming along, just as sure as the sun rises, and it's exciting and invigorating. For me, as an artist, I love it. I love new acts like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Hives, and the Strokes. There are some great bands out there. They love the Ramones and the early rock stuff and it reflects in their music. And I even like Andrew W.K. His is one of the best new rock records that I've heard.''

Perry also likes the Boston band the Gentlemen. ''I've heard their record. They're good. That's the stuff, that's the lifeblood of what I'm talking about.''

Perry's search for new bands will include his home base around Boston and far beyond. ''I get demos from all over the country,'' he says. ''It's not just a local thing. We live in Boston and love it here, but we have a pretty global view of everything at this point.''

" Yes, it is basically a Steven-centered video, yes, Jamie Pressly is in it, yes, it's very much in the "Crazy" vein, but you cannot tell it's an Aerosmith video unless you're paying close attention. Apparently the director was familiar with the LI3 moniker, and made it a reality. Tom appears twice (once in a shot with Joe, once alone), Joey appears only once in a solo shot, and Brad also appears once, but he's so far away you can't really tell he's there. The rest of the shots on the TV are mostly Joe, but it is still a big disappointment for Perry fans like me. "

Kat Perry from Texas, if you are reading this contact Cristina at aeroneurotic@aol.com asap!!!

Maybe this old news (I can't remember if I've posted it before or not) but the credits read

Produced by Tyler, Perry, Frederiksen.
Recorded by Marti Frederiksen
Mixed by Bob Clearmountain

What happens in the video then? Lauren Hirtz was kind enough to tell me some, and give me her opinion aswell...

" Basically, it's about these three girlfriends having fun - going to the beach, playing tricks, going shopping, dining out, gossiping... all o' that stuff we do in our spare time, you know. ;) They don't let any guys fuck around with them either. (I've already heard some female fans who don't like this video because they think the women are slutty or whatever, but personally, I just think they're some good looking chicks having fun (a la "Crazy"). And there's nothing wrong with that... There's no objectification of these girls, in fact I like their style. And kinda like in "Cryin'", they don't allow guys that would take advantage of them, take advantage of them. Anyway, here thus ends my semi-feminist rant. :p

Steven is shown on the beach, singing along with the song at specific moments. He's wearing what I call the "Beetlejuice" pants reminiscent of the black and white striped outfit he used to wear in the 70's... a suave white hat, with sunglasses and a white open shirt. Looking *very* fine... :)

The other band members are shown throughout the video on television screens (taken from the Icon performance) in hotel rooms, stores, etc. Most of the time they show Joe on the screen... I remember seeing Tom and Joey in their own separate shots once, but can't remember seeing Brad... So it's very Steven centric, but mostly it revolves around the main story line of the girls.

As for the ending... the song stops, just before the fading end guitar solo, to show Steven alone on the beach. He walks up to his chair, sits down and sees a tray next to him. One side of the tray reads "Eat Me," while the other holds a sandwich cut in half. Steven, hungry and curious, picks up one of the halves and takes a bite. Just then, a line of wire moves in front of him and the next thing you know, there's a large hook attached to the side of his lip and he's being reeled into the ocean like a fish by who knows what. Somebody certainly caught themselves a Steven Tyler. Lucky them! *g*

So that's pretty much it... you have to see the ending I think to fully appreciate it. It was just so very funny..! I love this vid!! "

O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits is released in Holland, for all of the cover go to www.alwayslineup.cjb.net and click on pictures/cd covers. I've seen three different Lencticular images. The track list has become a bit different. I don't know if it's the European version, but it is different:

Disc One

Mama Kin
Dream On
Same Old Song And Dance
Seasons Of Wither
Walk This Way
Big Ten Inch Record
Sweet Emotion
Last Child
Back In The Saddle
Draw The Line
Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
Angel
Rag Doll
Janie's Got A Gun
Love In An Elevator
What It Takes

Disc Two

The Other Side
Livin' On The Edge
Cryin'
Amazing
Deuces Are Wild
Crazy
Falling In Love (Is Hard On The Knees)
Pink (The South Beach Mix)
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
Jaded
Just Push Play (radio remix)
Walk This Way (performed by Run-D.M.C.)
Girls Of Summer
Lay It Down
Bonus Tracks:
Come Together
Theme From Spiderman
Toys In The Attic

At sonymusic.at it is also said that O, Yeah is already in stores. The first edtions are with a special 3D - Cover.

