Hey gang, just got done with the Joe Perry interview. The cordial, endlessly cool Aerosmith guitarist has spent the past few weeks driving to cities and chatting up music critics, fans and then some about his upcoming solo album, Have Guitar, Will Travel, out Oct. 6. On Friday, Perry parked his rock-star-mansion-on-wheels (a lotta leather, leopard print, killer audio-vid stuff) in front of a St. Pete radio station. I showed up early -- and sweaty (stupid MAZD air conditioning) -- but his manager let me on anyway.
Joe put down the blinds, offered me a water and we started chatting. I was originally given about 20-30 minutes; we shot the proverbial stuff for almost 90. I'll write a longer, more detailed, more geeked-out story later (including at least 500 words on his belt). But here are a few choice bits from the chat:
About the fate of Aerosmith and the rumors surrounding singer Steven Tyler, who fell off the stage during an early August show at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, causing the band to scrap their current tour: "There are plenty of tweets, Twitters, blogs saying the band broke up and that's bullsh--. It's just not true. People can be so bitter and cruel. Just because you're anonymous doesn't mean you can lose your manners or your etiquette....It's just time for the band to stand back and let the dust settle. Aerosmith is not broken up. We're going to take a good healthy sabbatical."
[Regarding Tyler and whispers of an addiction to painkillers, brought on by the stage fall] "As far as I know, he was doing what his doctor said. The hardest thing for him to do is try and sit still. That guy is permanently on."
About the death of guitar innovator Les Paul. Like many rock gods, Perry uses an assortment of Les Paul guitars: "I don't think there are too many guitar players who aren't influenced by him. He was always very friendly, always talking about his next gig. Just an amazing guy, a Leonardo da Vinci of our time."
About Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, the ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios: "Steven and I rode it 49 times the first day, to check all the music. The ride was already built when we saw it; that's their thing. But the music they left up to us."
On the vibe of the of his new album, especially killer track Slingshot: "I wanted the feel of driving into Las Vegas at 6 in the morning with the top down after being up for three straight days. I've had nights like those."
So there you go, just a taste of my Friday afternoon. We also talked about Guitar Hero, the lost art of trashing hotel rooms, his line of hot sauces and just how often he talks to Tyler. But I'll save that for the story...
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