AEROSMITH: 'PUSH' COMES TO SHOVE
Whether they're wrestling over songs or sparring in the studio, the band's in
fighting form, says Joe Perry. Here he talks about recording at home, touring
and the spontaneous nature of Just Push Play.
The phrase "America's greatest rock band" and the name "Aerosmith"
have been in close proximity lately. And why not? The Boston rockers have got
classic riffs, a whiff of excess, and an almost-crazed vitality. Boasting a
frontman who still favors strut and screech, a guitar god who puts a wicked spin
on the Keith Richards slouch, and one of the world's most piston-pumping rhythm
sections, these pop veterans have an explosive spirit.
Since their 1989 comeback with Pump, Aerosmith have employed the talents
of high-vis producers and outside songwriters like Desmond Child. This time
around, however, they bet the farm on their own production savvy. Just Push
Play - album No. 13 if you're counting - is their rawest record in years,
with the raunch attack given added muscle by the Tower of Power horns on
"Trip Hoppin'" and some coy whispering from Liv Tyler on "Avant
Garden."
The disc entered the chart at No. 2 the same week the guys were inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Kid Rock. VH1's Rebecca Rankin cornered Joe
Perry to ask him about making the extravagant video for "Jaded,"
wrestling creatively with his bandmates, and keeping his wife awake at night.
Rebecca Rankin: There are a lot of special effects in the
"Jaded" video; you've used them before. How was [the process of making
it] different from past videos?
Rankin: She didn't mind snare drum?
Perry: No, not at all. We'd be down there at 1 in
the morning, thundering away on the drums and the bass and all that. But for
some reason, the guitar would be ... I don't know.
[The sessions were] just a great experience for everybody, because it was just
so loose and there was nobody there. There were no boundaries. We played night
and day. We don't need a coach anymore, and I looked at producers a lot like
coaches, kind of like organizing things.
Rankin: You've worked with other songwriters; you've done it
by yourselves. Is there one way that's easier, one way that's harder?
Perry: Anytime you write a song, it's a wrestling
match, because you're trying to figure out if what you're putting out there is
going to catch anyone else's ear besides your own. There's a lot of push and
pull. I do it with Steven, which I've done for 30 years, or you bring someone
else into the mix and you do it with them.
Lately we've found it more exciting to work with other people, just to bring it
into the mix. Steven and I have sat there in an empty room with a blank piece of
tape, me with a guitar in my hand and he at the keyboard, a lot of times. And
I'm not saying we won't sit down alone and write great songs again, but for now
it's fun to bring other people in, and bring in some fresh ideas. All I do is
sit down there and try to get into a good headspace and let it flow. And when
you have other people that think the same way, you've just got to turn the tape
on and let it happen. And if you're blessed that day to come up with a song,
there it is. If not, you try again tomorrow.
Rankin: You're making it sound like this was an easy one to
do.
Perry: I don't think they're ever easy. It's just
that there was one less person in the room to argue with. We still got in our
fights. But it's about music, and that's really what it should be about. It
shouldn't be about ... I mean, we had our days. We have our days. You can hear
the fighting, and thundering notes through the floor. "What are they
yelling about now?" But like I say, it's a wrestling match. Nothing good
comes easy.
Rankin: Tell me a little bit about your touring plans.
Perry: Touring is easy, because we know what we're
going to do from day to day. And it's been so crazy up until now. I'm looking
forward to it, to get some relaxation. We get to go out there and play. I don't
have to worry about anything, except making sure I have enough underwear packed.
We're going to tour the world. Up until now, it's been so crazy ... it's been an
incredible, creative time for us, but it's also been very hectic.
Rankin: Talk a little bit about performing with Kid Rock [at
the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards]. What was that like?
Perry: I'm a fan of Kid Rock's. I love the records,
and when we heard we had a chance to work with him, it sounded like a lot of
fun. The whole idea of breaking down the wall, in the audience, and coming down
the aisle and playing "Walk This Way" - it was exciting for us to do
it. Meeting him and hanging out with him for a little while and seeing what his
thing is.
I think the best part of that was the rehearsal, the day before, when we were
all on the stage just hanging out. The [actual performance] goes by so fast. I
think we were on the stage for 30 seconds. It's almost like you can't absorb it.
[It's like,] "What did we do? We got dressed for this?" So at the
rehearsals you can get a little more out of it. Very often, that's where you get
to meet people. They're on the road, we're on the road, you admire their work
and you never get to meet them. So it's the rehearsals where you can rub elbows
and hang out and find out what they're about.
Source: www.VH1.com