TRL: Vote For Your Video "Vote for your favorite video, then watch the show every day at 1:00 p.m. ET/PT, 12:00 p.m. CT to see if your pick made it on the countdown."

mtv.com/news/articles/1455400/06252002/aerosmith.jhtml

Aero Force One
Updated 06:25 PDT Sun, Jun 30 2002
Beantown rockers Aerosmith have always treated their fans kindly, especially when it comes to giving them the best seats in the house. The band's latest tour - which features Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C. - is no exception.
Members of Aerosmith's official fan club, Aero Force One, are getting first crack at prized seats before they go on sale to the general public.
"Aero Force One brings fans insider access to Aerosmith, whether through fan experiences such as travel packages and meet and greet opportunities, or through in-depth interviews and behind-the-scenes video and photo albums," said a fan club spokesperson.
Membership is $35 for U.S. residents and comes with a whole slew of goodies including preferred ticketing and advance ticket access, seniority tickets (the longer you're a member, the better your seats get), meet and greet passes, a newsletter subscription, and many other perks including limited edition merchandise.
Details are available at www.aeroforceone.com.
The tour launches August 13 in New Jersey.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/the_two_towers/

Replay on Tuesday - July 2, 2002, 9:00 am - 10:00 am ET

Jon Bream
Star Tribune
Published Jun 30, 2002

Don't get Steven Tyler started.

Too late, we already did. Aerosmith's mouthpiece called the other day to hype the band's new greatest-hits collection. Although the band has four other hits or anthology discs available -- plus a boxed set -- "O Yeah, Ultimate Aerosmith Hits" is the first compilation to have all the group's hits from its years with Columbia Records and with Geffen, where Tyler and company staged a big comeback in the late '80s.

Of course, this project (due in stores Tuesday) didn't come together without controversy.

"We didn't get the Geffen songs until the last five minutes," he said earlier this month. "Geffen would not give up the tapes. I had to make a personal plea, and, of course, they sent me to their legal department."

He's also haggling with Columbia's top brass, he said, because the label wants to pay songwriter royalties for only 23 of the 30 songs.

Uh-oh, Tyler's all worked up now.

Last year, Aerosmith became the first act to have a top-10 single ("Jaded") the same year it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but Tyler still calls radio programmers and journalists to push his new CD. It includes two new songs; the current single is "Girls of Summer," which sounds a little bit like the Byrds, a little bit more like the Beatles and a lot like Aerosmith.

"The melody has been on my mind for two years," said Tyler, who wrote the song with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and producer Marti Frederiksen during a brief stay in Hawaii, when they had intended only to work on a track for the "Spider-Man" movie soundtrack.

"I'm just so glad to be in the game," continued Tyler, 54. "I'm really glad radio stations are playing us. I don't care if I have to go up there with Joe and do an interview. That's what it's about. It's really big business. If realizing that it's not about shooting coke and smoking a joint in the bathroom this morning, I guess I'm a professional businessman."

Songs for solo CD

Some of the songs Tyler has taken to Aerosmith of late -- namely "A Good Thing" and "Oxygen" -- have been rejected by his longtime colleagues. So he's talking about making a solo album, sooner rather than later.

But he's got other things on his mind right now. One daughter, actress Liv Tyler, is getting married. Another daughter, Mia, is moving into a new apartment. His first wife is dying of cancer. And there's an Aerosmith tour later this summer (with no Twin Cities date yet, although the group will be playing with Kid Rock and Run-DMC on Sept. 14 in East Troy, Wis.).

Being distracted by family matters is good for Tyler because, after 30 years, the music biz still frustrates the multimillionaire whose group has sold more than 75 million albums in the United States alone. For one thing, the contract Aerosmith signed with its original managers gave them 50 percent of the band's publishing royalties. So two guys who haven't worked with the group for decades will get the same sum as the band for use of a sample of Aerosmith's "Dream On" on Eminem's new bestselling CD, "The Eminem Show."

Aerosmith gave permission for Eminem to sample the song because the band liked his tune ("Sing for the Moment"), Tyler said, and they like "a guy who speaks his mind." Tyler calculates that if Eminem's CD sells 5 million copies, each of the five Aerosmith members will get $30,000 in royalties -- instead of at least twice as much were they unencumbered by those ex-managers.

