by Joe Perry
I have no idea what the coming years might hold, but for now everything is calm. The sky is turning pink. The distant mountains are bathed in a mystical purple glow.
The sun will soon set.
Night will come.
And tomorrow, a new day.
My father with his crew near the end of World War II. He’s second from the left, standing.
My mom and dad, Mary and Tony. I was the gleam in my dad’s eye.
The start of the All-American Perry family.
The diving bell that I made from junkyard scraps. Still under construction.
A collage of my early days, made by a fan. Thanks.
My first band, Chimes of Freedom. Left to right: Bill Wright, John Alden, and me.
My Vermont Academy Prep School band, Just Us.
Everything plugged into one sorry amp. Left to right: Dave Meade on bass, John Alden on drums, and me at the mic.
In the woods with my camera at Vermont Academy.
Dance “Flash” poster I made to promote a show Dave Meade and I did periodically at the Hopedale Town Hall.
The cover I hand-drew for one of four acetates we had pressed of a recording of Jam Band.
The Jam Band performing on the lawn on the side of the New London Inn in New Hampshire, down the road from Lake Sunapee. From left to right: Tom Hamilton, Dave Scott (aka Pudge), and me.
Within the first week of moving into the apartment at 1325 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts.
The early ’70s. Left to right: me and Tom at a sound check.
Ray Tabano at a show in the Boston suburbs.
Backstage at an early show when we were officially Aerosmith with Brad Whitford, with my mom there to cheer us on.
A poster drawn for us by Elyssa Jerret to promote Aerosmith. This was the last summer of the old crew hanging at Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire.
At the Fenway Theater. Left to right: Tom, me, and Brad.
The only picture I have of Father Frank Connelly, given to me by his sister the same day she gave me his ring. I still miss this man. His spirit still runs through the band.
An early photo shoot of the band. Left to right: Brad Whitford, me, Joey Kramer, Steven Tyler, and Tom Hamilton.
Maxanne Sartori at a party. She’s the cute blonde to the left who was one of the first female disc jockeys in the country. The top DJ at WBCN Boston, and the first to play “Dream On” as a demo. Thanks to Raymond Tabano for bringing it to her attention.
Me and Elyssa on the road with Aerosmith.
Steven and me at the first Aerosmith show at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. If you look closely, you can see the cut on my lip.
My family at my wedding reception to Elyssa. Left to right: Dad, maternal grandpa Ursillo, Mom, Grandpa’s wife, and my sister Annie.
Not a happy man. In the background is the Wherehouse, in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Trying out my new meerschaum pipe. It worked.
Steven and me onstage, around 1973.
The first of many dives together with Steven in Maui. Left to right: me, Nick Spiegel, and Steven.
Early morning hours working on tracks for Draw the Line at Air Studios.
David Krebs disembarking the Aerosmith plane somewhere in Europe, during the 1977 tour. I actually think he had a warm spot in his heart for the band.
Somewhere in Manhattan. I just did a blast of something good and was solving the problems of the world.
David Johansen of the New York Dolls in New Orleans, July 4, 1976. The owner of the club got us onstage to jam for free drinks.
Sailing on a day off in Maui. The two standing shirtless guys are Henry “The Horse” Smith and Nick Spiegel, then, left to right: me, Elyssa, Steve Leiber, and his daughter.
Aerosmith at Texas Jam with Ted Nugent jamming with us.
Near the end of the 1977 European Aerosmith tour. Left to right: Joey, Brad, Tom, Steven, and me.
The first lineup of the Joe Perry Project in 1979. First gig at Boston College’s Rathskeller. Left to right: David Hull, Ralph Morman, me, and Ronnie Stewart.
On the road with the second Joe Perry Project. Left to right: Charlie Farren, me, Ron Stewart, and David Hull.
Early shot of me and Collins.
Mark Parenteau, the top DJ at WBCN, in the early ’80s.
The third lineup of the Joe Perry Project, 1983. Left to right: Joe Pet, me, Cowboy Mach Bell, and Danny Hargrove. Without a doubt the wildest and most fun bunch of guys I have ever played with. It was rocking as close to the edge as I will ever get. Truly a band of pirates.
Mixing tracks for the third solo CD at Blue Jay Studios in Carlisle, Massachusetts. Zunk convinced me that Jack Daniel’s tasted better out of the pint bottles. I think he was right.
The girl who still rocks my world. One of the photos I saw in Billie’s modeling portfolio while I was still with the Joe Perry Project.
Billie and me at the very first reunion gig of Aerosmith in Concord, New Hampshire. She had no idea what she was in for. Right from the start I loved her with all of my heart.
