Walk This Way

I was never more than a marginal Aerosmith fan during the band's heyday in the 70's, but being a fan of rock bios and knowing something of the subject matter, I decided to take a chance on this as a vacation beach read. This book has everything; lurid tales of drug use, lurid tales of sex, lurid tales of easy money. Hey, it's a lurid tale. Lurid, but nicely done. The author has set it up so that the stories can be told from the standpoint of different charachters consecutively, so that a clearer idea of what actually happens presents itself. (When I say clear, keep in mind that I'm talking about Aerosmith, one of, if not the most, excessive bands of the 70's. I sometimes wonder how much is really clear even to them.) One is left with the idea that very little was left out, always something to consider in a book like this one. It's a great read, ranking right up with the Led Zeppelin bio "Hammer Of The Gods" in the "think I'll read that one again" department.

I have read the Motley Crue book, and was so surprised at how decadent that group was, until I read WALK THIS WAY. Aerosmith makes Motley Crue look like a bunch of choir boys and saints. I love Aerosmith's music and was very happy to see them rise to the top once again. The book travels with the band from their humble beginnings in New Hampshire to their rise to the top of the mountain till the drugs and alcohol had them all crash and lose it all. The book ends with the release of the NINE LIVES Cd. With this book we get straight from the band members themselves the stories behind writing the hit songs, all the internal conflicts that destroyed the band, all the drug use, girlfriends, everything is covered here in this book with no one being protected. No names have changed. This book will keep you hooked as you go from one story to the next. While some of the members have different recollections of some of the events, they are not that far off and you get to whole inside look into the greatest american band their has ever been. So I suggest that if you like reading about the bands you dig, you go out and get this book. You will not be disappointed

The book to end all books for Aerosmith fans. You can't get any closer to the band without actually stepping into their lives. You'll never look at these guys the same after you've read their story. It's more info than you ever needed to know about the Boston bad boys. Don't even think you know everything about Aerosmith unless you've read this book cover to cover. Filled with enough pictures to satisfy your eyes, the info in this book with satisfy your head. It's funny, dramatic, sometimes even disgusting. It's not written in the style of a novel. It's constantly switching narrators, from the guys in the band to their closest friends and back again. Wanna know about their lives before Aerosmith? Read the book. Wanna know how they named the band? Read the book. Wanna know why they really split up, and why they really got back together? Read the book. Wanna know about the first time Steven Tyler got laid? Read the book. 30 times more information than a "Behind the Music" special. This is the Aerosmith bible.

This is essential reading for any Aerosmith fan. Even if you hate reading, I gurantee that once you pick this book up, you will not be able to put it down. I've read it through three times, and plan on reading it again soon. Even if you think you know everything about Aerosmith, you will find out once you read this book that you were very wrong. You'll confirm things you've always suspected, learn many things you didn't know before, including some things you probably wish you didn't know. Speaking of that, people who have said that this book is in bad taste, and that it is wrong for Aerosmith to bare their souls like this and tell what really happened in their lifetime, well, you do not understand this book. This is the AUTOBIOGRAPHY of Aerosmith, UNCENSORED, not some edited kiddie show bullcrap. This is the real deal, don't wanna read about the drugs, women, and all that between tales of how the albums were made, then don't read the damn book! This is a story of human triumph, that should inspire us all, knowing that no matter how bad things get, we can always come out better than we were before. That's not saying that you should smoke dope or whatever because Aerosmith said they did it in this book and then they went out and sold 50 million albums, but apply it to your own situation. Fact is, if you love Aerosmith, then you should own this book!

"We believed anything worth doing was worth overdoing." Those words are spoken from the famous mouth of the ever talkative, ever charismatic Steven Tyler, frontman of the East Coast rock band, Aerosmith. Indeed, that seems to be the underlying current of thought running through the pages of the recently released autobiography, Walk This Way. Overindulgence is an understatement for these Boston Bad Boys. Why then, should their ever faithful "Blue Army" of fans be any different? Aerosmith is a potent drug themselves. They keep you wheedling for more, whether it be a dying thirst for their exciting, blues-influenced brand of rock, to the ache of withdrawal you feel when they're not breezing into your nearest town with one of their awesome live shows. Once you get hooked, you can't even pick up their massive autobiography and be able to put it down, even when going back for seconds. Walk This Way is a surprising expose from five guys who knew the story best -- Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer -- the guys who lived through it. To fill in the gaps of consciousness are wives, ex-wives, managers, roadies, friends, and peers from the entertainment field. The journey of Walk This Way takes you back to Tallahassee, sort to speak. It starts where it should: from the beginning, from the childhood years of all five guys in the band, their family background, and their influences that helped pave the way for their musical direction. It portrays their struggles, their frustrations, their hopes and ambitions, and even their starry-eyed dreams. Even Steven Tyler, as a young lad, had his idols as he sat for hours in front of hotels to meet the members of The Rolling Stones -- much like his fans do today. The journey called Aerosmith is one full of clouds, full of bumps, full of fights, full of brotherhood, full of triumph, and full of ideals and goals. The book takes you through the pages of history when Aerosmith got their first record deal with their self titled album, and through their second, Get Your Wings, as a band trying to make their mark in the rock and roll universe. It takes you through their countless determination in building a following by playing club after club, and being persistent. It takes you through their first big taste of success when their next two albums, Toys In The Attic and Rocks hit the public smack in the head. Suddenly they were somebody and success, money and fame walked right into their door. Along with that fame and success came a slow destruction that was caused by the excesses of life: drugs, drinking, women, and endless touring and being on the road. The devil of drugs started to play puppet master with the band, causing what appeared to be a slow and imminent death of a band that had the chance to be destined for greatness. This cancer took hold when Draw The Line was made, and escalated during the making of Night In The Ruts. A wedge