The singer is not happy with the way the record business works. He argues that CDs are overpriced, with only $2 to $3 of the $14 to $19 selling price going to the artist, while $10 or more goes to the record company. He thinks label executives make bad decisions such as giving Mariah Carey a $100 million contract and then having to pay $28 million to buy it out after her first album under the deal flopped. When those huge costs get passed on to consumers via higher CD prices, Tyler said, more and more people decide to download music from the Internet for free.

Uh-oh, we got Tyler started again.

Wound up -- or unwound -- though he may be, Tyler is so widely accepted that the middle-aged guy with the streaked hair and black nail polish is pictured on billboards all over the country as part of the "Got Milk?" campaign.

He did the ad because he admired Whoopi Goldberg's "Got Milk?" campaign; he donated his $35,000 fee to a Boston AIDS clinic. Plus, the exposure helps sell albums.

"To be honest with you, milk and dairy products in America are grabbing for the life preserver before they go down for a third time," he said. "I don't drink [whole] milk; I drink skim milk -- and that's what I had on my mouth [in the ad]. If I turned on 'The Tonight Show' and watched everyone laughing at my face in the ad, that's good press, too.

"I'm not that jaded. This whole rock industry and music business and radio is a big circus now, and we're just a bunch of carnies."

by Larry Katz
Friday, June 28, 2002

Aerosmith is everywhere

No matter where you look these days, Aerosmith seems to be there. The rock gods of Boston are in movie theaters singing both the theme from ``Spider-Man'' and a Dodge commercial. Aero-singer Steven Tyler can be seen in magazines flaunting his famously thick lips in two different ``Got Milk?'' ads. Heck, Tyler will even show up wearing a Santa suit next December in an episode of the Disney Channel comedy ``Lizzie McGuire.''

Music fans will be glad to know they still can find Aerosmith in the more usual rock-band places. A new greatest hits collection, ``O, Yeah!: Ultimate Aerosmith Hits,'' arrives in stores Tuesday, the sixth such compilation of Aerosmith's 30-year recording career and the first to gather songs from both its Columbia and Geffen releases.

And come August, Aerosmith will be back on the road, touring with Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C., a show that touches down at the Tweeter Center on Aug. 22, 24 and 26.

In separate interviews, Tyler and lead guitarist Joe Perry seemed equally eager to get back onstage. Otherwise, excitable, motormouth Tyler and thoughtful, down-to-earth Perry couldn't sound more different.

::::::Larry Katz talks with Steven Tyler:::::::::::

Tell me about ``O, Yeah!'' Did the band decide what 30 songs would get on it?

Steven Tyler: But of course, my darling. But it was a no-brainer. Let me see. ``Dream On.'' Duh. ``Sweet Emotion.'' ``Angel.'' You know what I mean? But if it was up to me it would be ``Train Kept A Rollin','' ``Young Lust,'' ``Reason A Dog.'' But it is what it is. It's greatest hits. And the good thing is Sony bought the rights to the songs on Geffen. Isn't it strange? Don't you think a band should own its own songs? Crazy.

``O, Yeah!'' gives fans two CDs for the price of one. Did you do that to make downloading it for free less appealing?

Tyler: Seeing that my mother company, Sony, and some other large conglomerates sat around 18 years ago and came up with this new format that you can download with no degradation, I don't think they were thinking about me or Bob Dylan or any of their clients. Now, because of the Internet, our back catalog is worth the price of a skateboard and a Sno-cone. I only thank God that I live to rock. I love looking over at Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton and singing to 20,000 people at the Tweeter Center. Not only do I get to be onstage with these guys, but I get to sing a song I wrote three months ago in my barn.

Is that where you wrote the two new songs on ``O, Yeah!'': ``Girls of Summer'' and ``Lay It Down''?

Tyler: No. Sony called us up and said, ``Look, you can either do a new record a year from now, a blues record or a greatest hits. But we need two hit singles on a greatest hits.'' Sure, like I got a couple in my back pocket. So I was talking to Joe while we were touring in Japan and told him my dream of going to an island. So on the way back we stopped in Maui and rented a house. We pushed all the furniture out of the living room, set up Pro Tools and brought in Marti Frederiksen to write with us. In 12 days, nose to the grindstone, we came up with five ditties and two are on the new album.

You'll be going out on tour with Kid Rock and Run-D.M.C. Do you think you'll all end up onstage playing together?

