After Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry quit the band in 1979, followed by rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford two years later, the group’s commercial success took a hit. When the original lineup reunited in 1984, it marked one of the most successful comeback stories in rock and roll. In a never-before-published interview, Perry credited some of that success to the lingering tension between the members, along with his and lead singer Steven Tyler’s struggles with addiction.
“I think a big part of it was people had to know we were on the level, because we had to cancel so many shows when we were fucked up and we weren’t playing great,” Perry told Classic Rock reporter Ken McIntyre in 2012. “The last shows before I left the band, some nights would be great, but some nights just weren’t. Every night has to be great, and we just weren’t living up to our own standards.”
The legendary rock star added that the group had to “rethink everything” because they were essentially entering uncharted territory.
“There’s only a handful of bands that have stuck together as long as we have. Everybody else died or broke up, and that was it. So when we came back in the 80s, not only are we going to get back together, but we’re going to tell everybody we’re sober. We had to. We’d burned a lot of bridges,” Perry continued. “So that part followed us around. And the tension between Steven and I, all through the ‘70s, that followed us too. And it made for good press. ‘How could they be that way? How could they be on stage and make records together and still be at each other’s throats?’”
Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton chimed in and joked that the men “had nothing better to do,” before admitting that there was a bond between him, Tyler, Perry, Whitford and drummer Joey Kramer.
“Really, we’re just five guys that love playing with each other. It’s worth all the trouble.”
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