Tom and me at one of the first gigs during the Back in the Saddle tour.
Steven and me in the hotel room before the Lynn Bowl, our first local Boston gig after we got back together.
Billie and me right after our wedding vows at the Iao Needle on spiritual ground in Maui, Hawaii, September 21, 1985.
Aaron, Billie (seven months along with Tony), me, and Adrian on the way to Sullivan Stadium to play a festival with Aerosmith, while Adrian plays with the limo gadgets, 1986.
Me and baby Tony, November 1986.
Collins and me.
In Chicago, Buddy Guy came to our show and sat in with us. I went down to his club, The Checkerboard, and sat in with him. Left to right: me, Buddy, Tom, and Brad.
Dr. J. Jones and the Interns, the nom de guerre we would use when we would play clubs in the ’70s, and a few times in the ’80s.
Billie and me at Les Paul’s birthday party that Gibson threw for him at the Hard Rock in Manhattan.
Me and Billie on October 4, 1991, just sixteen days before she gave natural childbirth to Roman.
A band dinner with Collins at the head of the table in Nashville, after one of Collins’s vision meetings.
On the set in the thick of the MTV video age. Left to right in the foreground: Joey, me, Marty Callner, and Billy Brigode. Billy was one of the sailors who would drop by at Kent Street and party. He also managed our club in Revere and later became a video producer.
Aerosmith doing some sightseeing.
The Tylers and the Perrys on one of our many family outings in costumes at the Renaissance Faire.
Me and Cheap Trick at my fiftieth birthday. From left to right: Rick Nielsen, Bun E. Carlos, Robin Zander, me on guitar, and Tom Petersson.
Steven and me getting ready for one of the shots in the “Pink” video.
Perry Marguleff and me. Perry is the most knowledgeable guy I know when it comes to guitars and classic studio gear.
I thought I would let the fans have a go at the peak of one of my solos. It sounded a bit rough, but we had a good time.
After a fund-raiser at my and Steven’s restaurant Mount Blue in Norwell, Massachusetts. Left to right: my sister Anne, Billie, me, and my mom.
After a show at one of my birthdays in the mid-late ’90s.
Filming a video for the indie movie This Thing of Ours. Left to right: me, director Danny Provenzano, and Frank Vincent. Danny used the music from the band the Porch Ghouls in the movie.
Paul Shaffer and me talking, the week I sat in with David Letterman’s band. The other stringbender in the picture is Sid McGinnis.
In the desert outside of Vegas getting ready to perform on rapper Nelly’s video for the song “Number 1.” Left to right, front row: me; Trudy Green, Aerosmith’s manager and my dear friend; and Roman Perry. In the back, left to right: Tony Perry; bodyguard; and John Bionelli.
Steven and me after taking a dive in the New England Aquarium in Boston,
watched by some of our children. Left to right: Chelsea and Taj Tyler, and Roman Perry.
Skiing the slalom course on Lake Sunapee.
Jimmy Page, James Brown, me, and Slash at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
Our beloved and devoted German Shepherd, Grant.
A day off on the way back from the pool in front of our connecting villas. Me, Billie, and Steven in Bangalore, India.
Our first time playing in India. The first time in Aerosmith history the elephant in the room was real.
Beating my guitar with my shirt.
Now I feel better!
In Dubai on a shoot with Ross Halfin.
Suited up in action-capture gear for the Guitar Hero game.
Chuck Berry and me backstage at an Aerosmith concert in St. Louis. I wouldn’t be playing guitar if it wasn’t for this man.
Billie had our bus painted with Guitar Hero artwork as a surprise for me before a tour. I guess she got me back for me putting her picture on my guitar.
Joe Perry Project on tour in Edmonton, Canada, playing songs from my fifth solo album, Have Guitar, Will Travel. Left to right: David Hull on bass, Hagen Grohe sharing vocals, drummer Marty Richards, and me.
Standing next to our bus driver of twelve years, Mark Langley. Some Virginia State Troopers helped us on the way to a gig in a traffic jam.
In the Boneyard Studio at my house in Massachusetts, listening to playbacks for Just Push Play. John Kalodner is known for only dressing in white. We thought he would get a kick out of us dressing like him.
Steven and me relaxing after shooting an ESPN video outside of the Boneyard.
The Joe Perry Project band I put together to promote my fourth solo album, Joe Perry. The song “Mercy” from that album was nominated for a Grammy. Left to right: Charlie Drayton, Paul Caruso, Audley Freed, and me.