Tyler: Gotta do it. How do you stay away from that? That's like me asking you, ``Larry, I know you're interviewing Kid Rock next week and I know Pamela Anderson's gonna be with him 'cause she's pregnant. Now, let me ask you, are you gonna be looking at her breasts?'' Come on!

VH1 will broadcast a two-hour Aerosmith ``Behind the Music'' in August. Did working on it give you a perspective on your career?

Tyler: There's a larger than life truth people will see. There really are evils you can get something out of. There are losers and there are winners. Losers bitch and complain about what's wrong and winners do something about it. We've always been a band that's done both.

Like the thing with (former manager) Tim Collins. Here's a guy who helped us get sober and helped so much in our career, but in the end went to Sony and told them I was back on heroin. You don't do that. So he went out as large as he came in. Now look what we've done since we fired Collins. A song in ``Charlie's Angels,'' doing ``Saturday Night Live,'' doing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, launching a tour and four days later doing the Super Bowl. We did more in the first year after leaving Collins than in the whole time with him. But we would not have got to that if not for what he did.

It's interesting how ``Behind the Music'' is bringing this all up. I used to think that people like Collins were road kill and were to be buried without a headstone. But he really was monumental in the big picture. Believe me, God's got a plan for this band or we wouldn't have been around for this long.

::::::::Larry Katz talks with Joe Perry:::::::::

You had knee surgery recently. Are you completely recovered and ready to get onstage?

Joe Perry: I just got the good news that I'm going to be OK to tour. I was going to go out and play if I had to do it from a stretcher. The doctor had to put a new tendon in, so the surgery was pretty extensive. I won't be able to jump around the way I usually do onstage, but I'll be able to walk around.

You toured last year and you're going out again. Why so soon?

Perry: We usually let more time go between tours. But I feel a band is really a band when it's onstage. As you go through life, everybody has different interests. You can go through weeks where you don't really talk. We've all got our name on the recording contract and we've got the same manager, but it's not really a band until you play together.

You've been getting so many honors lately - an MTV ``Icon'' event, the American Music Awards' International Artist Award, headlining the World Cup soccer concert in Tokyo. Are you touring to keep the hot streak going?

Perry: The main reason is that we had so much fun on the last tour. We were hitting peaks. It made me realize we have to keep this going. Plus, it's not like we have another 20 years of hot rocking. So I don't want to take five years off. We're late bloomers. I'm a much better guitar player now than I was in 1975. (Guitarist) Brad (Whitford), (bassist) Tom (Hamilton), (drummer) Joey (Kramer), we're all better now. We're the best band we've ever been. Some people have their hot creative streak at the beginning of their career. For us, I think it's the opposite. We're feeling that we have a better song to write, a better record to make and the best show is yet to come. That sounds like (expletive), but it's the truth.

The new greatest hits set points out the fact that Aerosmith actually had more big hits in the '90s than in the '70s.

Perry: It's an interesting thing. We had some hot years in the '70s when we were really young. So when we put it back together in the '80s, we weren't that old. We fit in with that MTV thing. It really was a good platform for us to start rebuilding. The ball's been rolling pretty steady since then. . . . If I'm not working for Aerosmith, I'm down here in my studio making music. I look at it like if my car hits a tree, my wife will have something to put out. But to do a solo record at this point, there's just too much going on with Aerosmith.

So there could be a Joe Perry basement CD some day?

Perry: Yeah, and I may not have to hit a tree to get it done. . . . I finally decided I'm going to do a small production company and try to facilitate some baby bands getting signed. I've just heard too many good demos go by my desk and through my CD player. It's something I've wanted to do for a while and finally I feel the people around us are supportive of those kinds of things. We don't have a lot of self-serving stuff in our inner circle now. We're encouraged to do things. If Brad wants to go off and race his F-1 on the weekends, he does it. We can all have our different interests.

When I spoke with Steven an hour ago he mentioned the possibility of an Aerosmith blues album, which is something you told me you were thinking of doing five years ago.

Perry: It's going to happen. I didn't really have a picture in my mind of what it would be back then. Would we cover Muddy Waters' songs? Artistically, I didn't see it. Now I do. I can feel it's going to work. After we get off the road in six months, we can do this thing early next year.

Will you take a vacation first?

Perry: You know what? If I'm not on the beach in Florida for a couple of weeks, I'm in the studio anyway. The band is going to keep rolling. I'm inspired, and inspired to do this blues thing. A few weeks off is nice, but there's nothing else I want to do. Man, I'm just starting to get good.

Steven & Joe went Japanese Famous Toys Shop "Kiddy Land"

This was also mentioned in the InfoBeat Entertainment newsletter (Monday, July 1, 2002):

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Liv Tyler (25)"

Aero247

After this, Kim on one of the mailing lists added another place to the list:

Celebrite's Gallery in Maui....very cool place and steven stops in to see Gerard (the owner) and have dinner with him whenever he is in Maui.....I was there back in 99 right after steven was there, saw the wall, and actually bought a couple things that Gerard had Steven sign for me.......everyone should go check the place out if you get to Maui..they love us aero-fans!!

In the world of radio and concerts, how big is too big?

Rob Hotakainen and Jon Bream
Star Tribune

Published Jun 30, 2002

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin is a rock fan whose tastes tend toward Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. But he's not a fan of what's going on in the music industry.

Ticket prices are squeezing concertgoers, with $130 or more commonplace for such stars as the Eagles, U2 and the Who. At the same time, radio ownership is shrinking to a few huge chains.

Feingold sees these twin issues pointing to one conglomerate: Clear Channel Worldwide, which controls 70 percent of the nation's major concert business and operates the country's largest chain of radio stations. In the Twin Cities area, it manages the Target Center and owns seven stations that account for 46 percent of the area's FM listenership.

"It has a monopolistic feel to it, and I do think it's affecting consumers," Feingold, a Democrat, said in an interview.

As media companies continue gobbling each other up, how big is too big? That's the question percolating on Capitol Hill, where a collection of artists and broadcasters is calling for a federal investigation of consolidation in the radio industry.

And on Thursday, Feingold introduced legislation aimed at preventing anticompetitive practices in the radio and concert industries.

At the center of the debate is Clear Channel, which began in 1972 when Red McCombs (now owner of the Minnesota Vikings) and a business partner acquired an FM radio station in San Antonio for $125,000. Now Clear Channel has 1,225 radio stations as well as 37 television stations.

Despite the fact that it controls about 10 percent of the radio dial across the country, Clear Channel officials say that is no cause for concern.

"That's hardly what I call a chokehold on the American airwaves," said Pam Taylor, a spokeswoman for Clear Channel Radio.

Others, such as rock star Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, disagree. He calls radio "a big, big corporate game.

"I think it's time for a change," said the singer who has had hit songs in each of the past four decades. "It needs to be knocked down a couple of pegs. It needs to get back to the people."

A poll conducted in May by the Future of Music Coalition, a nonprofit think tank that works on issues affecting artists, found "overwhelming dissatisfaction" with radio stations, said Michael Bracy, the group's director of public relations. He said that some markets are suffering from "a lack of localism."

With so much consolidation, Feingold said, there's less diversity in programming and a "dumbing down" of content.

Tickets rise 71%

Another concern in Feingold's bill can be expressed in numbers. And, again, fingers are pointing at Clear Channel.

The Texas-based company entered the concert business in August 2001 by paying $4.4 billion for SFX, then the leading presenter of live entertainment. SFX, a New York company, had spent the previous few years buying up regional concert promoters and the biggest tours, including U2, 'N Sync, and Elton John with Billy Joel.

Clear Channel Entertainment now controls 135 concert venues, including 41 amphitheaters. That kind of hegemony in the concert business has been blamed for the rise in ticket prices.

From 1996 to 2001, the average ticket price for the top 100 touring acts rose by 71 percent, from $25.61 to $43.86, according to Pollstar, a concert trade journal. Feingold noted that the consumer price index rose only 13 percent in that period.

"It is a fundamental dollar and cents issue," Bracy said. "When one company can have such a dramatic presence in a specific market, it gives them an inappropriate amount of leverage to do what they want."

Clear Channel's clout came into play this month when the rap star Nelly backed out of an agreement to perform at the Minnesota State Fair. Nelly instead decided to do a tour with Clear Channel.

"Artists feel pressure to go against deals and against their word," said State Fair entertainment director Chris Tahti, who had advertised Nelly's appearance at the fair. But the plug was pulled by the rapper's manager just before tickets were to go on sale.

Bracy said Clear Channel now has "a real legitimate lockdown" of most major concert tours. With little competition, he said, "the ticket prices accordingly go through the roof."