Ross Halfin trying to get us to settle down to get the next picture.
And he got it!
Me and my road manager, as well as best friend, coadventurer, and hockey freak, John Bionelli.
The band on a break, hanging in the Avant Garden during the recording of Just Push Play in the Boneyard.
On stage with my favorite guitar.
Billie and me taking part in Project Aware’s cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico on the Sun Coast of Florida.
This was when my knee was in such bad shape I could not bend it and caused me constant pain during the shows. I had to change how I moved on and off stage to accommodate it.
Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of National Health and one of the “Rock Stars of Science,” talking with me about the video we were making to play in front of Congress as a fund-raiser for cancer and Alzheimer’s research.
First Rock Stars of Science campaign poster in JFK in NYC, with Dr. Rudi Tanzi to the left, me, and Dr. Francis Collins, Director of National Health.
Me with the Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars at the Woodstock Vermont Arts Festival.
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Metallica, among others. One of the others is sitting at the table with me and the great Jimmy Page—the mighty Jeff Beck. A night I will never forget.
Me asking Chuck’s keyboard player what key we’re in.
Boys’ day out at Gillette Stadium to cheer on the home team, the New England Patriots. Left to right: Roman, Aaron, Jonathan Kraft, me, Robert Kraft, Tony, and Adrian.
John Bionelli is friends with one of the Bruins players who brought the Stanley Cup they won in the 2010–11 season to the band’s studio.
The famous Johnny Johnson layin’ it down during the Honkin’ on Bobo sessions while Jack Douglas and I soak it up.
Brad and me having a laugh at a show.
Warming up the Theramin at sound check with Trace Foster, my guitar technician.
Aerosmith in South America. Steven on the left and me on the right.
Practicing throwing rock shapes while wearing seven-inch heels. Broken lamps, chairs, and black and blue marks attest that it ain’t as easy as it looks.
Rock and roll history in the making. I am the only person to have jammed with Kiss. I had a great time.
On the set of Sons of Guns. We are getting ready to test-fire my cannon, which they had just refurbished.
It only took three shots to nail the sailboat, thanks to Sons of Guns’ Will Hayden, Stephanie, Chris Ford, and crew. It was another great day.
Dr. Rudi Tanzi and me at a rehearsal for the Jay Leno show, where we performed “Man of Peace” off the Amnesty International CD.
Me and Trace working on a demo for “Freedom Fighter” in a villa at the Sunset Marquis.
Alice and me backstage at a festival in Kristiansand, Norway.
A great day visiting the Sea Shepherds’ home base in Australia.
In the backyard in Vermont, cutting loose. Left to right in back: Aaron, Tony, my sister Anne, Roman, and Adrian. Left to right in front: Austin, Billie, me, Mamaw Hobson, Genevieve, and Anne. My mother was with us in spirit; she was too ill to make the sitting.
Johnny Winter and me on his bus. I’m holding the guitar I saw him play back in 1969.
Hanging out in my dressing room with my buddies. In the front, left to right: me, Bruce Witkin, and Johnny Depp. In the back, Caroline Kaufman, Billie, and Aerosmith’s manager Howard Kaufman, the smartest man in the business, my really good friend, and mentor.
Johnny jamming with Aerosmith onstage at the Staples Center in LA. We played “Train Kept A-Rollin’ ” and it sounded great. The man can play.
Where Aerosmith began. Forty years later, I still can’t believe it.
Taken the day 1325 was made a Boston landmark.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
When I was eight or nine I had a brother named David who died when he was a couple days old. I’ve always had this feeling I was supposed to have a brother. I remember much sadness at the time, but after that, nothing was really said about it. I can’t help but wonder if that loss doesn’t play a part in my relationship with Steven Tyler. We’ll never know, but it’s these kinds of memories that spring up when you write a book like this. If the book was going to be worth doing, it meant digging down, a lot deeper than I thought I would have to. When Billie suggested that maybe it was time to think about writing it, I said yeah . . . it just felt like the right time.
Much thanks goes to David Vigliano, our agent, whom we met during the writing of Walk This Way. He and Billie remained friends all these years, and he was invaluable from the start with advice, helping us get our deal with Simon & Schuster, and finding David Ritz, who turned out to not only be a great partner in writing the book but also became a great friend and fellow musicologist.
I want to thank Billie, my wife, lover, and soul mate, for her help with my book—organizing, following up, and the patience it took, and for having lived hand-in-hand with me over these last thirty years. Without the fates bringing us together, I probably wouldn’t be here to tell this story, or gotten back with Aerosmith.