Replied Clear Channel's Taylor: "They are either hugely misinformed or, for some reason, attempting to deliberately mislead the American public. . . . It's very simple. The artists set the ticket prices."

Artists' greed?

Others point fingers at the artists, as well.

"Ticket prices are a problem -- artists have gotten greedier," said Mary Catherine Sneed, chief operating officer of Radio One, an Atlanta-based chain that presents concerts and owns 65 stations, including B-96 (96.3 FM) in the metro area.

Pink Floyd was the first act to introduce "gold circle" seats at $65 or $70 in 1994, according to Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni. During the same year, he said, the Eagles broke the $100 barrier.

"In '99, it became the norm," Bongiovanni said. Clear Channel promoted Aerosmith's last tour, and Tyler said: "It was great and we made a lot of money." (Top ticket prices at Target Center were $85.) With tickets for some artists priced at $150, Tyler said, "It's all gone beyond what it should. It's under the heading of capitalistic."

The conflicting claims of who's to blame could receive an airing in both the courts and Congress: An Illinois woman has filed a federal lawsuit against Clear Channel alleging ticket-price gouging. And Feingold wants the government to determine whether the rising prices are caused by anticompetitive practices.

Consolidation

The senator said he first became interested in the concert and radio issues when many of his constituents, including his wife, began expressing unhappiness.

In his home state, Feingold said, independent radio stations and concert promoters have complained of being "pushed out by anticompetitive practices" that he said are a result of consolidation.

He traces the consolidation binge to 1996, when Congress voted to deregulate the radio industry. Feingold, one of five senators who voted against the Telecommunications Act of 1996, said that "everyone was at the table, except for the consumers."

The Competition in Radio and Concert Industries Act he introduced last week would prohibit an entity that owns radio stations, concert promotion services or venues "from acting in an anticompetitive manner." Those that do would have their broadcast licenses revoked.

The Future of Music Coalition and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) are among those pushing for a federal probe. They allege that big radio companies are using centralized play lists that make it tougher for emerging artists to get heard.

"We're not hearing the best music; we're hearing the musicians that have the best bankers, and I think the public is not served that way," said Ann Chaitovitz, national director of sound recordings for AFTRA.

Clear Channel's Taylor said the radio industry has been "playing catch-up," adding that it still "has more mom-and-pop operators out there than any other industry that has gone through consolidation." She said radio stations have increased their diversity and format as a result of the changes.

One of the big fears, Feingold said, is that artists might not get their songs played on Clear Channel radio stations if they decide not to "play ball" with Clear Channel the concert promoter. However, some artists say they've seen no signs of that kind of conflict.

Pop star Moby, who is doing a tour for a second consecutive summer with Clear Channel, said the company has not used its leverage to influence airplay.

"I'm sad to report that just because they're paying for the tour doesn't mean we're getting [songs] played on their radio stations," he said. "My experience is that the radio portion of Clear Channel has complete autonomy. Selfishly, I wish there was less autonomy."

Some of Clear Channel's radio competitors speak highly of the concert-producing division as well.

'Front-burner issue'

While the immediate concern centers on radio stations and ticket prices, some see a bigger issue in the loss of local media ownership: who makes decisions on news coverage.

Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., who plans to cosponsor Feingold's bill, said that the growth in media companies deserves status as "a front-burner issue" in Congress.

"To me, the most dangerous thing of all is to have a concentration of control over flow of information," said Wellstone, who also voted against the 1996 telecommunications law.

On the evening of June 27th, the first ever concert organized and sponsored by FIFA (the international soccer governing body) took place at Tokyo Stadium in Chofu, Tokyo before 52,000 fans. The show, titled "International Day," featured the American super band Aersomith and Japan's top duo, B'z, who were performing together for the first time ever. It was a dream for rock battle that rivaled soccer in excitement.

The concert started at 5 p.m. and went on past 10p.m., as the rock heroes of America and Japan went at it. Aerosmith, who drew seemingly endless calls for encores, told the crowd, "this was all thanks to FIFA. Thank You," and then invited the members of B'z on stage for a rendition of "Train Kept a Rollin' ", with Steven Tyler and Hiroshi Inaba duleing it out on vocals and Joe Perry and Tak Matsumoto playing off each other on guitar.

Inaba noted that "without the World Cup, this would never have happened. I wanted to sing in gratitude for all the people involved with the World Cup." All the members of Aerosmith, who are in their 50's, had the kanji characters for "certain victory" drawn on their arms, and showed their young wild rock spirit.

In contrast to the sea of blue for the Japan team's matches and the red for the Korean squad's games, this one was framed in white. Amid the falling rain, the fans, dressed mostly in white raincoats and not deploying their umbrellas, raised their fists in the air as one.

B'z conducted the opening attack with their song "Juice" and "Atsuki Boudou no Hate," caused a whirlpool of excitement in the stadium, as they played for 90 minutes, the length of a soccer match., performing 15 songs. Aerosmith then came out and did "Mama Kin" and other heavy hit songs as well as their song off of the "Spiderman" soundtrack, the first time they've ever played it live. In all, they did 18 songs, displaying tremendous stage presence

Dude looks like Steven Tyler

By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff, 6/30/2002

Every day strangers on the street stop Neill Byrnes and ask him personal questions about his anatomy.

''Are those your real lips?''

They touch his face and demand to know if he's had his cheeks done.

What about those eyes?

Byrnes isn't a celebrity or a freak. It's just that he bears a freakish resemblance to a well-known celebrity, singer Steven Tyler of the band Aerosmith. So striking are the similarities, a member of the music media who shall remain nameless once initiated a conversation with Byrnes thinking that she was schmoozing with the actual rock star. Byrnes knows he could avoid some of the confusion by moving to sub-Saharan Africa or getting a crew cut. Instead he's spent the last 10 years in front of a microphone stand draped in scarves.

Byrnes is the frontman for Draw the Line, an Aerosmith tribute band. The Boston-based group is in fact the world's only officially sanctioned Aerosmith tribute band, which means that the guys in Aerosmith think the guys in Draw the Line are such accomplished imposters they've given them their blessing to spread the pseudo-gospel in small towns and sweaty nightclubs and all sorts of places Aerosmith wouldn't get within a hundred miles of.

In 2000, MTV honored Draw the Line as one of the Top Tribute Acts around. But that was nothing compared to the rush of pulling off the perfect screech during the tag of ''Dream On'' at the Alternate Route in Weymouth for an audience that included Steven Tyler.

''I knew he was there,'' says Byrnes, 32, who lives in Hingham. ''Let's just say we played the first few songs a little faster than usual.''

One can only imagine how surreal it must be for Tyler to watch Byrnes being Tyler. And vice-versa, for that matter. Their first encounter was in 1989, when Byrnes came in first at a Tyler look-alike contest sponsored by WAAF (107.3 FM).

''It was during the `Pump' tour. My friends gave me a few beers and convinced me to go down. I won, '' says Byrnes, whose looks inspired teasing in middle school and fawning in high school. By the time graduation rolled around, not a day went by without a case of mistaken identity. ''Part of the deal [at the contest] was going backstage at Great Woods and meeting the band,'' Byrnes says. ''Steven's jaw pretty much dropped. It was right after the whole thing about his daughter, Liv Tyler, had come out, and I think he must have been worried that another kid had shown up. I was nervous, but they were all funny and down-to-earth. Ever since we've had a good relationship.''

Byrnes has lost count of how many Aerosmith concerts he's been to; neither can he estimate the number of hours he's spent poring over video- and audiotapes, books, bootlegs, and fan collections in the effort to master his act. Needless to say, he's a fan.

''They've been working so hard for so long, and I feel like we're the No. 1 Aerosmith booster club,'' he says. ''We try to keep their image alive. It feels like this type of music is dying out a little, and there's nothing like those rock bands that came out in the '70s. People still want that.''

But isn't it profoundly weird, or at least tiresome, for a musician to spend his entire adult life pretending to be a different musician? ''To be honest, I was going to get out of this a couple of years ago,'' says Byrnes. ''How many times can I play `Sweet Emotion?' But there was such an outcry. And that's the charge, night after night. It's the reaction, the energy from the crowd. And the girls taking off their shirts and throwing their bras at you.''

Despite the thrills, Byrnes is eager to spread his musical wings.

''I'm starting to write some original stuff,'' he says. A solo CD is in the works. ''It's gonna be hard rock, two guitars, different sorts of melodies. Something that has that Aerosmith type of sound.''

This story ran on page N5 of the Boston Globe on 6/30/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.